- By Chuck Carlton The Dallas Morning News
- First Posted: August 18, 2011 - 8:16 pm
The same controversial Big 12 rules allowing a school to have its own television network could be the key to expansion should Texas A&M bolt for the Southeastern Conference.
While the Aggies continue to lay the groundwork that they hope will lead to the SEC in a couple of weeks, four sources familiar with the discussions say the Big 12 has been exploring internal contingency plans for possible replacements.
The bylaws that led to Texas' new Longhorn Network could become a magnet to attract the Aggies' replacement.
Think BYU, which is pursuing life as a football independent while trying to develop additional sports programming on an existing school network.
Or consider even Notre Dame, the Holy Grail for full conference membership and viewed as a pipe dream by many.
Yes, Notre Dame. Seriously. For 20 years, the Irish have enjoyed a relationship with NBC for home football telecasts. The New York Times reported in 2009 that the current agreement through 2015 pays Notre Dame about $15 million annually.
While Notre Dame loves its arrangement with NBC, the Irish are losing financial ground to surrounding Big Ten schools. In the 2010-11 conference distribution, Big Ten teams were projected to receive $22 million apiece, according to the Indianapolis Star.
While the Big 12 has not yet talked to any schools, it could offer to declare Notre Dame's relationship with NBC a proprietary school network, sources say. It could also make the remaining Irish road games available to its media partners, ESPN and Fox. Notre Dame would then get a full share from the Big 12 worth conceivably $20 million annually. The Irish would have to move its other sports from the Big East to the Big 12.
"It would definitely be a conversation worth pursuing and having," one conference source said.
The idea of Notre Dame football in the Big 12 — or any conference, for that matter — remains a long shot. A cautious Big 12 school source said he would like to hear more about the proposal and wondered about the precedent of allowing one school to keep all its home football games on a personal network. He added that the possibility of letting Notre Dame keep its NBC connection could offer the framework for substantial talks.
"Notre Dame changes your brand," another school source said. "That would be off the charts for us."
While Notre Dame has continually rebuffed the Big Ten, the Big 12 carries no historical issues. Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds has acknowledged regular discussions with Notre Dame counterpart Jack Swarbrick, including talks on conference alignment nationally.
Another possibility is BYU. Athletic director Tom Holmoe recently acknowledged monitoring conference developments across the country. With the Big 12, BYU could keep its network, compete in a conference with an automatic BCS bid and avoid difficult football scheduling as an independent. The Cougars offer great football tradition, including winning a national championship.
With Notre Dame and/or BYU, the Big 12 could be poised for further growth and strongly eliminate perceptions of weakness. With those two schools in tow, could Arkansas possibly be persuaded to consider the Big 12 as a 12th team? Yes, the scenario is a little over-the-top given the state the Big 12 finds itself.
Officials still would like to find a way to persuade A&M to stay and maintain historic rivalries.
But the Big 12 isn't without options, and the possibility of a lucrative school network could make big things happen.
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