Considering what WVU was able to do in order to ignore their contract with the Big East. Does anybody else think that the Big 12 media rights issue is ultimately smoke and mirrors.

If they can sue to get out of this contract what stops them (or any Big 12 team) from suing to get out of another.

I'm left thinking that there is no confidence in the idea that any team will stay in any conference.

With the right amount of money, anything is possible! It's just a matter of the value on the otherside being worth the penalty OR having a desperate conference who needs your presence to help pay the bill!

(02-14-2012 05:27 PM)ULdave Wrote:  Considering what WVU was able to do in order to ignore their contract with the Big East. Does anybody else think that the Big 12 media rights issue is ultimately smoke and mirrors.

If they can sue to get out of this contract what stops them (or any Big 12 team) from suing to get out of another.

I'm left thinking that there is no confidence in the idea that any team will stay in any conference.

The new Tier 2 deal with Fox kicks in this season, paying 90 million/year for a minimum of 40 games per year. The general view seems to be that it is a favorable deal. In order to deliver 40 games, the B12 needed 10 teams. Without 40 games, the B12 would have been in default, with the potential of having the entire voided. Maybe Fox would have renegotiated an equally favorable deal, but there were no assurances.

I assume that WVU was required to grant its TV rights for 6 years as a condition of joining. The grant of rights is the ultimate guaranty that a school won't go anywhere. It doesn't keep a school from going, it prevents them from taking their Tv rights with them. Nobody will invite a school that doesn't control its own Tv rights!

(02-14-2012 08:18 PM)orangefan Wrote:  The new Tier 2 deal with Fox kicks in this season, paying 90 million/year for a minimum of 40 games per year. The general view seems to be that it is a favorable deal. In order to deliver 40 games, the B12 needed 10 teams. Without 40 games, the B12 would have been in default, with the potential of having the entire voided. Maybe Fox would have renegotiated an equally favorable deal, but there were no assurances.

I assume that WVU was required to grant its TV rights for 6 years as a condition of joining. The grant of rights is the ultimate guaranty that a school won't go anywhere. It doesn't keep a school from going, it prevents them from taking their Tv rights with them. Nobody will invite a school that doesn't control its own Tv rights!

I agree on all of that, but I think he was asking if we (anyone) thinks that signing over of tv rights could be challenged and that a school could wiggle out of it if they didn't like it or wanted out... and not so much what the intent of actually signing over the rights was for.