For the most part, I didn't think that thread was that bad. The Big 12 is on shaky ground; I'm more optimistic about its survival than they are, but it doesn't take much imagination to see the Big 12 crumble in the near future.
And OU/UT will definitely have an easier path to the National Champ game than before. Look at USC/Pac 10 as an example. For years, the Trojans would waltz through a weak Pac-10 and end up in the Champ game or a BCS bowl. I think UT and OU can expect a similar outlook.
I did disagree with their talk about how it would hurt a school financially to appear on the LHN instead on one of the conference's TV partners. The Big 12 is going to divide the $150 million amongst the 10 schools, mostly evenly. If I remember what I read correctly, the $90 million from Fox will be divided evenly, and the $60 million from ABC/ESPN will be divided 76% evenly, and 24% based on appearances. Whether KSU vs UT appears on FSN or LHN, K-State would get exactly the same amount of TV revenue (and remember, ESPN reached an agreement with Fox to move a game that would have been on Fox and put it on LHN instead).
I didn't like seeing Nebraska (or Colorado) go, but now that they're gone, we'll have to make the best of our situation and frankly our situation is not too bad. With the new TV contracts, we're guaranteed 11 TV appearances every year (compared to the 8 or 9 we've been getting). We'll be getting more money from the conference every year than we've been getting in the past, and the money will be divided more evenly. We'll be playing in Texas and against teams from Texas more frequently, which will increase our chances of recruiting Texas players. Could things be better? Sure. But they're still pretty good right now, and if the Big 12 can survive until the new negotiations with ESPN/ABC start in about 4 years, things could be the best they've ever been.
