re: A&M President Loftin officially has authority to seek new conference

So long as we can lay to rest any further t.u. jokes not relating to Tulane- all will be well.

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I partly blame Ags. I've heard more Ag jokes from other Ags than anybody else. Tigah's are a close second though

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LINK

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What was once thought to be a slam-dunk, done deal for A&M is now fraught with legal entanglements. The New York Times reported that the SEC is possibly leaving itself open for a tortious interference claim should it be perceived that the league is raiding the Big 12. Texas A&M may be looking at a buyout that approaches $30 million if it leaves the Big 12 only 14 months after the 10 remaining schools made a 10-year pledge to stay together.

It's clear that ESPN has a major stake in the issues being discussed. It could be upset that if the SEC gets Texas A&M that would allow the conference to renegotiate a new deal at a higher dollar value. The SEC is two years into a 20-year, $3 billion deal with ESPN and CBS.

If A&M leaves, then that would put in jeopardy the future of the Big 12, which is due to go out to bid in exclusive negotiating window with ESPN within the next two years. ESPN could also be concerned about the future of, and its investment in, the Longhorn Network at Texas.

In essence, ESPN would be paying more for the SEC but potentially lose a property in the Big 12 if that league breaks up. The net result, potentially, would be less inventory for ESPN to telecast. That's the reason why ESPN and Fox combined to save the Big 12 last summer. If it had dissolved, ESPN would have lost the Big 12 and possibiltiy been shut out of the Pac-12 if that league had gone on the open market.

As it stands, ESPN combined with Fox to get the rights to the new Pac-12.

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I believe that's what the lawyers are looking at. I think the exit fee will be negotiated to 10-12 million.

We have legitimate reasons to be leaving

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Agreed.

After thinking about it, I remember last year that there was a ton of disbelief that the Big 12-2 could ever really pay A&M the $20 million per year it promised in TV revenue, considering 1) the conference shrunk by two teams, 2) one of the teams (Nebraska) was a football power with a decent-sized national following, and 3) the lack of a (revenue producing) conference championship game.

Dr. Loftin may be waiting to see if the Big 12-2 will be able to deliver on the money; if not, A&M may argue "breach of contract" and seek to leave the conference without a buyout fee being paid.

The words of my favorite Depeche Mode song seem to fit very well with all that is going on:

LINK