Smoke your cigars and enjoy the band while you can....

[DQ12]

Instead of reading that wall of text, I'll just concede the argument:  You win.

[fatty fat fat]

Wrong.  Those teams can pull in a ton of coin (maybe not equal, but still a ton) without having to play the top 10 teams every year.

There are more than 16 programs in the country that are sustainable without being in your hypothetical conference (teams like Oklahoma State, Virginia Tech, Arkansas, Tennessee etc).  IMO, those "second tier" teams would benefit most, because the road to 12-0 would be incredibly easier, considering they wouldn't have to play LSU, Alabama, Texas etc.

16 of the best teams in the country would have to be absolutely suicidal to agree to play each other every single year.

If you believe for a second that Top ___ rankings, BCS slots or mythical national championships are going to drive these decisions then you simply don't have a clue.  It's all about maximizing revenue and we know that in college athletics the money is in football.  Football, and specifically the right to broadcast football games and the revenue derived therefrom, will drive what eventually happens.  It may take a bit but there are clear tranches out there and the cream will self-separate from the rest soon enough.

Consider the present Big XII: this fall the Big XII will play five conference football games per weekend.  Of those only one game each weekend will feature a team whose mascot is a cow and that game will have a value, in terms of national audience and sales of advertising slots therein, probably on average greater than (or at the very least quite similar to) the sum of the values of the weekend's other four conference games combined.

Now consider a hypothetical Super Conference (play with the names as much as you like) comprised of: Texas, Notre Dame, Penn St., Ohio St., Michigan, Florida, Alabama and USC.  Each of those teams brings a value not perhaps equivalent to Texas but somewhere in the ballpark.  Thus every game of the regular season is nationally prominent in precisely the same way that a UT Big XII game is only no one ever has to watch these teams beat up on the little sisters of the poor any more.  The value of broadcast rights for this conference is probably 3-5x the value of any present conference and likely more since every game will feature a valuable property on both sides of the field rather that just one as is the case in most conference games now.  And you really believe that wouldn't induce teams to want to join?  

Competitiveness isn't really an issue.  Form the Super Conference with 8 teams, play 7 league games & schedule 5 OOC wins.  Or form with 12, play in 3 or 4 team pods and schedule 5 or 6 OOC wins.  Similarly a 16 team conference comprised of 4 pods of 4 teams each leaves room for 6 scheduled OOC wins.  There are plenty of ways to arrange such a conference without making the conference slate a Bataan Death March.

BCS?  Please.  A 12 or 16 team conference arranged in pods could conduct a 4-team conference championship playoff whose revenues would probably exceed those of the present BCS bowls.  Or imagine a 16 team Super Conference featuring your pick of college football's 16 biggest names and further imagine those names not being part of the BCS picture.  What would the BCS be worth in that case?  Certainly a fraction of its present value.  So there would be great incentive on the part of the BCS to include as many Super Conference Teams as was feasible; certainly one and probably a couple guaranteed.  Perhaps the hypothetical Super 16 would bypass the BCS completely and invite the champions of the remainder of the SEC, Big XII, Pac 12 & Big 10 to compete in an 8-team playoff against its four pod champions and award its own National Championship.  Again, that arrangement would dwarf the present system financially.  

They money is simply too much to ignore and there are several conferences that have grown well beyond regional and local rivalries already.  The next clear step is a national conference comprised of only the most valuable franchises.  It may not happen this year or next but it is going to happen.

You may be a living whore, but not everyone is.

[Rage Against the McKee]

Wrong.  Those teams can pull in a ton of coin (maybe not equal, but still a ton) without having to play the top 10 teams every year.

There are more than 16 programs in the country that are sustainable without being in your hypothetical conference (teams like Oklahoma State, Virginia Tech, Arkansas, Tennessee etc).  IMO, those "second tier" teams would benefit most, because the road to 12-0 would be incredibly easier, considering they wouldn't have to play LSU, Alabama, Texas etc.

16 of the best teams in the country would have to be absolutely suicidal to agree to play each other every single year.

If you believe for a second that Top ___ rankings, BCS slots or mythical national championships are going to drive these decisions then you simply don't have a clue.  It's all about maximizing revenue and we know that in college athletics the money is in football.  Football, and specifically the right to broadcast football games and the revenue derived therefrom, will drive what eventually happens.  It may take a bit but there are clear tranches out there and the cream will self-separate from the rest soon enough.

Consider the present Big XII: this fall the Big XII will play five conference football games per weekend.  Of those only one game each weekend will feature a team whose mascot is a cow and that game will have a value, in terms of national audience and sales of advertising slots therein, probably on average greater than (or at the very least quite similar to) the sum of the values of the weekend's other four conference games combined.

Now consider a hypothetical Super Conference (play with the names as much as you like) comprised of: Texas, Notre Dame, Penn St., Ohio St., Michigan, Florida, Alabama and USC.  Each of those teams brings a value not perhaps equivalent to Texas but somewhere in the ballpark.  Thus every game of the regular season is nationally prominent in precisely the same way that a UT Big XII game is only no one ever has to watch these teams beat up on the little sisters of the poor any more.  The value of broadcast rights for this conference is probably 3-5x the value of any present conference and likely more since every game will feature a valuable property on both sides of the field rather that just one as is the case in most conference games now.  And you really believe that wouldn't induce teams to want to join?  

Competitiveness isn't really an issue.  Form the Super Conference with 8 teams, play 7 league games & schedule 5 OOC wins.  Or form with 12, play in 3 or 4 team pods and schedule 5 or 6 OOC wins.  Similarly a 16 team conference comprised of 4 pods of 4 teams each leaves room for 6 scheduled OOC wins.  There are plenty of ways to arrange such a conference without making the conference slate a Bataan Death March.

BCS?  Please.  A 12 or 16 team conference arranged in pods could conduct a 4-team conference championship playoff whose revenues would probably exceed those of the present BCS bowls.  Or imagine a 16 team Super Conference featuring your pick of college football's 16 biggest names and further imagine those names not being part of the BCS picture.  What would the BCS be worth in that case?  Certainly a fraction of its present value.  So there would be great incentive on the part of the BCS to include as many Super Conference Teams as was feasible; certainly one and probably a couple guaranteed.  Perhaps the hypothetical Super 16 would bypass the BCS completely and invite the champions of the remainder of the SEC, Big XII, Pac 12 & Big 10 to compete in an 8-team playoff against its four pod champions and award its own National Championship.  Again, that arrangement would dwarf the present system financially.  

They money is simply too much to ignore and there are several conferences that have grown well beyond regional and local rivalries already.  The next clear step is a national conference comprised of only the most valuable franchises.  It may not happen this year or next but it is going to happen.

As much as you would like to believe it, this is not 100% revenue driven. Athletic departments still care about national championships more than revenue. The revenue is used to make the team and facilities better. If it doesn't lead to more wins, what's the point?

[0.42]

You may be a living whore, but not everyone is.

 

[WillieWatanabe]

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/story/15491622/texas-am-expected-to-announce-its-leaving-big-12-within-week?ttag=gen10_on_all_fb_na_txt_0001

[Boakai]

From cougarboard:



They pretty much think it's locked up I guess...

POLL: A&M leaves and the NCAA puts a gun to your head and
A&M leaves and the NCAA puts a gun to your head and asks Indy or Big 12?

2 -  Independence
23 -  Big XII

[catzacker]

Ha.  Who knew mormons had a sense of humor?  Or were allowed to watch movies.

[Pete]

From cougarboard:



They pretty much think it's locked up I guess...

POLL: A&M leaves and the NCAA puts a gun to your head and
A&M leaves and the NCAA puts a gun to your head and asks Indy or Big 12?

2 -  Independence
23 -  Big XII

Holy John Smith, that's awesome!   

[Boakai]

Ha.  Who knew mormons had a sense of humor?  Or were allowed to watch movies.

I like reading their board. Their sense of humor is cute but it doesn't make me laugh.

And the occasional thread about a mission trip really gives you a a glimpse of what we're in for.

This thread made me lol a little and somewhat endeared them to me a bit. http://www.cougarboard.com/board/message.html?id=7257161 

[CyberToothCat]

Wrong.  Those teams can pull in a ton of coin (maybe not equal, but still a ton) without having to play the top 10 teams every year.

There are more than 16 programs in the country that are sustainable without being in your hypothetical conference (teams like Oklahoma State, Virginia Tech, Arkansas, Tennessee etc).  IMO, those "second tier" teams would benefit most, because the road to 12-0 would be incredibly easier, considering they wouldn't have to play LSU, Alabama, Texas etc.

16 of the best teams in the country would have to be absolutely suicidal to agree to play each other every single year.

If you believe for a second that Top ___ rankings, BCS slots or mythical national championships are going to drive these decisions then you simply don't have a clue.  It's all about maximizing revenue and we know that in college athletics the money is in football.  Football, and specifically the right to broadcast football games and the revenue derived therefrom, will drive what eventually happens.  It may take a bit but there are clear tranches out there and the cream will self-separate from the rest soon enough.

Consider the present Big XII: this fall the Big XII will play five conference football games per weekend.  Of those only one game each weekend will feature a team whose mascot is a cow and that game will have a value, in terms of national audience and sales of advertising slots therein, probably on average greater than (or at the very least quite similar to) the sum of the values of the weekend's other four conference games combined.

Now consider a hypothetical Super Conference (play with the names as much as you like) comprised of: Texas, Notre Dame, Penn St., Ohio St., Michigan, Florida, Alabama and USC.  Each of those teams brings a value not perhaps equivalent to Texas but somewhere in the ballpark.  Thus every game of the regular season is nationally prominent in precisely the same way that a UT Big XII game is only no one ever has to watch these teams beat up on the little sisters of the poor any more.  The value of broadcast rights for this conference is probably 3-5x the value of any present conference and likely more since every game will feature a valuable property on both sides of the field rather that just one as is the case in most conference games now.  And you really believe that wouldn't induce teams to want to join?  

Competitiveness isn't really an issue.  Form the Super Conference with 8 teams, play 7 league games & schedule 5 OOC wins.  Or form with 12, play in 3 or 4 team pods and schedule 5 or 6 OOC wins.  Similarly a 16 team conference comprised of 4 pods of 4 teams each leaves room for 6 scheduled OOC wins.  There are plenty of ways to arrange such a conference without making the conference slate a Bataan Death March.

BCS?  Please.  A 12 or 16 team conference arranged in pods could conduct a 4-team conference championship playoff whose revenues would probably exceed those of the present BCS bowls.  Or imagine a 16 team Super Conference featuring your pick of college football's 16 biggest names and further imagine those names not being part of the BCS picture.  What would the BCS be worth in that case?  Certainly a fraction of its present value.  So there would be great incentive on the part of the BCS to include as many Super Conference Teams as was feasible; certainly one and probably a couple guaranteed.  Perhaps the hypothetical Super 16 would bypass the BCS completely and invite the champions of the remainder of the SEC, Big XII, Pac 12 & Big 10 to compete in an 8-team playoff against its four pod champions and award its own National Championship.  Again, that arrangement would dwarf the present system financially.  

They money is simply too much to ignore and there are several conferences that have grown well beyond regional and local rivalries already.  The next clear step is a national conference comprised of only the most valuable franchises.  It may not happen this year or next but it is going to happen.

Is Alabama really going to leave behind their biggest rivals in Auburn and Tennessee so that they can join this super conference?  Will Florida leave behind UGA and LSU?  What about the rest of the SEC?  Will Texas leave OU (although I think OU would be in)?  Would USC leave UCLA/Cal/Stan?

Yes these programs could all make even more money by being in an elite super conference, but at what cost?  Money is probably the biggest factor in how conferences are aligned, but rivalries matter too.  History matters too.  

Plus, the academic issues have to be addressed.  These are still colleges and universities and their presidents/chancellors are the ones driving these alignment changes.  A&M president Loftin is the guy that is driving the change at A&M.  UT's president Powers was the one driving the Texas to Pac 10 move last year.  Will the leaders of these universities be willing to accept the appearance that they are all about the money and nothing else matters?

[catzacker]

Ha.  Who knew mormons had a sense of humor?  Or were allowed to watch movies.

I like reading their board. Their sense of humor is cute but it doesn't make me laugh.

And the occasional thread about a mission trip really gives you a a glimpse of what we're in for.

This thread made me lol a little and somewhat endeared them to me a bit. http://www.cougarboard.com/board/message.html?id=7257161

I was reading on wikipedia that mormons, unlike other mammals, lay eggs rather than give live births.

[OK_Cat]

Byu week will be amazing. I feel like it will be a good time to go back to old ksufans style posting and offend the crap out of the Mormons.

[Pete]

Ha.  Who knew mormons had a sense of humor?  Or were allowed to watch movies.

I like reading their board. Their sense of humor is cute but it doesn't make me laugh.

And the occasional thread about a mission trip really gives you a a glimpse of what we're in for.

This thread made me lol a little and somewhat endeared them to me a bit. http://www.cougarboard.com/board/message.html?id=7257161

I was reading on wikipedia that mormons, unlike other mammals, lay eggs rather than give live births.

Hey, pump the breaks Zacker...those shell encrusted embryos are just as "alive" as any other fetus....its up to US to nourish them until they hatch.

[MadCat]

They'll get along well with our scientologists.

[nicname]

Wrong.  Those teams can pull in a ton of coin (maybe not equal, but still a ton) without having to play the top 10 teams every year.

There are more than 16 programs in the country that are sustainable without being in your hypothetical conference (teams like Oklahoma State, Virginia Tech, Arkansas, Tennessee etc).  IMO, those "second tier" teams would benefit most, because the road to 12-0 would be incredibly easier, considering they wouldn't have to play LSU, Alabama, Texas etc.

16 of the best teams in the country would have to be absolutely suicidal to agree to play each other every single year.

If you believe for a second that Top ___ rankings, BCS slots or mythical national championships are going to drive these decisions then you simply don't have a clue.  It's all about maximizing revenue and we know that in college athletics the money is in football.  Football, and specifically the right to broadcast football games and the revenue derived therefrom, will drive what eventually happens.  It may take a bit but there are clear tranches out there and the cream will self-separate from the rest soon enough.

Consider the present Big XII: this fall the Big XII will play five conference football games per weekend.  Of those only one game each weekend will feature a team whose mascot is a cow and that game will have a value, in terms of national audience and sales of advertising slots therein, probably on average greater than (or at the very least quite similar to) the sum of the values of the weekend's other four conference games combined.

Now consider a hypothetical Super Conference (play with the names as much as you like) comprised of: Texas, Notre Dame, Penn St., Ohio St., Michigan, Florida, Alabama and USC.  Each of those teams brings a value not perhaps equivalent to Texas but somewhere in the ballpark.  Thus every game of the regular season is nationally prominent in precisely the same way that a UT Big XII game is only no one ever has to watch these teams beat up on the little sisters of the poor any more.  The value of broadcast rights for this conference is probably 3-5x the value of any present conference and likely more since every game will feature a valuable property on both sides of the field rather that just one as is the case in most conference games now.  And you really believe that wouldn't induce teams to want to join?  

Competitiveness isn't really an issue.  Form the Super Conference with 8 teams, play 7 league games & schedule 5 OOC wins.  Or form with 12, play in 3 or 4 team pods and schedule 5 or 6 OOC wins.  Similarly a 16 team conference comprised of 4 pods of 4 teams each leaves room for 6 scheduled OOC wins.  There are plenty of ways to arrange such a conference without making the conference slate a Bataan Death March.

BCS?  Please.  A 12 or 16 team conference arranged in pods could conduct a 4-team conference championship playoff whose revenues would probably exceed those of the present BCS bowls.  Or imagine a 16 team Super Conference featuring your pick of college football's 16 biggest names and further imagine those names not being part of the BCS picture.  What would the BCS be worth in that case?  Certainly a fraction of its present value.  So there would be great incentive on the part of the BCS to include as many Super Conference Teams as was feasible; certainly one and probably a couple guaranteed.  Perhaps the hypothetical Super 16 would bypass the BCS completely and invite the champions of the remainder of the SEC, Big XII, Pac 12 & Big 10 to compete in an 8-team playoff against its four pod champions and award its own National Championship.  Again, that arrangement would dwarf the present system financially.  

They money is simply too much to ignore and there are several conferences that have grown well beyond regional and local rivalries already.  The next clear step is a national conference comprised of only the most valuable franchises.  It may not happen this year or next but it is going to happen.

If that were the case UT would be on ABC 2:30 slot or primetime every weekend.  This is not the case.

[Panjandrum]

Byu week will be amazing. I feel like it will be a good time to go back to old ksufans style posting and offend the crap out of the Mormons.

I'm going to do use my free 7-day trial at GPC that first BYU week to join the debate about the true level of Christianity of Mormons.

I'm really quite excited about it.

 

[Panjandrum]

The last thing I'll say about Notre Dame (unless there's compelling evidence that we should talk about them more in depth), is that I'm sure the conversations that take place won't start with Beebe. They'll start in a conversation between Dodds and Swarbick.

There are maybe three or four schools in this country that demand the kind of attention that Texas and Notre Dame do, so they understand each other.  Dodds will ultimately make the pitch as to why the Big 12 fits them better than any other conference (which it does) due to the autonomy and flexibility we're willing to give our elite members.

People can't make the assumption that we'll just invite Notre Dame and that will be that.  We would bend over backwards for ND.  You can almost guarantee that we'd allow them to continue broadcasting their home games on NBC in the meantime.  Their deal with NBC expires in 2015, which is when our first tier rights go up for bid.  Then, at that point, can you imagine the kind of money we'd make if ND gives up their deal with NBC and we just put them in our bid?  I mean, if we added BYU and some other school, like Air Force, and then got a championship game in there again that could potentially pit ND and UT or OU at the end of every season...Holy God.  The money would be absurd.

One thing people don't talk about is the cost of ND being an independent: http://clashmoremike.com/2009/07/notre-dame-and-the-bcs-the-notre-dame-rule/#.  They leave a lot of money on the table every year, and their current arrangement is not as preferential or profitable as people think it is in terms of bowl selection and revenue.  Joining a conference like the Big 12, that would allow them to create their own network and own their own media rights, while splitting their expenses with the conference as a whole, would be a financial windfall for them.  It would be insane how good this would make their books look.

A lot of people seem to think that the smartest move for ND is to go to the Big Ten, but the fact of the matter is that there, it would be harder to push around a lot of the schools to get the kind of preferential treatment that they desire.  But in the Big 12, if you are important enough, we'll let you get away with murder.  And their strongest ally would be Texas, and if those two decided to bookend this conference, none of us would complain about anything they did because we'd all be spending way too much time talking about all of the new facility improvements and asinine salaries we'd be paying our coaching staffs because that arrangement would literally rain money on all of us.

Notre Dame may not come here or listen, but they'd be smart to take the call and at least hear what Dodds has to say.

That almost gave me some hope.  Too bad I don't think it will happen.  Would be amazing though.

Hmm.  Apparently, the Big 12 liked my ND proposal.  The only thing I didn't see was the Pitt thing...

http://texas.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1256918

There were scenarios discussed that would include adding three schools to the league instead of just replacing Texas A&M with a 10th school.

NOTRE DAME:A scenario in which the Big 12 would add three schools to get back to being a 12-team league would involve Notre Dame.

If the Big 12 was to add Notre Dame, there is a good chance the Big 12 would have to allow the Irish football program to keep its relationship with NBC, which was renewed just a couple years ago. The Big 12 would also have to share some TV revenue with the Irish and would have to allow the Irish to pursue their own, independent network, sources said. And there appears to be sentiment in the Big 12 to do all that.

Also, I wonder if the reason the SEC may sit on A&M as the 13th team is because they may not want to go to 12+, and they want to see if a current member school can be convinced to head to another conference.

I mean, man, stuff like this really gets my  going.

[Bill Clarahan]

Ha.  Who knew mormons had a sense of humor?  Or were allowed to watch movies.

I like reading their board. Their sense of humor is cute but it doesn't make me laugh.

And the occasional thread about a mission trip really gives you a a glimpse of what we're in for.

This thread made me lol a little and somewhat endeared them to me a bit. http://www.cougarboard.com/board/message.html?id=7257161 

The Cotton Bowl game was a good look at their modus operandi, not many fans and no tailgate type pre-party, and shortly before the game starts, 4,000 students show up in black suits.  Very strange 

[deputy dawg]

Has there been any serious discussion of SMU's wish to join the Big 12?  It is the ONE school that has shown no reservation about coming on board.

[Pete]

Has there been any serious discussion of SMU's wish to join the Big 12?  It is the ONE school that has shown no reservation about coming on board.

To me, the most interesting part about SMU is that Beebe helped crush them (he was the lead investigator and helped hand down the "death penalty"), and now could help resurrect them. 

[SkinnyBenny]

Think he would feel some kinda guilt and that this would propel him into adding SMU?    because, do not want.

Sources close to the situation continue to say Texas would not have an interest in playing Texas A&M in football if the Aggies were to bolt the Big 12 for the SEC.

But there is speculation among those in the Texas Legislature that a bill could be filed during the 2013 session that, if passed, could force the two schools to keep playing each other if they were in separate conferences.

This is so ridiculously lame.  eff you, Aggies.

[Dr Rick Daris]

Think he would feel some kinda guilt and that this would propel him into adding SMU?    because, do not want.

Sources close to the situation continue to say Texas would not have an interest in playing Texas A&M in football if the Aggies were to bolt the Big 12 for the SEC.

But there is speculation among those in the Texas Legislature that a bill could be filed during the 2013 session that, if passed, could force the two schools to keep playing each other if they were in separate conferences.

This is so ridiculously lame.  eff you, Aggies.

florida is forced to play florida state every year for the same reason. so ridiculous.

[TheHamburglar]

The last thing I'll say about Notre Dame (unless there's compelling evidence that we should talk about them more in depth), is that I'm sure the conversations that take place won't start with Beebe. They'll start in a conversation between Dodds and Swarbick.

There are maybe three or four schools in this country that demand the kind of attention that Texas and Notre Dame do, so they understand each other.  Dodds will ultimately make the pitch as to why the Big 12 fits them better than any other conference (which it does) due to the autonomy and flexibility we're willing to give our elite members.

People can't make the assumption that we'll just invite Notre Dame and that will be that.  We would bend over backwards for ND.  You can almost guarantee that we'd allow them to continue broadcasting their home games on NBC in the meantime.  Their deal with NBC expires in 2015, which is when our first tier rights go up for bid.  Then, at that point, can you imagine the kind of money we'd make if ND gives up their deal with NBC and we just put them in our bid?  I mean, if we added BYU and some other school, like Air Force, and then got a championship game in there again that could potentially pit ND and UT or OU at the end of every season...Holy God.  The money would be absurd.

One thing people don't talk about is the cost of ND being an independent: http://clashmoremike.com/2009/07/notre-dame-and-the-bcs-the-notre-dame-rule/#.  They leave a lot of money on the table every year, and their current arrangement is not as preferential or profitable as people think it is in terms of bowl selection and revenue.  Joining a conference like the Big 12, that would allow them to create their own network and own their own media rights, while splitting their expenses with the conference as a whole, would be a financial windfall for them.  It would be insane how good this would make their books look.

A lot of people seem to think that the smartest move for ND is to go to the Big Ten, but the fact of the matter is that there, it would be harder to push around a lot of the schools to get the kind of preferential treatment that they desire.  But in the Big 12, if you are important enough, we'll let you get away with murder.  And their strongest ally would be Texas, and if those two decided to bookend this conference, none of us would complain about anything they did because we'd all be spending way too much time talking about all of the new facility improvements and asinine salaries we'd be paying our coaching staffs because that arrangement would literally rain money on all of us.

Notre Dame may not come here or listen, but they'd be smart to take the call and at least hear what Dodds has to say.

That almost gave me some hope.  Too bad I don't think it will happen.  Would be amazing though.

Hmm.  Apparently, the Big 12 liked my ND proposal.  The only thing I didn't see was the Pitt thing...

http://texas.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1256918

There were scenarios discussed that would include adding three schools to the league instead of just replacing Texas A&M with a 10th school.

NOTRE DAME:A scenario in which the Big 12 would add three schools to get back to being a 12-team league would involve Notre Dame.

If the Big 12 was to add Notre Dame, there is a good chance the Big 12 would have to allow the Irish football program to keep its relationship with NBC, which was renewed just a couple years ago. The Big 12 would also have to share some TV revenue with the Irish and would have to allow the Irish to pursue their own, independent network, sources said. And there appears to be sentiment in the Big 12 to do all that.

Also, I wonder if the reason the SEC may sit on A&M as the 13th team is because they may not want to go to 12+, and they want to see if a current member school can be convinced to head to another conference.

I mean, man, stuff like this really gets my  going.

There will more discussions of schools you haven't thought of.  The end game for Texas and ND is a new conference with 12 teams that includes Texas, OU, a few others from the south, ND, and a few ND traditional rivals.  It's basically the Big 12 back at 12 teams with KU, KSU, and ISU replaced with schools that ND wants.

That's why I don't think ND will join, but ND and Texas will start playing Thanksgiving weekend now.  ND won't join because once they join I don't think they can just kick out KU, KSU, and ISU.  However, if ND doesn't join, but instead announces they are starting a conference and get 3-5 teams involved, then the Big 12 South will "leave" to join that conference.  They are basically kicking 3 schools out and replacing them, but legally they will dissolve the Big 12.   That way Texas gets ND in their conference and avoids kicking out the schools ND doesn't want.

[Panjandrum]

There will more discussions of schools you haven't thought of.  The end game for Texas and ND is a new conference with 12 teams that includes Texas, OU, a few others from the south, ND, and a few ND traditional rivals.  It's basically the Big 12 back at 12 teams with KU, KSU, and ISU replaced with schools that ND wants.

That's why I don't think ND will join, but ND and Texas will start playing Thanksgiving weekend now.  ND won't join because once they join I don't think they can just kick out KU, KSU, and ISU.  However, if ND doesn't join, but instead announces they are starting a conference and get 3-5 teams involved, then the Big 12 South will "leave" to join that conference.  They are basically kicking 3 schools out and replacing them, but legally they will dissolve the Big 12.   That way Texas gets ND in their conference and avoids kicking out the schools ND doesn't want.

Unless they start a conference with a bunch of service academies, raid half of the Big Ten (which won't happen due to the academic implications), that vision won't become a reality.

[Houstoncat93]

Why Pitt?

So I'm going to put on my pointy tin foil hat and throw out a little conference expansion conspiracy theory. 

Texas, as with all schools, has and always will do what they think is in their best interest.  The big difference with Texas is that they have enough power to actually influence their own outcomes and push things in the direction they want them to go, unlike a Kansas State.  They are used to this power and know how to use it.  They don't want the SEC, Big 10 or Aggie telling them how things are going to go.  If the Big 12 breaks up and ND is forced to join a super conference they will be both be fine, but that is a K-State way of thinking.  K-State plays the cards they were dealt.  Texas and ND expect to be the dealer and know how to mark the cards and stack the deck in their favor.   Of the elite schools, Texas is the one that is feeling the least in control of their own destiny right now and the most likely to be pushing buttons to get their world back under control.

The biggest motivator for Texas is power, not money.  With the new Fox deal and LHN they have more money than anyone and that stream of revenue is fairly secure.  So what keeps them up at night is a loss of power.  They need to be the big dog in an elite conference to keep that power.  The Big 12 is on their way down not up so Texas must do something about this.  Azcat has suggested that Texas want to make a super elite conference with ND and a few other elite level schools.  This doesn't work in my opinion.  Texas wants to be lord of their domain and they can't do that in an elite only conference, they know that they would have to share too much power.  Another theory is that they could go independent.  This doesn't work either.  Although ND is still a national power (see their special BCS rules) their influence is waning and Texas sees that.   That leaves their only option as making the Big 12 better.  BYU, SMU, Houston etc doesn't do that.  They need ND, that is the end game in this for Texas but how do they get there.  Picking up the phone and calling ND and saying "hey Aggies leaving lets party!" won't work.  If it did that would have already happened. 

Texas needs ND and they need leverage to get ND to make the move.  As we all know ND plays their other sports in the Big East.  Their football team can stay independent for awhile but their other sports must be in a conference.  So, Texas' best option is to help facilitate the break up of the Big East, or at least make it seem unstable enough that ND wants to jump that sinking ship.  The ACC has also been rumored to be looking at some Big East teams, especially if SEC #14 (15?,16?) come from the ACC. So why Pitt?  Its not about wanting Pitt, its about what Pitt jumping ship does to the Big East and creating inertia for ND to do something.