Texas and OU have expressed interest in joining SEC

[Rockport]

They accepted Missouri for crying out loud. You don’t think anyone else in Big 12 measures up to Missouri?

And A&M besides their size and financial support have had no more success in athletics than some of the remaining schools.

Hey they use to be masters and burning down out houses.

 

[Diehardblues]

The SEC likes state schools, they're not big on private ones and if Vandy wasn't grandfathered into the SEC, they wouldn't be there.

It's all about eyes on the prize, those eyes on ESPN and SECN, there are $ in those eyes.

As much as we hammer every little thing about ESPN, this was a brilliant move and they caught Fox with their pants down. What have they got now?

Again, I understand why it happened . Don’t have to like it.

And I believe these two schools had the power and possibly influence to ask for more.

 

[Diehardblues]

What other schools in the Big 12 would they consider? First off, they weren't in adding teams mode and why would they consider any Big 12 schools, except OU and UT, over going after ACC ones like Clemson, FSU and Miami?

OK ST and Texas Tech come to mind. I’d place them in same category athletically as Mizz and A&M.

The bigger point is the way this all unfolded. TX amd OU didn’t need to sneak out the back door. Their schools could have gone anywhere, anytime. Why now? And why without more consultation with other Big 12 schools .

We all knew this was the Texas/ OU conference. Without them there wasn’t a conference. Again, why now and in this way?

 

[jterrell]

Both OU and UT will pay the exit fee to get in on the 2022 SEC season. They have both tried to make this look like a crawl, walk, run process but they'd already made that decision when they went after the SEC.

The other side of this is that UT saw what AR had to deal with when they announced they were leaving for the SEC and they are not about to send their athletes into Big 12 markets for anything longer than this season. This is about two things, money and recruiting, and they need to move quickly.

That's actually not an option "right now".

The grant of rights is through 2024 and is iron clad so long as the conferfence exists.

UT/OU would have to negotiate much higher than 70M each buyouts to leave next year.

This is why ESPN tried to sway 3-5 schools to join the AAC. And why they were sent a cease and desist letter.
It will go to legal remedies if the Big 12 falls apart now.
SEC just voted to extend SEC membership to OU/UT in 2025.
They won't risk their own legal battles here so will wait on OU/UT/ESPN to deal with Big 12 situation.

The Big 12 has literally never done the smart thing but in this case all they have to do is hold their water 10 months.

UCONN was due an 11m buyout wanted to leave early so paid 17M.
OU/UT would be paying over 100M each to leave for 2022 or 2023.

 

[Diehardblues]

That's actually not an option "right now".

The grant of rights is through 2024 and is iron clad so long as the conferfence exists.

UT/OU would have to negotiate much higher than 70M each buyouts to leave next year.

This is why ESPN tried to sway 3-5 schools to join the AAC. And why they were sent a cease and desist letter.
It will go to legal remedies if the Big 12 falls apart now.
SEC just voted to extend SEC membership to OU/UT in 2025.
They won't risk their own legal battles here so will wait on OU/UT/ESPN to deal with Big 12 situation.

The Big 12 has literally never done the smart thing but in this case all they have to do is hold their water 10 months.

UCONN was due an 11m buyout wanted to leave early so paid 17M.
OU/UT would be paying over 100M each to leave for 2022 or 2023.

Right

The only way they bolt earlier is if Big 12 folds.

 

[jterrell]

Right

The only way they bolt earlier is if Big 12 folds.

Precisely and if you are one of the 8 B12 schools making 35M a year right now but looking at 10-15M a year in a new conf why would you leave?
And if the break even money is 40M per team(for 2 years) then you are staring at (320M total)160M each for OU/UT to leave and make those schools whole.
And if you don't do that why would they ever accept your resignation/let you out of your contract early?
Kindness? Bad business sense?

 

[Diehardblues]

Precisely and if you are one of the 8 B12 schools making 35M a year right now but looking at 10-15M a year in a new conf why would you leave?
And if the break even money is 40M per team(for 2 years) then you are staring at (320M total)160M each for OU/UT to leave and make those schools whole.
And if you don't do that why would they ever accept your resignation/let you out of your contract early?
Kindness? Bad business sense?

Yep

Which at least gives Big 12 some time hopefully to recruit other teams . But unless they’re big names then their next TV contract will be considerably less.

My fear is the rest of the conference will begin bailing to where we they can land and the conference will dissolve before this current deal is up in 2024 which will pave the way for an earlier departure for Whorns and UO.

 

[jterrell]

The rest of the Non SEC P5 has every right to support the 8 remaining teams in the B12 and oppose any SEC power moves.
Those conferences are not nearly as fractured or weak as the B12 leadership has been.
They should all expand to 16 for 2025 with a decade long grant of rights and sit there as is until then forcing the SEC to do the same.
Any additional SEC finagling and they should simply blackball all SEC schools form any type competition.
This would crush that super league before it ever got started.

 

[jterrell]

Yep

Which at least gives Big 12 some time hopefully to recruit other teams . But unless they’re big names then their next TV contract will be considerably less.

My fear is the rest of the conference will begin bailing to where we they can land and the conference will dissolve before this current deal is up in 2024 which will pave the way for an earlier departure for Whorns and UO.

Yup. But if the PAC12 and B1G and ACC simply absorb the remaining B12 teams effective in 2025 it shuts all this down.
ESPN knows this and thus tried to sway teams to the AAC early.
A few B12 teams are on the outside looking in and those are the teams to target/pressure.
BUT if the B1G takes Kansas and Iowa State, ACC takes WVA and KST, PAC 12 takes Tech/Baylor/TCU/OKST and says let's roll like this beginning 2025 with a grant of rights from 2025 to 2034 you'd freeze out the SEC of a decade+ of future moves.

So this would mean some stretch for these power conferences but perhaps they take in some of these schools as half share members for a couple seasons. Kansas State to ACC isn't ideal fit but KST at half a share might be break even for the school financially compared to other choices and bring some of the KC area market.

 

[jterrell]

And if Amazon, Hulu, Netflix, Peacock. Paramount all get involved there are enough brands to draw rich rewards for major 16 team conferences that far surpass todays totals.

 

[CouchCoach]

That's actually not an option "right now".

The grant of rights is through 2024 and is iron clad so long as the conferfence exists.

UT/OU would have to negotiate much higher than 70M each buyouts to leave next year.

This is why ESPN tried to sway 3-5 schools to join the AAC. And why they were sent a cease and desist letter.
It will go to legal remedies if the Big 12 falls apart now.
SEC just voted to extend SEC membership to OU/UT in 2025.
They won't risk their own legal battles here so will wait on OU/UT/ESPN to deal with Big 12 situation.

The Big 12 has literally never done the smart thing but in this case all they have to do is hold their water 10 months.

UCONN was due an 11m buyout wanted to leave early so paid 17M.
OU/UT would be paying over 100M each to leave for 2022 or 2023.

According to the reports I read, they can buy their way out for 80M and start the SEC in 2022.

 

[jterrell]

According to the reports I read, they can buy their way out for 80M and start the SEC in 2022.

That 80M would allow them leave but not allow the SEC to televise their games immediately.
To leave with their grant rights they will need to negotiate an early release clause.

You also now have legal maneuvering by the B12 to ensure this is going to stretch at least months if not a year plus.

The best option for OU/UT is for the league to simply crumble. They'd owe no one a thing.


On Tuesday, the schools formally notified the SEC they were seeking "an invitation for membership" beginning July 1, 2025, according to a joint statement, which the schools received Thursday.

 

[triplets_93]

 

[Diehardblues]

That 80M would allow them leave but not allow the SEC to televise their games immediately.
To leave with their grant rights they will need to negotiate an early release clause.

You also now have legal maneuvering by the B12 to ensure this is going to stretch at least months if not a year plus.

The best option for OU/UT is for the league to simply crumble. They'd owe no one a thing.


On Tuesday, the schools formally notified the SEC they were seeking "an invitation for membership" beginning July 1, 2025, according to a joint statement, which the schools received Thursday.

Can you expand on what it means to not televise their games immediately?

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Tamu voted for acceptance. Sounds like the SEC kinda splained things to them.

 

[DFWJC]

They accepted Missouri for crying out loud. You don’t think anyone else in Big 12 measures up to Missouri?

And A&M besides their size and financial support have had no more success in athletics than some of the remaining schools.

A LOT has changed in 10 years
I’m sure OU and Texas were their top choices way back then but were not available then.

But the SEC wanted new cable markets and anchor universities that also had strong alumni following for their representative states.
The key candidates in the Big12 to provide both of those things were those 4 schools.

 

[DFWJC]

Tamu voted for acceptance. Sounds like the SEC kinda splained things to them.

An extra 20-30 mil per year longer term probably helped too.

 

[Diehardblues]

A LOT has changed in 10 years
I’m sure OU and Texas were their top choices way back then but were not available then.

But the SEC wanted new cable markets and anchor universities that also had strong alumni following for their representative states.
The key candidates in the Big12 to provide both of those things were those 4 schools.

I agree with except last sentence. Missouri wouldn’t be one of the 4 teams selected today .

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

An extra 20-30 mil per year longer term probably helped too.

One would think but remember, this is TAMU we are talking about here.

 

[DFWJC]

I agree with except last sentence. Missouri wouldn’t be one of the 4 teams selected today .

I meant when they selecting in 2011