Conference carousel to start spinning again?

[STL_XUfan]

As untrustworthy of a source as you can get, but makes you wonder if something could be coming.

InsideTide InsideTheCrimsonTide
Texas A&M could be on the move . Meeting with board of regents Thurs to discuss move to the SEC. That means SEC will shopping for two. SM

A&M was basically begging to join the SEC last time around, so if the SEC is offering, I am guessing A&M is listening.

[X-band '01]

I don't think they'll leave if Texas is staying put in the Big X for now.

[xudash]

I don't think they'll leave if Texas is staying put in the Big X for now.

band, you aren't looking at this the right way, IMO.

The power players behind A&M are furious with what came down with Texas's private Longhorn TV deal, coupled with how things are moving along with the Big XII package. In essence, Texas is sitting with Boardwalk and Park Place with hotels on both and they own the railroads and a couple other properties to boot now.

That doesn't sit well with a major in-state rival who wants its own glory and respected place at the table.

I figured the Big XII would crack first because of Texas's overwhelming position in it. I figured that based on the BE having no clear, overwhelming choices for adding new football members. I just didn't think it would happen so soon.

Wowzer.

And some stuff from the A&M world:

http://v4.texags.com/Stories/2411

[danaandvictory]

I don't think they'll leave if Texas is staying put in the Big X for now.

I have the opposite view -- I think A&M would love to move to the SEC now that Texas pulled the Longhorn Network power play. A&M has a real inferiority complex toward Austin -- listen to their fight song, for Chrissakes -- and their administration might view this as the only way to one-up UT.

[STL_XUfan]

I don't think they'll leave if Texas is staying put in the Big X for now.

I think texas has alienated most of the Big X(-II) because of what happened in the last shuffle. Texas not only receives an unequal payout that is more than double most of the schools in the BigXii, they used their flirtation with the pac10 to make the rest of the big xii schools agree to pay to texas all of the buyout money from colorado and nebraska for the privilege of affiliating with texas. Further they were able to use their power to establish their own tv network in which they get to keep all of the profits (think that would have been allowed in any other BCS conference?).

I think if BigXii teams get a whiff of another offer they are going to go running to get out of Texas's fiefdom known as the Big Xii (Oklahoma excluded).

Also, what is going to be on the longhorn network? One would think a major draw in texas would be shows on recruiting for the longhorns, however, since it is owned and operated by the Texas athletic department they can't mention or talk about any recruit until they have signed a letter of intent or else it will be considered publicizing recruits, which is not allowed under the NCAA rules.

[X-band '01]

For starters, they're going to have one football game and a select number of basketball games on their network.

As far as A&M being jealous of Texas's TV deal, they're not unique in that regard. Nebraska was clearly fed up with playing second fiddle to Texas and eventually wound up switching over to the Big 10. If I'm not mistaken, the Big 10 could still elect to add a few teams to their conference down the line.

At the end of the day, how will A&M do in a conference that no longer has Nebraska or Colorado? Who knows, maybe the Big East could always go after member #18 and give TCU a travel partner...

[JimmyTwoTimes37]

Cmon AM...We need the dominoes to fall if we ever want to get out of the A10

[STL_XUfan]

http://aol.sportingnews.com/ncaa-foo...-games-on-hold

Best line of the article:
“That would not be a way we want a recruiting advantage," [Dodds] said, according to the Morning News. "This will be a service to high school football. We don’t want it tied to Texas.”

[bobbiemcgee]

Cmon AM...We need the dominoes to fall if we ever want to get out of the A10

Needed a laugh today.

[POLLYANNA]

I live in Houston, and thus live via local media A&M and UT news.
By all accounts, A&M are gone. Period.
Personally, I love it. It's high time UT gets its come-uppence. A&M should have done this a year.
Anyway, UT's BS has now chased three (A&M, Colorado, and Nebraska out of the Big 12, and a nine school (with weak sisters Baylor, Texas Tech, KU) just don't cut it. Rumblings here have Houston and SMU coming aboard with BYU to get back to 12 schools. Whoopee, back damn near to the old SWC.
But I digress.
The SEC is now in the drivers seat, and they will, repeat, add another school to bring the membership to 14. Candidates include Florida St, Clemson, Miami, (won't happen, they bring nothing to the table), Oklahoma, West Virginia,Missouri, and Virginia Tech.
Oklahoma is the prize, and that would mean the death knell of the Big 12....and I'd love to see it.
But my dollar is on Virginia Tech. Location, and they bring the DC TV market with them.
If it's Virginia Tech, then the ACC has to go get West Virginia, and the Big East will go after Charlotte. Hell, the ACC may opt to wrap up a couple more teams and go to 14 (Syracuse? Rutgers? with Pitt going to the Big 10.
Soooo, when it all shakes out, none of this will affect Xavier whatsoever, unless, the football playing schools in the Big East
left break away to form a new conference (combining with the C-USA, then who know if Xavier would be an invitee.
I doubt it.