|
I don't see why Texas would go to the SEC or Pac 10 if it rebuffs overtures from the Big Ten. Particularly the SEC, since Texas seems to be a school that, if it would leave the Big 12, would be interested in being in an academic-minded sports conference.
I'm pretty sure that both Texas and Notre Dame realize that they don't have to be involved in this game of musical chairs if they choose not to be. Neither are going to be strong-armed into a conference. Notre Dame can obviously survive and do well on its own and Texas (w/ its other in-state allies) has enough pull that they can anchor a conference and it will be involved in the BCS.
I don't think the Big Ten goes to 16 schools without Texas and/or Notre Dame. I think the value of the Big Ten Network was obviously underrated when folks first started talking about expansion, but I still don't think that it will produce enough to feed five more non-Texas or Notre Dame mouths without taking money away from the existing schools.
The more I think about it, the more I think they move to twelve with either Missouri or Rutgers (either of whom can deliver a big enough in-state market + the title game to make the money work) or go to 14 with those two plus Nebraska or Pitt.
|