[Husker] UT is doing NU an favor

[Nick Chevance]

On Mon, Jun 7, 2010 at 8:29 AM,  <Jim5417P at aol.com> wrote:
>
> Perpetuating the Big 12 as is the same as a long slow lingering  death for
> Nebraska.
>    *   UTA is dominating the conference politics because there are few
> programs that can challenge them.  KU, KSU, CU, OSU, ISU, and MU don't  have
> the athletic programs (not just  football) to do anything but  go along for
> the ride.  OU, TAMU, TTU, and BU actually benefit  by riding UTA's coattails.

First, I had no idea that the University of Texas at Arlington had so
much power in Texas, but there you go - you learn something new every
day!!

With that said, I agree that the Big XII "feels" like the Texas and
the 11 dwarfs - certainly in terms of money - look into how much comes
in to UT through donations etc.  Every other program in the conference
looks like welfare recipients in comparison.  But if they go the way I
think the Big XII wants them to go, I think Jim is wrong here.  The
Big XII could be good for everyone.  I say why later.

> UTA is pushing their own agenda and forcing action and hopefully some
> decisions. By threatening to leave and take five other programs with them unless
>  NU commits to perpetuate the Big 12 they are forcing the other
> conferences to declare their positions.

Somebody weigh in on this cuz I may have it wrong but to this point,
I've not heard that it was Texas doing the arm twisting in terms of
the potential jump to the Pac 10.  That was all talk from the Pac 10
and a few bloggers who thought they knew something.  And I thought it
was clear that it was the Big XII conference that wanted to know
Nebraska's intentions, not Texas, and that Nebraska was given that
"ultimatum" during the Big XII meetings.  While not without undue
influence in most matters by Texas, I think the conference itself is
pushing this, and not just Texas.  Missouri got the same ultimatum but
was given an extra week if they needed it.  Why was that?  Are they
slower in Missouri?

> If NU does not go to the Big 10 and UTA does carry out their threat  we
> will still be fine.
>    1.  We would still have five of the original Big 8 schools to partner
> with and  use as the foundation for forming a new conference or joining an
> existing  one.  Yes we would suffer financially for some period of time but in
>  the long run we can rebuild a revenue stream,
>    2.  We were members with those same schools in the same conference for
> many  years even before the Big 6, Big, 7, Big 8, and Big 12
>    3.  We would be rid of the bad marriage to UTA
>    4.  No guarantee that all those schools would be accepted by the PAC 10
> and we  might actually get CU, OU, and/or OSU back.  TAMU and TTU might
> decide they want to get off their UTA leashes as well.

Its not a Texas threat... yet.  The commissioner of the Pac 10 was
given authority to expand the league and the rumor mill has expounded
on that, as someone so correctly stated last week, willing to take the
every school in the Big XII South not named Baylor.  But again, while
discussions may or may not have taken place between the Pac 10 and
Texas, it isn't Texas pushing the merger.  Its the Pac 10 that's
pushing this whole thing.  Same as far as we know about any offer from
the Big 10 to either Nebraska or Texas.  Its all hearsay and
speculation, since no one from any school has officially said didley
about the Big 10 offer.  Only CU's AD said they were going to be
invited by the Pac 10, but that's all that's been confirmed, and as
far as anyone's heard, that hasn't happened.

And, no, the old Big 8 isn't a viable conference these days.  No money
in it, no TV in it, and not likely to have Oklahoma in it.  That
leaves a conference with Nebraska and all the rest, and we don't
generate the kind of money needed to base a conference on.  And any
team in Texas that willing splits from Texas is likely to suffer
greatly from loss of cash.

> if nothing else the sake of Internet streaming of the football program
> could create the same revenue stream.

Extremely doubtful that you could raise anywhere near the revenue
needed to run the current program from Internet streaming.  Look at
pay-per-view revenues from the last several years.  You may make some
$$ on big games, but if you're not playing any big games anymore
because you're not in a big conference with big names and lots of
butts in seats, who pays to see that?

The ultimatum from the Big XII to Nebraska seems to put some weight
behind the suggestion that the Big 10 wants Nebraska if Notre Dame
stays independent.  I think the Big XII wants to know what Nebraska
knows, and they want to know by Friday.  Well, what if Nebraska
doesn't know anything by Friday?  And why would Missouri get an extra
week?  A lot of this just doesn't make sense of any kind.  And I don't
swallow the whole Texas-to-the-Big-10 thing - just doesn't make any
sense for Texas.  Why would they split all their money with everyone
else when they get to keep it all now?

I think the Big XII is trying to stop teams from leaving the
conference, and they want to know everyone's intentions up front.  I
think the conference thinks if they can get Nebraska to indicate their
willingness to stay put, Texas will put away thoughts of other
conferences, because they aren't going to see a better deal anywhere
than where they are right now.  Well, if Nebraska plays their cards
right, they might actually end up getting something out of this that
will blunt the runaway Texas train that is the Texas money generator -
maybe some deal where money is shared better by all teams in the
conference.  Maybe making lesser teams like Baylor and Iowa State more
stable and hopefully more competitive.  I don't know what the whole
situation is now in the Big XII, but I do know its not a Big 10-style
of conference sharing.

But if Texas thinks it needs Nebraska, but then goes ahead and makes
itself its own TV network (as they currently have planned), and
starves the others in the conference from shared revenues, Nebraska
would be smart to just take any reasonable offer if one is (or has
been) made.  I think Nebraska's in the drivers seat in terms of
keeping the conference together.  Might as well milk that for all its
worth.

Nick
-- 
"The computer allows you to make mistakes faster than any other
invention, with the possible exception of handguns and tequila."
      Mitch Ratcliffe