June 13, 2010
New proposal to save Big 12 with 10 teams being considered by UT
Chip Brown
Orangebloods.com Columnist
It might be a long shot.
But three different sources at Big 12 South schools being targeted by the Pac-10 told Orangebloods.com Sunday morning commissioner Dan Beebe's assurances that a new TV deal can be reached on par with the SEC's $17 million/school for the 10 remaining schools in the Big 12 is in play and being considered by Texas.
"My plan is about what's best for the citizens in this part of the country and for the student-athletes and not having this section of the country with all its major institutions connected to conferences that aren't even here. We shouldn't be a fly-over zone," Beebe told Orangebloods.com on Sunday before returning to what he called his "War Room" on no sleep from the previous night.
Having Texas consider anything other than the Pac-10 at this point is more than could be said on Friday. That's when Nebraska announced it was bolting for the Big Ten and Colorado had a press conference with its new commissioner - Larry Scott of the Pac-10.
Friday afternoon Texas announced it would have a regents meeting on Tuesday at 11 a.m. that sources said was to finalize a vote to accept an invitation to the Pac-10.
That vote was expected to begin an exodus west by at least four Big 12 South teams (Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State).
Texas A&M, which met with SEC commissioner Mike Slive in College Station on Saturday, according to sources, is meeting with Scott and Pac-10 chief operating officer Kevin Weiberg on Sunday.
Then, Scott and Weiberg were due in Lubbock and Austin Sunday as they continued to make their rounds of the Big 12 South to discuss a possible future with those schools.
Scott and Weiberg met with Oklahoma and Oklahoma State officials on Saturday.
THE BEEBE PLAN
Here's what Beebe has provided to the five Big 12 South schools who have been targeted by the Pac-10, including Texas A&M, who has been in deep conversation about joining the SEC, according to sources.
--Beebe has secured information that enough money could be inked in its next TV negotiation (in 2011) that revenues per school would jump from between $7 million and $10 million in the Big 12 currently to $17 million beginning in 2012, which is what the SEC pays out.
--The remaining Big 10 schools would divide up the more than $20 million in buyout penalties that will have to be paid by Colorado and Nebraska for leaving the league early.
--Individal institutions would be allowed to pursue their own networks, which has been a goal of Texas. If the Longhorns went to the Pac-10, they would have to forgo their own distribution platforms, including a network, because the Pac-16 would seek to have a conference network in which all inventory is shared.
(Consultants have put Texas' ability to generate revenue from its own network at between $3 million and $5 million after a start-up window of about three years.)
--The Big 12 would proceed with 10 teams. Everyone would play everyone in football, providing a nine-game conference schedule.
--The conference championship game would be dumped in the short-term (because the NCAA mandates 12 schools for a football title game).
--The loss of Nebraska and Colorado should have been a loss of about 16 percent to the league's revenue generating capacity. But because Colorado was an underperformer, the league lost only about 8.6 percent of its value with the loss of Nebraska, according to sources with knowledge of the Beebe Plan.
PROCEEDING WITH CAUTION
The Big 12 South sources said they are proceeding cautiously with the new information provided by Beebe.
One top executive in the Big 12 told Orangebloods.com Sunday "the plan is a longshot, but at least it's a shot."
AN END TO REALIGNMENT COULD BE ON THE LINE
If life could be breathed into the Beebe plan by the Big 12 South, life would re-enter the Big 12 North, where limbo has been the theme for more than a week at Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri and Iowa State as well as at Baylor in the Big 12 South.
It might also stop what appears to be an impending avalanche of college realignment across the country, depending on how conversations between Texas A&M and the SEC might be affected.
Sources say if the Pac-10 is ultimately denied by the Big 12 South schools, Scott would likely extend an invitation to Utah and wrap up the Pac-10's expansion at 12.
The information from Beebe might at least slow down the rocket-like pace of Big 12 schools seeking a new home and possibly draw all the divided parties back to the table.
Hearings are scheduled in the Texas House on Wednesday with invitations to all the Texas universities involved in this break-neck game of musical conferences to get some answers by elected officials.
BIG 12-LITE HAS A PULSE
So hold on folks. This is about to get interesting. The key in all of this is that Texas appears to be at least reconsidering its position on going to the Pac-10 and is considering the Beebe proposal.
Orangebloods.com was told Texas president Bill Powers, a Cal graduate, is not on board yet, but that he is listening.
Nothing is done. It is fluid. But the Beebe Plan to hold the Big 12-Lite together is at least in play.
As Orangebloods.com was told by a top source in the day's developments: "The winds to keep the Big 12 together with 10 teams are getting stronger."
The plot only figures to thicken as Scott and Weiberg finish their Big 12 South rounds on Sunday.
Texas had been resolute up to this point that if Nebraska left the conference, it would accept an invitation to join the Pac-10 and likely lead an exodus that appeared to include Oklahoma, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State.
Texas A&M has been in deep discussions with the SEC and as of Saturday night had enough votes on its Board of Regents to join the SEC (believed to be 6-3).
But the dissenting votes on A&M's regents board are apparently passionate about keeping Texas and A&M together and not breaking up a 100-year rivalry by having the schools head to different leagues.
Sources say SEC commissioner Mike Slive was in College Station Saturday. Sources close to the situation say A&M has an invitation to the SEC if it wants it. The SEC has also been doggedly pursuing Oklahoma.
But thus far, OU, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State have indicated they would stay with Texas. Up to this point, that appeared to be an announcement to join the Pac-10, starting as early as Tuesday of this week.
But with news that Texas is now at least considering the Beebe Plan, there is at least a chance the Big 12, which is now at 10 schools (while the Big Ten, by the way, is now at 12 schools) just might survive after all.
Stay tuned.
