They control the $$ and they can make life a living hell for all the administrators if they so choose.
Pulling funding for an institution like Texas A&M 2 years from now over a football conference move would be political suicide and is not going to happen. Longhorn Branch can threaten it, but he has ZERO real power here. The SEC is the only thing that can stop this now
Last year, the Legislature's concerns were about Baylor, and it being left conference-less in a split up of the Big12. These things are also very personal - the legislature forced the inclusion of Baylor over TCU in the Big12 because the governor and the Speaker were Baylor people. Back in the 1990's, UT was trying to go to the Pac10 alone, and a lot of people wanted the schools to stay in the same conference and killed that idea. These conference moves affect funding of schools, publicity, academic reputations, etc. So the legislature feels they have a role in monitoring that.
Except for going independent, UT is still in good shape (as long as OU tags along). They keep the network and the Pac-10 is more than willing to let them in should they choose to, so I don't understand the bitter attitude of some of the UT fans here. I do feel sorry for the Baylor/Tech fans though.
Exactly. What a laugh riot it would be to threaten A&M's academic future over a freaking football game. As long as Tech and Baylor aren't in danger of being screwed by a Big 12 collapse (which could only be brought about by UT), then the concern over the fate of Texas schools is unfounded.
Same reason why Baylor was admitted into the Big12 instead of UH. Ann Richards wasn't going to let Baylor sit out.
Small caveat... Baylor didn't get in over UH. Baylor got in over TCU. Tech got in over UH, thanks to Bob Bullock.
One thing I will say in all of this. Every single person/school is looking out for themselves in this and are willing to use whatever dirty tactic they have. And I don't blame anyone for that. Sure if this falls through there will be even more hatred between Baylor/Texas and A&M, but I think if we all look objectively, we woud all do whatever it took to get what we wanted if we were in the other shoes. I just hope the Ags and SEC outmaneuver the folks trying to stop it.
Thank you. Legislators will blow smoke about it but to say they might "make life a living hell for all the administrators" is nonsense because it has no chance of happening. And at this point, I think it's a done deal for the SEC to say yes. If not, the A&M regents are insane for going this far without that assurance. Perhaps to protect itself legally, the SEC cannot portray this as a done deal already.
If they find a shred of evidence that the SEC contacted A&M about blowing off a 13 year deal they signed about 12 months ago, they will fire away against the SEC with a tortious interference claim. You'll measure those damages in hundreds of millions of dollars assuming Fox doesn't seek to cancel the deal...if they do, you'll measure those damages at over $1 billion. At the very least that's expensive and lengthy litigation. That's why the SEC is freaked out. That's what the state legislature will focus on as well.
Isn't there some article saying A&M met with the SEC earlier this month? Right before/after the big12 meetings? Wouldn't that qualify as interference?
it's evidence for sure. and the rest of the big xii would make the case that A&M was playing dirty pool, never intending to honor the agreement from the beginning. messy stuff to say the least.
And its all a scare tactic ... A&M was happy to stay in the Big XII until the LHN contract was released after the FSN deal. That said, just the threat of that could be enough to scare the SEC away. Texas can't live without A&M and they will do whatever it takes to get their way.
hahaha ... Just like the Longhorns intended on honoring their committment to playing fair in the big XII on the last realignment fiasco
scare tactic?? really? sounds like there's some substance to the idea that the SEC has been trying to court A&M away from a contract it signed last summer. there's too much money at stake to f around like that...particularly when Fox could, arguably, cancel the deal with the remaining members of the Big XII because of it; that deal was over $1 billion. no one is going to walk away from that claim...and there'd be a long line of lawyers waiting to dive in
that was between the schools...this is between the conference and the conference's TV network...very different issue with real money at stake; not just pride.
A&M agreed to stay last year based on the Big XII's potential TV contract. The LHN has seriously damaged that future TV contract for Tier 1 rights by 1) planning to televise Big XII games and 2) More importantly excluding themselves from any Big XII network. That is real money lost for A&M that they would have been able to get in the SEC last summer. Also, its funny that according to Longhorns, we never had an SEC invite and now all of a sudden its that the SEC wanted us so bad that they lured us away. Hilarious!
