It sounds like its going to be a busy day for conference realignment issues. Feel free to consider this to be your open thread.
TEXAS TECH FOOTBALL
Despite Mackey's injury, Tech's defensive line pulls through | Red Raiders
If you want to hear OC Neal Brown and DC Chad Glasgow talk about Saturday's game then go to this link. There will be a lot more football news tomorrow as the traditional Monday press conference will happen.
Red Raider Report Card | Red Raiders
Meh.
LADY RAIDER VOLLEYBALL
Texas Tech Claims Tournament Title With Victory Over UT-Arlington - Texas Tech Red Raiders Official Athletic Site
Red Raiders Close Road Trip at North Texas - Texas Tech Red Raiders Official Athletic Site
Still can't believe that this team won just 4 games (or something like that) last year. Very proud of what Coach Flora has been able to do thus far, no matter what happens in conference play. This team was in shambles last year and is currently 12-1. Haven't played anyone of note, but still like to see this team trending upward.
LADY RAIDER SOCCER
Tech and Arizona End in Scoreless Tie - Texas Tech Red Raiders Official Athletic Site
Conference realignment links are after the jump.
CONFERENCE REALIGNMENT
Tech tight-lipped on Pac-12 rumors | Red Raiders | Does Tech hold an ace in conference reshuffling? | Red Raiders
Both articles are from LAJ's Don Williams, the first there are some quotes from Chancellor Hance about how at this time, Texas Tech doesn't have any comment on conference realignment:
"We’re just being very tight-lipped about it," Hance said. "We’re not going to have any comment until a later time. There is a lot of movement. We’re not in position to say anything right now."
Hance added, "There are things happening right now. We just don’t have a comment."
I may be in the minority, but I'm fine with not saying anything. Given the nature of the news, I'll celebrate when and if there is an official press release from Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott. The second link has this assurance in that Texas Tech AD Kirby Hocutt and President Guy Bailey are working on this issue:
"I’d say Kirby and Dr. Bailey have probably spent 80 percent of their time on it," Hance said of the conference discussions. "It’s probably 40 to 50 percent of mine. But it is so important for us and our future. We just want to get things stabilized at some point in time. It has an impact on everything."
Again, I don't care if they're making a comment and would prefer that the Texas Tech administration keep quiet until the ink is dry.
"Pac-16? Maybe—but it’s a long way from done" | Opinions on Sports with George Schroeder | The Register-Guard
Not so fast my friends:
Pac-12 sources have made clear that the league's presidents are satisfied with the league's size now. With its recently signed TV rights deals and the coming Pac-12 Network, they don't believe expansion is an urgent imperative. It's a big change from a year ago.
And Schroeder says that one of the sticking points is the Longhorn Network:
Whenever Larry Scott has spoken about the potential of expansion, the Longhorn Network has been a non-starter. Fold it into a Pac-12 regional network and give all revenue to the league? Yeah, that would fly.
But that's not quite what's being offered, according to today's reports. I'm led to believe the Pac-12 remains unwilling to compromise on the issue.
Pac-12 expansion: The latest on Texas, revenue sharing and 16-team division alignment | College Hotline
And Wilner confirms:
Texas-to-the-Pac is not happening in the next 24 or 36 hours, folks. It could be a week, or weeks.
There are far too many issues still to be worked out, many of them involving UT’s ultimate willingness to make the concessions necessary to join the Pac-12.
Despite what you may have read, the school and the conference are "nowhere near any agreement," according to one source.
(That doesn’t mean a deal won’t be reached, only that there are several layers to the negotiations and it could take time.)
And apparently Larry Scott is like the honey badger:
Last point: I’ve read and heard a lot about whether Scott has the CEO support to expand or is getting significant push-back from a handful of presidents and chancellors. (Nine votes are needed to approve new members.)
Bottom line: If Scott needs the votes, he’ll have the votes.
He don't care.
Report: West Virginia Submits Paperwork to the SEC - Team Speed Kills
If WVU goes to the SEC, this leaves Missouri out in the cold a bit, but as mentioned above, there's a long ways to go.
Big 12 exodus could set the stage for Pac-16
This article is actually from DMN's Chuck Carlton, but you have to pay for a subscription from the DMN, but you can normally read it free other places, like the San Francisco Gate. In any event, Carlton says that all of the options remain on the table for Texas:
But another source cautioned against drawing conclusions and said that for Texas, "All options remain on the table - including the ACC." Texas officials were described as looking at the possibilities throughout Sunday. Another Big 12 school source indicated that the ACC deferred quick action on adding Connecticut and Rutgers because Texas remained in play.
Dean's Blog: Move To Pac-12 All But Done-Deal - NewsOn6.com - Tulsa, OK - News, Weather, Video and Sports - KOTV.com |
Don't know who this is, but apparently Oklahoma and Oklahoma St. are a done deal, despite what Texas may, or may not do.
9 things and 1 crazy prediction for this week
I've seen a lot of comments about how academics could play a part in Texas Tech being admitted or not being admitted to a conference. If conference realignment was about academics, then I'd totally agree with that as Texas Tech doesn't have the reputation that Texas does in terms of academics, but Oklahoma and Oklahoma St. are in the same boat as Texas Tech:
Should Texas have second thoughts and decide not to seek admission to the Pac-12 Conference highly unlikely that league would be willing to invite Kansas and Kansas State to join, along with Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.
Lesser academic credentials would be cited as a reason against Kansas State and the two Oklahoma schools, but if the Pac-12 looked to accept Texas Tech as well as OU and OSU, it would be taking in three schools with less desirable academic profiles, no matter which way the Pac-12 opted.
Texas and Kansas are the only two members of the prestigious Association of American Universities in that group. The Pac-12 wants Texas and OU. But let it be said that OSU has drastically upgraded its entire athletic résumé — with a rising football program to go with terrific tradition in basketball, baseball, wrestling and men's golf — and an improving Texas Tech could have 50,000 students in the next decade.