Tuesday, June 15, 2010

June 15, 2010

Well just too much to talk about with whats gone on in the media...

THE HOT LIST:

The Big 12 Conference Remains....but for how long???


Well if your living in a hole the past few days, Texas announced yesterday that they would affirm themselves to the Big 12 conference to keep it going. They were offered an invitation from the Pac-10 conference which the Commissioner confirmed that Texas had turned it down. Clearly with Texas staying put in the Big 12, Oklahoma, OSU, Texas Tech, and A&M all announced yesterday that they too would stay in the conference. A desperate Dan Beebe outlined a new television plan that is suppose to pay Texas 20 to 25 million dollars a year and allow Texas to start up its on TV network that they wouldn't have been able to do in the Pac-10. If you look at the winners and losers of this deal...clearly Texas wins by getting more money and their own network. Beebe talked about each team receiving more TV money but there is no deal currently in place for this league. Interesting how teams in the Big 12 are now to make more money without Nebraska and Colorado...

Heres what I think, Dan Beebe simply put some cloth on a burning fire...yes it will stop the fire at first but with the intense heat that the politics of this league has its only a matter of time before the fire burns again and is outta control to the point it can't be handled. I think it'll come down to simple xxx's and ooo's with dollars. If this new TV deal that Dan Beebe claims doesn't produce the money he's promising, teams like Oklahoma, Texas, and A&M could be publicly back on the market looking for a new home to keep their mouths and wallets happy. I think its also very dangerous that you are giving more power to Texas. Yes, they are staying in the league and getting more money and their own network, but clearly the conference officially runs through Texas...which is scary. Texas has become the richy brat child you have to keep making happy or else they'll ruin everything that you want to happen in the league...like staying together....

Its also scary that this league really has no real direction at all... Dan Beebe just jumped through hoops like a puppy to make the big boy happy...when you do that...historically it ends badly for you...

I still think that this league will fall at some point but not at the hands of Texas but at the hands of those smaller schools still in this league...Teams like Missouri and A&M could get sick of Texas' crap and decide to jump ship and leave thus bringing us back full circle to where we were just a few days ago. I can guarantee that the SEC and the Pac-10 would still be waiting with open arms if these schools decided to bolt away from Texas. If you look closely Texas will slowly kill this league from the inside out thus creating an even larger rift in the Texas and non-Texas line that exists in College Athletics.

Really funny to see that Nebraska leaving officially ends a Big 12 title game in Dallas that was penciled to remain there for the next five years...thats a subtle way of us sticking it to Texas and the Big 12 South...After the Big 12 was staying together under these new parameters...Nebraska is still sitting high and should still be very excited to be joining the Big 10 next season...Good Riddens....I won't miss it...

Saturday, June 12, 2010

June 12, 2010

In the aftermath of what I expected would happen yesterday...I feel like there needs to be a few words said about the historic events that transpired yesterday.

THE HOT LIST:

1. Nebraska officially in the Big 10: Feelings and future conference divisions


1. This post is strictly dedicated to Nebraska's Harvey Perlman and Athletic Director Tom Osborne steering Nebraska into the Big 10 conference. Yesterday HUGE pieces of information came out about the process of how Nebraska came to get into the Big 10 Conference. It was really interesting to hear that at the Big 12 meetings last week, Nebraska was called out by the commissioner and by the other members of the conference to stay in the league....What was very concerning was the way the other members of the conference responded when Nebraska fired out questions about them staying in the league if Colorado and Missouri left the league...all of the members were unable to definitively state that they would remain in the league if that happened. What was especially interesting was when Harvey Perlman asked each member if they would sign over their media rights to keep the conference together...only Texas stated that they would not concede their media rights. Ask me this question again if Nebraska really was the culprit for breaking up the Big 12 when clearly its most powerful member refused to do what it needed to keep the league together even after its President publicly stated would do whatever was needed to keep the Big 12 together...clearly as you can read between the lines, Texas is operating on a whole different agenda than what they are telling the country.

After the meetings concluded I applaud the work of our Chancellor and our Athletic Director after they realized that there was no long term stability in a league that simply can't get all of its teams on board. When they were given the ultimatum to commit to the conference till 2016 or else...Nebraska looked at them with a look of disgust for the events that they have endured in 14 years of being a member of this league. I also don't see what the special interest in the Pac-10 really is...yes they do wanna expand to get a conference championship game going likely in the Rose Bowl for the first year to generate some more revenue for the league...but what is the point of going to 16 teams? Clearly money is driving this decision to be that big of a conference, so you can generate you own network and reap the rewards of the money it brings in. Texas does hold the key for what the Pac-10 future expansion could be...get them in and they'll likely take OSU, OU, and Tech with them. What should also be considered in this whole idea is the thoughts of their true-real rival in Texas A&M. The Aggies have expressed the notion of joining the SEC conference and really have no plans to become a member of the Pac-10. Remember that lawmakers in the State of Texas absolutely simply would not let the two most powerful schools leave for different conferences. Texas will have a meeting of its Board of Regents on Tuesday this week, with the state government requesting Texas' presence at a special joint meeting on Wednesday. I can almost guarantee that the meeting will likely tell Texas that you can't leave without Texas A&M. The Aggies would love to irk their rival in anyway that they can by staying in the Big 12. That should be interesting to see.

Back To The SKERS:
If you look at the benefits of the Big 10...it is vast and great for both the academics and athletics for Nebraska. Nebraska stands to add 150 to 200 million dollars in research money along with added TV revenue from the Big 10 network. Now all Nebraska athletic events can be seen on the Big 10 network...connecting all Husker Fans from all over the country. If you look at the culture, the climate, and the fact that Nebraska now feels like its in a conference that will allow it to have an equal voice on high priority matters...its a perfect fit. As I've said to many people both personally and publicly on the radio...I'm excited to be greeting fans of the Big 10 next season not just in Football but in all sports. Nebraska now has stability it needs to grow for the next 100 years that simply put by our Chancellor "the Big 12 can not do that for us." We will not be held liable for the Big 12 falling apart...that will be on the hands of Texas...they know it...and now one else will ever convince me not...Nebraska deserves this and will succeed for the future with this epic and historic conference switch.

I propose divisions set up like this:
East: Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, Penn State
West: Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Indiana, Purdue, Northwestern

Pretty fair and balance with each school keeping some of its major rivalries like Michigan-Ohio State, Indiana-Purdue, Northwestern-Michigan State, Wisconsin-Minnesota, Nebraska-Iowa, Penn State-Illinois

Most are huge...some are mediocre...we shall see what the Big 10 does...very exciting and awesome to finally have all this talk of where we are going to go behind us.

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

June 08, 2010

In the midst of what has transpired in the last 48 hours I feel the need to step outta the shadows and attempt to get back to spreading the hot word across the college landscape.

THE HOT LIST:

1. Ultimatum: Is this the end of the Big 12?

If you haven't heard, after the Big 12 meeting concluded last week...Dan Beebe issued an ultimatum at the University of Nebraska and Missouri to declare they are staying with the Big 12 for good or else. Or else? Or else? What are you talking about? Think about this one...what can the Big 12 do to Nebraska and Missouri if they fail to tell the Big 12 that they will remain with the conference?? The answer is that they can't do anything about it. If you read deeper into the situation you get the feeling that its the major player schools in the Big 12 that are doing all the complaining. I feel that Texas and A&M are becoming the nagging children that sometimes you have the patience to put up with but most of the time you don't want anything to do with them...Of course leave it to Texas to use it power ploy it has in the conference to spread rumors that they would leave the Big 12 for the Pac-10 if Nebraska decides not to stay. If you look at how the meetings of the Big 12 were conducted, you got the distinct feeling that Texas was not happy that Nebraska was seriously being courted by the Big 10. I feel that if they were located differently that they would likely be the ones vying for the coveted invitation from the Big 10 and thus sending the Big 12 to its doom.

The national perception that is being thrown out there that if Nebraska bolts for the Big 10 that it would create a tidal wave affect that would greatly change the landscape of college football. Clearly there is a national thirst for pinning a college as the scapegoat for the conference realignment. I think that Nebraska being labeled as the scapegoat is completely ludicrous. Clearly Nebraska is one of probably 5 schools that the Big 10 would love to get its hands on. Should Nebraska go if an official offer was given??? ABSOLUTELY!!!

Clearly Nebraska gets into a more prestigious academic conference and thus can fund the new research project campus that the University is clearly going to begin to build in the State Park land area. Also, you have a chance to net $22 million dollars a year in TV revenue and likely that number will be higher than what was split out this year. Clearly our fan base brings a national audience that will attract the Big 10 networks subscriptions that they are highly wanting their new member to generate if they accept an invitation. I think that Nebraska is stuck in a league right now that clearly has its power in Texas. Nebraska shouldn't be happy that the Big 12 meetings declared Dallas the site of the Championship game for the next 5 years. Nebraska can go to the Big 10, compete for conference championships immediately, generate a new recruiting base, and formulate new traditions and rivalries for its athletic programs.

Either way as the days change...I feel more and more that Nebraska will be a member of the Big 10 by the 2011 season.