The author of this article is that Dude of WV guy, by the way
What’s important for us is no Houston = no expansion.
History repeats itself as Texas sponsored us for SWC membership.
Here is the link to the article …
According to the LLG (Land Grant Gauntlet) whoever the heck they are … the two have already been decided OR VERY CLOSE and all the hoopla over 20 candidates was apparently just to irritate ESPN and Fox
BYU is a gimme … Fox ESPN and Navigate ?? want UH … most of the conference does not but Texas has the votes to block them if they choose against UH.
Apparently Cincy may be losing out … so there may be an impasse or may have been …
Fox and ESPN may have given the horns an alternative to help bring UH in … extend the Grant of Rights … or the 40 acres can choose to not expand and kill expansion.
I have no idea who Christopher Lambert is or if he is the WV dude of if this is his website since I don’t frequent that board … if it is then the article is suspect and could well be just another hoax …
The most interesting part of this article is the discussion about extending the grant of rights (and TV contract) until 2030. This is huge, but I don’t fully follow the author’s reasoning.
I get it that Big 12 members (other than UT and OU) would love to extend the GOR. Keeping the Big 12 together for extra years means every team (including prospective expansion teams) would have the security of the Big 12 surviving for several more years. (UT and OU will land in a power conference regardless of what happens to the Big 12. Extending the GOR merely prevents their ability to test the market for the extra years.)
I get that Texas might consider a deal to extend the GOR in return for support for UH. I believe that Texas is aligned with Gov. Abbott’s view that expansion is a non-starter without UH. And if Texas agrees to extend the GOR to 2030, it matches the GOR expiration with the expiration of the Longhorn Network. Riding the Longhorn Network to the conclusion of the contact maximizes UT’s revenue and at the same time removes a major objection other power conference have with UT. In 2030, UT can negotiate with other conferences without the Longhorn Network being a problem.
What I don’t get is why the TV networks would care about the GOR. The article suggests that the networks would get to extend their contract with the Big 12 for a few years. It seems to me that the TV networks have would could almost be considered a free option on the Big12 in 2025. If the Big 12 is worth keeping in 2025, pay enough money to keep it intact. If the Big 12 isn’t worth keeping in 2025, don’t pay and let each school pursue its own interests with the other power conferences. Maybe some would leave to a non-ESPN power conference in 2025, but who knows?
Am I missing something? What is the major gain for the TV networks if the Big 12 extended the GOR beyond 2025 and, at the same time, extended the TV contract?
I’ve been following the WV dude ever since he invited me into his (mostly anti-UH) facebook group. Can vouch for him and say he reports what he hears, which an unenviable task when reporting on the schizophrenic B12.
Its been all over the map these last few month so he hasn’t been consistent but remember, he’s reporting what he’s hearing, not his own opinion (unless he specifically says so), unlike all the other ‘insiders’
I read this week that all schools involved have signed non-disclosure agreements and are dealing through attorneys, so I wouldn’t trust anything until the ink is dry and official announcements are made. Fertitta said 60-90 days.
To be clear and fair, WV dude is not anti-UH in that Facebook group, the other members are.
He’s been consistent in opinion with UH/BYU if there’s 12 and UH/BYU/UC/UCONN if 14
Of al these guys posting Big 12 expansion info, Lambert at least seems to try to let people know what he hears from his sources. and he attempts to explain whats going on…These other people just throw names out there, with no explanations.
A lot of the expansion rumor folks and even some media folks like Chuck Carlton seem to be coming to the same conclusion that it’s down to BYU, Cincy, and Houston with BYU/Houston leading the way. Could be true, could be that they are all talking to the same people or reading each other; who knows at this point.
In regards to the Grant of Rights, I have my doubts as to whether UT/OU want it extended or why the networks would at this point. Will they be willing to pay more out? Will the kickstart a conference network? Will they release rights over some of the conference inventory to allow the conference to seek out ways to build a conference network/digital media rights platform on their own. It doesn’t make sense from either side unless a lot more money is involved and it doesn’t seem that the networks really want to shell it out.