There are numerous reports out there saying that the University of Texas has ended the “conference wars” and will remain in the Big 12. Here is the scoop according to The Oklahoman:
In the last two days, Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe put together a television-contract proposal that would net each Big 12 school at least $14 million and as much as $20 million per year for heavyweights Texas and Oklahoma. Additionally, each school would be allowed to pursue its own network, which could reap even more money for the Sooners and Longhorns.
See, this is exactly why Nebraska in particular was so ready and willing to leave the Big 12. Nebraska has always been upset with UT when they pulled them in from the old SWC and made the Big 8 the Big 12. They felt that Texas got more and more power as time went on and that was not a good thing for the conference as a whole. Nebraska’s administration and fans never let that go.
Now all of a sudden Dan Beebe wants to make a TV network that basically lets Texas get the biggest piece of the pie after they threatened to leave the conference? I am not usually a conspiracy theory guy, but I think Texas may have planned some of this just to get more money with a better TV deal, all while still getting to make their own network. So tell me, was Nebraska wrong about where the power lies in the conference?
Colorado made wrong move. They will have to pay to leave the Big 12, then get less money from the Pac-10 now that the other 5 schools from the Big 12 wont be joining them. So they are essentially losing money, which is not exactly the purpose of leaving your conference. Nebraska still made the right move because they fit better with the Big Ten in many ways and they get better long-term stability. An unexpected big winner in this could be Utah, who could move to the Pac-10 now that the mass exodus from the Big 12 won’t happen. It looks like now the Big 12 will stay with 10 teams.
In 6 months, will this new Big 12 be on the verge of blowing up? Maybe, but we know that whatever happens, Texas will probably end up with more money and power. I guess you can’t really blame them since they have earned it, but maybe they will just rename the conference the Big Texas conference because that is pretty much what it is.
