What makes the most $$$ sense?

The PAC offers Texas Tech, Houston, Oklahoma State and Kansas to go to 16 teams and enters the central time zone for expanded broadcast rights. [$$$ details to be worked out.]

The Remaining 5 members of the Big 12 are merged with the remaining 10 members of the AAC which puts them at 15 teams and they invite BYU to go to 16 teams. [$$$ details to be worked out.]

New AAC/Big 12 merged teams:

BYU
Baylor
TCU
SMU

Kansas State
Iowa State
West Virginia
Cincinnati

Memphis
Temple
East Carolina
Navy

UCF
USF
Tulane
Tulsa

[NOTE: The 1st step may be Big 12 to invites BYU, UH, Cincinnati & Memphis -> then above changes]

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What makes the most sense? Or what will ESPN do?

They will take the Big12 down and the remaining will go the AAC. Why? Because it is the most profitable.

I think it is becoming clear that both PAC and BIG think VERY highly of themselves and don’t see many (if any) available candidates worthy of being added. ACC is GOR STRONG right now and not doing anything. Sounds like the major movement still to be had in this round is if the Big12 can somehow survive, who gets added and if not, which teams does AAC take on from the Big 12.

B12 needs to sit down with espn and figure out how the keep the league going instead of going publicity badmouthing espn. B12 has to know they’re not worth 36M without OU/UT. They would be lucky to get 15M at this points. But they might be able to get more if the renegotiate new contract with espn that includes best of G5 like UH, UC, UCF and BYU. Maybe a few more if needed too. Solid football conference. Great basketball conference.

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to many small markets. AAC has large tv markets.

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You’re right. And there’s also the FOX issues. ESPN want full control of AAC and B12.

ESPN does not want the B12 to keep going.

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From a buddy at UT who receives lots of stuff

The University of Texas is expected to be offered admission into the Southeastern Conference later today.

That sentence is a mouthful. The impact of it will forever alter college sports.

**

The current SEC presidents are expected to vote via video conference today.

The Universities of Texas and Oklahoma have both scheduled requisite meetings with their respective board of regents for Friday to accept the invitations.

**

This is all expected to happen despite the highly unusual outcries and accusations of Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby yesterday.

Bowlsby went the Aggie route yesterday.

Rather than considering the totality of the situation and focusing his efforts on what might actually be best long term for his member institutions outside of a Big 12 alignment, Bowlsby took the Texas/OU move personal instead of professional.

He aired grievances publicly, yet offered no real solutions to the problems of his member institutions. He focused on what is now the past instead of the future.

That’s not good leadership, not if you’re one of the Remaining 8. And those member schools understand that.

There’s not a single school who is going to sit around and wait for a promise of what’s to come from the commissioner. Instead, they’re going to act in their own best interests, which is exactly what they should do.

If schools like OSU, Tech, etc., can demand outsized checks in a new conference compared to their lot as lame ducks in the Remaining Eight, they need to pursue those possibilities. And they will.

Bowlsby is one of those leaders, a fine one, who can shepherd existing businesses or affiliations without hurting the egos of others. But force him to navigate a new world, and it appears he loses composure and clarity.

**

Despite all of Bowlsby’s protestations, I now refer you back to the very first sentence of this post.

It is expected to be a momentous day. Beyond that, it’s all noise.

Furthermore, Bowlsby should follow the Aggies’ lead. They acquiesced to the inevitable yesterday.

@Bobby Burton - do you know whether any of the remaining 8 are close to jumping ship. I saw a tweet about Ok St “finalizing” a deal with the Pac12, but the OSU mods said he must have a bad source. I’d assume some of these will be purposefully leaked to create distrust between the remaining 8 schools - and make them move in their own interests ASAP?

I believe the only one, and I mean the only one, could be Kansas.

Beyond that, I think it’s a mess. And Kansas might have real options, and not only in the Big 10.

Despite the need for the Pac-12 to have an 11am kickoff slot, there is just very little attraction of Oklahoma State or Texas Tech. But Kansas could. So could Iowa State or Houston. I’m very bullish on Houston leapfrogging private schools and Tech and possibly OSU.

If the Pac-12 were to expand, I could see them grabbing Kansas and possibly Iowa State or Houston. The rest, I just don’t see. Tech’s academics do not fit the Pac-12 primaries and neither does Oklahoma State’s.

As I’ve said before, I think Houston would be ahead of Tech for the Pac-12. Higher rated academics, larger metro area for future growth prospects. I see Houston as a beachhead for the Pac-12 and Tech more as an outpost. Which would they rather have? The Pac-12 could then create some sort of presence in DFW with rotating games of some sort.

I just don’t think, other than Kansas, that any of the remaining eight teams in the Big 12 have much appeal to other P5 conferences. The rest are secondary schools in their states and/or private schools with small followings, which is not something that makes a conference jump up and down.

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Exactly…

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Great post!!

Your UT buddy seems pretty spot on. I saw an article from someone that had the top 10 expansion candidates if the PAC expanded and we weren’t on it. I got a pretty good chuckle. We have to be top 4-5 for sure if they ever decide to expand. The problem is I don’t think any teams including us bring enough $ their way to make it worth their while.

Big 12 leftover have to make a deal with the AAC and move on. It’s not always what we like, it’s what we have to do. They will be no P5 savior for any of them, there will be no backfill of the Big 12. That was never realistic. The AAC can take at least 5.
All the ego and hand ringing won’t change any of this.

Yes excellent post. UH definitely could and likely is in the conversation for future PAC expansion.

Today’s realignment is all about killing the Big 12, ESPN making more $ and adding to the AAC. 4-5 years of good UH football against improved AAC competition will make us that much more of a top candidate for PAC expansion.

We’re in the long game and looking good.

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I think we should expect to see invitations early next week from the Big 12 for 4 teams - BYU, UH, Cincinnati & Memphis. That is, if Bowlsby still has anything to say about the future direction of the Big 12. And at this point, he’s still their commissioner.

And everyone will quickly accept. The only outlier is BYU which may then be replaced by UCF.

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I can see it. However, that would go against to perceived interest of ESPN, and that may not be the enemy UH wants. Still lots of rope to untangle here, and the next move for UH will most likely come from some kind of guidance out of the executive offices at ESPN.

Now, if Fox Sports comes in to negotiate for all the rights of the Big XII and help it expand in order to prop up the Big XII to be its own version of the AAC … and UH is involved in that expansion, then go.

This is not about markets or geographic sense, it’s about the money and securing live sports inventory for ESPN and their move to own college football (or own the biggest, most important brands).

Look for the other Conferences to seriously think about not agreeing to expand the playoffs, could be their only way to limit the number of SEC teams in the playoffs.

We are in a seismic shift in CFB and what it will look like for the next 15-20 years.

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Yup…everyone is focusing on ESPN, and ignoring what Fox is doing right now…
They are crunching numbers too…

Fox wouldn’t want to break any legal rules by contacting a team already under contract with ESPN, :laughing:

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