In the Latest College Realignment Moves, Politics Plays a Key Roll
June 14, 2010
Brad Jackson
In the fall out from Nebraska and Colorado leaving the Big 12 for greener pastures in other conferences, sources tell Chip Brown, an ESPN Austin and Orangebloods.com reporter, that Texas has agreed to commit to staying in the Big 12 (minus two). However, the commitment by Texas to remain in a broken league is more likely a shrewd political move, than a true commitment to stay in a 10-team conference.
There are the two factors at play here. One, the Texas Legislature is holding a hearing this Wednesday about the realignment of college athletics and the break-up of the Big 12. In Texas, the state legislature meets every two years, and the next meeting is in January of 2011, where these politicians will decide how much state funding will be dolled out to each public university. The University of Texas does not want to anger legislators by appearing to be dismissive of their opinion and influence and go ahead full steam to the Pac 10.
State Representative Dan Branch of Dallas, Chairman of the House Higher Education Committee, said this weekend “I’m feeling confident that these institutions will not take any final action before the Wednesday hearing. They respect the Legislature and understand that we’re going to have a hearing.” This report will let legislators like Branch think that they have a measure of control in what happens in this realignment, something that will assuage their doubts and fears, and allow them to tell their constituents that they did whatever they could to save the Big 12.
Second, this is a move by Texas to put the pressure (and any subsequent blame) squarely on the shoulders of Texas A&M. Texas is doubling down here saying, “Alright A&M, you want to play with the big boys and step out of our shadow, here’s how the game is played. Can you hang?” If A&M flinches and says no to the SEC in hopes the Big 12 stays together for a new TV deal, which Big 12 Commissioner Dan Beebe claims can reach the same $17 million level the SEC pays out to each school (nothing more than pure fantasy after losing the semi-national Husker audience and the Denver media market), then Texas will wait a few weeks before deriding the proposal as highly unrealistic and say that they’re going to the Pac 10 for the (more likely) $20 million in TV money and tell A&M that it’s time to get on the train or risk being stuck with Missouri, K-State and the rest of the rejects in a now irrevocably weakened conference. If A&M gives Texas and the rest of the Big 12 South the heave-ho and heads to the SEC, it gives Texas and the rest of the Big 12 South schools the perfect excuse to head West, and makes A&M the public scapegoat for putting the final nail in the coffin of the Big 12.
A highly placed Pac 10 official told the Austin American Statesman that despite all this public show, the realignment to the Pac 10 “will be done by Friday.” So by the end of this week, the college sports landscape may look completely different than it did just a few short weeks ago.