Not so obvious effects of ESPN's latest attempt to gain content for the LHN

The Longhorn Network has played the role of heel between Texas and their Big 12 counterparts since the channels inception. As the struggles continue to organically attract subscribers, the LHN seems intent to go the route of hijacking games featuring Longhorn opponents in an effort to make other fan bases “say uncle” and purchase their network.

Chris Level and Aaron Dickens of RedRaiderSports.com reported last week that ESPN was angling to air Texas Tech’s September 8^th road game against Texas State on the LHN. Even though this is technically something ESPN is within their rights to do, the story still caught my eye for a not so obvious reason. 

The fact that ESPN is scrambling to make their $300 million investment viable by any means necessary is not surprising. In fact, it’s what businesses do – obtain assets and make them profitable.

It’s also not surprising the Longhorns are, once again, the catalyst of angst and discomfort with other members of the Big 12 conference. At this point, it would not be a stretch to attribute the Longhorns as the main reason Nebraska, Colorado, Texas A&M and Missouri left the Big 12 conference. 

Last but not least, it sure as hell isn’t a shocker that, for the second year in a row, Texas Tech and Kirby Hocutt will have to unwaveringly knock Deebo the (expletive) out after repeated attempts to bully the Red Raiders into playing football on the LHN. Something the university has made perfectly clear they are not okay with.

Most of these actions would be taken in disbelief throughout majority of the conferences in college football. Basically, in Big 12 country, Texas pissing everyone of is the norm.

The part of this story that caught me off-guard wasn’t even in the story itself, but more so the timing of its leak to the public. Why now?

Over the past couple of months, the Big 12 miraculously transformed from a conference wasteland into one of the four power conferences in college football.

A projected $2 billion TV deal, the new Champions Bowl tie-in with the SEC, rumors of powerhouses Florida State and Clemson wanting to join, welcoming TCU as a new member, welcoming West Virginia as a new member, and Bob Bowlsby’s homerun hire as the new conference commissioner. 

It as if the conference was at a five star resort, relaxing poolside, sipping champagne as their pinky stretches high in the air and all the while with total amnesia of the near conference bankruptcy they were faced with just months prior. Things could not have been better at the moment for the Big 12. 

And then a tropical storm came spiraling in to ruin everyone’s good time.

Two weeks prior, ESPN announced they were adding 68 college football games to the network’s 2012 schedule. Out of the 68, only two games were listed with channels as TBD – Sept 8^th Texas Tech @ Texas State and Sept 27^th Nevada @ Texas State. 

The TBD channel listing looked like it was construed by Tech officials as a simple matter of ESPN determining which one of the platforms traditional channels to place the game on. At the time, it seemed understood that putting Big 12 members on the LHN was considered taboo (for obvious reasons).

Fast forward two weeks later, a day before the news broke about ESPN’s intended distribution of the Texas Tech-Texas State matchup, 11 conference commissioners plus Notre Dame’s Jack Swarbrick were meeting in Chicago to discuss a possible playoff format and the future of college football’s post season. With rumors swirling about expansion, it was assumed the outcome of these meetings would determine if the Big 12 would look to add teams or stand pat to best position the conference in future playoff scenarios.

Before the meetings in Chicago, the Big 12 appeared settled and echoed unity as the most important factor to strengthen the conference. All parties were playing nice and everything was hunky-dory throughout the conference. It was a changed atmosphere that seemed very inviting to where high profile programs, like Florida State and Clemson, would desire allegiance to the conference.

After the meetings in Chicago, the dysfunction is back. The perception of Texas and the LHN resurfaced as the mongering thorn in the side of the Big 12 conference. The conference now has a familiar, overbearing, sour stench plaguing its public image.

Did something happen during these meetings to change Texas and ESPN’s stance on playing nice with other members in the face of conference realignment?

Texas and ESPN both knew that even suggesting something of this magnitude would set off fireworks within the conference, which is exactly what happened. 

Rather than play a game on the LHN, Texas Tech threatened to cancel the game altogether with Texas State and pay a huge financial penalty to take a loss from a team they demolished last season by 40 points. That is a very strong gesture for a program in Tech’s situation that is trying to become bowl eligible after missing a bowl game last season for the first time in 18 years.

The timing of this issue appears very calculated from a big picture point of view. This left me wondering how the new playoff format relates to Big 12 expansion and if there are underlying self-serving agendas a-foot in Bristol.

Does this mean the new playoff format it will curb conference realignment? Creating havoc in your own conference does not indicate the behavior of a group trying to attract other universities to join the conference. Especially high profile programs like FSU and Clemson. 

To even attempt such a desperate ploy like the one reported last Thursday suggests ESPN and Texas are in panic mode over the LHN. With merely two months now and the beginning of the college football season, every day is precious to secure programming for the flailing network. Therefore, causing ESPN’s intentions with the Sept. 8th Tech @ Texas State game to be leaked as soon as possible.

If the new playoff format eliminates the crazy conference carousel, then there is little reason for the Big 12 to be courting teams to join the conference (at least in the Longhorn’s position). With no one to impress, the Longhorns are free to become a nuisance towards whoever they please.  

Does this indicate ESPN is working to help keep the ACC intact? It seems like a calculated maneuver to help discourage two valuable teams from leaving a conference they just signed a new TV deal with. ESPN probably won’t be able to get out of the deal if FSU and Clemson leave and certainly won’t get the return on investment from that contract without them in the ACC. 

If you think the rumors of potential realignment between these two teams are merely message board speculation, think again. The only thing consistent in conference realignment over the past few years has been the seriousness behind the scenes once rumors emerge. Look at Texas A&M, Missouri, Nebraska, Pac 16, etc. They either happened or were moments away from becoming very real.

Inciting a riot within the Big 12 may be enough to cause FSU and Clemson to tap the brakes and buy the ACC some time to smooth things over with their disgruntled members.

Whether or not the trickle-down effect of the Longhorn Network’s latest faux pas this enough to make schools like Florida State or Clemson rethink any future decision to apply for Big 12 membership remains to be seen. However, it certainly makes the conference look like a less appealing option for universities who could be looking for a new place to call home.

Welcome to the Cold War of college football where all things controversial are much ado about nothing.

Big 12 Realignment, Summer 2012: "I Really Didn't Say Everything I Said."

“It’s Deja vu all over again.” -- Yogi Berra

It wasn’t his intention. Actually, most things Yogi Berra said were usually intended to have a different meaning. However, when Yogi Berra gave us this wonderful little nugget, he didn't intend to describe where the collective college football world was heading in the summer of 2012.

Realignment rumors are full throttle, television figures are common knowledge amongst college football fans, and speculation is running rampant in message board fashion. It feels like we’ve been here before.

In fact, less than a year ago we were here. We were listening to athletic directors and conference commissioners say a lot of things, some of which were true, but most of which were statements filled with half-truths.

As we enter the summer of 2012, conference meetings are in full effect and so are carefully worded statements regarding conference realignment.

Or, perhaps, a more appropriate way for these athletic directors and conference commissioners to describe their statements is in Berra's book titled, The Yogi Book: “I Really Didn’t Say Everything I Said.”

Let’s take a look at some of the key quotes from Big 12's athletic directors and commissioners being regurgitated in sports articles around the country regarding recent realignment rumors involving Florida State and Clemson joining their conference.

“Within that deal is a clause that will give any new expansion candidates the same money as the current members (estimated to be at least $20 million per year).” ? Reported by Dennis Dodd of CBSsports.com

Translation: New members will be given the same equity share of the pie as the current members.

Saying new conference members would receive “the same amount of money” is merely a clever politician-esque way to throw people off of the realignment scent without lying. It makes it seem as if adding a couple of top 15 caliber programs would have a negligible impact on an unsigned TV deal and therefore would not be something of interest to the conference at this point in time.

It’s hard to imagine a conference with traditional powers like Texas, Oklahoma, and Florida State as the headliners wouldn’t be worthy of a TV deal worth considerably more per year than a conference headlined by USC and really only USC. If you want, include Oregon since they are relevant.

Conveying that additions like Colorado and Utah are worth $21 mil/year and a new Big 12 with Florida State and Clemson will plateau in TV dollars and stay at an estimated $20 mil/year is something I’m not buying.

Florida State’s and Clemson’s national brand unquestionably eclipses that of Colorado and Utah. Combine that with a potential TV market three and a half times the size of Colorado and Utah, then ask yourself if a bump in TV money seems reasonable compared to the deal ESPN and Fox gave the Pac 12 a year ago?

A ghost channel that features “Fozzy’s Safari Spectacular” is worth $300 million because the Longhorn brand is attached to it. Notre Dame’s historical brand allows them to remain one the most coveted commodities in college football, resulting in huge television deals as an independent entity. Florida State is not Texas or Notre Dame, but their brand is definitely worth a raise for the Big 12 conference.

So, to those sources trying to convince everyone that in the new television money driven world of college football any additions to the Big 12 will be simply viewed as “team 11” and “team 12”…..

Child Please.

“We feel really well positioned at this time with 10 teams.” ? Iowa State AD Jamie Pollard

Translation: While we are extremely pleased with our current TV deal and that we are still in tact despite almost being torn apart a year ago, we now have a position of strength and we plan to do what’s best for our conference.

By now, we’ve all read “Conference Expansion for Dummies” and have become familiar with the process.
1. Deny ? We aren’t interested.
2. Deny ? We haven’t heard from those schools.
3. Deny ? No formal membership application has been submitted.
4. Accept ? It was too good of an opportunity to pass up.

When certain phrases like “at this time” are strategically inserted into statements, they leave the situation open ended for things to change in the future.

If the Big 12 were to add Florida State and Clemson, it will be echoed that “these are two great universities who inquired to join the Big 12 and we felt this was an opportunity to strengthen our conference we couldn't pass up, even though we were happy at ten teams,” or something similar along those lines.

If the Big 12 is content with their current set up, then why are they pining so hard for Notre Dame? I understand the value of adding Notre Dame, but the Big 12 reminds me of the nerdy gangly kid, Squints, from the movie “The Sandlot” drooling all over the sun kissed lifeguard, Wendy Peffercorn, as she sits up on a pedestal in her lifeguard stand.

But, there hasn’t been any talk to expansion in the Big 12. Well, at least not about conference affiliated teams because the Big 12 would get sued all the way back to the Southwest Conference for tampering.

“Are we happy and satisfied at 10? Yes,” Chuck Neinas stated at the Big 12’s annual spring meetings. “We have not reached out to Florida State nor have we been contacted by Florida State.”

As of right now, the Big 12 company line will remain at step number two for at least another month minimum.

“We must focus on building unity with our two new conference members.” ? Big 12 interim commissioner Chuck Neinas

Translation: The ink isn’t dry on TCU and West Virginia as official Big 12 members until July 1st, 2012. We can't legally add more members before we officially welcome our new members to the conference.

It’s hard to believe the Big 12 would wait to make a power play that could stabilize the conference for decades to come, especially considering this a conference that lost four teams and was almost extinct less than a year ago.

Florida State combined with Clemson or Miami or Georgia Tech or Virginia Tech is a move that would likely shift the Big 12 as one of the top two conferences in college football. This is a conference filled with teams who were considered to be Big East bound not too long ago and I can’t imagine they are content with sitting idle when they can ensure their seat at the table for years to come.

Building unity is a great thing for a conference’s marriage in the long run, but this is the new age of college football where conferences expand and contrast in the blink of an eye. There are only so many historical powerhouse commodities like Florida State available for the taking.

My recommendation would be to try speed dating and move on.

“I don’t think anybody gets left behind.” ? Oklahoma State President Burns Hargis

Translation: Even if there are four power conferences, there can be more than one Boise State in college football.

If the new champions bowl coalition between the Big 12 and the SEC is not a symbol of a power shift to four major conferences, then this is a very odd statement to make.

Chuck Neinas later went on to make a statement, specifically referring to the ACC.
“We need them,” Neinas said. “Absolutely. We’ve talked about with John Swofford ? the other four conferences ? to help them find a good bowl for his champion’s team. We’re not trying to exclude them. We’re trying to include them.”

The more I think about the purpose of these statements, the more they seem like a preemptive public relations maneuver before harm is inflicted upon the ACC. If everything is going to remain the same, then why is the ACC being portrayed as a damaged and weak conference?

Why is helping a rival conference suddenly such a concern for the newly strengthened Big 12? Is the ACC about to be decimated, left out, and given a consolation prize from the newly rich conference making bank at their expense?

The Big 12 is about to cash in with their launch of Facebook, while the ACC on track to get “Winklevossed”.


It’s possible these statements are straight forward, honest responses to tough questions. It’s also possible they are laced with words that will protect future planned actions while the involved school's and conference's lawyers continue their due diligence on the legal side of things.

Regardless, realignment is going to be prevalent in news cycles until the college football season kicks off in late August and, by then, we may be looking at a whole new landscape in college football.

Or as Yogi would describe it, “the future ain’t what it used to be” in college football.

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