Three Stats to Watch- Texas Tech @ Texas

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Three Stats to Watch- Texas Tech @ Texas

Follow me on twitter: @DSportsGuide  

Could the LHN actually hurtTexas' recruiting efforts in the ACC?

Money talks, but it don’t pass and catch and it don’t block. As long as I can have my Be-vo TV, I’d much rather be in the A-C-C….

I’m almost positive when Neil Diamond wrote the hit song “Forever in Blue Jeans,” the last thing he imagined was a Longhorn Network Parody.

I can’t say I’m surprised though, since the Longhorn Network seems to spawn the unexpected among college football normalcy and life in general.

The Longhorn Network has turned Texas and the Big 12 into a leprosy colony since last summer. Nebraska, Colorado, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State couldn’t wait to get the hell away from both entities by jumping off the island mirage of conference paradise into open waters for whichever passing boat would have them (Big 10, Pac 12, SEC).

Now, because of the LHN, Texas might be sent off to the only conference that will save their soul- the ACC. I’m sure that’s hardly the euphoric vision the university had when finalizing their deal with ESPN.

West of the Mississippi river, the ACC isn't held in high regard when it comes to football. ACC football games are thought of as the boring games on TV before the good ones kickoff to the average fan. Of course, as a college football enthusiast I disagree, but will highly touted recruits share my sentiments?

The quality of the SEC rings loud in the state of Texas and the Aggies are a sleeping giant who might have found their alarm clock. Texas A&M may never reach the excellence of Texas, but if the Longhorns head to the ACC they weaken their recruiting  stature in the Lone Star state.

Don’t get me wrong, I am NOT saying Texas' recruiting rankings are going to plunge or become inferior to the Aggies. However, a door will open for A&M to steal some recruits from Texas they wouldn't normally have a chance to get because the SEC is a far superior football conference compared to the ACC.

This is going to be a problem for Texas regardless of where they end up, but here is my point illustrated in mathematical nomenclature:  

SEC > PAC 16 > Big 10 > Independent > LHN Conference (Big 12 leftovers) > ACC 

Out of all the options Texas can offer recruits regarding the quality of conference play, the ACC is the least appealing. That’s a huge disadvantage if you’re trying to persuade wavering recruits to come to Texas over A&M.

What happens when recruits like Malcolm Brown, Jaxon Shipley, or Quandre Diggs would rather play in the Pac 16 or SEC? Suddenly College Station and Norman do not seem like such bad places to be, rather than Austin+ACC. By going to the ACC, Texas would be self-inflicting wounds to the recruiting monster they’ve created in Austin.

If Texas has a drop off of the embarrassing riches of talent they are used to, then the play on the field could be inconsistent year in and year out. Instead of reloading players, you have to replace the great ones and losing stud recruits here and there does not help your cause. Being a national power house does not come from coaching, it comes from recruiting.

Is the LHN worth the possibility of making Texas a less attractive option for recruits, thus hindering the performance on the field?

In the Big 12, the furthest Texas would ever have to travel for a conference road game is to Iowa State. If they go solo to the ACC, the closest possible conference road game ( at Florida State) is the same distance as their trip to Ames, IA. That's a lot of extra traveling that adds up over the course of a season and that can't be good for a football team needing to win key games at the end of the season. Fans won't like it either.

Regardless where the Longhorns end up, their traveling hours are going to increase. However, at least in the PAC 16 format they would still have road games against familiar foes (Texas Tech and Oklahoma State) within a 7 hour drive or cheap 60-90 minute flights. Florida State is around a 14 hour drive and the flights are 2-3 times as expensive. How is that going affect recruits whose parents want to travel to see their kids play? 

Side Note: I assume the game against Red River Rivalry against Oklahoma will continue regardless of where Texas ends up. If for some reason an ACC departure for Texas results in this games loss, then this becomes an ever bigger issue in this whole mess.

Financially, this would be the best move for Texas assuming the ACC is the only conference that lets them keep their network. However, keeping the money associated with the LHN does not help the Longhorns increase the branding power they were hoping to get out of their TV channel with the ACC attached to it.

Having an abundance of money for your university is great, but it doesn’t necessarily help you win football games. When was the last time you saw Harvard win a national championship?

It's amazing  how a program with the history and bravado of Texas can be so unwanted because of a network that is only a few months old. It seems years of exerting their power and riches has finally caught up with the leprosy Longhorns. Hopefully, for their sake, the money grab maneuver to the ACC won't stifle their recruiting efforts or play on the field.

Forget about the money though. Texas' pride is on the line here and they aren't going to let a bunch of pipsqueaks ruin their network, even if it means setting up shop in the ACC.

When it comes to the Longhorn Network,  for Texas, the ACC never seemed so good (so good, so good).

The not so Big 12

The Big 12 conference has turned into an enthralling game of Jenga. One risky maneuver after another has this conference teetering on the edge of collapsing, yet somehow it is still standing.

Big 12 officials, minus Texas A&M, exclaim via various media outlets that they have been working feverishly to keep the conference together and ensure solidarity if it remains intact.

What’s the point?

Either this is Déjà vu or we have all already witnessed the Big 12 telling us they’ve  become blood brothers for life. Texas A&M and Missouri have both made it perfectly clear they want out of the Big 12 and fans are supposed to believe that a hug and some kum ba yah are going to fix things?  

Did you forget that a certain portion of your fan base graduated from your institution? Expecting them to believe your statement of “solidarity” (for the second time) is basically saying the education they received from your institution was not of a high enough quality where they can decipher the true state of the conference. Maybe they should be refunded? 

Money is the only reason this conference is being propped up at the moment and portrayed as if everything will be fine, just like old times. Money is the reason that this conference will eventually fold. Money is evil.

Texas does NOT want the conference to fold either. They are adamant they do not want to go independent and the PAC 12, Big 10, and SEC would never allow them in with their network. Texas found a way to make money grow on trees and they will never give that up for any conference.

And why should they? They have one of the largest and most loyal fan bases in the country. They have a great opportunity to bring them more coverage of Texas athletics then they could have ever imagined- for a small fee of course. 

A normal game against Rice, Texas fans fill up the stadium in its entirety even though they know it’s going to be a completely lopsided beat down. Ask Kirby Hocutt if he thinks Texas Tech fans will do the same for their opener against Texas State. They won’t, he’s not that lucky. 

Texas is lucky though and they have a fan base that will attend or watch every game regardless of their opponent. Now the university seeks to exploit their fans pockets even further by trying to get them to fork over their hard earned cash and subscribe to their network to watch a tune up game against Rice or, more importantly, a Big 12 conference game? Its one thing if they are providing extra coverage above and beyond the games, but the games themselves!? CMON.

What’s the next step for the Corporation of Texas to maximize profit on their assets? Are they going to put Bevo out to stud?

I can’t and won’t fault Texas for their ambition, but the greed and self-righteous power trip they are on, trying to impose their will on their conference “partners,” will be the root of conference’s demise. They've already scared off a fantastic football program in Nebraska and now they are pushing one of their biggest rivals out the door in A&M.

When the Big 12 crumbles, that $300 million practically guarantees Texas becomes a conference-less independent football program. By their actions, it seems that is something that Texas wants.

From a competitive stand point, I will never understand the appeal to be an independent entity. It's like you're a satellite in orbit in the College Football universe. What exactly are you playing for? Sure you have opponents to play against on the field in a singular game, but what teams are you competing against? It’s not like you can win your conference because you’re not in one and you're playing against the polls.

Now that game against Oklahoma every year is now just another game on the schedule instead of one with massive conference and national title implications. It would be unforgivable if that game lost any of its shine.

Don’t let A&M fool you into thinking their departure is strictly because of Texas and their evil ways, because it’s not. The TLN is just a convenient excuse for the Aggies to get out of the shadow of Texas and go try to make more money for their program. Their opportunity is being piggy backed on the issue of the TLN airing high school games and Texas A&M’s supposed angst towards the recruiting advantages doing so would provide for Texas.

Even though Texas has been banned from airing high school games on their network, A&M is still pressing on, upset, and headed towards the SEC.

The Texas A&M situation reminds me of Mike Leach and Texas Tech. It was well documented that the Tech brass, feeling slighted and outsmarted, was looking for any excuse to use to get out of their brand new contract with Coach Leach (which was well documented). When the slightest opportunity arose, they pounced on it and acted hastily before due process could play out, thus achieving their hidden agenda and never looking back. Does the TLN’s consideration of airing high school games not look like A&M’s proverbial electrical closet? It does to me.

If Texas is Zack Morris and Oklahoma is AC Slater, A&M has been the Screech of the conference. Always aspiring to live up to the successes of Zack and Slater, usually falling short, but once managed to steal a kiss from Kelly Kapowski. It’s no wonder A&M’s inferiority complex is causing them to seek a transfer to Valley High (sorry if you are not familiar with Saved By the Bell).

While ultimately it seems A&M’s desire to move to the SEC is a calculated business move, it’s also very apparent that their hatred for Texas has moved past the point of continuing the 117 year old football rivalry and it's tradition.

Don’t let the SEC fool you either as they lean back in their chair with their hands in the air saying, “Hey they came to us, man.” They started this process last year, when Mike Slive flew into College Station amidst the “Pac 16” hoopla to try to persuade A&M to head East. He wasn’t trying to be a hospitable neighbor to the Aggies either, but rather expand the brand and money for his football conference.

With the addition of Texas A&M, who is a Top 15 football program, the SEC gets some HUGE TV markets and a pipeline into Texas football recruiting. The monetary advantage for the SEC is huge and you can bet next month’s rent that the 14^th team added will increase SEC monies as well. New TV markets are why you will hear Virginia Tech, North Carolina, and Missouri rumored to be in the expansion mix.

This is the new landscape of College Football. Forget about history, tradition, and rivalries. Get familiar with Super Conferences, ESPN, and marketability.

Dan Beebe DeLoss Dodds isn’t trying to save the Big 12 conference to protect your fandom. He’s trying to protect the Billions of dollars tied into its existence. I’m sure he and Bill Byrne are a little bit upset the classic rivalry will fade over the next few years, but they had better things to do around Thanksgiving every year anyways.

I am all for college football programs and conferences trying to maximize their earning potential as long as they can do it without messing up the brand.

Do you want to see the Texas Longhorns in Blue uniforms? I don’t either, but the way things are going in college football anything is a possibility as long as it helps the bottom line.

I doubt the BI9 12 will be around for much longer and that is a damn shame.

Follow me on twitter: @DSportsGuide