(12-13-2019 03:12 PM)UTEPDallas Wrote: If Louisville wasn’t begging the Big XII then why Mitch McConnell got involved when it was clear West Virginia was going to be invited?
https://www.politico.com/news/stories/02...Page2.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/27/sport...ginia.html
https://www.star-telegram.com/sports/art...29362.html
https://www.foxsports.com/collegefootbal...lle-102811
https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/2ch..._blog.html
by the time that happened it was too late
the article that was previously posted on this thread made it clear that Louisville was in no hurry to leave the Big East and by the time they realized they NEEDED to leave they were in a position where they would have been screwed if the Big 10 had not opened a spot for them in the ACC
the Louisville administration pretty much admits that in the article and their AD was not known for easily admitting mistakes (and he was a pretty damn good AD for them up to and until all the cheating ect was exposed)
people are simply going to ignore that Louisville wanted to give the 27 months notice
here is an article from Nov of 2013 (TCU and WVU joined the Big 12 in early 2012)
https://www.sbnation.com/college-footbal...g-east-acc
most people will focus in the part that says Louisville INTENDED to join the Big 12, but the article makes clear that Louisville had no invitation to ANY conference in October of 2011 when they gave notice to the Big East they were leaving
the articles you post are from that same time period of October 2011
but what people want to ignore is what the article I just linked clearly says....that Louisville was giving 27 months notice to save $4 million dollars
I am not claiming that $4 million dollars would be some huge financial burden to Louisville because it would not.....but again it shows a CLEAR intent by Louisville to give the FULL 27 months notice to the Big East before leaving
it was WELL DOCUMENTED and reported on time and again that Louisville intended to give the Big East the full 27 months notice
and it is 100% clear that the Big 12 needed two teams BEFORE that 27 months notice would be up
as the article states the Big East was willing to put up with about anything from Louisville to get them to stay including accepting an "informal" notice of leaving the conference so that the news would not leak out
but more importantly people still want to pretend that the Big 12 had the realistic opportunity to go ahead and invite Louisville (and some 4th school) immediately at the same time as they added the two schools that they HAD to add to not be in violation of their new tier 2 contract with Fox that REQUIRED 10 teams
but again that was not the case
here lets look at it from a different perspective
it is WELL documented that the Big 12 had a brand new tier 2 contract with Fox that paid $90 million per team or $9 million per team per year on average
it is well documented that the Big 12 also had an older tier 1 contract with ESPN that had been signed with 12 teams and a CCG and that still had several years left on it in 2011 and it paid $60 million per year on average or $6 million per year per team
that is a total of $15 million per year per team on average
if you take $15 million X 10 teams that is $150 million and if you split that by 12 teams that is now $12.5 million per team
plus you are looking at a 4 year BUY IN for ANY of the new 2 or 4 members of the Big 12
now we have the article below from mid 2011
https://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Dail...-East.aspx
this is an article that states what we all know that the Big East TURNED DOWN a contract from ESPN in May of 2011 that would have paid each team on average $11 million a year
so in May of 2011 with Louisville as one of the most influential members the Big East turned down a contract with ESPN that would have paid each member on average $11 million per year
as the article states the Big East "gambled" they would get more than $11 million per year
now lets go back to what we KNOW
we KNOW it would have cost Louisville $14 million to leave the Big East early.....we know it would have cost Louisville $11 million to leave the Big East after 27 months notice
we KNOW the Big 12 had a brand new tier 2 contract for $90 million per year on average for 10 teams
we KNOW they had a $60 million per year on average contract with ESPN that had several years on it and we KNOW that with 12 teams and BEFORE any buy in those contracts as they were would have paid $12.5 million per year
and we KNOW it was a 4 year buy in
so in May of 2011 Louisville is an influential and possibly the most powerful member of a conference that turned down a contract with ESPN for an average of $11 million per year
so we have Louisville and the Big East in May of 2011 thinking they are going to get AT LEAST $11 million per year and probably meaningful dollars more than that
We have Louisville looking at a $11 to $14 million buy out depending on when they leave the Big East
and we have the Big 12 with contracts that would pay $12.5 million for FULL MEMBERS if they had 12 teams in the conference and the Big 12 with a 4 year buy in
so when you do the math in May of 2011 we have Louisville as one of the most influential if not the most influential member of the Big East turning down a contract from ESPN for $11 million per year on average because they believed they could do better (some thought much better)
and we have Louisville at that time looking at $14 million to immediately leave the Big East and a Big 12 paying $12.5 million per year for FULL MEMBERS (if they added 4 teams) needing to IMMEDIATELY add two members to keep their brand new tier 2 contract with Fox and make $15 million per member on average of they only add two teams
so again when you look at the money, you look at the reports from that time and you look at the REALITY if the situation the Big 12 was only in a position to IMMEDIATELY add two teams
and from the stand point of Louisville they believed in May of 2011 that the Big East was going to do better than $11 million per year, they were not interested in paying $14 million to leave the big East immediately and they were probably not excited by a 4 year buy in for the Big 12.....especially when the "incentive" at that time was at best $1.5 million per year once they were a full member
what changed between May of 2011 and October of 2011.....well TCU decided to not come to the Big East, NBC/Comcrap and Fox took no interest in the Big East and ESPN decided they were pissed off that the Big East turned down their $11 million per year
and that is when Louisville realized that things were falling apart in the Big East and made a too late last minute push to get in the Big 12
but by then the Big 12 had made their decision in WVU, WVU had expressed interest in being a member from day one, it was pretty clear to WVU and everyone else that they were not a great candidate for the ACC and TCU and WVU were invited
and because of the fact that the Big 12 was not interested in taking on average $12.5 million per team instead of $15 million (full member shares) the Big 12 decided it was best to only add two teams instead of four and then they would talk with ESPN about the tier 1 contract
and between early 2012 when TCU and WVU joined the Big 12 and Sept 2012 when ESPN (and Fox) and the Big 12 negotiated/renegotiated their deals Louisville was offered a spot in the ACC that was announced as an offer in Nov of 2012 and they joined in Nov of 2013
so while everyone wants to concentrate on that last minute push by Louisville is is clear that just a few months back Louisville thought they would be as good or better off in the Big East with an $11+ million dollar payout per year per team on average, no buyout, no buy in, basketball and the top football member in a conference they would be one of if not the top dog in
and it should be clear to everyone why the Big 12 was not just looking to immediately add 4 members when they NEEDED to add two....all the more so when it is well known BYU was wanting concessions, UC was not nearly the candidate they look like now, and it should be pretty clear that Louisville was not just begging the Big 12 to get in until it was too late