The Wiz of Odds

Get Your Longhorn Network Now!

Brent Musburger and Kirk Herbstreit get in a glowing plug for the Longhorn Network — the root of all Big 12 evil — during Saturday's Oklahoma-Texas game.

The Story Behind the Collapse of the Pac-16

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 Intends to Bolt the Big 12 for the SEC

The Texas A&M Board of Regents has called a meeting for Monday where it is expected to end its 15-year union with the Big 12, according to Brent Zwerneman of the San Antonio Express-News.

The move would clear the way for the Aggies to become a member of the Southeastern Conference. School officials are hoping to begin play in the SEC in 2012.

Zwerneman writes that SEC officials plan to meet this weekend "to essentially rubber-stamp A&M's admittance."

Adding the Aggies will boost the SEC's membership to an unbalanced 13 teams, and the league is expected to add another member. Florida State appears to be at the top of the list. The Palm Beach Post reported Friday that Florida State has been in discussions with SEC officials for several months.

"This is real," a source close to Florida State told the newspaper.

Will Muschamp? Huh?

Reaction from the college football world over Florida's hiring of Texas assistant Will Muschamp as coach. Muschamp, 39, has never been a head coach, but that wasn't an issue with Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley, who has given Muschamp the keys to the car.

He replaces Urban Meyer, who according to the Gainesville Sun, resigned because of health risks.

Andy Staples, SI.com: Hiring Muschamp was a bold and intelligent move by Foley.

Chris Low, ESPN: Foley has demonstrated in the past that he's not afraid to go down a path nobody else is expecting. Remember Ron Zook?

Pat Dooley, Gainesville Sun: Muschamp has the credentials to be a great hire.

Kirk Bohls, Austin American-Statesman: Texas should have never agreed to make Muschamp head coach in waiting.

Richard Justice, Houston Chronicle: Muschamp may be a great coach, but he's unlikely to ever accomplish the things Mack Brown has accomplished.

Gene Frenette, Florida Times-Union: Hiring Muschamp was an incredibly bold move considering all the proven head-coaching talent that was available.

Worst Bet Ever

A Nebraska fan has a choice — either pay $200 to a Texas fan after losing a bet over the outcome of last Saturday's game or eat a bar of soap. The Cornhusker fan decided to eat the soap. The thrilling conclusion is after the jump.

To Nebraska, Texas Is the Axis of Evil

It has been a rocky 2010 for the Big 12. Nebraska and Missouri have lobbied to become members of the Big Ten, and Colorado is ready to snuggle up with the Pacific 10. Commissioner Dan Beebe has suggested that he will draw a line in the sand, wanting to know who's in and who's out when league meetings begin Tuesday in Kansas City.

Division among league members has never been greater, and Beebe might best be served trying to be a uniter instead of a divider.

Money aside, the out-of-league flirtations of Missouri and Colorado are likely wrapped in fear. What would become of the Big 12 if Texas and Nebraska were to leave?

In Nebraska's case, its motivation to flee is more the result of a deep distrust of Texas. It started in 1996 with the formation of the Big 12.

Nebraska was king of college football back then, in the midst of a remarkable run that had Tom Osborne's Cornhuskers staking claims to national titles in 1994, 1995 and 1997. With victory came power and Nebraska, the marquee member of the Big 8, called the shots. That was until Texas got a seat at the new Big 12 table.