Many fans, especially those from A&M, feel A&M had an unconditional, standalone offer to join the SEC. This logic, in part, comes from Boren’s statement that both A&M and OU had invitations. If Boren’s remarks do indeed indicate A&M had a standalone offer, then it’s only reasonable to assume that OU had one also. So, assuming OU had an unconditional offer, why didn’t they accept? What did they have to lose? It wouldn’t have hurt their recruiting in Texas if they were associated with another conference; after all, they recruited Texas very well when they were in the Big 8 and Texas was in the SWC. In fact, a move to the SEC may very well have extended their recruiting base. And there’s no threat of them losing their biggest game of the year; the UT/OU game is going to continue as long as college football is played. It can’t be money. In the long term the Big 2-12 can’t complete with the SEC. So, why didn’t OU accept the unconditional SEC invite?
The world may never know. And I'm ok with that. aggy on the other hand will tell you whatever story makes them look important and more substantial than they really are. OU appears rather firm in their intentions to stick with UT. And I can't blame them.
Despite what people said, I doubt that either A&M or OU had a stand alone offer. Both programs ultimately realize that they are hooked to Texas (pun intended) and their programs would be hurt if they lose the presence in Texas. Also, do not think that there might not be ramifications if either team went somewhere without Texas. As Dodd's says: "We are the Joneses" and neither team would like to "pull on Superman's cape" or find out how their recruiting might be affected. There are only two teams who could say, "I want to go to (fill in the blank) conference" and no conference in America would say no. Those two teams are Texas and Notre Dame. The other teams can posture all they want, but Mack said that Texas was talking to all three conferences in question. Dodds and the President said the best thing for us at the moment (read that to mean "while the Longhorn network is being set up") is to stay with the Big XII. In a few years if the Bevo Network is generating money, Texas could go to other conferences and say we would love to come to you, but we want to keep the Bevo Network and there will be some compromises, but in the end, we will keep the Bevo Network.
OU would not have seriously considered any offer in which UT and OSU were in another conference. The story has been played up in Oklahoma that OU didn't want to leave OSU high and dry. What really would have been interesting is if UT and OU got the SEC invites, and Texas accepted. Would OU have held to their (not without OSU) policy? My feeling is no way OU would have turned it down.
How could either have a stand alone offer? How do you have a conference based on 13 teams - where for scheduling purposes you are put in pairs and play certain teams from the other division. If ou or aggy took up the offer, would they have been paired with Virgina Tech for scheduling purposes? That seems very unlikely.
If OU goes to SEC then A&M goes. Now, what does Texas do ? Also Join the SEC, Play OU yearly and not A&M. Play A&M only and not OU. Play both A&M and OU. OU could lose the annual Texas game. and would split conferences with OSU. Now OSU has the same problem. Continue to play both OSU and Texas. Play OSU yearly but not Texas. Play Texas but not OSU. OU would prefer to be in the same conference as Texas and OSU.
If you watch the Loftin interviews online and take him as being honest. Then the SEC would take A&M stand alone. The SEC would also take OU alone. The SEC would have no problem finding another team to join to balance things out. Now, if the offer was not conditional on the SUPERCONFERENCE expansion. If A&M went to the SEC right now and wanted to join. The SEC would not turn the opportunity down. Once A&M is in, the SEC would of course offer Texas and OU and probably OSU. OU would be in favor of this. Now Texas has added pressure.
If OU goes to the SEC , the Red River Rivalry game becomes an OOC game Texas Trump card is to say NO to the RRR and then the recruiting stage drops for OU btw lose Tech and Baylor from the schedule as well or OUs SEC schedule is loaded with heavyweights Bama, Florida (some years), LSU, Auburn, Arkansas and adding Texas adds another heavyweight with KO potential. either way is trouble for OU s pursuit of glory
It's easier to win a MNC if you are in the new Big 12, I agree. If the money is the same. Then you only have to worry about the RRR game. In the SEC you would have at least 3 additional games plus the Texas game. OU is happy to be joined with Texas.
Yes the Big 10 did it with 11, but the way the SEC works requires teams to be scheduled in pairs. Are they going to break up Alabama and Auburn and put one in the East division? No way. Besides, teams in the BIg 10 always complain when one team gets a break and doesn't have Ohio State or Meatchicken on their team.
OU is not stupid but aggy is. OU has managed to be the only competitive university with UT over the years by hauling in lots of Texas talent. A&M OTOH has done absolutely nothing with the third best Texas talent after UT and OU. OU was smart enough to realize playing Arkansas, LSU, Alabama, and Ole Miss every year an occasionally UTe, UGA and Flordia was not the same as playing BU, KU, ISU, MU, KSU and Tech. OU has football smarts. aggy does not I seriously doubt the SEC would have ever taken on a one university program such as aggy. It was never proven they had a stand alone invite. If they did, they certainly will never again in the future. OU might but aggy, never.
I think if you are in a profitable situation then you don't rock the boat. OU and UT dominate the Big 12 right now. Their best interest was served by redoing the TV deals to get more money and keep the Big 12 alive.
There was some back channel correspondence between the SEC and the paper clips, but probably not much more. The okies have some percentage of fans who are intrigued by SEC membership, not nearly the percentage of agricultural, but o-u administrators and AD Castiglione have maintained publicly their desire to ally with UT, not agricultural. A couple or three years down the road, when UT really gets serious about heading west, it will be interesting to see who aligns with who. aggy heads to the SEC, that's a foregone conclusion. Tech goes with us if the invitation is there, and it probably will be. The dirt burglars have an OSU problem, namely that they need to stay together, and they'll likely head west with us, but that's not a lead pipe cinch right now. Meanwhile, us and the okies get to be big frogs in a smaller pond for the time being, while making a good deal more money.
I think the answer to this question lies in that probability of both Texas and Oklahoma joining the Pac 10 conference in the next few years. The networks are the ones that blew the deal up and the Big 12-2 is only a temporary way station for OU, Texas and others. The expanded Pac 16 idea and virtually controlling 2/3rd of the geographic area of the United States via TV rights, is too compelling to let go completely. It is only delayed and the Pac 10 trumps the SEC on every level for both Texas and Oklahoma.
I think regardless of what eventually shakes out of conference realignment, Texas and OU will remain in the same conference. I don't know what will happen w/ A&M and don't really care too much b/c TX/OU rivalry>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>TX/A&M rivalry in cfb, which is the sport that's driving all this.
i think aggy must have had a stand-alone offer, or else we'd all be in the pac 16 right now. now that the pac 10 has 12 teams....which 4 would they add? if you start with texas and ou, one of the tech/aggy/osu is on the outs. right now, neither the SEC/PAC12/Big10+ has room for 5 teams. i wonder how this thing shakes out in the next couple of years
It's not even a question of who's out. agricultural, by their own choice, wants to go play in the SEC, and the SEC will take them alone because the SEC wants into the Texas media markets. The only question is whether okie lite or Kansas goes with us to the Pac...and that's not really a question because okie and okie lite are tied at the hip, so there's your final four members of the Pac 16 Southwest division, us, sand aggy, okie, and okie lite. Three years and counting......
agree with coolhorn -- though the Pac probably wants KU for many good reasons, OSU will probably receive the golden ticket (oddly though, OSU currently has a stronger football program/facilities than KU...) But if the Pac16 ever happens, it shouldn't be called the Pac-16. Numerical titles (BXII, B10, Pac10) are inferior to geographic titles (SEC, ACC, BEast), and Texas and Oklahoma have as much to do with the Pacific Ocean as the Indian Ocean. It should be called the Great West Conference or something else....let the coastal schools return to the Pac-8 like they want and call the eastern division the Frontier Division or the Pioneer Division or something...something w/ historical value because those states and schools wouldn't fit neatly into a geographic (Southwest/Mountain) description. A&M is dead set on the SEC, but if the Pac invited UT, OU, OSU/KU, and A&M --and excluded TT --A&M might be more open to the westward move. It would cancel out Tech structurally and it would make UT and A&M the only big dogs in the state of Texas...a recognition that A&M eternally craves. That would also keep the SEC out of the state's media (and recruiting) markets. Might be something UT will have to consider at some point. Would UT sacrifice Tech to protect the state of Texas from the SEC?
the notion that anyone needs to protect texas from the SEC is a bit silly. it's not as if the SEC doesnt currently recruit heavily in the state, and it's also not as if our state doesnt have its own fair share of street agents and people doing shady business.
There's no deal there to make between us and agricultural. The mindset over there is to get away from under our shadow, and blaze their own trail, and the collie station power structure thinks the SEC offers their best option to do just that. Tech athletically already has at least an equal reputation to the ags, and truthfully will make a much better traveling partner when UT heads west. They stuck by us in June, and I see us sticking by them three years down the road. aggy fan should be careful of what they wish for...they're gonna get a berth in the SEC, and I don't doubt they'll love it, right up to the point they get bent over by 'Bama, Auburn, LSU, arky, 'Ol Miss, 'Ol Miss State, and whatever SEC East teams are on their schedule. By the way, PropJoe nailed it...the SEC already recruits Texas pretty heavily, and I don't see the SEC adding agricultural as opening up the flood gates or anything.
Tech athletically already has at least an equal reputation to the ags Maybe football reputation. But athletically ? Basketball, Baseball, Women's sports, track, swimming, tennis, golf ? Learfield sports directors' cup standings A&M 6th Texas Tech 44th
Hey, I'm not a Tech apologist...I don't have a dog in THAT hunt. However, most years, sand aggy's pretty good in women's b-ball, they've got a better than average baseball team, basketball's down a little bit right now but Tech's traditionally been strong in b-ball, and yep, football's stronger out on the plains than in the Brazos River bottoms. I look at it as pretty much a toss up traditionally between the two, except for football over the last decade. No need for any ags to get their panties in a wad over that.
