[JonDMiller]

This story is fascinating...and in the end, the remnants of the B12 may live on because nobody wants Texas...

The ACC could have likely had them, but went a different direction. The P12 looks like its taking Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, as the Sooners seem tired of being under Texas' thumb in the B12 and want to get away from them. Nebraska wanted away from them too.

So Texas has their Longhorn Network that nobody wants to carry, and they are stuck.

Texas, Missouri, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Texas Tech and Baylor may just stay together, add a BYU, Louisville...a few more and keep their BCS bid.

Does TCU rethink their move to the Big East? I think so...do they go to the new look B12? Makes the most sense. What about Houston in the B12?

Interesting times.

[HawkinGoferLand]

jeepers, with a conf consisting of those teams, Texas will make a BCS bowl every season.

[eyekwah]

Originally Posted by HawkinGoferLand

jeepers, with a conf consisting of those teams, Texas will make a BCS bowl every season.

Suppose that is the plan? The key is can they get enough points in the polls based on SOS to ever reach the NC game? Texas would be the Boise State of the new Big 12. Then there is the matter of their Olympic sports, where and who do they play? Most of the schools in the new Big 12 would have only a fraction of the olympic sports.

Texas might just as well be independent.

[olivecourt]

As I understand it, the Big East at this point only has six teams committed for the long haul: South Florida, West Virginia, Cincinnati, Louisville, Rutgers, and Connecticut. I am sure TCU had to have some sort of clause in their agreement that gives them an out if the conference lineup changes substantially.

It will be interesting to see if the Big East panics and adds some Big 12 teams (Iowa State, etc.) that don't really fit. The other option would be to drop football altogether. I think about half of the remaining schools would join a conference and the other half would remain independent, because the basketball conference is still pretty strong. So, for instance, if the Big 12 took Louisville and Cincinnati and the SEC grabbed West Virginia, you'd be left with South Florida, Uconn, and Rutgers as independents in football and part of an 11-team basketball conference:

UConn
Rutgers
South Florida
Notre Dame
St. John's
Georgetown
Villanova
Marquette
Seton Hall
Providence
DePaul

The irony of this is that if a couple more teams go independent in football it actually makes it more feasible for Notre Dame to stay independent.

Dropping football would be a bold step, but it would be interesting to see how the numbers work out, especially for the basketball-only members that now constitute a majority of the conference. With only six football teams I don't know what options they really have.

[Enginerd]

The B12 as you've laid it out Jon is probably an improvement for ISU. The best situation is being in a BCS conference that allows them to be competitive.

[DwayneTwill]

Originally Posted by olivecourt

As I understand it, the Big East at this point only has six teams committed for the long haul: South Florida, West Virginia, Cincinnati, Louisville, Rutgers, and Connecticut. I am sure TCU had to have some sort of clause in their agreement that gives them an out if the conference lineup changes substantially.

It will be interesting to see if the Big East panics and adds some Big 12 teams (Iowa State, etc.) that don't really fit. The other option would be to drop football altogether. I think about half of the remaining schools would join a conference and the other half would remain independent, because the basketball conference is still pretty strong. So, for instance, if the Big 12 took Louisville and Cincinnati and the SEC grabbed West Virginia, you'd be left with South Florida, Uconn, and Rutgers as independents in football and part of an 11-team basketball conference:

UConn
Rutgers
South Florida
Notre Dame
St. John's
Georgetown
Villanova
Marquette
Seton Hall
Providence
DePaul

The irony of this is that if a couple more teams go independent in football it actually makes it more feasible for Notre Dame to stay independent.

Dropping football would be a bold step, but it would be interesting to see how the numbers work out, especially for the basketball-only members that now constitute a majority of the conference. With only six football teams I don't know what options they really have.

That's interesting, but I don't see more independent FB teams happening. Especially those particular schools.

[acgclone]

No one should want Texas, or should I say, no one wants Texas in its current form. Obviously UT is a prized pig, along with the 25m people (and growing) in their state. But at this point, it appears that no one wants them bad enough to let them play by their own rules, which is what will keep them from reaching a deal.

[528646]

Originally Posted by JonDMiller

This story is fascinating...and in the end, the remnants of the B12 may live on because nobody wants Texas...

The ACC could have likely had them, but went a different direction. The P12 looks like its taking Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, as the Sooners seem tired of being under Texas' thumb in the B12 and want to get away from them. Nebraska wanted away from them too.

So Texas has their Longhorn Network that nobody wants to carry, and they are stuck.

Texas, Missouri, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Texas Tech and Baylor may just stay together, add a BYU, Louisville...a few more and keep their BCS bid.

Does TCU rethink their move to the Big East? I think so...do they go to the new look B12? Makes the most sense. What about Houston in the B12?

Interesting times.

Gawd, for their sake (not that I care personally), you would hope so. What a disastrous geographic misfit the Big East will be for them.

[HawkeyeDenis]

Iowa State and Baylor looking at Big East now. Oklahoma supposed to be making an announcement in couple of weeks.

[HawkeyesWin]

The issue with TX isn't just that they have LHN and bully their business partners. They systematicly undercut you at every turn. Whether its LHN, telling the press about details of a confidential meeting (OU), holding you hostage for extortion money to be your friend, or outright press manipulation to make you look like the bad guy. Of course its never their fault.

[imported_ankle23]

And Texas doesn't want to be in a conference, ultimately, that is the rub.

they are looking at going independent for their future, with those financial plans revolving around their own network.

[olivecourt]

The more I think about this, the more certain I am that the Big East will have to drop football. They've only had it since 1991, and it was basically a failed 20-year experiment. Honestly, what was the highlight? All the teams that had success in the Big East left for other conferences.

On the other hand, the Big East basketball tournament at Madison Square Garden is a marquee event and a huge revenue generator. I think it's much more likely to see some of the leftover teams go to the Big 12 than the other way around. And one of the teams (West Virginia? Louisville? South Florida?) is going to get the coveted invite to join the SEC. I don't see how they come back from this.

[gonzoJM]

Originally Posted by JonDMiller

This story is fascinating...and in the end, the remnants of the B12 may live on because nobody wants Texas...

The ACC could have likely had them, but went a different direction. The P12 looks like its taking Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, as the Sooners seem tired of being under Texas' thumb in the B12 and want to get away from them. Nebraska wanted away from them too.

So Texas has their Longhorn Network that nobody wants to carry, and they are stuck.

Texas, Missouri, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Texas Tech and Baylor may just stay together, add a BYU, Louisville...a few more and keep their BCS bid.

Does TCU rethink their move to the Big East? I think so...do they go to the new look B12? Makes the most sense. What about Houston in the B12?

Interesting times.

Jon, you're right about the Big 12 not dying. It has less to do with Texas, though, and more to do with television. Here's the real rub: Fox and ESPN both have TV contracts with the Big 12, and the money dwarfs that of what the Big East is dealing with. The "forgotten five" could sue the pants off ESPN and Fox for breach of contract if ESPN/Fox provide inducements to another conference for accepting other members. In other words, because Fox and ESPN also have TV contracts with the Pac-12, they COULD NOT legally offer to restructure the Pac-12 contract pending the addition of schools like Oklahoma, Okie State, Texas, etc. That would breach the contract between the Big 12 and those networks since these network partners would be paying teams that are already under contract with one league more money to play in a new league. ESPN and Fox would then get sued for killing the Big 12.

If the "forgotten five" stick together, they'll be fine. They can take the leftovers of the Big East now that the ACC has killed that conference.

[olivecourt]

Texas, Missouri, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Texas Tech, Baylor, TCU, Louisville, Cincinnati

Leave the Big 12 brand in the dustbin and come up with a new name. Go PAC-10 style and play every team in the conference every year. They could probably hold on to a BCS bid by their fingernails and it would be a great basketball conference. It's also not geographically insane like a few other possibilities that have been thrown out there. This might be the best possible outcome for the teams involved, and I'd actually like to see it happen. I have no desire to see schools get kicked to the curb or witness the emergence of "conferences" that span from the Rocky Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean.

[edr247]

I hope...I pray...that the Big Ten never does something idiotic like accept Texas to the conference. They do not belong in our conference. Academics is fine, but geography and the whole attitude they and their ****** state carry themselves with is not needed. Unless they change dramatically, they'll want Big Ten HQ in Texas, the Big Ten championship game in Texas, likely convince 'the big boys' that the equal revenue thing is crap AND want their own network as part of BTN (BTN2: Texas). **** Texas. **** them in their stupid Texas ears.