Randy Stevens of the SAN MARCOS (TX) DAILY RECORD reports this week that a billboard advertising a cable television service featuring an image of Colt McCoy has been taken down after numerous complaints from San Marcos residents.

San Marcos is the home of Texas State University and residents were reportedly offended by the image of ex-Texas Longhorn McCoy and the slogan “Get Hooked” being included in the ad.

Hutch Bass is the VP of Grande Communications, the company that put up the billboard:

“We went over the input we received and we decided to change the billboard. We apologize if we offended in Texas State fans. Certainly, that was never our intent. We listened to the market and we are going to change the ad to something more appropriate.”

The backdown was a mere 48 hours after Bass attempted to justify the billboard to Stevens of the Daily Record: Read more…

Much of the reporting on the financial conditions required to ensure the survival of the Big 12 has centered on potential buyout penalties to be paid out to remaining members of the conference by Nebraska and Colorado.

(Not one nickel)

Multiple outlets have reported that Nebraska and Colorado will be required to pay the league between $6 and $10 million for the privilege of leaving the league. It has also been widely reported that as part of the negotiation to keep the league alive, the Big 12’s five have-not schools agreed to hand over that alleged NU and CU buyout money to Oklahoma, Texas A&M and Texas.

Sounds like a plan! If only it wasn’t completely untrue.

As noted by Nebraska Chancellor Harvey Perlman this week, there is no existing Big 12 bylaw that states that teams departing from the league must pay out a penalty fee to remaining conference members.

Perlman noted on KLIN-AM in Lincoln yesterday that, “there is a liquidated damages provision that purports to make the existing members whole,” but that there is no pre-designated charge for leaving the conference.

That doesn’t mean though that there isn’t something in the Big 12 bylaws that will injure NU and CU financially. There is. And it’s the reason both schools are in such a mad dash to escape the league.

Read more…

The best-kept secret at AOL Fanhouse, Jon Weinbach, has previously unreported details about the television negotiation that prevented the Big 12 from disintegrating.

Several outlets have reported that ESPN and Fox, whose Big 12 TV contracts expire in 2016 and 2012, respectively, agreed to significantly higher payments in order to keep Texas in the Big 12 and secure the conference’s future. But a person familiar with the conference’s negotiations said “reports of a new TV deal between Fox and the Big 12 are inaccurate.”

A television network executive with knowledge of the negotiations also confirmed to me today that ESPN did not dump any more money into its existing deal with the Big 12. I was told that the key role played ESPN was that the network agreed not reduce to its financial commitment to the Big 12 despite two schools leaving the league.

ESPN’s financial contribution to the deal merely remained static, which means that a larger amount of revenue from the ESPN deal now goes to each of the 10 remaining Big 12 schools.

Weinbach also has previously unreported details on what motivated Fox to maintain its longterm relationship with the Big 12, effectively killing the proposed Pac-16 TV deal which was - ironically - authored the Fox. Read more…

Chuck Carlton of the DALLAS MORNING NEWS reports Monday that Pac-10 Commissioner Larry Scott has confirmed that Texas has turned down an invitation from the conference. Texas has also confirmed the news on its official sports website.

That signals that the Big 12 Conference will - for now - remain intact with 10 teams.

Carlton reports factors that apparently contributed to the Big 12 staying together:

Under Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe’s plan, Texas would see a sharp increase in revenue under a new cable TV right deal with Fox Sports.

Because of the Big 12’s revenue sharing formula, Texas would probably make more than the $17 million average, perhaps close to $20 million. The Longhorns would also be allowed to form their own network, something that would not be allowed in the Pac-10.

A source said the network could eventually produce up to $5 million in revenue based on projections, which would likely bring Texas more money than a move to the Pac-10.

Another reason the conference remained intact was team travel, especially without the possibility of Texas A&M, despite the Pac-10’s hope to focus on divisional travel and avoid numerous distant road trips to the Northwest.

What’s interesting about the supposed new Fox Sports cable deal with the Big 12 is that Fox was also reportedly heavily involved in the Pac-10’s bid to get the Texas and Oklahoma schools from the Big 12.

The revenue jump offered by a Fox Sports TV package reportedly was the biggest reason why Texas was entertaining going to the Pac-10. So with that in mind, why would Fox pony up the cash to the Big 12 in a deal that would seal the demise of the same Pac-16 deal it reportedly proposed? Read more…

Here’s some Tweets I posted Sunday morning about the prospect of the Pac-16:

If you asked the man who runs the Big 12, Texas Athletic Director DeLoss Dodds, if he’d take back Colorado at this point - without Nebraska - wonder what he’d say?

For the uninformed, that’s a rhetorical question.

Now, what’s my basis for Utah joining the Pac-10?

Read more…

With the Big 12’s demise now seemingly imminent, what caused such a powerful college sports player to collapse almost overnight?

(Kevin Weiberg and Chris Bevilacqua)

It wasn’t just the defection of the Nebraska. In fact, it probably has more to do with two guys you never heard of than anything that’s been reported in the past week.

The prospect of an increased annual television payout from Fox is what first led Texas Athletic Director DeLoss Dodds to meet with Pac-10 officials three weeks ago in Austin to discuss a possible exodus of Big 12 schools to the Pac-10.

So where did that new television plan come from? Pac-10 Commissioner Larry Scott certainly had something to do with it, but the magnet that is the Pac-10 for Texas is more about two Scott hires than the commissioner himself. Read more…

Appears we’re hitting the home stretch this week on conference realignment involving the Big 12, SEC and Pac-10.

Lots of conjecture in the press today about how politics is playing a role in what Texas and Texas A&M will do in that regard. But the biggest political mover and shaker, Texas Governor and A&M alumnus Rick Perry, is most likely not directly involved in the discussions.

Why? He’s in China.

From the AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN:

China has invited the world to the Shanghai Expo, hoping it will be the largest world fair ever. Texas is responding by paying $425,000 to sponsor ‘Texas Week’ at the USA Pavilion. As tourists are exposed to Texas-style entertainment, Perry and a delegation of business leaders want to expose Chinese companies and officials to the benefits of buying from or building in Texas. Two members of Austin-area chambers of commerce also will make the trip.

That isn’t to say that Perry won’t have influence on what the Aggies and Longhorns end up doing, but you would think his location could minimize his impact on the discussion. Ironic considering Perry appointed each and every member of the Texas A&M and Texas Board of Regents.

One such appointment was Dr. Michael McKinney, the Chairman of the A&M Board of Regents and Chancellor of The Texas A&M University System. McKinney, who once served as Perry’s Chief of Staff, has a son named Seth who played football at A&M and currently is with the Buffalo Bills.

Turns out can be rather opinionated on the subject of A&M’s conference affiliation.

Read more…

Chuck Carlton of the DALLAS MORNING NEWS has this Saturday:

Pac-10 commissioner Larry Scott was en route from Colorado to the states of Texas and Oklahoma with invitations in hand, a source familiar with the process confirmed.

If the Aggies cannot commit, the Pac-10 is prepared to invite Kansas with its great basketball tradition. While the Jayhawks are desperate to find a landing spot, they would have to leave in-state rival Kansas State, a political problem.

Meanwhile Kirk Bohls of the AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN reports that Texas A&M does not have an official invitation to join the SEC but does have a “firm” invite from the Pac-10.

Texas A&M does not have a firm invitation to join the Southeastern Conference and may not receive one at all, a very highly-placed school official at one of the Big 12 schools expected to leave for the Pac-10 Conference no later than Tuesday told the Statesman on Saturday afternoon.

“They don’t have an offer,” said the high-profile figure, who is heavily involved in these conference realignment negotiations. “They do not have an offer. They can’t.”

The school official said, “I don’t think they are risking anything (by A&M’s indecisiveness), not if they’re looking (at the SEC).”

He confirmed that is because A&M knows it has a solid invitation to join the Pac-10 along with Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.

Pac-10 Commissioner Larry Scott is in the process of visiting those Big 12 schools between now and Tuesday when the board of regents for Texas and Texas Tech meet in separate meetings.

“He’s trying to hit everybody,” the source said of Scott. “He’s among some of the schools now. He won’t be here on Tuesday.”

If A&M were to try to secure an invitation to the SEC, the source said the Pac-10 would seriously consider Kansas.

When asked today by the ASSOCIATED PRESS if the Pac-10’s Scott was indeed en route to Austin, Texas Athletic Director DeLoss Dodds said, “could be.”

How much time will the Pac-10 give A&M to make an affiliation decision? Read more…

Yesterday I noted the dilemma facing Texas Governor and A&M alumnus Rick Perry with the conference realignment situation facing the Texas school.

So far, Perry has professed to staying away from the situation, which I interpreted Friday as meaning that A&M will go with Texas to the Pac-10. (If the Aggies were to go to the SEC, that could potentially end all games between UT and A&M … would he want that to happen on his watch?)

Today, longtime AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN columnist Kirk Bohls noted that despite Perry’s involvement denials, sources told him that the governor would have ultimate say on where his alma mater would land.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry will have a decisive say in which conference his alma mater, Texas A&M, joins and he probably prefers the Aggies link with Texas and other Big 12 schools and accept invitations to the Pac-10 Conference, two long-time political figures told the Statesman. Read more…

Chip Brown of Texas sports website Orangebloods.com reports Friday afternoon on Twitter:

Texas will announce its plans to join the Pac-10 after its regents meet next Tuesday, sources confirm to Orangebloods.com.

Brown also reported today that with Nebraska now joining the Pac-10, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State will join Texas in the Longhorns’ exodus west.

Texas A&M is another matter, as the Aggies are reportedly mulling a move east to the SEC. Such a decision could reportedly signal the end of the century-long rivalry between the Longhorns and the Aggies.

Brown reported Thursday, via Orangebloods.com Publisher Geoff Ketchum, that Texas may move to eliminate all games between the schools if A&M does not join the Pac-10 with the Longhorns.

That perhaps could be the most unbelievable development of everything we’ve seen the past week. And if it were to somehow happen, one person would deserve the most blame - and he doesn’t work for either school. Read more…