The problem is the Big 12 was late to the party. They should have been more proactive in keeping the schols they lost or acted when they had their choice of schools.
Yep...reminds me of the Big East in many ways except the Big East always kept Basketball Schools ahead of Football...similar to the ACC IMO.
Texas also lingered along waiting or HOPING (those in formally in the Big East knew not to trust it) for ND to join the Big 12 and help be a crushing blow to the ACC...instead of just getting Clemson and FSU to join (before the GOR). But they waited too long and ND joined the ACC (not football but added football games) to help and the ACC got a GOR in place to help stabilize after losing Maryland to the Big 10.
So now some don't want to expand the Big 12 unless it is with Power 5 Schools. Some are under the impression that FSU might still be interested because they think that if they (ESPN) can not create an ACC network as promised than FSU can null and void the GOR. I doubt that happens. Seems like other Power 5 conferences have a GOR or they are the SEC who no team would leave.
So some fans/schools don't want to go with a lesser G5 schools that are available. But at one time they were talking of a Big 12 Network if they could convince Texas to fold the LHN into the Big 12 Network and look for teams that had the largest TV footprint. That is why UCONN popped up due to them possible gaining some of the NY cable area.
Now with no standard Network looking like it will happen, instead it seems like they might be talking about a digital one. I would hazard to guess they are looking at best teams in Football instead of move viewers or possible cable subscribers.
At one time it was thought that UC and UCONN with BYU as the third with the old cable type expansion method. Now maybe it is UC and BYU with UCONN as third. UC and BYU provide the best bundle of Football and Basketball. However there is the problem with the BYU and some of the things they have to work with (no play on sundays and so on). There is also the idea that they orginially wanted to expand East. UC and UCONN would achieve that.
Personally I think if they only go two at this time...It should be BYU and UC. I think that gives you the best bundle of football and basketball while UCONN just gives you mostly Basketball.
I think we need to expand by two right now...even if it is G5 schools.
I don't think any P5 schools can get out of a GOR right now but if they could that would be ideal.
Recent word is that both Arizona Schools might be intersted in the Big 12 but again I don't know about the GOR with the PAC.
I just hope they don't sit on their butts like the Big East did while everyone passed them by...the big east turned into being Reactive instead of Proactive and it destroyed it's overall brand and especially football brand over the years as the ACC kept poaching. But that was probably what the basketball schools wanted all along.
I really knew the big east was in trouble with The had the head of ND be the head of an expansion committee to look for football schools to join the big east and ND refused to join in football. What kind of crazy crap was that.
Now it seems like with have the Big 12 having a urinating contest between Texas and OU and it would seem one is in favor of expansion (OU) but Texas is not. However the big 12 needs a super majority to approve expansion which means they need 8 or more votes to approve. Word is they have 7 as is...but UT has one vote and they have TCU and TT sticking with them.
We will see...I am hoping that this summer they will announce at least two teams. The two teams might not actually be added until 2017 (same as the champ game at earliest) or 2018. I would also expect a graduated contract for the two new teams like they did with TCU and WVU where they only make a percentage of what the other teams do for the first 4-5 years.
Another interesting thing is the lobbying of some teams to join the big 12.
The two most interesting teams might be Houston and Memphis.
I don;t know what the big 12 would want yet another texas team in teh Big 12 but who knows.
Memphis by itself has not been much in football until this past season. HOWEVER word is that FedEx (housed in memphis) is willing to add up to $50 million or more money to get Memphis in the big 12. They are also willing to pay to sponsor the Big 12 championship game. I don't know if the champ/sponsor is in addition to the $50 mill or part of it. Either way that is a nice chunk of change that might be hard to pass on.
Interesting times in the Big 12. I just hope things work out cause as a WVU...i don't want to feel like we will have to find yet another conference to join when the GOR for the Big 12 is up and franky, contrary to what many fellow WVU fans feel, I want nothing to do with the ACC.
