Is Big Ten Playing a Game of Hook 'em Horns?

A report by Tom Keegan of the Lawrence Journal-World sent the college football world into another spin on Thursday. The Big Ten has had "preliminary exchanges" with Texas about changing conferences, according to an anonymous source.

"People will deny that, but it's accurate," the person told Keegan.

True or not, it's another signal that we're about to enter a new era of college football. It's no longer if expansion is coming, but when.

Columnists and bloggers were busy placing their bets. Will the Longhorns leave the Big 12 and jump to the Big Ten, or is this just idle chatter.

A look at where they stand:

Kirk Bohls, Austin American-Statesman: Texas isn't joining the Big Ten. No way, no how. So put down your Ohio State pompoms and that JoePa pennant.

Richard Justice, Houston Chronicle: Lubbock for Columbus? Check. College Station for Ann Arbor? Don't ask. As for giving up Stillwater and Manhattan, well, it would be a struggle, but the Twin Cities is way nicer than any Big 12 city. Let's do it!

Jimmy Burch, Fort Worth Star-Telegram: Even with the Big Ten's TV network, it’s hard to imagine Texas would be in a significantly better financial situation by moving to the Big Ten when you factor in the increased travel costs for non-revenue sports. Don't expect this to happen.

Jon Solomon, Birmingham News: Texas already receives the most amount of TV money from the Big 12, so why would the Longhorns leave? For more than a year, Texas has been studying the creation of its own state-wide TV network. Clearly, the Longhorns think there's more TV money out there than what they're currently getting through the Big 12. Frankly, they're right. Maybe that additional money is through a Big Ten Network that has already been created and has a national audience.

Teddy Greenstein, Chicago Tribune: From the Big Ten's perspective, this makes perfect sense. Texas provides an almost ideal package of big-time football, top-flight basketball, strong academics (47th among national universities, according to U.S. News & World report, tied with Penn State), an outstanding brand, an impressive non-revenue sports program, a $16 billion endowment and, of most importance, a huge potential revenue source. The Big Ten Network would love to delve deep in the heart of Texas.

Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star: None of this looks good for the Big 12. The conference seems ripe for picking because its current TV deals don’t measure up to the Big Ten's. When the Missouri governor preens for the Big Ten, and the message boards at Colorado and Texas blow up with fans certain the grass is greener elsewhere, the Big 12 has a public relations problem. That greener grass, of course, is media dollars, which today are much more plentiful in the Big Ten.

Randy Riggs, Austin American-Statesman: Texas declined to discuss the report — "We're not going to comment on speculation and rumors," spokesman Nick Voinis said. But in a January gathering with reporters before the Bowl Championship Series title game, Texas athletics director DeLoss Dodds said the school would not consider joining the Big Ten.

Josh Langenbacher, Penn Love: Follow the money. There are $10 million reasons for Texas to consider such a move. Texas would also stand to benefit academically from a move.

Comments

[bevo]

Something else to consider about Big 11 expansion. Most of the Big XII schools do not offer many of the sports that the Big 11 sponsors. That is, the Big XII will need to add more varsity sports.

Texas can afford it. Can Mizzou? Nebraska? KU?

[meatybob]

What are you talking about bevo, if anything, because of weather, big ten schools have less. For instance, many don't play baseball. And besides, name one sport that Nebraska doesn't have that UT does? And Nebraska is the 4th wealthiest program per Forbes. But you think they are cash-strapped?

Your comment doesn't make any sense bevo.

[Coach]

We're reaching new and lower lows in the so-called "sports journalism" business, with this manufactured nonsense about Texas joining the Big Ten.

Just look at how many hens are able to cluck about this fake planted noise, in the above article alone: eight are quoted here, but there's probably eight hundred hens clucking about this.

I can just see those jerks at ESPN having a field day with this one, you know, the jerks who sit around and shout at each other because there's no ballgame on and so therefore there's nothing for them to do, and you can't have 'dead air' and so let's invent nonsense to cluck about.

Because the prospect of unemployment is frightening, isn't it.

[Matt]

MeatyBob, you and Bevo are both correct and incorrect. There are some sports (hockey, lacrosse) that the Big 10 participates in that the Big XII doesn't...

...though having said that, Nebraska has been all about women's sports, namely volleyball, gymnastics, and (recently) basketball (a question--would the Nebraska women fare better than their male counterparts when it comes to Big XII Men's Basketball results this year?). Also, Nebraska still does wrestling, which only a handful of the Big XII schools still offer, but I believe most of the Big 10 schools participate in.

As for adding said sports, considering the boost to the cash flow that Nebraska would receive going to the Big 10 and their TV contract, it wouldn't be a problem for Nebraska to add those spots. Lincoln already has facilities for Hockey that could serve as a temporary/permanent home for a Cornhusker hockey team (though UN-Omaha wouldn't like it...), Nebraska has one of the better soccer fields in the Big XII that can easily be converted for Lacrosse...so on and so forth.

Nebraska can't be 4th on the Forbes list without some sort of significant national following, and the Big 10 knows that. But they wouldn't be able to just bring Nebraska, as they already pigeonholed their expansion as TV-related, so Mizzou and Kansas (St. Louis, Kansas City markets) would need to come along for the ride.

The real question is whether or not Kansas and Mizzou would be able to add sports to their program in a timely fashion. While neither school is anywhere close to broke (see Texas Tech...), neither one would be in a position to start up a new sport on day one like Nebraska would.

As for Texas joining the Big 10, it's bunk. If anything, the Big 10 may have extended its hand only to get an account from their end of the infighting that has gone on between UT and Nebraska in the Big XII offices to see if what Barry has heard jives with what actually happened.

[Cheap Computers Canada]

It should be a sight of sportsmanship as thats what sports is all about.