The Longhorn Network claims another victim.
The Pacific 12 announced Tuesday night that it would remain a 12-team league, ending the expansion talk that included Big 12 members Texas, Oklahoma, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State.
It's the second year in a row Pac-12 had flirted with the four schools and like last year, the deal-breaker was Texas' reluctance to share revenue from the Longhorn Network. Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott is said to have met last weekend with officials from Texas, but the Longhorns' financial demands simply did not fit into Scott's "culture of equality."
That left Oklahoma and Oklahoma State as possible additions, but with little discussion it was determined that expanding to 14 teams was awkward and not financially worthwhile.
An earlier report had Oklahoma demanding the ouster of Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe, pictured above, as part of a deal to keep the Sooners in the league. But when the Pac-12 slammed the door, Oklahoma appeared to lose its bargaining chip. For the time being, Beebe still has a job.
Texas A&M has already announced plans to leave the Big 12 for the Southeastern Conference once legal challenges are resolved. That means the Big 12 will eventually need a replacement. It was reported earlier this month that Brigham Young had talked with the Big 12.
The SEC, looking for leverage to rework its TV deals, will have 13 members once Texas A&M joins the league. It will need to add a 14th team to balance its two divisions. The Big East is also looking to recruit new members after Pittsburgh and Syracuse announced plans to jump to the Atlantic Coast Conference.
While the expansion talk and rush to 16-team super conferences is on pause, it won't be long before somebody — the Big East, SEC or Big 12 — decides to push the play button.
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