The news that Texas and Oklahoma were leaving the Big 12 for the SEC sent shockwaves across college football. People have mixed opinions on the effect this will have on future conference realignments– expect for ESPN whose big personalities seem all for the idea.
In a letter today sent by Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby, he accused ESPN of colluding with Texas and OU to leave their conference and that they are reaching out to their other members to leave.
If true this is very shady practices from a company who is already just recovering from the Maria Taylor and Rachel Nichols fiasco. But despite that, this just further adds to the fact that the Big 12 is done as a conference.
In the letter, Bowlsby claims ESPN’s involvement is a clear breach of the contract the two share to broadcast the conferences football and basketball games.
“The letter demands ESPN end ‘all actions that may harm the conference and its members and that it not communicate with the Big 12 Conference’s existing members,’” Thamel wrote on Twitter. “‘Or any NCAA conference regarding the Big 12 conference’s members, possible conference realignment or potential financial incentive or outcomes related to possible conference realignment.”
Bowlsby isn’t finished, he told Sports Illustrated that he has solid evidence to back this up.
“It causes me to further suspect they (ESPN) had their hands all over the Texas and Oklahoma move to the SEC. They were was deceptive as you can possibly be. There are right and wrong ways to these things. They sought to deceive us from the very beginning.”
This does make sense from the fact ESPN’s personalities seem on-board with the idea and who would benefit the most other than Texas, OU and the SEC….ESPN.
ESPN owns the rights to the CFP as well as most of the other bowl games, also the SEC. Now imagine how much money could be generated from an Alabama V. Oklahoma matchup. That would be like watching a CFP caliber game in only October.
Now unlike the Rachel Nichols and Maria Taylor situation, if ESPN ruins college football, that maybe something they could never live down in the eyes of die-hard college fans.
Flip the page to see the full statement released by Bowlsby.