(09-12-2017 04:37 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(09-12-2017 02:21 PM)vandiver49 Wrote:  

(09-12-2017 12:02 PM)JRsec Wrote:  The "Big Blow" was struck when A&M came to the SEC. All of the sudden the networks had a plan to get into Texas without having to have Texas. L.S.U. and A&M carry Houston. A&M with Arkansas and one of Oklahoma and T.C.U. carry DFW. So ESPN lassoed Texas with the LHN because they are the easiest way to gain the whole market, but they also have been picking off the larger Texas markets with those other schools so that if Texas ever proves to be wholly unreliable to deal with the market is theirs anyway.

Agreed. The LHN was a bribe to put Texas in a holding pattern until ESPN could figure out what the best next move is.

JRsec Wrote:IMO this is why there is going to be a helluva war between FOX and ESPN over Oklahoma. Tech brings a portion of the state that the others only partly deliver, but it is a small portion of the state's total population.

But this is where I have an issue; what fight can FOX bring to the table? OU to the B1G is a non-starter if the Sooners can't politically unshackle themselves from OKST. I don't believe anything has changed from 2014 regarding OU to the PAC.

JRsec Wrote:With Oklahoma the SEC doesn't need Texas to carry the majority of the state. This is the only reason that OSU is in the conversation.

What's more is that if the SEC has Arkansas, L.S.U., Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State to go along with A&M where the hell is Texas going to go in order to please their fan base and hang onto their traditional rivalries? They may choose the PAC or B1G but they will be all alone, without their traditional foes, playing schools their fans have no history with.

I do think one of Texas' dreams is that they and OU go to the B1G together. I just don't see how that is possible politically, to say nothing of the fan revolt of playing a B1G West schedule.

JRsec Wrote:If the SEC lands OU whether alone or with OSU, then Texas has to go to an ESPN held conference to avoid scheduling difficulties and to preserve rivalries. This is why Texas has caved occasionally to Boren and the Sooners. They know they have to keep OU close in order to have a full range of choices. Their biggest roadblock is OSU's political ties with OU. The B1G can't and won't take the Pokes. That's our advantage. And if Texas wanted to move with another Texas school to the Big 10 then there isn't one the Big 10 would accept. Texas Tech is way out of bounds for the academics in the Big 10 and that leaves the PAC where their revenues would take a big dive.

So the reason ESPN slow played this after "the deal" of 2010 fell through is that they don't have to do anything spectacular to land the Horns. And all they might have to do to land OU is to find a home for OSU as well. Do that and Texas comes along quietly and with no leverage.

There are times where I reach peak schadenfreude and just wish the SEC offered OKST a spot first. Yes, in theory it would solve the Sooners 'little brother' problem, but that is when the beauty of the move is revealed. OU might dream of moving independently, but in reality they won't do anything until Texas makes a decision. The SEC or ACC could open spots for the Longhorns and two little brothers, leaving the Sooners to trudge off to the B1G by their lonesome.

And then there is the bigger complication, the LHN. It is a contract that doesn't expire until 2035. ESPN will have some serious leverage until then.

Unless that LHN contract had some performance requirements,Texas is going to keep cashing bigger and bigger checks. Leverage?