Ners was right....ESPN was the major player behind this....decade of stability?

[ChicosBailBonds]

Ners was right yesterday, and it was confirmed to me by two ESPN colleagues of mine (both Sr. Veeps).  As one of them told me..."we saved Kansas and Marquette for you...."  Of course they were joking, they saved the Big 12 for themselves to protect their huge investment and to block Fox Sports from having the first mega conference with the Pac 16.   Don't for a second underestimate the huge rivalry between Disney and NewsCorp....having worked for both companies, I can tell you it's part of the very fiber of the two organizations.

Basically, Bodenheimer promised the Big 12's remaining schools they could keep all the money, including that for the Big 12 championship game (which now is in jeopardy of not happening unless they add 2 more schools) if they stayed together.

More money.  I was also told the A&M situation to the SEC was also a major issue for a number of reasons, including not providing cover for Texas.  If A&M agreed to go to the Pac Ten, then the Big 12 still might have blown up.

This will all come out in the coming days and weeks, especially with the Freedom of Information legislation that so many of these public universities must adhere to.

ESPN is hoping this will lock down realignment for the next decade, but they also admit it's coming.  Major contract for Pac Ten next year and then the Big East in 2013....after that, most deals are done until 2020 or beyond.

The Big East contract is the next major lynch pin because the football schools in the Big East are making peanuts compared to everyone else.

Meanwhile, there will still be movement.  Pac Ten likely to add a 12th.  The Big 12 may or may not add 2 more members.  There's the Notre Dame situation and the SEC would still like to get into Texas for obvious reasons.

[GGGG]

More money.  I was also told the A&M situation to the SEC was also a major issue for a number of reasons, including not providing cover for Texas.  If A&M agreed to go to the Pac Ten, then the Big 12 still might have blown up.

That last line correlates with what I read today here:

http://newsok.com/berry-tramel-texas-got-strong-armed/article/3468604

[HoopsMalone]

So if the Pac-10 gets a long term deal and the Big East gets a long term deal in 2013 with Disney, are you suggesting that there would be financial incentives to keep the conferences as-is for about a decade bc of these TV contracts? 

Does anything now hinge on this Pac-10 TV deal?

[ChicosBailBonds]

So if the Pac-10 gets a long term deal and the Big East gets a long term deal in 2013 with Disney, are you suggesting that there would be financial incentives to keep the conferences as-is for about a decade bc of these TV contracts? 

Does anything now hinge on this Pac-10 TV deal?

That is their hope, but the problem remains with what the Big Ten may or may not do in the next 18 to 24 months.  If 2 Big East football members leave, for example, to the Big Ten or elsewhere, the Big East conference can break up into two separate entities.  NY Warrior can explain....

[HoopsMalone]

That is their hope, but the problem remains with what the Big Ten may or may not do in the next 18 to 24 months.  If 2 Big East football members leave, for example, to the Big Ten or elsewhere, the Big East conference can break up into two separate entities.  NY Warrior can explain....

Cool.  Sounds like basically three scenarios with maybe some twists here and there.

1-ND says yes to the Big 10, Rutgers goes too, and the Big East finds another football school.  The BE signs a new TV contract in 2013 and Big East hoops remains mostly as-is without losing UConn, Pitt, or Syracuse.  Marquette maybe gets an annual game with ND in preconference.

2- Or the Big Ten grabs Rutgers and Pitt, and the conference folds.  The Catholic schools leave and try to start a conference on our own and try to swing a nice TV deal quickly.  The rest of the football schools try to get into another conference, and maybe the Big Ten goes to 16 and grabs two out of WVU, Syracuse, or UConn.  All 8 Catholic hoops schools stick together (bc this scenario involves an independent ND in football) and we pick up maybe Xavier and one other team (SLU, St. Joe's, or Dayton.  Maybe Butler, but then we aren't 100% Catholic).  18 conference games.  Home and away with every team.  We get an annual game with Louisville preconference. Maybe we still play our conference tourney at MSG, which helps recruiting and helps us get a TV deal.  We pray (hard and often) that the ultimate doomsday does not happen where the BCS schools choose to have their own post season hoops tourney.

3-  Nothing else changes and the Big East lives to fight until 2020. 

[ChicosBailBonds]

http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/06/15/2266656/big-12-finds-a-way-to-do-more.html

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[NersEllenson]

Ners was right yesterday...

Even a blind squirrel can find a nut every now and again.    Thanks for the kudos.