oh. are they reupping the Big12 / Pac10 Hardwood Challange? whoopie!

Big 12, Pac-10 look at alliance

By BLAIR KERKHOFF

The Kansas City Star

Big 12 Conference athletic directors met with their Pacific-10 counterparts in Phoenix on Wednesday and Thursday to discuss collaborating in a future sports landscape and possibly working together on television contracts, a source told The Kansas City Star.

Contacted Thursday, Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe confirmed the meetings but did not offer specifics. He called the exchange “very positive.”

“It was an informal gathering,” Beebe said. “We talked about how we might cooperate going forward.”

The meeting could be seen as preparation for possible Big Ten expansion. The Big Ten announced last December that it was exploring adding members, and among those swirling in the speculation are Big 12 members Missouri and Nebraska.

An alliance between the Big 12 and Pac-10 could strengthen their position in television negotiations. As the two major conferences west of the Mississippi River, their schools are located in or near six of the nation’s top 13 media markets — Los Angeles, Dallas, San Francisco, Houston, Seattle and Phoenix.

The Big 12 has football television contracts with ABC/ESPN that go through 2016 and with Fox Sports Net through 2012. The league begins negotiations with Fox starting next spring.

The Pac-10 also has deals with ABC/ESPN and Fox through 2012 and is expected to begin negotiating new deals this year.

According to the source, a negotiating point for new deals could involve games between the Pac-10 and Big 12.

The conferences already partner in men’s basketball. Last week, the leagues announced the matchups for the fourth Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series.



Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/2010/05/06...#ixzz0nCRydFvl

My link was better, IMO, as it deals with things that people in power actually care about - money.


<table class="tableizer-table"><tbody><tr><td>1st</td> <td>Texas</td> <td>$120,288,370 </td> <td>Big 12</td> </tr> <tr> <td>2nd</td> <td>Ohio State</td> <td>$117,953,712 </td> <td>Big Ten</td> </tr> <tr> <td>3rd</td> <td>Florida</td> <td>$106,030,895 </td> <td>Southeastern Conference</td> </tr> <tr> <td>4th</td> <td>Michigan</td> <td>$99,027,105 </td> <td>Big Ten</td> </tr> <tr> <td>5th</td> <td>Wisconsin</td> <td>$93,452,334 </td> <td>Big Ten</td> </tr> <tr> <td>6th</td> <td>Penn State</td> <td>$91,570,233 </td> <td>Big Ten</td> </tr> <tr> <td>7th</td> <td>Auburn</td> <td>$89,305,326 </td> <td>Southeastern Conference</td> </tr> <tr> <td>8th</td> <td>Alabama</td> <td>$88,869,810 </td> <td>Southeastern Conference</td> </tr> <tr> <td>9th</td> <td>Tennessee</td> <td>$88,719,798 </td> <td>Southeastern Conference</td> </tr> <tr> <td>10th</td> <td>Oklahoma State</td> <td>$88,554,438 </td> <td>Big 12</td> </tr> <tr> <td>11th</td> <td>Kansas</td> <td>$86,009,257 </td> <td>Big 12</td> </tr> <tr> <td>12th</td> <td>Louisiana State</td> <td>$84,183,362 </td> <td>Southeastern Conference</td> </tr> <tr> <td>13th</td> <td>Georgia</td> <td>$84,020,180 </td> <td>Southeastern Conference</td> </tr> <tr> <td>14th</td> <td>Notre Dame</td> <td>$83,352,439 </td> <td>Independent</td> </tr> <tr> <td>15th</td> <td>Iowa</td> <td>$81,148,310 </td> <td>Big Ten</td> </tr> <tr> <td>16th</td> <td>Michigan State</td> <td>$77,738,746 </td> <td>Big Ten</td> </tr> <tr> <td>17th</td> <td>Oklahoma</td> <td>$77,098,009 </td> <td>Big 12</td> </tr> <tr> <td>18th</td> <td>Stanford</td> <td>$76,661,466 </td> <td>Pac-10</td> </tr> <tr> <td>19th</td> <td>University of Southern California</td> <td>$76,409,919 </td> <td>Pac-10</td> </tr> <tr> <td>20th</td> <td>Nebraska</td> <td>$75,492,884 </td> <td>Big 12</td> </tr> <tr> <td>21st</td> <td>Texas A&M</td> <td>$74,781,640 </td> <td>Big 12</td> </tr> <tr> <td>22nd</td> <td>Kentucky</td> <td>$71,186,184 </td> <td>Southeastern Conference</td> </tr> <tr> <td>23rd</td> <td>Duke</td> <td>$67,820,335 </td> <td>ACC</td> </tr> <tr> <td>24th</td> <td>South Carolina</td> <td>$66,545,953 </td> <td>Southeastern Conference</td> </tr> <tr> <td>25th</td> <td>UCLA</td> <td>$66,088,264 </td> <td>Pac-10</td></tr></tbody></table>
Full list.

810 now reporting the Big Ten has made offers to Mizzou and Nebraska, along with Notre Dame and Rutgers.


http://www.810whb.com/article/3527#

Big Ten makes initial offer to Big 12 pair

The Big Ten Conference has extended initial offers to join the league to four universities including Missouri and Nebraska from the Big 12, according to multiple sources close to the negotiations.

While nothing can be approved until the Big Ten presidents and chancellors meet the first week of June in Chicago, the league has informed the two Big 12 schools, Notre Dame and Rutgers that it would like to have them join. It is not yet clear whether the Big Ten will expand to 14 or 16 teams but sources indicated Missouri and Nebraska are invited in either scenario. Notre Dame has repeatedly declined the opportunity to join the Big Ten. If Notre Dame remains independent, Rutgers would be the 14th team. The Big Ten would then decide whether to stop at 14 or extend offers to two other schools. If Notre Dame joins, sources say an offer will be extended to one other school making it a 16-team league.

In order for the University of Missouri to join the Big Ten, the Missouri Board of Regents will still have to approve the move. Sources close to the governing body say the Big Ten has told officials that Mizzou could add $1.3 million per month in revenue to the lucrative Big Ten Television Network. The Big Ten Network is currently offered on basic cable to very few of over 7 million residents living in Missouri television markets and adding it throughout the state will be a windfall for the conference.

Big Ten representatives have also told Missouri officials they would like to have the entire expansion process wrapped up this summer with a formal announcement coming no later than July.

The University of Missouri is currently under contract with the Big 12 conference and will have to pay a stiff penalty to leave the Big 12. The Big 12 charter states any member will lose between 50 and 100 percent of its shared annual revenue depending on the length of notice any school gives. According to published reports, Missouri receives around $9 million annually in shared football revenue from the Big 12. According to sources, it seems likely Missouri would give one- year notice. It is projected that Missouri's football revenues would increase by $10 million or more per year when it joins the Big Ten versus what it currently receives in the Big 12.

Let the chaos ensue.

ESPN hypothetical maps of 4 mega-conferences:
http://espn.go.com/blog/sportscenter...ference-jumble

Approve it NOW.

fapfapfapfap

Not great. But not bad either.

That is the biggest piece of hypothetical garbage I have ever seen. Seems like it was done 100% based on geography.

Seems a bit off, even if that was the Orange Bowl year.

It would make road trips infinitely more enjoyable.

The Pac-10 snobbish-elite type would HATE having to travel to Kansas/K-State.

Assemble the regents and approve that deal immediately - both schools.

Big 12 dug its own grave
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Woot.

Make it RAIN!!!!