That was really inspiring to read. Goes through the persistence and dedication of oil tycoons like Pony94.

SMU actually heard from Kliavkoff the afternoon the Pac-12 collapsed:

Quote:Miller’s phone buzzed with a text message that afternoon. It was from the Pac-12 commissioner.

“You can’t imagine how close we were to signing the grant of rights,” Kliavkoff wrote to him. “You guys were our first call.”

Texas Instruments calculators were involved in P5 realignment:

Quote:Attendees included Ray Hunt, a second generation oil man with a net worth of $7.2 billion; Rich Templeton, the chairman of Texas instruments and a man that Forbes once named in the top 50 of American Innovative Leaders; Chiefs owner Clark Hunt; Marty Flanagan, recently retired as CEO of Invesco; Texas automotive magnate Carl Sewell; Gerry Ford, a banking executive worth $2.4 billion; and Rob Dedmon, another billionaire and heir to the largest golf course and country club operating company in the country.

The combined net worth of the room was more than $15 billion.

I recall esayem spoiling the NC State flip here the night before:

Quote:Days before the vote, Miller made one last phone call to an important person at NC State, seen as the potential swing vote. He phoned the school’s board chairman, Ed Weisiger.

This wasn’t the first time the two talked. About a month prior, around the time of the straw poll, Miller and Weisiger spoke in a conversation that produced surprising news: Weisiger and NC State had not, at that point, been made aware of SMU’s financial proposal from the league office. “On the second call, he didn’t say they would flip,” Miller said, “but they were aware of the financial arrangement and it was compelling.”

About 12 minutes into the 7 a.m. presidents meeting on Sept. 1, the vote unfolded. Hart’s phone buzzed at about 7:15 a.m. It was an ACC athletic director.

“NC State flipped,” the message said. “Welcome to the ACC!”

Great job as usual by Dellenger with the behind-the-scenes story. He owns that aspect of realignment coverage.

- - - - -

“I know in talking to the mayor of Dallas, there is great interest in making Dallas an ACC city,” SMU president Gerald Turner said. “It would be great if the ACC tournament one day was at the American Airlines Center.”

Live response from Chapel and Durham:

(09-07-2023 08:37 AM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  That was really inspiring to read. Goes through the persistence and dedication of oil tycoons like Pony94.

SMU actually heard from Kliavkoff the afternoon the Pac-12 collapsed:

Quote:Miller’s phone buzzed with a text message that afternoon. It was from the Pac-12 commissioner.

“You can’t imagine how close we were to signing the grant of rights,” Kliavkoff wrote to him. “You guys were our first call.”

I’m poor construction trash. I befriend the oil guys.

The level of stupid the PAC was to not add SMU and SDSU months early is one of the big reasons they are going to die as a league.

(09-07-2023 09:11 AM)Pony94 Wrote:  

(09-07-2023 08:37 AM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  That was really inspiring to read. Goes through the persistence and dedication of oil tycoons like Pony94.

SMU actually heard from Kliavkoff the afternoon the Pac-12 collapsed:

Quote:Miller’s phone buzzed with a text message that afternoon. It was from the Pac-12 commissioner.

“You can’t imagine how close we were to signing the grant of rights,” Kliavkoff wrote to him. “You guys were our first call.”

I’m poor construction trash. I befriend the oil guys.

Someone has to build the places they store their piles of money.

What a great piece of reporting.

It also shows that the SMU path of “buying a power conference” spot isn’t very easily replicable. Not too many schools have a board of trustees (a) where most of the members are billionaires and (b) that is willing to prioritize spending those billions on sports.

Yeah, $200,000,000 will get you pretty much anywhere you want to go in this world.

They could have bought their way into an intact PAC for a lot less than $200M.

(09-07-2023 08:37 AM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  That was really inspiring to read. Goes through the persistence and dedication of oil tycoons like Pony94.

SMU actually heard from Kliavkoff the afternoon the Pac-12 collapsed:

Quote:Miller’s phone buzzed with a text message that afternoon. It was from the Pac-12 commissioner.

“You can’t imagine how close we were to signing the grant of rights,” Kliavkoff wrote to him. “You guys were our first call.”

I think Kliavcoff was delusional till the end. No way Washington and Oregon were signing that deal. Despite his poker face, I believe Scheer that the Arizona president was sticking with his earlier comments and not signing an all steaming deal for so little money.

“It’s a couple hundred million dollars,” Miller said. “I’m not losing sleep over it.”

What a power statement. I can't see SMU outpacing A&M or UT but if I were the XII's 4 TX schools I'd be concerned.

Excellent, award-winning news feature!

How refreshing it is indeed to read a well-researched and written article. Kudos to Ross for a job well done!

(09-07-2023 09:50 AM)Bear Catlett Wrote:  Yeah, $200,000,000 will get you pretty much anywhere you want to go in this world.

And it helps to have Oliver Luck on your side.

But I don't think he will be enough for WSU and OSU.

(09-07-2023 11:07 AM)BeatWestern! Wrote:  Excellent, award-winning news feature!

How refreshing it is indeed to read a well-researched and written article. Kudos to Ross for a job well done!

He is by far the best reporter for conference realignment in my opinion.

(09-07-2023 10:11 AM)Aztecgolfer Wrote:  They could have bought their way into an intact PAC for a lot less than $200M.

Yeah but would SMU prefer the Pac over the ACC?

(09-07-2023 12:03 PM)random asian guy Wrote:  

(09-07-2023 10:11 AM)Aztecgolfer Wrote:  They could have bought their way into an intact PAC for a lot less than $200M.

Yeah but would SMU prefer the Pac over the ACC?

David Miller wanted ACC day 1

So did I

(09-07-2023 12:31 PM)Pony94 Wrote:  

(09-07-2023 12:03 PM)random asian guy Wrote:  

(09-07-2023 10:11 AM)Aztecgolfer Wrote:  They could have bought their way into an intact PAC for a lot less than $200M.

Yeah but would SMU prefer the Pac over the ACC?

David Miller wanted ACC day 1

So did I

The Pac just seemed more attainable at the time then?

(09-07-2023 12:34 PM)e-parade Wrote:  

(09-07-2023 12:31 PM)Pony94 Wrote:  

(09-07-2023 12:03 PM)random asian guy Wrote:  

(09-07-2023 10:11 AM)Aztecgolfer Wrote:  They could have bought their way into an intact PAC for a lot less than $200M.

Yeah but would SMU prefer the Pac over the ACC?

David Miller wanted ACC day 1

So did I

The Pac just seemed more attainable at the time then?

His expedition began in the summer of 2022 after SMU leaders, donors and consultants settled on a plan to pursue membership in the Big 12, Pac-12 or ACC. The Big 12 made sense geographically. The Pac-12 made sense realistically. And the ACC? It made sense culturally.

It was also a complete long shot.

“The ACC was not our original intention,” said Turner, the school president. “The Pac-12 was moving a lot quicker.”