Usually, the leak comes well before it’s official. Like with Texas and Oklahoma, there was still a lot of steps in the process to go through. I remember a lot of speculation whether Texas A&M would try to block it or OK politicians could get involved.

Today, there was only 5 HOURS in between the leak and USC/UCLA/B1G releasing announcements on official membership. No time for PAC-12 schools or state politicians to scramble. It was over in a blink of an eye.

And with all the parties at 16 schools and a conference office knowing about it this, not a single thing leaked until 5 hours before it was official?

Great point- amazing in this day and age that nothing spilled sooner.

There were sources reporting here and there last fall that PAC schools were talking to the B1G on joining with UCLA most prominently mentioned.

From that time on I prattled off west coast schools moving to the B1G and how that can potentially look. Apparently nobody was checking out my posts on it taking it seriously.

(07-01-2022 12:29 AM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  Usually, the leak comes well before it’s official. Like with Texas and Oklahoma, there was still a lot of steps in the process to go through. I remember a lot of speculation whether Texas A&M would try to block it or OK politicians could get involved.

Today, there was only 5 HOURS in between the leak and USC/UCLA/B1G releasing announcements on official membership. No time for PAC-12 schools or state politicians to scramble. It was over in a blink of an eye.

And with all the parties at 16 schools and a conference office knowing about it this, not a single thing leaked until 5 hours before it was official?

How? No ticked off Aggies!

(07-01-2022 02:24 AM)JRsec Wrote:  

(07-01-2022 12:29 AM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  Usually, the leak comes well before it’s official. Like with Texas and Oklahoma, there was still a lot of steps in the process to go through. I remember a lot of speculation whether Texas A&M would try to block it or OK politicians could get involved.

Today, there was only 5 HOURS in between the leak and USC/UCLA/B1G releasing announcements on official membership. No time for PAC-12 schools or state politicians to scramble. It was over in a blink of an eye.

And with all the parties at 16 schools and a conference office knowing about it this, not a single thing leaked until 5 hours before it was official?

How? No ticked off Aggies!

My theory

Kansas and Missouri are the next rational Big10 additions.

The punch the Big 12 in the nuts, flip the bird to the SEC and pick up two AAU schools.

The SEC adds Florida State.

The rest doesnt matter.

(07-01-2022 12:46 AM)Kit-Cat Wrote:  There were sources reporting here and there last fall that PAC schools were talking to the B1G on joining with UCLA most prominently mentioned.

From that time on I prattled off west coast schools moving to the B1G and how that can potentially look. Apparently nobody was checking out my posts on it taking it seriously.

I think you and I may have been the only ones who thought there was a snowball's chance. I still didn't think it likely, but math is math. $$$$s were big.

It helps a lot that the new PAC tv deal was stalled. We should have seen that as the red flag.

College football isnt that big of a deal on the west coast. Its off season the investigative reports were at the beach waiting on the NFL to start.

(07-01-2022 12:39 AM)stever20 Wrote:  Great point- amazing in this day and age that nothing spilled sooner.

With a private school, things can go behind the doors. And the Big Ten…well, non-transparency is their thing. But, yeah, UCLA…and maybe this is my lack of understanding the UC governance structure, but, wouldn’t this have been known across the system? At the very least that side discussions had been in place, or discussing concerns?

(07-01-2022 07:54 AM)bullet Wrote:  

(07-01-2022 12:46 AM)Kit-Cat Wrote:  There were sources reporting here and there last fall that PAC schools were talking to the B1G on joining with UCLA most prominently mentioned.

From that time on I prattled off west coast schools moving to the B1G and how that can potentially look. Apparently nobody was checking out my posts on it taking it seriously.

I think you and I may have been the only ones who thought there was a snowball's chance. I still didn't think it likely, but math is math. $$$$s were big.

Well I though more schools would be coming like Stanford, ASU and Colorado for a 20 team configuration. But we might see something like ND-Miami slipped in before that.

(07-01-2022 12:29 AM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  Usually, the leak comes well before it’s official. Like with Texas and Oklahoma, there was still a lot of steps in the process to go through. I remember a lot of speculation whether Texas A&M would try to block it or OK politicians could get involved.

Today, there was only 5 HOURS in between the leak and USC/UCLA/B1G releasing announcements on official membership. No time for PAC-12 schools or state politicians to scramble. It was over in a blink of an eye.

And with all the parties at 16 schools and a conference office knowing about it this, not a single thing leaked until 5 hours before it was official?

As a journalist of about 30 years now, I have pondered the same question, IWULT.

It's rather impressive this did not leak long before yesterday.

(07-01-2022 08:02 AM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  

(07-01-2022 12:39 AM)stever20 Wrote:  Great point- amazing in this day and age that nothing spilled sooner.

With a private school, things can go behind the doors. And the Big Ten…well, non-transparency is their thing. But, yeah, UCLA…and maybe this is my lack of understanding the UC governance structure, but, wouldn’t this have been known across the system? At the very least that side discussions had been in place, or discussing concerns?

This is what left me stunned. When the leak came out in the afternoon, I thought - like every other major realignment move - "this will take a couple weeks to sort out with politicians and the UC governance structure, especially with Cal left behind".

Then the official announcement by all parties came 5 hours later. If you take an afternoon nap, it was over.

My guess is the PAC-12 schools involved in the discussion were limited to only USC and UCLA. No other PAC-12 schools were approached. Then, as mentioned, there were no passed off schools in the Big Ten.

(07-01-2022 08:34 AM)goofus Wrote:  My guess is the PAC-12 schools involved in the discussion were limited to only USC and UCLA. No other PAC-12 schools were approached. Then, as mentioned, there were no passed off schools in the Big Ten.

The Big Ten’s “typical” business is to play as “the approached.” They don’t make calls and only take them.

No doubt they’re getting calls now, but, this probably started with either/both schools’ leaders chatting with Big Ten school presidents and then getting fed info through that chatter until the consensus was made within the Big Ten that if a hypothetical application was made, it would be accepted. That’s when the Big Ten (conference) formally gets involved…when there’s business on the table.

The conference itself doesn’t make these cold calls.

These institutions are run by people at the top of their profession. They don't leak business. I don't think it is any more complicated than that.

(07-01-2022 10:06 AM)Claw Wrote:  These institutions are run by people at the top of their profession. They don't leak business. I don't think it is any more complicated than that.

The problem is that with public institutions, these things should be a little more transparent.

(07-01-2022 12:29 AM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  Usually, the leak comes well before it’s official. Like with Texas and Oklahoma, there was still a lot of steps in the process to go through. I remember a lot of speculation whether Texas A&M would try to block it or OK politicians could get involved.

Today, there was only 5 HOURS in between the leak and USC/UCLA/B1G releasing announcements on official membership. No time for PAC-12 schools or state politicians to scramble. It was over in a blink of an eye.

And with all the parties at 16 schools and a conference office knowing about it this, not a single thing leaked until 5 hours before it was official?

https://csnbbs.com/thread-945780.html?hi...UpLikeThis

The BIG operates in absolute secrecy. Any hint of a leak and a move is cancelled. A public appeal is rebuffed immediately; ask Mizzu about that. My guess is all schools used USC and Northwestern for all communications or third party intermediators to avoid OPRA issues.
I don’t think the UC or CalSt systems operate on a main campus/branch campus model. I think all the schools are autonomous from each other. So UCLA never had to inform Berkeley that it was talking to the BIG, because it didn’t need Cal board approval.

I’d guess the big 10 just talked to USC and when USC gave the green light it took about 1 second to get UCLA, than the deal went public

(07-01-2022 10:16 AM)nodak651 Wrote:  

(07-01-2022 12:29 AM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  Usually, the leak comes well before it’s official. Like with Texas and Oklahoma, there was still a lot of steps in the process to go through. I remember a lot of speculation whether Texas A&M would try to block it or OK politicians could get involved.

Today, there was only 5 HOURS in between the leak and USC/UCLA/B1G releasing announcements on official membership. No time for PAC-12 schools or state politicians to scramble. It was over in a blink of an eye.

And with all the parties at 16 schools and a conference office knowing about it this, not a single thing leaked until 5 hours before it was official?

https://csnbbs.com/thread-945780.html?hi...UpLikeThis

Fluguar is wrong 99 times out of 100 though - even industry insiders view him as a joke. It's doubtful he had any real inside info - his BS was just coincidentally correct.