*****The Super, Mega, Huge Big 12 Expansion Thread*****

[twistedredbird]

Just some information about Texas and their take on what is going down today. This was from Shaggybevo and courtesy of OrangeBloods....


The latest on Texas A&M, including comments from DeLoss Dodds

Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds said today if Texas A&M leaves the Big 12 to join the SEC, his hope will be that the Big 12 stays together.

Dodds' statement came in response to a question during a luncheon speech at the Young Men's Business League of Austin.

Dodds also said if it meant peace in the Big 12, the Longhorn Network would never air a high school football game.

Dodds asked how many Aggies were in the crowd. When one of the Aggies asked if airing high school games on the Longhorn Network would be an unfair advantage for Texas, Dodds asked the Aggie about the state 7-on-7 tournament featuring high school players on the College Station campus every summer.

Dodds smiled and asked, "Do you know how we feel about that tournament being in College Station?" Then he smiled and said, "You probably don't because we never talk about it."

If Texas A&M was to leave, Dodds said the Big 12 might seek to bring in another school. Dodds also said if there was not sentiment to hold the Big 12 together by the remaining members that Texas and possibly Notre Dame could join forces to create a new conference.

Dodds gave no indication that Texas would pursue the possibility of becoming an independent.

A top administrator at another Big 12 school said the possibility of some Big 12 schools talking to the Pac-12 could become a reality again if Texas A&M was to bolt for the SEC.

In short, everyone in the Big 12 is back in scramble mode until Texas A&M makes clear what its intentions are.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry told The Dallas Morning News Wednesday, "I'll be real honest with you. I just read about it the same time as y'all did. ... As far as I know, conversations are being had. That's frankly all I know. I just refer you to the university and the decision makers over there."

A Texas A&M source with direct knowledge of the Aggies' situation told Orangebloods.com the TAMU regents will be meeting later this month - possibly as early as Aug. 22 - to introduce a new chancellor and deliberate a potential move to the SEC.

A&M president Bowen Loftin has told reporters there is "uncertainty" about the Aggies' future in the Big 12.

The SEC has been largely silent on Texas A&M. And according to one SEC source, the Aggies will have to basically submit an application for acceptance into the SEC (that is expected to be rubber stamped in no time). That process allows members of the SEC to have plausible deniability about any move until A&M's application is submitted.

Two sources in the Big 12 said they've heard the SEC is also interested in adding Florida State to the SEC East.

Sources in the Big 12 say the same political forces that tried to slow down the breakup of the conference last summer are already trying to get answers from A&M about its intentions.

The Texas Legislature is no longer in session. But I was told Wednesday, "the legislators will have something to say about this."

For those wondering how Gov. Rick Perry might factor into all of this, Perry is weighing a run for the White House in 2012.

One source told me a move to the SEC by Texas A&M might help Perry, an A&M graduate and former yell leader, with voters in SEC states.

That's because a move by the Aggies into that conference would help the SEC get into Texas for recruiting purposes. Couldn't quite tell if the source was half-joking. Sadly, the source is probably right.

Several sources thought out loud about why Texas A&M would trade being in the more winnable Big 12, which has an easier path to a national title without a league title game, for a place in the SEC West with the likes of Alabama, LSU, Arkansas and Auburn.

"Texas A&M should be in the top three of the Big 12 in football every year," one Big 12 source said. "In the SEC, they'll fight to be in the top half of the conference every year."

But sources close to Texas A&M say the Aggies are losing faith in the Big 12 as it is currently constructed and have serious issues with Texas and the Longhorn Network.

this is so yesterday.

 

[Cyclonestate78]

this is so yesterday.

Wasn't sure. Just saw it and posted it just in case.

 

[DRCHIRO]

I think the Big 12 might be at the point where no members want to leave, with A&M gone. "Might".

UT/OU can take care of that perceived weakness by adding a good OOC game with that extra slot.

I think the Big 12 will expand, but it can't be hasty. Obviously needs to be done by 2015, but they don't want to just throw themselves at schools like Houston.

And really, losing A&M doesn't drastically change OU and UT's SOS.

Yup, and creating stability is actually pretty easy. Shut your ******* mouth, collect a large paycheck and go about you business.

You never got the feeling this past year that everything was fine and dandy because A&M was constantly ********. Keep it at nine for this year, create a "happy" conference and we will have no problems filling out the rest of it next year.

Why is this so ******* hard to understand?????

 

[twistedredbird]

I don't know the peckng order in Texas, but, the A&M Regents meeting on the 15th might not be as significant as the legislative committee hearing on the 16th. Based on the folowing in the Statesman, there is a legitimate concern about the consequences for other Texas institutions. Beebe's involvment suggests a concern about potential impact on the conference, suggesting they think the conference will persevere. Or, the legislature could just be engaged in meaningless posturing.

The House Higher Education Committee announced today that it will meet Tuesday to discuss the implications of a possible move by Texas A&M University from the Big 12 Conference to the Southeastern Conference.
The panel’s chairman, state Rep. Dan Branch, R-Dallas, said the Legislature’s focus is to ensure that whatever happens regarding A&M’s athletic affiliation “is in the best interests of the state of Texas.â€
“I’ve got a lot of members who have some questions about the possibility of A&M departing for a different athletic conference, the SEC,†Branch said.
“It’s a large public institution,†he said of A&M. “It could affect the other public institutions like UT and Texas Tech, as well as some of the private institutions in the state and their athletic programs.â€
A&M President R. Bowen Loftin, regents’ Chairman Richard Box, Big 12 Commissioner Dan Beebe and SEC Commissioner Mike Slive have been invited to the hearing, Branch said.
​

the truth is ATM may want to go, question is will the politicians in TX let them. You know the phones are ringing off the horns down there, pun intended, and really could be interesting to see what is and what isn't said. Might be this point that Baylor, Tech, and Texas say, get lost.

 

[twistedredbird]

Wasn't sure. Just saw it and posted it just in case.

i know, it was my poor attempt at humor.

 

[CycloneErik]

Yes. I've heard from a number of online rumor mills that, ultimately, Delaney wants to nab a couple of ACC teams to that the ACC raids the Big East and destroys it, which will in turn leave ND without a home for its non revenue sports.

I think the dissolution of the Big East forces ND into a conference. No other conference is going to give ND the sweetheart deal it currently has with the Big East.

Is this your old "UNC and Duke to the Big 10" thing again?

 

[gocubs2118]

the truth is ATM may want to go, question is will the politicians in TX let them. You know the phones are ringing off the horns down there, pun intended, and really could be interesting to see what is and what isn't said. Might be this point that Baylor, Tech, and Texas say, get lost.

It doesn't matter what the legislation says if A&M is already in the SEC by Monday, which is why they moved the BOR meeting up to when they did.

 

[SvrWxCy]

It doesn't matter what the legislation says if A&M is already in the SEC by Monday, which is why they moved the BOR meeting up to when they did.

Well it still matters what they say, as they can still say 'okay, well now you can only have half of your state funding'. They can't legally stop them no matter what, but they can sure make it a lot harder on the college for bailing on the other public universities in Texas.

 

[IcSyU]

Well it still matters what they say, as they can still say 'okay, well now you can only have half of your state funding'. They can't legally stop them no matter what, but they can sure make it a lot harder on the college for bailing on the other public universities in Texas.

Especially when said athletic department had to take money from the general fund to stay afloat.

 

[Clonefan94]

Yup, and creating stability is actually pretty easy. Shut your ******* mouth, collect a large paycheck and go about you business.

You never got the feeling this past year that everything was fine and dandy because A&M was constantly ********. Keep it at nine for this year, create a "happy" conference and we will have no problems filling out the rest of it next year.

Why is this so ******* hard to understand?????

Because there are teams out there like Nebraska and A&M, they were once National powerhouse programs that dictated their place in college football. Their places have changed now and they don't hold the power they once did. They realized that voting for unequal revenue sharing has come back to bite them in the *** by allowing Texas to hold all the cards and so they want to think they still have some power. So they raise a stink. When no one else helps, they still hold enough national clout to run to a good conference.

ISU isn't used to ever calling any shots. We realize this. And as ****** as it sounds. We are happy to be riding the coat tails of the big boys in the conference and picking up the scraps they leave behind, why, because it's the best option we have. A&M is diluted enough to truly believe they will go to the SEC and succeed. They might, it's not impossible. I'm not so sure that if ISU was in A&Ms position, with other lucrative offers, we wouldn't be doing the same thing. This is not a stable conference and if I knew we had a standing offer to the Big 10 waiting for us, I'd say let's jump in a heartbeat. A&M holds an ace, that is an invite to the SEC. Why not use it to leverage what you can?

 

[alarson]

the truth is ATM may want to go, question is will the politicians in TX let them. You know the phones are ringing off the horns down there, pun intended, and really could be interesting to see what is and what isn't said. Might be this point that Baylor, Tech, and Texas say, get lost.

TAMU will be gone before the politicians have a chance to say anything.

 

[twistedredbird]

TAMU will be gone before the politicians have a chance to say anything.

could be. can't think that will bode well for the regent's careers as appointed officials that answer to the Texas government.

 

[gocubs2118]

TAMU will be gone before the politicians have a chance to say anything.

Exactly, they can't do anything about it.

 

[alarson]

Well it still matters what they say, as they can still say 'okay, well now you can only have half of your state funding'. They can't legally stop them no matter what, but they can sure make it a lot harder on the college for bailing on the other public universities in Texas.

Theyre not going to **** thousands of students because of an athletics decision.

 

[rholtgraves]

Especially when said athletic department had to take money from the general fund to stay afloat.

Exactly, this is the biggest reason I think that the legislature will put a lot of pressure on A&M to stay because they are already having enough problems as it is, then they make it worse by having to pay the big 12 money for leaving.

Just because A&M could vote to go to the SEC doesn't mean that is set in stone, I mean look at what is happening now, obviously staying in the big12 wasn't set in stone.

I still say if they leave the big 12 should not allow them to compete in the conference this year.

 

[ISUAgronomist]

could be. can't think that will bode well for the regent's careers as appointed officials that answer to the Texas government.

They really only answer to the Governor. Texas does not require confirmation of BOR members by the Legislature.

 

[rholtgraves]

Theyre not going to **** thousands of students because of an athletics decision.

You don't think the **** thousands of students every year already by providing less and less funding to the universities?

 

[kingcy]

Duke and North Car to Big 12?

 

[Cyclonestate78]

It doesn't matter what the legislation says if A&M is already in the SEC by Monday, which is why they moved the BOR meeting up to when they did.

All A&M is attempting to do is beat the shot clock before the legislature can get involved. As we all know... trying to cut the politicians out of their 15 minutes on this deal could very well bite A&M in the ***. The legislature wants to get involved and A&M knows that if that happens their SEC wet dream is over. No matter how fast they try to pull this deal off you can bet the legislature is going to beat them to it and have their say in it. All A&M did was just **** a lot of very influential politicians off which is exactly the WRONG thing to do.

 

[twistedredbird]

They really only answer to the Governor. Texas does not require confirmation of BOR members by the Legislature.

yes, I get that. but, the legislature manages the allocation of funding, does it not? the BOR is still going to have to sit in front of the legislature and explain.