Big problems with ESPN. They are contracted with both the big 12 and the SEC and have a "good faith and fair dealings" clause in both contracts. Problem is that if the big12 falls below 10 teams the contract is voided out and the big 12 won't have nearly the pull they had before. In addition, the UTexas contract for their own network will be voided out and Texas will go apeshit. Big 12 therefore will have to bring someone in, meaning UH comes over since no one else would be willing to join that trainwreck (TCU would have been the choice but they shit their own bed by joining the big east 6 months ago.) ESPN has really f'ed this all up and they will pay big money.

Did you wonder why ESPN and Fox allowed Nebraska and Colorado to leave the Big12 without cutting the TV contract? Well becasue they have breached so many fiducairy obligation thay knew they would be funding everyone's fight and paying on top of it.

The SEC will have a 40% increase in viewership by adding a Texas school and will be able to re-negotiate for huge money. They have a ton to gain from bringing in a Texas school so it will happen. Its an extra 24 million viewers and 2 top ten markets. That won't be ignored. Texas only has two schools that the SEC would be interested in, and since UTexas created that UT network nobody in the world will want to deal with their egos. You guys think Florida is bad, work with UTexas for a day.

The SEC meanwhile was freaked out that they would be sued for tortious interference with the exisiting contracts so they put out the notice yesterday that they didn't instigate all this. Slive did of course instigate all this a year ago, but they have to CYA. They had nothing to vote on because ATM had not yet applied for membership. ATM will vote to leave the Big12 today and will meet with the State legislature committee on higher education. The comittee will be pissed because Baylor and Tech will be left in the cold, but Baylor and Tech really can't bitch since they did the exact same thing to SMU, TCU and UH 20 years ago.

ATM's position is that by contracting with UTexas on a seperate network, ESPN already breached the fiduciary obligation they owed big12 members in the previous contract. ATM is probably right. ESPN really screwed up. SEC was smart to cover thier asses because the litigation is gonna go crazy and because they had nothing to vote on anyway. They also need to decide who they want as the 14th. Fla State is the target but fla state is worried about exit fees from the ACC and also worried that they will be punked by thier big brother Florida. SEC wants the Texas money bad, ATM wants to come over bad so it will happen and happen soon.

So there you have it. Texas tried to screw the world of college football with their individual ESPN contract. ATM called thier bluff and they have only screwed themselves. Now no conference will have them and all their contracts are about to be voided out. ESPN must have a world of morons working for them because they opened up more deserved litigation in one off season than phillip morris. They had fiduciary obligations to everyone and absolutely crushed them with biased contracts and backsided deals. TCU would have made all this work and would have won big except that they signed to play in a New York conference (Uh, Whoops!?). SEC will evntually win big by getting into Texas and ATM will win big by getting away from thier big brother. UHouston also is sitting pretty as they will probably become the 10th big 12 member.

Whew!