Big 12 stays in a holding patten
Pac-10 suitors on prowl; A&M still considering SEC.
June 14, 2010
Ralph K.M. Haurwitz & Kirk Bohls
A key state lawmaker said late Sunday that he is confident the governing boards of the University of Texas, Texas Tech University and Texas A&M University will wait until after a legislative hearing on Wednesday to decide the future of their athletic programs.
Rep. Dan Branch, R-Dallas — who chairs the House Higher Education Committee — said that he based that assessment on conversations he has had in the past two days with the presidents of UT, Texas Tech and A&M.
"I'm feeling confident that these institutions will not take any final action before the Wednesday hearing," Branch told the American-Statesman. "They respect the Legislature and understand that we're going to have a hearing."
While Pac-10 Conference representatives flew from one Big 12 stop to the next issuing informal invitations, Texas A&M has not spurned that league's offer but is still weighing its options and considering the Pac-10 and the Southeastern Conference, an A&M school spokesman told the Statesman Sunday.
Pac-10 Commissioner Larry Scott and deputy commissioner Kevin Weiberg flew in a private plane and made stops at College Station, Lubbock and Austin to hand out invitations to join their conference. Others, however, are fighting hard to preserve what's left of the Big 12 after announced exits by Colorado (which is leaving for the Pac-10) and Nebraska (Big Ten).
"The Aggies are trying to slow this down," a top Big 12 school official said Sunday afternoon.
They are not alone.
The boards of regents for UT and Texas Tech had been expected to authorize a switch from the Big 12 Conference to the Pac -10. But those decisions may be put on hold.
A highly placed Big 12 school official and a Pac-10 figure who has been kept abreast of the negotiations both agreed on a pressing timetable.
"It will be done by Friday," the Pac-10 school official said.
Branch stressed the magnitude of the decisions.
"I'm confident the regents will make sound decisions," Branch said, adding that it's important to first give members of the Legislature time to ask questions.
"These are important public institutions. Over the years, we've invested billions of dollars in them."
Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe is also trying to pull together the remaining 10 members of his league with hopeful talk of a bigger financial payout than the average of $11.5 million the 12 schools each received this year.
Houston Astros owner Drayton McLane, a former Baylor regent for 18 years and a board chairman for two of those years, said in a conference call involving half a dozen reporters Sunday night that he was imploring the Big 12 schools to spend more time talking publicly about the issue of realignment. He said he has spoken with several Texas and A&M regents.
"I think they're kind of amazed at how quickly this has occurred and how important the stakes are," McLane said. "This is hugely important. I think we need to get a better grasp on this and not make a quick decision in the next three or four days."
Asked if he thought pressure could be put on the two governing boards to hold off on any decisions, McLane said, "I'm not sure we can put any kind of pressure on either one of the boards."
The Big 12 school official said Pac-10 representatives briefed the school administrators in separate meetings and told them they thought a television package of a new, expanded conference could bring each member in excess of $17 million a year.
"I can tell you that is low by quite a bit," the source said, projecting the bigger Pac-10 could pay out as much as the $20 million that Big Ten schools received this year.
An A&M spokesman denied an online story suggesting that the Aggies turned down the Pac-10 on Sunday to go to the SEC.
"That report is not accurate," spokesman Jason Cook said. "A&M continues to evaluate our options. All options continue to be on the table."
Meanwhile, A&M athletic director Bill Byrne, who returned from a family celebration in Idaho on Sunday, has said he would like to keep the Big 12's 10 remaining members together and preserve that league.
R. Bowen Loftin, Texas A&M's president, issued this statement:
"As Bill Byrne and I have said on several occasions, our desire was for the Big 12 Conference to continue. With the departure of two universities from the conference last week, the Big 12 is certainly not what it was.
"We are aggressively exploring our options, one of which is for the Big 12 to continue in some form. We have also had extensive discussions with other conferences over the past two days. We continue to evaluate our options in a deliberate manner as we work toward a decision that is in the best long-term interests of Texas A&M."
kbohls@statesman.com; 445-3772; rhaurwitz@statesman.com; 445-3604.