Latest on AAC grant of rights

Is it just me, or does Aresco sound like The Wizard of Oz…???
“Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain…”
And by the way, it’s not like he did a fantastic job for us the last time around…we are being paid peanuts for a terrific product (UH and AAC).
I trust this guy like I trust Gas Station Sushi…

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If some certain conferences are too stupid to add us then we have to hope for a CFP expansion with a G5 slot in the playoff. the AAC is by far the best of the rest so maybe that will entice ESPN to pay us more because they expect the AAC to get the G5 spot most years. If that would happen then maybe $10 million is not far off.

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While $10 million is a huge improvement over what we get now, but it’s still a pittance compared to what even the pac 12 gets. I guess beggars can’t be choosers, so we accept what are offered. It’s still a tiny amount.

Lets just wise up and hope that the ACC or Pac12 come calling. I just don’t see how they cannot want a piece of the Houston and Texas market.

Especially if they want to expand viewership for their conference networks. I’m sure it will help the underperforming PAC12 network to be in Houston and maybe the rest of Texas. It doesn’t look like UT is going to the PAC12 since the B12 makes more money than the PAC12 and UT would not give up the LHN last time around.

No one cares about Baylor except for Waco which is not going to help their network.
They don’t accept religious institutions so TCU is out.
By process of elimination, the only other thriving universities in Texas are Texas Tech and Houston. There’s not much in Lubbock but I’m sure they can secure the north Texas viewership.

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That’s the truth!

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Agree, Cary…no way we sign any GOR until the Big 12 GOR expiration and what happens with them and the BIG and the PAC…if Texas and OU leave, do some really think Big 12 is no longer a P5 conference? I do not know, but theres no way they will lose all their bowl tie ins and the majority of the huge money they make…Still a highly attractive option if PAC elects to stand pat after a move by BIG…and far better than what we have now…

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If the B12 is no longer a P5, there may not be anywhere for UCF and USF to go. We would have the option of joining the PAC12 if invited but neither ACC or SEC would invite the Florida schools.

Khator is going to make the best decision for UH. Count on that.

But why does anyone think that we have any options other than the AAC or the Big12? And the Big12 had the opportunity to add us and passed. So the next best option is to make the AAC the dominant conference among the non-P5.

Frankly, if the playoff expands to 6 or 8 teams, as it probably will, we’re in a pretty good position. Sure, we’d rather be in the Big12, but that’s not currently an option.

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Pac12 or ACC is what we want…

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Signing a GOR would not be bad for us. Consider that a P5 school would forfeit a ton of money if they leave a conference while under a GOR. We would be losing maybe 10m/yr. From the current standpoint, we would be 2-3m/yr worse off than we are now? Would we hesitate to join the Big12 if it meant no paycheck for TV for say 4 years, while other revenue streams rise? Would Big12 members like the idea of us making a deal to not accept any TV money (which we wouldn’t receive anyway) for that amount of years?

The Big12 or any P5 is not going to invite us if we cannot do our fair share and add monetary value to their conference. Signing the AAC GOR would mean the Big12 would not get any TV money from our 6 home games.

Do you think the Big12 will invite us because they like us? They do not like us. They fear us because of our potential as a P5. They have said that much. Signing the GOR is a deterrent for P5s adding any AAC team.

Ron, quit writing like things are going to stay the same because they arent. When Texas and OU leave after GOR expiration, EVERYTHING changes. A Big 12 sitting at 8( or even 7 if BIG decides to add more than 2) is going to expand. Or it is going to get raided into extinction by other P5s…I tend to think now that Big 12 will be allowed to rebuild. Do you really think Tech and a couple of private church schools can maintain the Texas and southwest markets? They will have lost Texas and OU and will need to so something. Most sensible plan is to go back to 12. ESPN gets their guys in ( Houston/BYU) and Fox gets their guys in( UCF/USF) and the Big 12 money can be cut considerably, to something like 15 -20 million while still maintaining a P5 status level, and the AAC can be held down financially just they always do to raided G5s…

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Hmmm, not a bad theory but there are lots of theories out there. Why would Texas leave the Big12 when their path to the playoffs is easier than it would be in the other conferences? Texas brings in $51M which equals the B1G so the only reason I see them leaving would be for a lot more money.

Did UT sign a GOR? I thought UT and OU did not sign anything which means they can leave at anytime, correct?

If the playoffs expand to 8 and the AAC is getting 6x what other G5s are getting, that puts us in a very good position.

It would mean that an AAC school who schedules decently will make the playoffs if they go undefeated. OK that is where Notre Dame is right now.

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Complete conjecture rooted in supposition mounted on hope = Aldine.

This sounds like the Big East all over again and we know how that turned out. Why would we want to go through that again? Why would the P4s let the Big12 continue its Power Conference status without any flagship schools (bluebloods)? Texas Tech and Oklahoma State are not flagship schools.

IIRC, both UT and OU refused to extend their GOR beyond the current B12 media contract term. Their current GOR was for ~13 years and still has ~6 years remaining.

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During the expansion comedy, the Big 12 did look into extending the current GOR beyond 2025, Texas and OU said no thanks. Clearly both programs want to keep their options open.

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I believe you have to look at the bigger picture. Inventory is split between Fox and ESPN. If Texas and Oklahoma were to leave for the B1G like people think (A Fox Conference). Is it in ESPN’s best interest to rebuild the Big 12 into a 12 team conference (rights split between Fox & ESPN) or try to maintain, grow and develop an AAC conference (ESPN inventory)?

Note: If you are rebuilding the Big12 you want to go East where the population and media markets are. The AAC has a bigger media footprint than the Big 12. The Big 12 (without Texas & Oklahoma) would only generate regional interest at best. The remaining teams rarely move the TV needle nationally.