Holy crap you are an idiot.

What’s fine for A&M, OU, etc., isn’t fine for Baylor?

Hypocrisy raises its ugly head.

Why is the Daily Oklahoman pushing the Pac x Conference on us? And why is Tramel so vitriolic towards Baylor and not so much towards A&M?

I love it. Maybe we could call the bogus report Wacogate?

@Fred Bastiat – At least A&M has been honest in its desire to leave the conference, not relying on someone like Ken Starr to help plant bogus news stories and engage in back-room politics to try and coerce a desired result.

Get away from Baylor? What would you have done if you were them? And why on earth would school’s forgo legal future legal remedies when they don’t even know how A&M leaving will effect them yet. If you’re their attorney you don’t let them sign that document under any circumstances!

“The team is the star and the star is the team.” I think everyone should keep that quote in mind when they think about what is best for the league. Everyone working together will create something more for everyone else.

“The team is the star and the star is the team.” I think everyone should keep that quote in mind when they think about what is best for the league. Everyone working together will create something more for everyone else.

Thats right, we are the bad guys…….dont look in the whorns direction anymore…

Respectfully,
Dodds er I mean Starr

Evil Bear here again, disregard the burnt orange vest and camera, i have just been filming some top high school recruits for my network, I mean home library……..

Evil Bear here again, disregard the burnt orange vest and camera, i have just been filming some top high school recruits for my network, Or hall I say, home library……..

That’s a good question…Why IS the “Pac-Whatever” being pushed on us.

The time change and travel to away games would be a pain in

the A@#!!!

Best option is S.E.C. and everyone knows that!!!

I can’t blame A&M for leaving though. You can’t stay in

a conference that’s dictated by ut.

Hell OU should have left last year with our true

conference friends, Nebraska. Instead (some folks I will

not name) turned their backs on the Huskers and stood side

by side with ut. Since when has OU ever needed ut???

“what would you have done if you were them”
Gee, you ever think about having dignity to shut up when you know it is over?

Some great lines in this story, “Does Big 12 held together by desperation & threats, with resent of Texas, sound like something anyone would want to join if they don’t have to?”
Minor detail.
Now OU is the next bad guy when we leave with OSU riding shotgun.

How much is the Pac 12 paying Tramel to prop them up. I would rather OU stay in a 10 team Big 12 than go west. Otherwise, Big 10 or SEC, here we come! Give the Pac 12 a rest Tramel, the majority of fans don’t want it!

No thanks to the PAC and liberal snobs. We don’t belong there and most of us can see it. If the members in the conference would stop flirting with other conferences we can attract good schools in time. The Big 12 has 6 teams in the top 25 and we are looking to go to a lesser conference? Come on Barry.

Wow… people commenting, especially the Baylor numbnuts seriously don’t understand Sooners. Nice to see you Sooners finally standing up.

I can see why Boren wants the PAC 12. Cal-Berkely has stated that they will call in some favors to get OU on AAU status. That is huge in more ways than just athletics, as it raises OU’s academic profile and allows them to join a fraternity that only contains A&M, t.u., and Missouri in the Big 12.

The Big XII is a conference doomed to fail. Whether it happens now or next year or 3 years from now, it’s never going to be as good as it was before Nebraska left. Better to get out now before it can get any worse. Hopefully Texas can contain it’s megalomania and follow us (and OSU) to the PAC, but bringing along Kansas and Mizzou as consolation prizes instead wouldn’t be half bad either.

@David W.

First, how honest was A&M when all of the negotiating was going on last year. Seems to me they agreed to remain in the conference, accept more money from the revenue sources than all the other schools except OU and UT, and agreed to the television package with ESPN and Fox. Don’t give me any BS about the Longhorn Network causing the Aggies to bolt this summer when they knew about the details last summer.

Second, We don’t know where any of these reports are really coming from. It could have just as easily come from the AD at A&M. You made a statement you can’t back up.

I hope A&M and the SEC are forced to back down. It may not happen but if it does I’ll laugh for months. The SEC is the most crooked conference in the country and has been for decades. The only things worst are the Big Ten and the Pac x Conferences.

So…All the Baylor people are admitting that Texas has an unfair advantage; the unfair advantage makes Texas A&M and OU want to leave; and Baylor sues to prevent that from happening…What?!

Didn’t OU approve and sign off on the Fox TV contract?

It’s very hard for me to express how amused I amat A&M getting trilled by the rest of the Big 12.

What Common Sense said…

It’s a shame one of the best conferences in the Nation have come to this. Its like a bunch of junior high kids fighting over who gets sit in the best seat on the bus. Really?. We should be the ones sticking out our chest luring in other Colleges to come join our great conference. Do any of you really give a ratts A$$ about Pac- 10 teams or SEC or who ever. Be careful what you wish for. Travel to these Cities will all but kill any road games fans would be able to make. I remember in the 70’s and 80’s college football was much more enjoyable than it is in today’s climate. All this bickering about a play off and the BCS. I say play ball and stay true to your conference. Oh and one other thing what happens to all the other sports in college? Baseball, softball, track and field, golf, wrestling. Tennis, swimming, hockey and many others men and women’s. Do you think you would be able to go see your kids play very often. NOT. The Big 12 has dominated in football basketball and track for years. What do we have right now in the top 25 for football 6? Every year the big 12 has a better chance than the Pac-10 or ACC or Big 10 to put someone in the National champion ship for football. So lets support our conference and quit whining like a bunch of toddlers not wanting to go to bed.

Did any of you know that A&M puts on a 7 on 7 at their stadium every year with the best blue chip players in Texas? Do anyone ever complain about that? Nooooooo talk about and unfair advantage for recruiting. LHN Ha give me a break.

And Texas hosts the state championships in Basketball, Track, Baseball and Swimming in addition to TLN (Longhorn is one word).

What if…..just what if a lawsuit forced a major team to face the consequences
if they decided to renege on their former pledges (yes, a verbal agreement
is just as much a contract as a written one) and suddenly decided to bolt
a conference? Is it not possible that a judgment against them might set a
legal precedent that might put out the national insanity fire of teams just
bolting and causing chaos and huge economic losses, not to mention the
destruction of age old rivalries? Where is all this “super conference” madness going to stop? When will college football regain its dignity and refuse to become an clone of professional football greed?

Hey Mike, I saw that quote from Dodds, too. Of course, he failed to mention that Texas HAS complained about the access A&M coaches had to the tournament. They are now banned.

Also, there is talk of rotating the 7-on-7 tournament in the near future. Why? Because Texas doesn’t like it.

Of course, all of this ignores that the 7-on-7 tournament is the ONE freaking UIL event that Texas doesn’t control. What about the basketball final 4? Or the state track meet? Or even the UIL itself.

One thing everyone should agree on is that this conference is simply no longer viable. The Pac-12 is a better deal for both state schools, but staying put is officially not a long term option as of today. I’d live with Oklahoma in the SEC, but there’s greater promise for the university in the Pac-12. A university is more than a football team.

Tech has been dangerously quiet on all fronts… I’m wondering what TTU has planned?

Baylor never gave an ultimatum…they have only refused to waive their right to sue.

All other claims are baseless at this point.

The bogus report sounds like tortious interference to me, which is the very thing that the SEC wants Baylor to waive its right to sue under. The SEC, of course, hasn’t done anything wrong here, but doesn’t want to have to defend itself against long-shot law suits either. Still, A&M and OU both seem to have a claim against Baylor if they generated the false report.

@David Iowa State is also an AAU member, but if you think there is a chance of OU being added, I’d say that is a long shot. The organization has publicly stated they’re in a contraction mode, as evidenced by both Syracuse and Nebraska being kicked out in the past 6-9 mos.

Great article. Ken Star and Baylor are only making their situation worse. With the exception of playoff situations (thinking women’s basketball) I don’t see a reason why TAMU should ever play Baylor again.

And Okies, you should realize this maneuver is directed as much at you guys as it is at us; maybe even more.

I have seen no such statement from Ken Starr indicating what Mr. Tramel proclaims in this article.

There does seem to be a general consensus that, if Oklahoma was to stay, then BYU would certainly come to the conference, and such stability in both the league and the TV contracts would result in there being no reason to refuse to sign the supposed waivers that A&M is desperately needing.

That’s not painting OU into a corner or threatening them- it’s stating the obvious! If OU stays, the conference can thrive. If OU goes, it won’t. Simple as that.

Come on Brandon…..how is not putting OU in a corner by saying the only way they’ll let A&M leave is if OU commits to staying.

Why is it OK for A&M to bail, but OU has to pledge allegiance to a dying conference forced together in a shotgun wedding?

I don’t usually agree with Berry, but he nailed this one right on. Forget who wants to go where now or who wants who to stay, no conference can survive when you try to hold one member or another hostage. Sure, Baylor is looking out for their best interests, but this has disaster written all over it. Great article was posted here about any potential lawsuit and whether they have possible merit. http://outkickthecoverage.com/why-baylors-claims-against-the-sec-have-no-merit.php#.TmhbiD3Mu4g.twitter

60% of the current Big 12-2 is ranked in the top 25. Not bad.

Hey Berry – Get your story straight. This blog directly contradicts a story with your name on it currently on Newsok.com. The title of the story is “OU official denies report that Big 12 schools what Sooners to commit to league.”

Someone please explain to me why another school would want to join the Big12? CU-gone, NU-gone, A&M-trying to be gone, tu-lhn (arrogance beyond belief, if you don’t believe it just ask a sip), OU&OSU-will be gone soon, TT-will go where tu go, hopefully, the Northern Schools-will be left out, baylor-will threaten lawsuits at the drop of a hat. So tell me again why a school will entertain joining the Big12?

Gotta love “journalists” who shill for their local school. Did OU officials approve this or flat out write it? Boren’s delusional rants about OU’s academics are hilarious. OU and OSU are two of the academic have nots of the Big 12. You can’t make silk out of a pig’s ear.

BYU reportedly wanted OU and UT to commit to the Big 12. Deja vu all over again. That is basically what it comes down to is commit to stay or decide to move. What is the rush? So A&M can have a press conference?

OU can take their time and review their options. Columnists and fans can have their input. OU and UT have always been the big dogs in the Big 12. They decide its fate.

Or there is another option. Dr. Loftin in his statement suggests that Mr. Beebe and the Big 12 Board of Directors can meet and waive the rights of individual institutions. Do you want to follow Dr. Loftin’s line of thought and let the Big 12 Board of Directors decide what OU should do?

I don’t expect that Dr. Loftin would want the Big 12 Board of Directors deciding where A&M should play sports. He probably wants to leave that up to the A&M Board of Regents. OU should make up their own mind. Nothing wrong with kicking the tires of the Pac 12. Check under the hood. No rush. Make your own decision. Is it really that difficult for A&M to reschedule their press conference? Maybe it gives A&M time to complain to the SEC for putting that unique signed waiver requirement on their SEC admission in the first place.

What everyone is missing with the lawsuit and why its so debilitating is that no one and I mean no one in a position of strength (ATM, OU, UT and the SEC) wants all their dirty laundry exposed during the discovery phase of the trial. That right there is reason enough for everybody with hand to take this very seriously.

The Big12 was doomed to this from the beginning when they didn’t create an equal revenue sharing platform. Without equal revenue sharing in place it was always going to be a matter of time before bigger revenue schools would wanderlust for more $$$’s. Coach Tuberville called it when he came in to the conference and was chastised. UT’s arrogance has always been on display and with the intro of the LHN, no conference equal revenue plan, it was inevitable. It’s always about the money…

My gawd Fred, are you actually that stupid? Typical Kandya$$ Baylor fan. You are irrelevent…live with it!

Baylor’s hypocrisy grows by the minute. It agreed to release TAMU in the Sept 2 letter, then reneged Tues. Any admiration I have ever held for Baylor is gone. It has no integrity. Why would you hold a school “prisoner?” We want to leave because no one would stand up to tu and their determination to rule the conference with unequal $. No other conference allows this. Now Baylor insists that we continue this charade and commissioner Beebe condones it. WHY would ANY school want to join this circus?

“But Baylor also appears to be in the business of alienating”

that pretty much sums up baylor!

“Do you think OU, much less A&M, wants to be in a league with Baylor after Wednesday?”
Spot on! The nation is seeing that they are a pariah and don’t even realize it yet. If there is a football hell, no doubt they’re rapidly on their way there.

“Get away from Texas? How about getting away from Baylor?”
Best summation ever!

Blah, Blah, Blah. Me right…you wrong. Blah, Blah, Blah…My school is better, yours is stupid. Blah, Blah and while you’re at it BLAH!

Blaming Baylor is easy for people like Mr. Tramel. Much more confortable than, say, honestly asking whether he and other media lapdogs helped to bring down the conference, or at least looked the other way because their favorite school would get out unharmed.

College football used to be about the tradition and pageantry, the long rivalries between the ‘powers’ and perceived ‘have-nots’ – who doesn’t like a good David vs. Goliath matchup, or the excitement of two long rivals meeting up? Now, schools and conferences are happy to sell their soul for part of a TV market.

Shame on you, Mr. Tramel. People like you are what’s gone wrong with college sports.

Baylor are heroes in this. No one (except Nebraska, Texas A&M, and Berry Trammel) should want the Big 12 to dissolve and ruin over 110 years of tradition and rivalries.

Where was Baylor when they joined the Big XII 16 years ago and left Houston,Rice,SMU and TCU out in the cold fending for themselves. What goes around comes around. Good Luck in Conference USA Baylor.

I can’t believe there are so many ill-informed people on here. The Big 12 conference is dead people. Its done. Let it go. Its like a bad relationship where its just better for all parties to go their separate ways. OU has to have a conference. When OU goes to the PAC 12 there is not going to be a big difference in travel. They already played Texas, Texas Tech, OSU, and Colorado(b4 this year), its easier to get to arizona and arizona state than iowa state and they will only play on the west coast once per year, so the travel is NOT an issue. Personally I welcome a trip to the great cities on the west coast. Also OU has an excellent chance to dominate the PAC 16 just like it has the Big 12. Plus it opens up the fertile recruiting ground of California. The SEC is full of corruption more wide spread than is even reported. Schools down there hate each other and its a constant battle trying to get any competitive edge they can including ratting on each other. Sure I would love to play the SEC but we aren’t winning 7 out of 12 SEC championships. no one is. There is however an excellent chance we could win 7 out of 12 PAC 16 Championships. We can still play an SEC school every year in the National Championship Game. The best choice by far is to go west to the PAC 16. I trust in OU’s leadership. Oh and by the way so does osu and texas. OU is out front leading just like a good leader should be especially in times of turmoil. What’s done cannot be undone. This was set in motion last year and, though Sooner than expected,was inevitable. All the whining and crying isn’t gonna change anything. Stand up and embrace the new opportunity! Its time to dominate another conference. The PAC 16 Conference. Jump on board people.

110 years??? Check your math, Matt. Big 12 was officially formed in February of 1994. Tradition may go back for 6 of those teams, but ot even 20 years of tradition brewing here for 3 of the teams. ut only has the tradition with OU. Baylor’s just trying a last ditch strongarm to hold together the conference and shove blame on any collapse to OU, since OU opened their mouths about keeping their options open last week.

Baylor needs to stay in the business of saving souls, not suing souls!

John, I don’t know how old you are, but back in 1993 when the SWC started getting into trouble, SMU was just getting out of the death penalty, UH was on probation, Arkansas had quit the SWC and the conference president was dumb enough to go on camera saying he doubted the league could survive. At that time Baylor did literally everything it could to keep the SWC together, but was not successful, in part because Texas and Texas A&M made a separate deal to join the Big 8. The Texas legislature (several dozen players, not just the two people usually mentioned) arranged for the deal to include 4 schools instead of 2, and as of 1994 the 2 best schools from the SWC in football after UT and A&M were Baylor and Tech.

Are you really saying that, having tried for 18 months to save a conference that was going under, Baylor should have refused to take the only offer given to them? Are you blaming Baylor for a move they did NOT initiate?

Then and now, it appears you find it easier to blame a small school which did NOTHING to cause this mess, than to take a hard look at the facts.

I don’t care about conference realignment, the big12 has exit clauses in place, that’s not the problem. Where the problem lies is the FOX contract that required the conference to sign the contract as well as the 10 remaining schools. That’s where the litigation will hit.

A&M could get an exit because FOX and the big12 can replace them with BYU and really not have any financial loss. This is why A&M is minding its legal p’s and q’s, because they know that the only way they can leave the contract without legal repercussions is if a suitable replacement can fill their spot and FOX and the other Big12 members sign off on it.

Oklahoma is a completely different beast, however. There is no Oklahoma replacement. Fox won’t sign off with any replacement to take Oklahoma’s spot. If Oklahoma wanted the PAC12, it should have made a move last year instead of signing a contract with FOX.

Baylor and the other schools simply don’t want to set precedent of waiving their ability to litigate, because if the Fox contract is violated, that is going to be one monster of a lawsuit.

Being an avid SEC fan, I would welcome A&M to the SEC. Then y’all could try and get Rice, SMU and TCU in your conference. This way you wouldn’t have to travel so far and Baylor could still compete. It looks to me, like when all the big schools leave the Big 12, no one will want Baylor in their conference and they will have to play as an independent school.

DJ Drummond had said, “College football used to be about the tradition and pageantry, the long rivalries between the ‘powers’ and perceived ‘have-nots’ – who doesn’t like a good David vs. Goliath matchup, or the excitement of two long rivals meeting up? Now, schools and conferences are happy to sell their soul for part of a TV market.”

Kind of ironic when Baylor had no qualms to join the Big12 in 1994 and leave the likes of Rice, Houston, TCU, and SMU outside the bubble. Of course, that wasn’t Baylor’s fault as they only road the coattails of their betters to the party.

This whole posturing is not about saving the Bevo10 Conference, but rather to make sure Baylor has a chair at the big kids table as they continue to pull in the big checks of a BCS conference.

The Fox contract will determine what will become of the current big 12 or 10. Money talks.
As far as where to go? I would prefer the SEC. It’s more exciting than the Pac 12. OU and OSU both would be a nice addition to their conference. Everyone knows that.

Change happens! I for one can not wait till we can fly out to Southern Cal, UCLA, STANFORD and lay on the beach till game time. BOOMER SOONER BABY!! YEA!!!

Hey maybe we should send the ATF down to Waco and see if we can’t get those baptists to burn down their school.

Let me preface my statement by saying that I graduated from Baylor. I agree with the fact that we are alienating ourselves from other schools and conferences. I would like Baylor to be more proactive rather than reactive, and petition to join the Big East today (should have done it Tuesday).

Who wouldn’t want to see a game like Friday’s game against TCU every year?

Not to mention Baylor needs to join a strong Basketball conference and an AQ in football. The Big East fills both requirements.

My hope is that Baylor is trying to buy some time by refusing to not sue. However, I am afraid it is making us looking bad in the process. I would like to point out that Baylor is not the only school that is not signing the waiver, but we are the easiest targets.

[...] Just read Tramel's blog that Chris posted in his running blog. Big 12 football: Baylor ultimatum could backfire | Berry Tramel's Blog I have to say, I totally disagree. His Okie homer colors are showing. He is blaming Baylor for [...]

First, I am a Bear.

Folks, at the end of the day everyone has to play the hand they are dealt, and this is baylor’s best option to remain in a competitive conference. This way we have some leverage, to either help save the Big xii or continue to hold on to the right of litigation, until someone will bring us along with them, to grant a release from legal remedies.

I actually think this doesn’t cast us in a bad light. CBS sports appears to agree: http://eye-on-college-basketball.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/26283066/31789905

When the dust has settled from all this the one thing that should happen is to make sure Baylor is blackballed across the land. It should be made very clear that Baylor is not welcome in ANY conference. They can never again be trusted in any relationship. If they go independent (ha), no one should schedule with them. As far as athletics go, let them watch other great institutions.

Hate much, see gul?

Gul, Baylor can’t be trusted? Who is the one trying to nullify the contract (or just plain breach it)? The ags.

Baylor is simply trying to get the group to live up to the agreement.

Can’t say I disagree with anything you wrote, BT, which has to be a first. This is a desperate move for desperate times by a desperate, cornered Bear. I don’t blame them, but it has zero chance in Hades of working. They’re just swinging in the wind. Sad it’s came to this. When the LHN first started making other teams nervous, the eleven other schools should have stepped up and told Texas to cut it or cut out. OU should have been the one to take the lead in delivering the ultimatum to them. Who better than us? Instead we let it slide. We’re not intimidated by Texas. They’ve always had more money than anyone in college football, so what’s more of it? They’ve always been full of crap. So what? That’s what makes it so much fun to kick it out of them. We failed to realize how deeply they’d gotten under the skin of some of our brethren. We should have stood with Nebraska and A&M and told Texas to forget the LHN or fly solo. The Big XII could have survived without Texas, but it’s a big question mark as to whether the LHN can survive without the Big XII. Would the Big 10 have taken their network, the SEC, the PAC 10? Doubtful. They’d have been forced to go independent or take over the Sunbelt or Conference USA. We should have forced them to choose.

[...] Oklahoma State) reaffirm their commitment to the Big 12. Right. All this is going to do is make Oklahoma more eager to run. If A&M is forced to stay in the league, and it continues at 10 teams, what kind of environment [...]

Whit, so it was different when Baylor left the SWC? Does Baylor have a set of standards to suit their on agenda?

A&M signed a ten year television deal with the Big 12 last year. What happened to honoring commitments?

Point 1. Love the fact that the Sooners are now calling the shots. As a Nebraska fan, I’m so happy to see the Sooner, not just going along with tu anymore. Would love it if OU joined the Big Ten. I realize that’s probably not going to happen, but I can always hope, right?!?!

Point 2. Baylor can winge all they want, but in the end they won’t have a legal leg to stand on. They play inferior football and should be in an inferior league. Also, they were more than happy to throw former SWC memebers, Rice, Houston, SMU and TCU under the bus when it came time to join the Big XII.

Point 3. Texas is finally getting what it deserves. When the big conference shift occurs, LHN will be caput!

see gul:

Baylor didn’t leave the SWC. The SWC went bankrupt. Geesh. Oklahoma, A&M and everyone else signed a contract. These folks are holding them to the contract that they signed just a year ago. What is the problem with that?

And incidentally, if Oklahoma wanted out of the Big 12 so badly, they could have joined the SEC last year.

Time for the Ags to dust off that Howitzer and march on Waco.

see gul, I am going to post this again since you are too lazy to read DJ Drummond’s explanation above:
John, I don’t know how old you are, but back in 1993 when the SWC started getting into trouble, SMU was just getting out of the death penalty, UH was on probation, Arkansas had quit the SWC and the conference president was dumb enough to go on camera saying he doubted the league could survive. At that time Baylor did literally everything it could to keep the SWC together, but was not successful, in part because Texas and Texas A&M made a separate deal to join the Big 8. The Texas legislature (several dozen players, not just the two people usually mentioned) arranged for the deal to include 4 schools instead of 2, and as of 1994 the 2 best schools from the SWC in football after UT and A&M were Baylor and Tech.
Are you really saying that, having tried for 18 months to save a conference that was going under, Baylor should have refused to take the only offer given to them? Are you blaming Baylor for a move they did NOT initiate?
Then and now, it appears you find it easier to blame a small school which did NOTHING to cause this mess, than to take a hard look at the facts.

Bryan, one more time. Saying Baylor “threw” anyone “under the bus” is complete BS. Baylor tried to save the SWC in ’93, but when the ship sank they took the lifeboat offered. As for the teams left out, SMU and UH were on NCAA probation and TCU and Rice got no support from UT & A&M, who were driving that bus you mentioned.

It wasn’t Baylor’s doing then, and it’s not Baylor who’s greedy and selfish now.

Bryan:

Baylor didn’t throw anyone under the bus. The SWC died. Baylor tried to save it.

Second, Baylor does have a legal leg to stand on. It is called the contract that the Big 12 members signed. Ever hear of breach of contract?

Man! What a bunch of hysteria! Some of you need to read what okla said last year to the effect that “ou will follow what TEXAS does” in regard to leaving the Big 12 or staying. When TEXAS decided to stay, SO DID ou!!!!! That is a FACT and it’s in print for those of you that can read. The Ag’s are just now getting good, beating okla and the cornholers both last year. And they have a top 10 ranking this year, so the move doesn’t make sense from a football perspective, just one of hatred and jealousy. And those are bad motives to do anything, let alone move a major college school like A&M. Anybody can see that they will have a tougher time winning in the SEC. As would ou. And you won’t see ou give up the TEXAS game. No way are they going to lose a chance to recruit in Texas. And BTW if you hate TEXAS so much, try not recruiting down there for 4 or 5 years and see how you like last place, because thats where you would be. No TEXAS no titles. Thats a fact, like it or not and it’s in print.

Kyle Field:

Oh please. The Aggies would be in the Pac-16 right now had Baylor not opposed the deal last year and bought the Aggies time to run begging to the SEC. Texas and Oklahoma were cracking their whips, and the Aggies were following whimpering and simpering along to a conference that they never wanted to go, and Texas tried to get the legislature to withhold funding from the Aggies unless they joined the Longhorns in the Pac-16. So now all of a sudden Baylor is the bad guys? Or has everyone forgotten that? And this very columnist trashed A&M for “disloyalty” and “casting aside tradition” in trying to leave the Pac-16 and go to the SEC. Or have we not forgotten that also?

I think there is some new DNA stains on Ken Star’s blue dress – and it is orange.

I see what you’re gettin’ at, and I would rather see this just be over with, but can you really fault Baylor for trying to protect its brand? Wouldn’t you do the same?

Brad:

Yes, they would. And they are ignoring the fact that they are walking away from a $1.17 billion TV contract that they signed. (Well, A&M isn’t. A&M could leave and the Big 12 could easily replace them with BYU. It is Oklahoma and Texas that would be walking away.) Like Baylor and company are simply supposed to allow all that money to go out the window without a fight! Wouldn’t you do the same?

Gerald the SWC did not go bankrupt. Texas and A&M wanted out and politics allowed tech and Baylor to come along. That is a fact. Another fact is that Baylor is a second tier school and should have never been allowed in the Big12. They are nothing more than welfare recipients, and the time has come for welfare reform. This is the future of big time college football and Baylor does not belong.

one word…Baptist…and there you have it. They constantly spew hate and discontent everywhere they go.

Keith you are wrong about Baptist, quit watching MSNBC. Baylor is ok, just does not belong in big time college football. They need to know their place, and just accept their fate.

Sure, Keith. That’s gotta be it. Couldn’t be greed on the part of some mega-school that confuses itself with an NFL franchise, couldn’t be conferences that break deals as soon as they see something bigger, couldn’t be media that thinks there’s no place for student-athletes who really are students first. Nope, gotta blame the religious schools. Lord knows we can’t expect quality athletes from Baylor, BYU, or Notre Dame, right?

** rolls eyes **

“Welfare”?

Really dman, that’s all you have?

Talk about weak.

Guys, forget about this “honoring commitment” crap. Every team to ever switch conference has done so in the middle of a contract. Same goes for the business world. The Big 12 is a business agreement.

The Big 12′s by-laws legally allows schools to leave the conference (Nebraska and Colorado). That is what the exit penalty is for.

But Bailure hypocrits can continue to convince themselves that they are “fighting the good fight” for some higher calling. Baylor could join Conference USA and still play football. But no, it’s about the money, the Big 12 money. You never belonged in the Big 12 Baylor. You had to weasle your way in and leave your “friends” behind: Rice, SMU, TCU, UH.

You know ‘Gig’Em’, when I was growing up, I always heard how Texas A&M stood for honor, integrity, keeping your word and standing by your neighbors.

Sad, truly, how they chose to throw that away.

You know, there is a difference between the two purported ‘looking out for themselves’ sides here. A&M stood up like a man and said they were dissatisfied with the conference and we are looking elsewhere. Gave people plenty of notice. Baylor jumped out of their high chair pulling on Beebee’s apron strings telling him, “Mommy, I don’t want to go!” and threw this BS out at the last minute. They were fine with A&M was going to leave, but not when OU was leaving. Is it A&M’s fault that Baylor can’t take care of their own business? Should A&M suffer because Baylor doesn’t have the pull necessary to get into an AQ conference? A&M made their mark. So did UT. So did OU. It’s no one’s fault but your own that Baylor isn’t playing on the level that the rest of them are. This reaction just makes Baylor look like a petulant child.

An SEC fan. And no worries – we’ll get A&M eventually. Baylor will still be left in the dust.

Nice try, Tracy. TAMU tucked tail and ran like cowards. Typical for them. All they do is whine about being in the UT shadow. At least they have now proven they are too weak to fight for themselves. They didn’t stand up and fight, they left. Baylor is standing up and fighting for itself – not whimpering away to another conference. It would be weak to just leave. Instead, they decided to man-up and use their leverage to try and change the outcome? Don’t blame Baylor for making a great business decision (lose $100 mill by walking away, or use legal leverage and not sign the waiver), blame the SEC for requiring the waiver. If they REALLY wanted TAMU, they wouldn’t have required the waiver. Infact, no waiver was needed when the Buffs or the Huskers left. But, then again, those conferences actually wanted them.

“Who is the one trying to nullify the contract (or just plain breach it)? The ags.”

Yes, the Aggies are trying to leave the conference. In doing so, they are going to pay penalty fees. A&M asked the Big12 what the fees were and what the process was to get out.

Baylor is saying it is “trying to save collegiate athletics” and “Texas rivalries” by looking out for their own pocketbooks.

The Future:

OU, OSU, Texas, and Tech to the Pac-16

A&M (and three ACC/Big East teams) to the SEC.

Kansas and Missouri (and Notre Dame and Pitt) to the Big 10/Big 16.

Baylor winds up in a “Texas 8″ of Baylor, Houston, UNT, Rice, SMU, Texas State, UTEP, and UTSA, which becomes moderately prosperous for a non-AQ conference running a TV network picked up by most cable systems in Texas.

Iowa State and Kansas State wind up in the MAC or C-USA.

After being raided by the Big Ten and SEC building up to 16 teams, the remaining football teams of the ACC and Big East are pieced together into a single 16-team conference. The four surviving BCS “AQ” conferences (Pac-16, Big 16, Atlantic-16, and SEC) create their own Bowl Championship Playoff. Each of the four have a conference championship, followed by a paired-off bowl game semifinal (Rose Bowl for Pac/Big 16, Orange Bowl for Atlantic/SEC), the winners of the two bowl games playing what the four conferences call the National Championship Game at the Superdome a week later. Teams not in the 4 power conferences complain bitterly of exclusion from the national championship.

Gig’em:

Wrong. Nebraska and Colorado left last year when there was no TV contract. That is why Texas, Texas Tech, A&M, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State tried to leave then too. And yes, it is about the money. Just like it is with A&M, your team and everybody else. You want Baylor to accept something that you never would for yourself. And the exit penalty is one thing. The $1.17 billion contract with ESPN and Fox is another. THAT is the basis for Baylor’s lawsuit.

Dman:

The SWC did go bankrupt. When you have a league where all but one of the schools is in Texas, when the sole non-Texas school (Arkansas) splits, most of the rest of the schools are tiny private schools, and also several are suffering from very serious probation (SMU, Houston, etc.), and several more are perennial losers, and you don’t have a lucrative national TV deal, then wow … your conference tends to go bankrupt. What a surprise.

“Another fact is that Baylor is a second tier school and should have never been allowed in the Big12.”

The same could be said about A&M and the SEC. Last conference title: 1998. Last national title: 1939. I still remember when your program was being led by Jackie Sherrill and R.C. Slocum (let alone Dennis Franchione) so you might want to be careful about the “second tier who doesn’t belong” stuff. If it weren’t for access to the Texas TV sets and recruiting markets, the SEC would have no interest in A&M.

Tracy:

A&M didn’t give plenty of notice. This whole thing began a couple of months ago. In what universe is a few weeks “plenty of notice”? And what “mark” has A&M made? A&M hasn’t won a conference title since 1998, and even that was due to meltdowns by Michael Bishop and Bill Snyder under the pressure.

Gerald,

You ignorant man. It really has nothing to do with wins, as much as it has to do with revenue generated. Baylor has the lowest attendance in the Big12 and that is never going to change. A&M regularly draws over 80,000 even when they sucked. Now that they are good again they have already sold out all of their games. Baylor couldn’t even sell out the TCU game the other night, lots of empty seats. That is why Baylor does not belong in big time football, they make no$$$$$$! Period. Get all high and mighty but if not for football revenue then non revenue sports like track, and all womens sports would suffer greatly. Football pays ALL the bills.

Great article. Baylor can slow this process down a little, but the end result of the Big 12 ending is inevitable. Whether it is good or bad for this to happen in irrelevant at this point.

I am going to enjoy seeing Baylor flushed by the athletic community. And to think I went to grad school there and thought it was a good school. I will have to stop admitting that.

I sure am glad that my huskers got out of this joke of a conference. should have stayed the big eight. Texas always screws up the conferences they are in.

Texas destroyed the old Southwest Conference. Now, Texas has destroyed the Big 12. What conference in its right mind would bring Texas in? I’m surprised that the Big 10 isn’t jumping in on the opportunity. If they could get Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, and their choice of Kansas or Missouri, they’d regain elite status among conferences. OU-Nebraska, Missouri-Illinois, Kansas basketball, and Boone Pickens money! Of course, the SEC and Pac 12 could also nab those schools. Who wouldn’t want them? But, who’s foolish enough to take Texas?

Gee, I guess you were wrong again Berrylicious. All media outlets including ESPN now reporting on the “bogus report” as you termed it. Before you fire off another hack job, how about you actually do the research first?

[...] So now Baylor is fabricating things to throw OSU under the bus? (NewsOK) [...]

Really ‘see gul’? You went to grad school at Baylor?

I’d bet money that’s a lie.

I figure you cant’t even tell me whose statue is on the Quadrangle over by Pat Neff Hall.

HOPE YOU GET LEFT OUT OF ALL CONF. CRY BABY BAYLOR ,YOU SUCK AND ALWAYS WILL.

@David – Iowa State is also an AAU Member. KU, Mizzou, Iowa State, Texas, and Texas A&M are all members of the AAU.

Besides thinking that Baylor belongs in a WAC-like conference anyway, BU’s actions in threatening legal action just make the Bears look like whinny losers. Do something positive, go beg the Big East or something. BU blackmailed itself into the B12 years back and now is at it again. Conference realignment isn’t about a single school or Waco’s economy. Texas made the mistake of not going west when there appeared an opportunity – even traveling to Corvallis or Eastern Washington during the rainy season is better than going to Waco at anytime! I do not comprehend where BU gets the idea that they can hold other schools captive. Does BU really what to play with schools that do not want to play with them? To borrow from an old phrase from a great football coach: “Does BU wish to force someone to take her to the dance?” It is time for BU to develop a rivalry with Texas State in the WAC!

You are obviously a writer for a reason. You couldn’t find a real job! You are as dumb as a brick!