Absolute Rumor Warning: If you don't like them don't read it.

Call it the Texas Counter Strike

Conference is saved (although still wary about intentions of Mizzou and A&M, more Mizzou now than A&M). Big XII counter by going after the Arizona schools and capturing the Phoenix market to guard against possible loss of KC and St. Louis markets. Eyes later expansion toward USC and UCLA as PAC continues to lose out on viewership in western time zone, mediocre teams, and crippled USC sanctions.

Generally, it'll work like this.

Texas will finish 11-1, the one loss coming against Kansas State.
Oklahoma will finish 11-1, the one loss coming against Texas.
Kansas State will finish 1-11, since they can't beat anybody but Texas.
Kansas and Missouri will finish with identical 7-5 records, but Missouri wins head-to-head. Nevertheless, Missouri gets relegated to the Poinsettia Bowl and loses by three touchdowns to Ball State.

FML

The research opportunity is a piece of that CIC fund that the Big Ten has. Just more cash graping.

Making Wickedson right all along. :)

ROFL

LMAO

Weak.

Now Arizona and Arizona State to the Big 12 could be a shocker. OU and OSU would go to the North then. KU folks would be happy to death with Arizona in the league.

weak why? I never wanted that game from the start. Wouldn't make any difference to my team. They never played in it and never would have. I don't want to see better teams have an off night and let someone in the BCS that really shouldn't be there.

They shoulda tried this a long time ago

It can keep you out of the BCSCG too. For instance, if OU and Texas both end the season 11-1, Florida and Bama end the season 11-1, and ohio state finishes 11-0 because the big 10 is garbage. The winner of Florida-Bama will definitely get the nod over OU or UT if they don't have a CG.

Not having a CG also throws away millions of $$ that could go to the conference.

:(

At least we'd have KU in head-to-head. :)

No way OU and Texas are in seperate divisions.

They want Jerry World filled and all national tv eyes on the first December Saturday - thats the game they want.

well, that idea was laughable because of our crap contract. Thats why the "why don't we poach schools" rantings looked like crazy-talk.

BUT, now that we apparently have this iron-clad promise of a deal about equal to the SEC, along with (and this is important) some clauses written into the deal to adjust the value to stay competitive with other conferences... well, that changes everything. The PAC 10 will probably get a good deal someday soon, but now they are the conference with the below-market contract.

I really doubt this will pan out because Arizona really is quite far away and it is very reasonable for them to expect a good outcome from a PAC 10 network.