Happy Saturday:
Heavy emphasis on the ? in that headline above. ESPN Alumns began tweeting this morning that everyone should watch sports center and sure enough on it Doug Gottlieb said and then tweeted: "High ranking source at Texas A&M confirms, going to SEC. Clemson, FSU, Mizzou likely to join." I didn't see TV segment, but word is the high ranking source is from A&M, not Mizzou.
Not to be outdone, Alden did what he had to do: "No, no, no" he responded when pressed about ESPN reports. Mr. Longhorn Beebe is also conducting a conference call--his first show of action in this crisis--at 3:00 pm today with the remaining 9 schools to discuss options of which there one: invite shitty Houston to join our shitty party and make our shitty "conference" as equally Texas heavy. Deets here: http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/article_462f778c-c5bb-11e0-8cce-0019bb30f31a.html
Other ESPN folks now getting in on the SEC action. David Pollick, former piece of shit LB from Georgia and now current member of the Game Day crew, tweeted: "With TEXAS A&M TO JOIN the SEC; CLEMSON, FSU, & MISSOURI are the next targets." Not to say that Pollick is smarter than Gottlieb (I mean, in terms of smarts between them its like a contest to be the tallest midget) but I actually think he has the more nuanced view on this: A&M is joining and the list of potential others is (in order) Clemson, FSU, and Mizzou. If Clemson says yes they then contact FSU and Missouri. If one of the two of us say no, then its done. They stick at 14. If FSU and Mizzou both say maybe, they try to stiff arm us in. Notice our place on the invite list: LAST. The only reason we're even on the invite list is that, according to CBS Sportsline, Va Tech already told the SEC to piss off, they weren't joining.
So, where does it all stand:
(1) 3:00 pm today, Mr. Longhorn Beebe conducts a conference call with Big 9 AD's and gets everyone to reaffirm publicly and privately that the Big 9 is a solid sustainable league and everyone is committed to its future. Basically, he tells everyone to lie a lot, and in public. The issue will also be raised as to if we go with 9 and not have a automatic BCS bowl entry or add someone taking us up to 10. Texas and OK will say add someone up to 10, so Beebe will start trying to add someone up to 10. He starts with BYU who just starts laughing whenever they hear Beebe's voice on the phone. He calls Louisville next, same response. He calls Houston next and gets a tepid commitment they want to come but can't publicly say they want to join because....
(2) The PAC 12 is now recruiting the hell out of Texas again. They have to make a choice to stay or go and that effects everything else moving forward. Ironically, they'll ultimately do what their biggest rival, Oklahoma, does. Oklahoma is going to want to stay put because they are tied to OK State. Texas, OK State, and OK can't all go to the PAC 12 because that would mean it would be the PAC 15. If they want a 16 team conference, they might also take Texas Tech or try and take Kansas who doesn't want to go.
(3) Texas could also go independent and agree to play to Notre Dame, BYU, Oklahoma, and A&M every year as the base of a schedule that would, in theory, be strong enough to get them into national championship games.
(4) If Texas goes independent and/or joins the PAC 12/14/16 then its a scramble between the Big 10 (plus 2) and SEC as to who is going to take the rest of members of the Big 12/10/9/8/7/6. It would seem Mizzou and Kansas would be best fitted to join the Big 10 (plus 2), but that's a long shot.
So in summary things could look like this:
Big "12" -- A&M to SEC and Houston/Air Force to Big "12"
Texas
Texas Tech
Baylor
Houston/Air Force
OK State
Oklahoma
Kansas
K-State
Iowa State
Mizzou
Or this:
Independent
Texas
SEC (14)
A&M
Clemson
FSU
Mizzou
PAC 12 (14)
Oklahoma
Oklahoma State
Shit-Out-Of-Luck
Baylor
Texas Tech
Kansas
K-State
Iowa State
Or this:
PAC 12 (16)
Texas
Oklahoma
OK State
Team X (BYU?)
SEC (16)
A&M
FSU
Clemson
Texas Tech
Big 10 (16)
Mizzou
Kansas
K-State
Iowa State
Shit-Out-Of-Luck (aka: The Big East)
Baylor
Some other updates before final thoughts:
(a) Chicago Tribune says Big 10 (plus 2) commish sez: "We have closed down active expansion."
(b) A&M Officials have scheduled a 3:00 pm press conference for Monday
Final Thoughts
Clearly, A&M is gone to the SEC. Texas has to make a decision about its future and then all other futures will rest on that decision. Right now, what is its motivation to leave the Big 9? It has no motivation because it does whatever it wants without consequences. In the next few days/weeks don't (1) believe anything you hear out of A&M as they are going to say Mizzou is leaving and coming with them because that's a final stab in the face to Texas and the conference and (2) don't believe anything Alden or Deaton say in public. We went down this road before with the Big 10 and we got egg on our face. We can't have that happen again.
Once again, we find ourselves on the outside looking in, waiting for something that we have no control or leverage over. Always the bridesmaid, never the bride. If--and its a big if--the SEC comes call we have to say yes even if it means leaving Kansas behind and even if it means terrible football records in the near future. If a conference that is the best at something comes calling, you accept and work out the details later, especially when the conference you are in is ruled by one school and losing others one on an annual basis.
When the dust settles I think we'll be right where we already are: a second class citizen in a conference that is diminishing by the second. But at least Houston will mean one more win a year in both sports, right?
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
CORRECTION: THE END OF THE WORLD IS MONDAY II
E-mailed 8/12/11
http://info.sos.state.tx.us/pls/pub/pubomquery$omquery.queryview?P_OM_ID=136885&Z_CHK=33600
What you need to know:
"Consultation with System Attorneys Regarding Legal Matters or Pending and/or Contemplated Litigation or Settlement Offers Texas Government Code, Section 551.071; including
--Discussion with Counsel on pending legal matters including, but not limited to, contemplated and/or pending litigation, contemplated, on-going and/or completed investigations regarding institutional compliance and any findings, conclusions and/or recommendations thereto; and the status of negotiations regarding and/or compliance with certain letters of intent, contracts and/or similar agreements, including, but not limited to, legal obligations and duties and any and all facts relating thereto; including
Item 15) Authorization for the President to Take All Actions Relating to Texas A&M University's Athletic Conference Alignment, The Texas A&M University System"
http://info.sos.state.tx.us/pls/pub/pubomquery$omquery.queryview?P_OM_ID=136885&Z_CHK=33600
What you need to know:
"Consultation with System Attorneys Regarding Legal Matters or Pending and/or Contemplated Litigation or Settlement Offers Texas Government Code, Section 551.071; including
--Discussion with Counsel on pending legal matters including, but not limited to, contemplated and/or pending litigation, contemplated, on-going and/or completed investigations regarding institutional compliance and any findings, conclusions and/or recommendations thereto; and the status of negotiations regarding and/or compliance with certain letters of intent, contracts and/or similar agreements, including, but not limited to, legal obligations and duties and any and all facts relating thereto; including
Item 15) Authorization for the President to Take All Actions Relating to Texas A&M University's Athletic Conference Alignment, The Texas A&M University System"
CORRECTION: THE END OF THE WORLD IS MONDAY
E-mailed 8/12/11
The San Antonio Express-News and Houston Chronicle are reporting A&M Trustees are having a conference call on Monday to vote on conference affiliation. Beebe says Big 12 minus 3 will be fine, because we'll take the University of Houston and be back up to 10. I guess, if that's what you definition of "fine" is.
At this point, I'm willing to buy/make quite a few pair of jorts and head toward the humid SE if we get an SEC invite. I'd rather lose every game in a real conference. Strike that, just a conference, as opposed to the revolving door that Beebe is presiding over.
A question for the group: why is this such a non-issue with all of Mizzou fans, administrators, and beat writers (and dare I say each of you)? This is bigger than hiring a new coach and equally as big as the conference almost collapsing last summer.
The San Antonio Express-News and Houston Chronicle are reporting A&M Trustees are having a conference call on Monday to vote on conference affiliation. Beebe says Big 12 minus 3 will be fine, because we'll take the University of Houston and be back up to 10. I guess, if that's what you definition of "fine" is.
At this point, I'm willing to buy/make quite a few pair of jorts and head toward the humid SE if we get an SEC invite. I'd rather lose every game in a real conference. Strike that, just a conference, as opposed to the revolving door that Beebe is presiding over.
A question for the group: why is this such a non-issue with all of Mizzou fans, administrators, and beat writers (and dare I say each of you)? This is bigger than hiring a new coach and equally as big as the conference almost collapsing last summer.
The End of the World: August 22nd
E-mailed 8/12/11
n case you thought the Big 12 minus 2 story was just going to go away, its not and is, in fact, gaining steam. One might think it would have ended yesterday, after the NCAA voted to ban high school games on conference and/or individual school networks, but it didn't. The date for a vote by A&M has been set: August 22nd. SEC Officials are meeting Saturday and are expected to decide to formally offer a spot to A&M. Bob Davie, former ND coach, said having a network contract doesn't help recruiting. Well, it might not if you are Bob Davie, but when M. Brown of TX says he's having trouble "balancing coaching with my Longhorn Network obligations" then one would assume Texas has found a way to make it work. All this info (sans the Brown quote which was from yesterday) came from this article <http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/08/11/3285640/commentary-am-should-think-twice.html>. The money quote: "If A&M wants to green-light a move to the SEC, where the Aggies wouldn't have to deal with the ramifications of Texas' 20-year, $300 million network in conjunction with ESPN, that seems like the fastest opportunity to reach closure. And that sounds like the plan."
The Sporting News agrees with this time line <http://aol.sportingnews.com/ncaa-football/story/2011-08-11/source-report-of-texas-am-accepting-sec-invitation-just-not-true> and refutes Rivals.com who said yesterday that A&M and the SEC had already agreed on a deal. In the Sporting News article it says the SEC would add one more school with A&M but not three more. The two schools it names are Virginia Tech and your Missouri Tigers. At this point people are just throwing out names of possible schools. My take after reading them all it looks like the pecking order will go something like this:
(1) Oklahoma -- Who will say no and try its luck with Texas.
(2) Florida State -- Who is already lobbying to be the other school.
(3) Virginia Tech
(4) Missouri
If you read nothing else, read this brilliant article <http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/justice/7694204.html> from CBS Sportsline. Not only does the article call DeLoss Dodds (Texas Athletic Director) the Commissioner of the Big 12 minus 2, the author takes some specific shots later in the article at Beebe: "When Beebe — OK, he really is the Big 12 commissioner — was asked about the crisis Wednesday, he said he hadn't spoken to anyone from A&M. Really? Didn't have the time, Dan? Didn't have your iPhone handy? Did you have something more important than allowing your conference to vaporize?"
And that is basically what is going on: the conference is vaporizing and a buffoon is watching it happen. The thesis of the article is that A&M has to go to the SEC to save face, they can't continue to make threats and stomp their feet every few months. The sub-thesis: this move is all about anger and ego: "And there's emotion. In College Station, anger appears to be ruling the day. In Austin, they're angry that the Aggies are angry." [snip] "Byrne (A&M Athletic Director) didn't have as much money to spend even before ESPN became a $15-million-a-year Texas booster, but he hasn't needed to. Unless money buys wisdom, Texas A&M has nothing to worry about in the Big 12. Unfortunately, money and wisdom aren't driving the debate here. This is one is all about ego. But the Aggies have to go this time. It's the only way they save face, and they can worry about the consequences down the road."
Ah, consequences. It looks like ours are:
(1) A weaker Big 12 minus 2 (replacing A&M with another lesser team)
(2) The SEC (and getting our clocks cleaned on the field and off in recruiting--at least in football)
(3) The PAC 10
(4) The Big East (who takes anyone interested into their 100 team conference) or the Mountain West
Pick your poison.
n case you thought the Big 12 minus 2 story was just going to go away, its not and is, in fact, gaining steam. One might think it would have ended yesterday, after the NCAA voted to ban high school games on conference and/or individual school networks, but it didn't. The date for a vote by A&M has been set: August 22nd. SEC Officials are meeting Saturday and are expected to decide to formally offer a spot to A&M. Bob Davie, former ND coach, said having a network contract doesn't help recruiting. Well, it might not if you are Bob Davie, but when M. Brown of TX says he's having trouble "balancing coaching with my Longhorn Network obligations" then one would assume Texas has found a way to make it work. All this info (sans the Brown quote which was from yesterday) came from this article <http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/08/11/3285640/commentary-am-should-think-twice.html>. The money quote: "If A&M wants to green-light a move to the SEC, where the Aggies wouldn't have to deal with the ramifications of Texas' 20-year, $300 million network in conjunction with ESPN, that seems like the fastest opportunity to reach closure. And that sounds like the plan."
The Sporting News agrees with this time line <http://aol.sportingnews.com/ncaa-football/story/2011-08-11/source-report-of-texas-am-accepting-sec-invitation-just-not-true> and refutes Rivals.com who said yesterday that A&M and the SEC had already agreed on a deal. In the Sporting News article it says the SEC would add one more school with A&M but not three more. The two schools it names are Virginia Tech and your Missouri Tigers. At this point people are just throwing out names of possible schools. My take after reading them all it looks like the pecking order will go something like this:
(1) Oklahoma -- Who will say no and try its luck with Texas.
(2) Florida State -- Who is already lobbying to be the other school.
(3) Virginia Tech
(4) Missouri
If you read nothing else, read this brilliant article <http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/justice/7694204.html> from CBS Sportsline. Not only does the article call DeLoss Dodds (Texas Athletic Director) the Commissioner of the Big 12 minus 2, the author takes some specific shots later in the article at Beebe: "When Beebe — OK, he really is the Big 12 commissioner — was asked about the crisis Wednesday, he said he hadn't spoken to anyone from A&M. Really? Didn't have the time, Dan? Didn't have your iPhone handy? Did you have something more important than allowing your conference to vaporize?"
And that is basically what is going on: the conference is vaporizing and a buffoon is watching it happen. The thesis of the article is that A&M has to go to the SEC to save face, they can't continue to make threats and stomp their feet every few months. The sub-thesis: this move is all about anger and ego: "And there's emotion. In College Station, anger appears to be ruling the day. In Austin, they're angry that the Aggies are angry." [snip] "Byrne (A&M Athletic Director) didn't have as much money to spend even before ESPN became a $15-million-a-year Texas booster, but he hasn't needed to. Unless money buys wisdom, Texas A&M has nothing to worry about in the Big 12. Unfortunately, money and wisdom aren't driving the debate here. This is one is all about ego. But the Aggies have to go this time. It's the only way they save face, and they can worry about the consequences down the road."
Ah, consequences. It looks like ours are:
(1) A weaker Big 12 minus 2 (replacing A&M with another lesser team)
(2) The SEC (and getting our clocks cleaned on the field and off in recruiting--at least in football)
(3) The PAC 10
(4) The Big East (who takes anyone interested into their 100 team conference) or the Mountain West
Pick your poison.
Mizzou Madness II
E-mailed 8/11/11
Alright, here is what happened for those out of the loop:
(1) "When did this all start up again?" you ask. Yesterday Rick Perry, Gov of TX, and as of this coming Saturday, Presidential Candidate, admits to TX newspaper that A&M is "in talks" with representatives from SEC. Perry supports the move as he's an A&M grad and former yell leader. He's slated to be in Birmingham, site of SEC headquarters, on Friday.
(2) "Where did A&M's disgust and wandering eyes come from?" you ask. Well, being the dicks they are, the Longhorns had announced a few weeks ago that they would be showing high school games on the Longhorn Network, a third tier television network that they set up with ESPN to get them more revenue. So now on top of getting more revenue, they're also getting a clear recruiting edge (at least in the state of Texas) as they can feature high schools games of potential Longhorn recruits. The other Big 12 minus 2 schools vocally upset with Texas' decision about HS football games: Missouri and Oklahoma.
(3) "The SEC, seriously? Why is A&M interested in the SEC?" you ask. One of their former coaches, Gene Stallings, his familiar with the SEC from his days roaming the sidelines at bbbbbbbbbbbb-bama. The also hate Arkansas and consider them a rival from their days together in the old Southwest Conference. Ah, the Southwest Conference. Unfamiliar with it? Well, it went bankrupt and was saved by the Big 8. But I digress. But while we are on the topic of Arkansas, who also hates them? Missouri. Short, clear and to the point article here <http://dennis-dodd.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/6270202/31254098>.
(4) "I thought all of this was settled this summer when Dan "Mr. Longhorn" Beebe got a big, long contract extension for himself as Big 12 minus 2 commissioner and renegotiated the Big 12 minus 2's TV contracts to get our 10 teams more dollars and more TV exposure?" you say. Well, there are shades of truth in that. First, someone did manage to give him a large contact and big extension to preside over the shell of a league that once was. Talk about rewarding bad behavior. "You almost dissolved the company...you sound like just the man to lead the scraps that were left behind!" Lots of great logic there. In terms of the renegotiated TV deal, yes that happened. Before the negotiations he promised, in writing, around 23 million a year to three teams to keep in the the Big 12 minus 2: Texas, Oklahoma, and A&M. Payouts in old Big 12 were around 14 million per team. The rest of the league got nervous about the great dollars given to the three schools, but after the dust settled the new contracts equated to only around a $5-8 million dollar spread between the average Big 12 minus 2 team and the top Big 12 minus 2 team. Don't give Bebee credit...the networks and NCAA officials came to him in order keep a power conference on the landscape and not to have three 16 team power conferences. For a while, everything was quiet, but that didn't mean everyone was happy. Most unhappy was A&M and the Longhorn network announcement was the last straw.
(5) "Rick Perry is an asshat and doesn't know what he is talking about! No way A&M leaves." you say. Well, yes, he is an asshat and might realistically capture the Republican nomination for President, but he managed to say publicly yesterday what has actually been talked about for weeks. When the A&M President says they are exploring their options, odds are, they are exploring their options. As of right now the TX Gov Office, ESPN, CBS Sportsline, and The Dallas Morning News, and the TX Statesman are all reporting the talks as serious. What is our fearless leader, the man we gave lots of money to because of his great leadership skills saying about all of this? Dan "Mr. Longhorn" Beebe says: "He's taking it very seriously." And adds, "Just another summer in the Big 12 <http://espn.go.com/blog/big12/post/_/id/31608/big-12-legitimacy-reliant-on-aggies-decision>."
(6) "Whoa there, didn't Mr. Longhorn announce upon securing the new TV contracts that there would be huge--HUGE--penalties if teams left?" you say. He did announce that. Unfortunately, like most things he says, its just not true. As it states in the link in #5, the exit fees are the same as they were for Colorado and Nebraska and that didn't stop them from leaving, or their conferences from paying them money to help soften the blow.
(7) "Ok, so this happens...what then? Are we the Big 12 minus 3?" you say. Well...interesting question. CBS Sportsline says Mizzou goes with them <http://dennis-dodd.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/6270202/31254098>. The Statesman says that the league will function with 9 teams <http://www.statesman.com/sports/collegefootball/big-12-taking-talk-of-am-move-to-1724657.html>.
(8) "Is is a good move for A&M?" you ask? No, says this guy <http://eye-on-collegefootball.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/24156338/31256324>. The telling line: "A&M thinks they've got a trump card for their rival. They better be careful what they're wishing for or the Aggies might be the ones being trumped." In other words, Texas A&M hasn't had the talent to consistently compete in the Big 12, no way it has the talent to compete in the SEC.
(9) "Why is the SEC even interested in A&M you ask?" you ask. Markets and recruiting. TV-wise it opens up the Texas market and allows SEC coaches to tell recruits that they'll get a chance to play a game in their home state. That's why Missouri is even being discussed in the SEC picture--it opens up the St. Louis and KC television markets.
(10) "I really could give two shits about the SEC or Texas A&M, what the hell does this mean for Mizzou?" you say. Well, it means lots. If the Big 12 minus 2 transforms to the Big 12 minus 3, the league loses its position as an automatic BCS Conference (10 team minimum). Even if the rest of the teams in the "conference" (term used loosely) were to get A&M's share of the TV revenue, it means there is one less good team in the conference. At that point it could go either way--the "conference" could stay together or it could dissolve. I don't know what out clauses ESPN has in its Longhorn Network contract, but having Texas in a non-BCS auto qualifier is an issue. So is our obligation to put a good game every week on national television under the new TV contract stipulations. I think the best bet to keep the league would be to add one member to replace A&M. BYU is the obvious choice and we'd clearly let them have their own network. I just don't think they would bite. If Notre Dame won't join the Big 10, they sure won't join a conference named the Big 12 minus 2. That would leave...Louisville...which ain't quite A&M. Yikes.
(11) "So what's the big deal, Mizzou will just join the SEC. Problem solved." you say. Well, besides probably ensuring that the Bigelow's get a divorce, a move like that would put us in a much better football conference, a horribly worse basketball conference, and...it just doesn't quite feel right. In the SEC either you wear dress shirts and ties to games or jorts. While you can certainly find your share of jorts in the stands of Memorial Stadium, I just don't know that we're that southern. It also means our main recruiting pipeline--Dallas and surrounding areas--will most likely dry up even if we get scheduled with A&M each year. It also mans, at least in the short team, we get our asses handed to us most every Saturday we are on the road (as painful as that is for me to admit). Big 10--that was a fit. SEC, I just think it would be a shotgun wedding. Sure, there could be a lot of hope and promise to it, but it just seems to be thrown together awful fast.
In other news...Sheldon Richardson is eligible to join the Tigers <http://www.stltoday.com/sports/college/mizzou/article_0fd6f3b6-03e2-5e0a-880b-0219695b8007.html> ending a multi-year struggle to get him eligible and committed. It means our defense, ranked #10 nationally in most pre-season polls, could have just actually gotten better. Fall camp seems to be going well and fast--and in our players are really fast. The only question seems to be: who will back up Franklin <http://www.stltoday.com/sports/college/mizzou/article_2d04061a-4b99-569d-8673-0d7a69fbb6f9.html>? Well, our biggest recruit at QB (we had several this year--Pinkel likes to keep about 12 of them around at all times it seems like) this past year was Corbin Berkstresser. He was supposed to red-shirt this year and is officially listed as #4 on the depth chart, but all of that seems to be smoke and mirrors. He's rooming with Franklin, Franklin is his officially designated "big brother," and he's been getting nearly all of the reps with the second string offense. Says OC Yost: "I don't know if at this point when Chase (Daniel) was a freshman … if he was actually up that far. … It's been a little bit faster for Corbin that way." Chase Daniel, back-up NFL quarter back and eventual replacement for Drew Brees <http://www.nola.com/saints/index.ssf/2011/08/backup_qb_chase_daniel_nips_at.html>. Says Franklin of Berkstresser: "He's more of a true quarterback than I am," Franklin said, adding, "There's things that I'm trying to learn from him and take from him because there are a lot of things that he does that I like." That's either really bad news, or really good news.
More information as it develops, or not. We likely won't hear much of anything until A&M either signs a deal or announces it didn't sign a deal or the SEC announces its not expanding.
For Mizzou,
Doug
Alright, here is what happened for those out of the loop:
(1) "When did this all start up again?" you ask. Yesterday Rick Perry, Gov of TX, and as of this coming Saturday, Presidential Candidate, admits to TX newspaper that A&M is "in talks" with representatives from SEC. Perry supports the move as he's an A&M grad and former yell leader. He's slated to be in Birmingham, site of SEC headquarters, on Friday.
(2) "Where did A&M's disgust and wandering eyes come from?" you ask. Well, being the dicks they are, the Longhorns had announced a few weeks ago that they would be showing high school games on the Longhorn Network, a third tier television network that they set up with ESPN to get them more revenue. So now on top of getting more revenue, they're also getting a clear recruiting edge (at least in the state of Texas) as they can feature high schools games of potential Longhorn recruits. The other Big 12 minus 2 schools vocally upset with Texas' decision about HS football games: Missouri and Oklahoma.
(3) "The SEC, seriously? Why is A&M interested in the SEC?" you ask. One of their former coaches, Gene Stallings, his familiar with the SEC from his days roaming the sidelines at bbbbbbbbbbbb-bama. The also hate Arkansas and consider them a rival from their days together in the old Southwest Conference. Ah, the Southwest Conference. Unfamiliar with it? Well, it went bankrupt and was saved by the Big 8. But I digress. But while we are on the topic of Arkansas, who also hates them? Missouri. Short, clear and to the point article here <http://dennis-dodd.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/6270202/31254098>.
(4) "I thought all of this was settled this summer when Dan "Mr. Longhorn" Beebe got a big, long contract extension for himself as Big 12 minus 2 commissioner and renegotiated the Big 12 minus 2's TV contracts to get our 10 teams more dollars and more TV exposure?" you say. Well, there are shades of truth in that. First, someone did manage to give him a large contact and big extension to preside over the shell of a league that once was. Talk about rewarding bad behavior. "You almost dissolved the company...you sound like just the man to lead the scraps that were left behind!" Lots of great logic there. In terms of the renegotiated TV deal, yes that happened. Before the negotiations he promised, in writing, around 23 million a year to three teams to keep in the the Big 12 minus 2: Texas, Oklahoma, and A&M. Payouts in old Big 12 were around 14 million per team. The rest of the league got nervous about the great dollars given to the three schools, but after the dust settled the new contracts equated to only around a $5-8 million dollar spread between the average Big 12 minus 2 team and the top Big 12 minus 2 team. Don't give Bebee credit...the networks and NCAA officials came to him in order keep a power conference on the landscape and not to have three 16 team power conferences. For a while, everything was quiet, but that didn't mean everyone was happy. Most unhappy was A&M and the Longhorn network announcement was the last straw.
(5) "Rick Perry is an asshat and doesn't know what he is talking about! No way A&M leaves." you say. Well, yes, he is an asshat and might realistically capture the Republican nomination for President, but he managed to say publicly yesterday what has actually been talked about for weeks. When the A&M President says they are exploring their options, odds are, they are exploring their options. As of right now the TX Gov Office, ESPN, CBS Sportsline, and The Dallas Morning News, and the TX Statesman are all reporting the talks as serious. What is our fearless leader, the man we gave lots of money to because of his great leadership skills saying about all of this? Dan "Mr. Longhorn" Beebe says: "He's taking it very seriously." And adds, "Just another summer in the Big 12 <http://espn.go.com/blog/big12/post/_/id/31608/big-12-legitimacy-reliant-on-aggies-decision>."
(6) "Whoa there, didn't Mr. Longhorn announce upon securing the new TV contracts that there would be huge--HUGE--penalties if teams left?" you say. He did announce that. Unfortunately, like most things he says, its just not true. As it states in the link in #5, the exit fees are the same as they were for Colorado and Nebraska and that didn't stop them from leaving, or their conferences from paying them money to help soften the blow.
(7) "Ok, so this happens...what then? Are we the Big 12 minus 3?" you say. Well...interesting question. CBS Sportsline says Mizzou goes with them <http://dennis-dodd.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/6270202/31254098>. The Statesman says that the league will function with 9 teams <http://www.statesman.com/sports/collegefootball/big-12-taking-talk-of-am-move-to-1724657.html>.
(8) "Is is a good move for A&M?" you ask? No, says this guy <http://eye-on-collegefootball.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/24156338/31256324>. The telling line: "A&M thinks they've got a trump card for their rival. They better be careful what they're wishing for or the Aggies might be the ones being trumped." In other words, Texas A&M hasn't had the talent to consistently compete in the Big 12, no way it has the talent to compete in the SEC.
(9) "Why is the SEC even interested in A&M you ask?" you ask. Markets and recruiting. TV-wise it opens up the Texas market and allows SEC coaches to tell recruits that they'll get a chance to play a game in their home state. That's why Missouri is even being discussed in the SEC picture--it opens up the St. Louis and KC television markets.
(10) "I really could give two shits about the SEC or Texas A&M, what the hell does this mean for Mizzou?" you say. Well, it means lots. If the Big 12 minus 2 transforms to the Big 12 minus 3, the league loses its position as an automatic BCS Conference (10 team minimum). Even if the rest of the teams in the "conference" (term used loosely) were to get A&M's share of the TV revenue, it means there is one less good team in the conference. At that point it could go either way--the "conference" could stay together or it could dissolve. I don't know what out clauses ESPN has in its Longhorn Network contract, but having Texas in a non-BCS auto qualifier is an issue. So is our obligation to put a good game every week on national television under the new TV contract stipulations. I think the best bet to keep the league would be to add one member to replace A&M. BYU is the obvious choice and we'd clearly let them have their own network. I just don't think they would bite. If Notre Dame won't join the Big 10, they sure won't join a conference named the Big 12 minus 2. That would leave...Louisville...which ain't quite A&M. Yikes.
(11) "So what's the big deal, Mizzou will just join the SEC. Problem solved." you say. Well, besides probably ensuring that the Bigelow's get a divorce, a move like that would put us in a much better football conference, a horribly worse basketball conference, and...it just doesn't quite feel right. In the SEC either you wear dress shirts and ties to games or jorts. While you can certainly find your share of jorts in the stands of Memorial Stadium, I just don't know that we're that southern. It also means our main recruiting pipeline--Dallas and surrounding areas--will most likely dry up even if we get scheduled with A&M each year. It also mans, at least in the short team, we get our asses handed to us most every Saturday we are on the road (as painful as that is for me to admit). Big 10--that was a fit. SEC, I just think it would be a shotgun wedding. Sure, there could be a lot of hope and promise to it, but it just seems to be thrown together awful fast.
In other news...Sheldon Richardson is eligible to join the Tigers <http://www.stltoday.com/sports/college/mizzou/article_0fd6f3b6-03e2-5e0a-880b-0219695b8007.html> ending a multi-year struggle to get him eligible and committed. It means our defense, ranked #10 nationally in most pre-season polls, could have just actually gotten better. Fall camp seems to be going well and fast--and in our players are really fast. The only question seems to be: who will back up Franklin <http://www.stltoday.com/sports/college/mizzou/article_2d04061a-4b99-569d-8673-0d7a69fbb6f9.html>? Well, our biggest recruit at QB (we had several this year--Pinkel likes to keep about 12 of them around at all times it seems like) this past year was Corbin Berkstresser. He was supposed to red-shirt this year and is officially listed as #4 on the depth chart, but all of that seems to be smoke and mirrors. He's rooming with Franklin, Franklin is his officially designated "big brother," and he's been getting nearly all of the reps with the second string offense. Says OC Yost: "I don't know if at this point when Chase (Daniel) was a freshman … if he was actually up that far. … It's been a little bit faster for Corbin that way." Chase Daniel, back-up NFL quarter back and eventual replacement for Drew Brees <http://www.nola.com/saints/index.ssf/2011/08/backup_qb_chase_daniel_nips_at.html>. Says Franklin of Berkstresser: "He's more of a true quarterback than I am," Franklin said, adding, "There's things that I'm trying to learn from him and take from him because there are a lot of things that he does that I like." That's either really bad news, or really good news.
More information as it develops, or not. We likely won't hear much of anything until A&M either signs a deal or announces it didn't sign a deal or the SEC announces its not expanding.
For Mizzou,
Doug
Mizzou Madness
E-mailed 8/11/11
Well, here we go again. Our 12 minus 2 football conference could--heavy on the could--be on the brink of collapse amid the start of a fall practice where we had a star recruit gain eligibility and many outside observers are commenting on how put together (and fast) the team looks. Don't have time to sift through all of the noise? Right now, neither do I (office move). Later tonight expect a long e-mail with links and info--I'll sift through them, so you don't have to.
In the meantime contemplate:
(1) Is it best for Nebraska to lose every game this or year, or to go undefeated?
(2) Is the Mizzou fan base racist enough to fit into a mega 14-16 team SEC?
(3) Or will our mountain-less state school fit better into the Mountain West? Follow-up: will we get our Mountain West tats in black and white or full color?
(4) Will GP let Tyler Gabbert walk on the team? Would you?
An interesting week ahead for the Black and Gold...
Doug
Well, here we go again. Our 12 minus 2 football conference could--heavy on the could--be on the brink of collapse amid the start of a fall practice where we had a star recruit gain eligibility and many outside observers are commenting on how put together (and fast) the team looks. Don't have time to sift through all of the noise? Right now, neither do I (office move). Later tonight expect a long e-mail with links and info--I'll sift through them, so you don't have to.
In the meantime contemplate:
(1) Is it best for Nebraska to lose every game this or year, or to go undefeated?
(2) Is the Mizzou fan base racist enough to fit into a mega 14-16 team SEC?
(3) Or will our mountain-less state school fit better into the Mountain West? Follow-up: will we get our Mountain West tats in black and white or full color?
(4) Will GP let Tyler Gabbert walk on the team? Would you?
An interesting week ahead for the Black and Gold...
Doug
New Beginnings
Life is all about evolution: survive and advance. If you don't evolve, you'll get passed by those who do. In life we're always learning, adapting, and moving along. Others around us might move faster or might move slower, but what is certain is that in this ever-changing world of ours life is always about movement.
This evolution can dart us off in some pretty interesting directions. In January of 2011 I darted off to a new job which left me, at first, with a good deal of free time during my transition. As I was evolving, so were people who lived under oppressive regimes in the Middle East. Instant analysis of the events of the Arab Spring said that it was a "Twitter Revolution." That analysis, in my opinion, was rather short sighted simple. The seeds of revolution had been planted and nurtured for decades and sprouted at a time when new forms of social media were there to capture what was happening.
It was fascinating to watch it unfold. Twitter was an endless rabbit hole of information--you could follow journalists who reported news but you could also follow the informants that the journalists got their information from. Essentially, you could bypass the middle-man and get raw unfiltered data straight from the source. You could then use this data to form your own opinions, right or wrong; properly informed or misinformed.
While people were risking their life for the opportunity to live in a free society, Mizzou's basketball coach bolted for Arkansas. I then discovered that, with much lower stakes, one could apply the same lessons in getting first-hand reports from the Middle East into getting first hand reports from the Middle-West about who was headed to BoCoMo to guide the Tigers. It took some judgement in shifting through the information, but it also took a shit-ton of time which I had on my hands and, it seemed, none of my Mizzou friends had on theirs. So I started drafting e-mails to a group of four alums updating them on the twists and turns of the search. The list got larger as time wore on and then the stakes seemed to get a bit higher when Big 12 seemed at the edge of collapse once again earlier this summer. I kept sifting through the info and people kept asking to be included on the e-mail list.
All this evolution brings us to where we are now: the end of the Big 12. Others around it moved and evolved, some slowly, some quickly but all kept moving and the once Grand Dame was left in the dust.
In an attempt--probably failed--to do the same, I'm evolving as well. Gone is the e-mail and in its stead is a blog, something I never thought I would have the desire--or time--to do. I don't know how long this will last or in what, if any, interesting directions it will take us. In other words, here goes nothing.
[Editor's Note: For archive purposes I'm going to throw up some long form reactions to games and whatnot first, followed by the spring and summer 2011 e-mails, and...finally...new posts.]
This evolution can dart us off in some pretty interesting directions. In January of 2011 I darted off to a new job which left me, at first, with a good deal of free time during my transition. As I was evolving, so were people who lived under oppressive regimes in the Middle East. Instant analysis of the events of the Arab Spring said that it was a "Twitter Revolution." That analysis, in my opinion, was rather short sighted simple. The seeds of revolution had been planted and nurtured for decades and sprouted at a time when new forms of social media were there to capture what was happening.
It was fascinating to watch it unfold. Twitter was an endless rabbit hole of information--you could follow journalists who reported news but you could also follow the informants that the journalists got their information from. Essentially, you could bypass the middle-man and get raw unfiltered data straight from the source. You could then use this data to form your own opinions, right or wrong; properly informed or misinformed.
While people were risking their life for the opportunity to live in a free society, Mizzou's basketball coach bolted for Arkansas. I then discovered that, with much lower stakes, one could apply the same lessons in getting first-hand reports from the Middle East into getting first hand reports from the Middle-West about who was headed to BoCoMo to guide the Tigers. It took some judgement in shifting through the information, but it also took a shit-ton of time which I had on my hands and, it seemed, none of my Mizzou friends had on theirs. So I started drafting e-mails to a group of four alums updating them on the twists and turns of the search. The list got larger as time wore on and then the stakes seemed to get a bit higher when Big 12 seemed at the edge of collapse once again earlier this summer. I kept sifting through the info and people kept asking to be included on the e-mail list.
All this evolution brings us to where we are now: the end of the Big 12. Others around it moved and evolved, some slowly, some quickly but all kept moving and the once Grand Dame was left in the dust.
In an attempt--probably failed--to do the same, I'm evolving as well. Gone is the e-mail and in its stead is a blog, something I never thought I would have the desire--or time--to do. I don't know how long this will last or in what, if any, interesting directions it will take us. In other words, here goes nothing.
[Editor's Note: For archive purposes I'm going to throw up some long form reactions to games and whatnot first, followed by the spring and summer 2011 e-mails, and...finally...new posts.]
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