Conference Realignment - where will we be in 5 yrs?

[uniftw]

Wait...EKU? Eastern Kentucky?

When did they become a good football team? They are bad...even for FCS standards. They play in one of the worst FCS conferences and the records have been bad

10: 6-5
09: 5-6
08: 8-4 - lost in the first round of playoffs
07: 9-3 - lost in the first round of playoffs
06: 6-5
05: 7-4
04: 6-5
03: 7-5
02:8-4
01: 8-2 (still no playoffs because they have no respect in the FCS world and had the bare minimum D1 wins to be playoff eligible)
00: 6-5





I guess by MSU standards that is pretty good...getting to the playoffs is something MSU hasn't done in quite some time. MSU hasn't been to the playoffs since 1990...infact MSU has only been to the D1 playoffs twice in program history.

[Red]

The fact is is that ISU and KSU only have the money for those facilities because of their conference....and they are pretty low on the "nice" standard within the B12. Give UNI the football money from that B12 that ISU gets and UNI would have much nicer things as well.

Taking away the conference money (none of which KSU or ISU really brings into the conference) they are nothing more than a mid-major in basketball or football.

This is exactly 100% right.

[unipanther99]

Iowa State and Baylor are in deep do-do.

http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/college/ ... eCUtGv7dNP

[Aargh]

Iowa State and Baylor are in deep do-do.

http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/college/ ... eCUtGv7dNP

That Big East-West FB division looks like a real gem. Watch the MWC go after the BEast's BCS AQ.

[ShockValue]

Iowa State and Baylor are in deep do-do.

http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/college/ ... eCUtGv7dNP

Baylor flexing it's muscle now. This is pure comedy.

[DoubleJayAlum]

Iowa State and Baylor are in deep do-do.

http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/college/ ... eCUtGv7dNP

Baylor flexing it's muscle now. This is pure comedy.

I don't blame Baylor. The SEC is the wimp here - why make the TAMU offer contingent on their being no litigation? If you want them, don't pussyfoot around, just take them.

The only thing that makes sense is that the SEC is, in fact, guilty of tortious interference and knows they have a real good chance of losing any lawsuit....

[MoValley John]

I don't blame Baylor. The SEC is the wimp here - why make the TAMU offer contingent on their being no litigation? If you want them, don't pussyfoot around, just take them.

The only thing that makes sense is that the SEC is, in fact, guilty of tortious interference and knows they have a real good chance of losing any lawsuit....

I don't blame Baylor, either. I do disagree on the outcome of a lawsuit, however. Baylor would need to be able to prove that the the SEC did interfere. As of now, it looks like the SEC followed everything in an orderly fashion and no different than any other conference when adding teams.

On the other hand, an interesting tidbit has come from all of this, an actual, hardcopy of a letter from the Big XII to Arkansas, inviting them to the Big XII. While there are no real damages as Arkansas stayed home, the Big XII now has dirty hands. This is also why Beebe was so quick to sign off on the SEC letter.

In the end, unless you can prove that the SEC interfered, which at this point you can't, it is hard to build a case. There is also precedent on teams moving conferences without penalizing conferences. The simplest precedent is Texas, aTm, Baylor and Tech to the Big XII. This move actually destroyed the SWC, yet there is no judgement of tortious interference. And yes, the little guys in that fiasco also threatened, there were just no legs to stand on. Any time something doesn't go a Texan's way, the first thing they always do is lawyer up.

[unipanther99]

I don't think the legal argument would be that the Big XII as an entity was harmed, but rather "innocent bystander" schools like Baylor and Iowa State who made financial commitments based on income that seemed to be guaranteed for a certain point of time until Texas A&M upset the apple cart. I don't know that it's a winning legal argument, but it probably has enough legs to drag the thing out for a couple of years. Meanwhile Baylor and Iowa State get to continue receiving their share and have some time to consider what options they might have.

[DoubleJayAlum]

I don't blame Baylor. The SEC is the wimp here - why make the TAMU offer contingent on their being no litigation? If you want them, don't pussyfoot around, just take them.

The only thing that makes sense is that the SEC is, in fact, guilty of tortious interference and knows they have a real good chance of losing any lawsuit....

I don't blame Baylor, either. I do disagree on the outcome of a lawsuit, however. Baylor would need to be able to prove that the the SEC did interfere. As of now, it looks like the SEC followed everything in an orderly fashion and no different than any other conference when adding teams.

On the other hand, an interesting tidbit has come from all of this, an actual, hardcopy of a letter from the Big XII to Arkansas, inviting them to the Big XII. While there are no real damages as Arkansas stayed home, the Big XII now has dirty hands. This is also why Beebe was so quick to sign off on the SEC letter.

In the end, unless you can prove that the SEC interfered, which at this point you can't, it is hard to build a case. There is also precedent on teams moving conferences without penalizing conferences. The simplest precedent is Texas, aTm, Baylor and Tech to the Big XII. This move actually destroyed the SWC, yet there is no judgement of tortious interference. And yes, the little guys in that fiasco also threatened, there were just no legs to stand on. Any time something doesn't go a Texan's way, the first thing they always do is lawyer up.

I suspect that through the discovery process, you may be able to find quite a few emails between SEC schools and TAMU about having them dump the Big 12 and join the SEC, as well as emails among SEC institutions themselves. I seriously doubt that TAMU decides to just leave the Big 12 without an offer from the SEC. I also don't buy that the SEC is now making its offer contingent just because it is afraid of a little litigation. It isn't the litigation they are afraid of, it is losing the litigation that has them scared to death as it could mean huge dollars.

The "precedent" you cite isn't actually precedent at all because the SWC members never did anything about it. Just because they didn't file suit, it doesn't serve as precedent restricting other schools from doing so. Further, one has to prove up on damages, which may not have been as significant in the SWC's case. The Big 12, on the other hand, has some huge TV contracts for which the member schools benefit. If those contracts are null and void or voidable by the TV networks because the Big 12 disintegrates, there are some pretty significant damages in this case. (By the way, when Miami, Va Tech and other left the Big East, the Big East filed suit and and got $5M in settlement. TV contracts have escalated astronomically since then).

I think Baylor, Iowa St, et al have a pretty good case here. Frankly, I think the SEC knows that and hence the conditional offer to TAMU.

[DoubleJayAlum]

I don't think the legal argument would be that the Big XII as an entity was harmed, but rather "innocent bystander" schools like Baylor and Iowa State who made financial commitments based on income that seemed to be guaranteed for a certain point of time until Texas A&M upset the apple cart.

Bingo! B 12, Inc isn't going to be filing suit. The suit(s) will be filed by Baylor University, Iowa State University, etc.