Patterico's Pontifications

6/10/2010

Congress Concerned About Big 12 (Updated)

Filed under: Sports — DRJ @ 7:30 pm



[Guest post by DRJ]

Senators from Iowa and Kansas are concerned about the possible breakup of the Big 12 and looking at ways to prevent Nebraska from leaving.

I don’t think Nebraska regents will turn down the Big 10 lifeboat and jump back in the water with Kansas, K State, Iowa State, Missouri and Baylor.

— DRJ

UPDATE: From a “high-ranking” Texas Tech official:

“An announcement out of Nebraska about its future plans is next. If the Cornhuskers leave for the Big 10 Conference, Tech, Texas and Texas A&M are gone, too, a high-ranking Tech official told the [Lubbock Avalanche-Journal] on Wednesday.”

23 Responses to “Congress Concerned About Big 12 (Updated)”

  1. Nebraska is simply strecthing out the drama. The Big 10(+) is about to grow…

    the Big 12 will die vis-a-vis the SWC and Pac-16(?), ACC, SEC, Big 10(+) will grow up to be the big boys 🙂

    Along with the Moutain West I’d assume, which will inherit the Big 12’s BCS slot when they add Baylor and a few others

    Lord Nazh (0d312a)

  2. WTF are politicians doing sticking their noses into this. Reminds me of when my knucklehead senator (Hatch [Bennett first, you next]) took offense at the way Utah was treated by the BCS. Don’t these morons think there are more important things to worry about.

    SaintGeorgeGentile (aa85b2)

  3. I vote for that, Lord Nazh. Let the leftover Big 12 teams (Kansas, K State, Baylor, etc.) go into the Mountain West with BYU and TCU, and give the Big 12 BCS bid to the Mountain West.

    DRJ (d43dcd)

  4. Why isn’t some conference inviting Kansas? Their bb program is worth as much as most football programs.

    I’m no KU booster but from a business perspective it makes sense.

    MU789 (6179ff)

  5. Motherfuckers…. Is there anything these fucking politicians can stay out of?

    Dopey (a812c5)

  6. I wonder if we’ll see a 14-team Mountain West Conference in the near future. Too bad UTEP didn’t join them when they bolted the WAC.

    Mike LaRoche (d4323e)

  7. When Senators have time to worry about athletic conferences, it must mean that all of the critical issues of the day have been dealt with successfully. All those little things like the exploding National Debt, the entitlements that are unaffordable, IslamoFascism, Nuclear Proliferation…you know, little things.
    Just as here in CA the Legislature has righted the ship-of-state so well that they can deal with the momentous issues of the day like “Paper or Plastic”, or the need to ban lead in hunting ammo!

    AD - RtR/OS! (e78fff)

  8. Yet another reaso why I despise most congresscritters, regardless of party.

    JD (81bd7e)

  9. Utah vs. KU = the Sour Grapes Bowl

    Mike LaRoche (d4323e)

  10. Where were these Senators when their Big 8 was stealing those “Texas Universities” from the SW Conference????

    Grow a set and be a Republican…Senator..

    Doug (ec3319)

  11. I updated the post with a report from the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.

    DRJ (d43dcd)

  12. actually, it is a big deal. Tens of millions of dollars is at stake. If those schools go down to a lower level conference the pay outs aren’t the same.

    BradnSA (83fbfe)

  13. Texas A&M opting to join the SEC would be a foolish decision, not least because it could potentially jeopardize their access to the Permanent University Fund.

    Mike LaRoche (d4323e)

  14. Oh, our governor wouldn’t let that happen, I think, Mike. Whatever laws they had to change would be changed.

    but I still agree, UT and TAMU belong together, for better or worse. I think TTU could very successfully find a rival school in a different conference, though. I doubt these three will wind up in different conferences.

    Dustin (b54cdc)

  15. A&M and Texas don’t need to be together. They could do what they did in Florida with FSU and Florida: legislate that they schedule each other every year.

    BradnSA (83fbfe)

  16. I read that the idea of A&M going to the SEC was never seriously considered but may have been a concession to A&M Regent Gene Stallings. Stallings coached at
    A&M and Alabama and presumably has SEC ties.

    DRJ (d43dcd)

  17. A&M and Texas don’t need to be together.

    Well, OK, if they have to play eachother every year, I’m cool. They aren’t really peers on the field anymore, but it’s always a nail biter for me because TAMU does not give a crap what their BCS rank is when they are playing my beloved UT.

    Dustin (b54cdc)

  18. Kid yourselves not, this shuffle is all about the moola. The Big Ten Network delivers millions to its member schools each year. It’s turned out to be a great source of extra revenue to support the various sports teams. And, when you look at the other schools reportedly under consideration, it’s geared toward expanding the reach of the Big Ten Network — Nebraska gets you a (rather small) entire state with a fair national following. The others include Maryland (the Baltimore-Washington market, although Penn State has a lot of alums there), Rutgers (the Big Rotten Worm-Infested Apple market), Notre Dame (say no more), and Missouri (St Louis and Kansas City).
    Notice how Pitt is ignored in all this — Big Ten doesn’t need that market; it already has it with Penn State interest there. Plus, there’s still some pique at PSU over Pitt going Big East and keeping Penn State out back in the founding days of the Big East.

    either orr (7cffdd)

  19. Bring back the Southwest Conference.

    Mark L (b29a48)

  20. How did you come to that conclusion?

    Callie Ruhling (e0a85a)

  21. So true. It really does matter, whether you like to think so or not.

    Maryln Baldelli (3ab2aa)

  22. Is that so? I for some reason always assumed the opposite. I think most people would think it’s common knowledge but I can’t argue with those facts you posted.

    Jarod Roker (850f89)

  23. Wow, that’s crazy… Who would have thought?

    Marianna Capitano (c7c21f)


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