You can blame all of this on the SEC.
Over the last four years the SEC has reigned
as champions of the BCS.
And last year the conference signed fifteen
year TV deals, with ESPN (for the first time) and
CBS.
This guaranteed the conference the money necessary
to continue to dominate in the ever increasing money
wars of college athletics and especially football.
This also put the pressure on the other conferences to find a way to keep
up. The
demise of the Big 12 was brought about by
themselves.
In 2007, LSU won the BCS Championship.
But because of the equal distribution of TV
revenue within the conference, the Tigers made only
about $300,000 more than Vanderbilt did. The Big 12,
on the other hand, distributed TV revenue based upon
who was on television, not equally.
A traditional power like Nebraska received
only about 50% of what some other schools (such as
Texas) in the Big 12 received.
It was obvious that something had to give.
Well it is now all coming to a head.
Nebraska has bolted for the Big 10.
Colorado has headed for the sunny west coast
and the PAC 10.
This Tuesday Texas will make it known where
they wish to be, PAC 10, Big 12, or SEC.
All indicators are the PAC 10.
I personally think they would do better in
the SEC.
I just don't see a conference spread out over three
time zones.
The WAC tried this a few years ago and it
didn't work.
Texas would be better served, in my opinion,
in the SEC.
The reason I am hearing they don't want the
SEC is on the academic side.
UT is rated academically a lot higher than
any school in the SEC, except Vanderbilt.
My response is, “We ain't talking academics,
we're talking football.”
However, all indicators are UT is headed
west.
Can't you just see the UT softball team making trips
in one season to Washington, Washington State,
Oregon, and Oregon State.
They'd better be making a lot of money on TV.
Rumor control has the Aggies of A&M going east to the SEC.
I personally love this.
Tiger fans my age grew up playing the Aggies
each year.
That was always my favorite game (the Tigers
usually won it).
It would also help the Tigers recruiting in
Texas and it would also help Arkansas by giving them
a traditional rival from the old Southwest
conference.
The Aggies in the SEC would be good for both.
The reason the Aggies would come east as
oppose to the PAC 10 is because this would allow
them
(their perception) of stop playing second fiddle to
Texas.
Another observation is I will be surprised if the Big10 stops at
Nebraska.
Why wouldn't they want Rutgers and that New
York City TV market?
One final observation, the BIG winner in all of this looks like it will
be the Mountain West Conference.
This past week Boise State jumped from the
WAC to the Mountain West and it is most likely this
is where the schools of the Big 12 that don't go to
the PAC 10 will wind up.
This should then allow the Mountain West to
get the Big 12's spot in the BCS.
And this will have the added benefit of
getting Congress off of the backs of the BCS since
this is being pushed by the Senators from Utah.
