Here we go again y'all. Big conferences wheeling and dealing.

The latest rounds of conference TV deals were announced, and both the Big 12 and the ACC received television deals. The Big 12's was relatively sweet, although not quite as delectable as the one the Pac-12 got (and considering the future inflow from the TV network, it'll run a distant second).

The ACC's is much lower, and Florida State is not at all happy with its latest deal.

It's gotten so dire, the Seminoles are looking toward the West at the Big 12. Yes, the very same Big 12 that looked all but dead a few months ago could be on the verge of scoring another huge addition to their conference and further bolstering their profile.

With the Big 12 looking like it's approaching steady footing (at least compared to everyone else) and the ACC suddenly nearing Apocalypse Now, the Pac-12 members sit back and watch the chaos unfold.

The conference can count their revenue streams and get set for the first year of their new television network, and the members of the Pac have to feel pretty happy that they're settling down in one of the three most stable conferences in the country. There will be no one threatening to exit the league, no one too disappointed with the huge swaths of revenue that will soon be flowing into each athletic department's coffers.

The drawback to the lack of change for the Pac-12 is that the unfolding chaos will probably ensure that a Pac-16 won't be happening for quite some time, as the Big 12 seems to have righted the ship for the near future. That means the conference won't become the superpower that dictates terms to the rest of college sports. However, it also could have very well been the case that Texas would be the ones dictating things and making life very uncomfortable for everyone else.

In short, the Pac-12 will be sitting 2012 expansion talks out and get prepared for a long, sustainable, and hopefully healthy situation that benefits all conference members in a positive fashion.

Even with the Pac-12 no longer a part of expansion, the latest realignment frenzy might end with a net-positive for the conference.

Over a week ago, the Pac-12 seemed like it was on the verge of becoming the Pac-16, when it's clear now that no such agreement was close to happening. The conference didn't want to expand and risk fracturing the crucial balance they'd put in place, and thus things stayed the way they are.

Balance might have been preserved in the Pac. But other football realities are spinning off their axes.

The Big 12 is a total mess. The raids by the Pac-12 (Colorado) and the Big 10 (Nebraska) had already weakened its  vulnerable structure. Now it's down to nine teams with the departure of A&M. and Missouri will spend the next 25 years being invited to the SEC. Not exactly the model of stability you want. The Big 12 might have to build up walls to KEEP teams from leaving on schedule.

And even if the conference decides to rebuild itself and get back to 12? Jon Wilner reports the current Big 12 candidates for expansion: BYU, Boise, West Virginia and Louisville, possibly TCU. This conference would be good at football, but half the rivalries make no sense and West Virginia and Boise are thousands of miles away from the other schools. This is expansion that would not have long-term justifiable rewards. Expansion here is just going to cause issues.

The ACC might be moving to more teams, but there are no significant new football powers being added. Pitt and Syracuse plus Rutgers and UConn are primarily basketball-focused. Well, not Rutgers; they're big on the Giants or something. With these new additions, the ACC becomes primarily a college basketball conference, and even though it'll be nice in ensuring its long-term stability, its football product isn't terribly palatable.

The Pac-12 is in position to reap the rewards of their strong union in the years to come. They have their teams and their TV contract and they should all be alright for the near future.  Everyone else seems to be falling in front of their face to try and keep up when they don't really need to keep up.

And if any of the other conferences fracture and Texas and Oklahoma are left in their dying Big 12? The Pac-12 could very well get back on the expansion wagon as the cosmic realignment dance spins back their way...

Conference realignment seems to be cooling back down now that the Pac-12 closed the doors. But that doesn't mean it's over forever for the best of the west.

The Pac-12 will always be tempted by expansion, especially if new television deals from the other conferences start accumulating more aggregate revenue for its members. Right now there's no impetus to add new members. The Pac-12 TV contract reigns supreme. Everyone has all the money they want with equal revenue sharing rules in effect. No one wants to upset the balance quite yet.

Larry Scott discussed how the conference was never really close to additional expansion, as Oklahoma could only come along with Texas, that Oklahoma couldn't come on their own, and Texas was never coming close to backing off their demands for keeping the Longhorn Network the way it is. So all this talk about the Pac-16 was just talk. Oklahoma claims that they were just leveraging the Pac-12, which Scott dismissed cheerfully because Oklahoma is a sweet little kid that just needs to do some growing before they're ready to drag Texas along with them to a Pac-16.

And the Pac-12 will have to reconsider things themselves. The Big Ten might not be willing to stand pat at 12 schools. The ACC is already teetering at 14 and beyond, and the SEC stands at an odd 13, possibly 14 if Missouri jettisons the faltering Big 12/9. All those schools figure to cash in on the next round of negotiations, and by then the Pac-12 would thusly look to try out more expansion to stay up in the college arms race.

Oklahoma probably won't stop exploring other options. The Big 12 appears to be moving toward building Berlin Walls on the conference, and we all know why people build walls. Six year deals that rob universities of their autonomy? Texas will do just fine even if they have to make concessions. Oklahoma is trapped unless they're willing to sacrifice Oklahoma State (who are practically imprisoned). And the conference will be looking to expand to include TCU or BYU or Rice, schools that were just recently barely scratching midmajor profiles. Seems like a truly healthy relationship for everyone involved.

Texas wasn't willing to give up the Longhorn Network to join the Pac-12, so they'll have to learn whether the Longhorn Network will be worth it in a conference full of members that probably despise its existence. The Horns are trying to lock teams into the Big 12 to make it all work. But it's not likely that it'll be enough to keep them together for too long. Texas might be the biggest squad in the heartland, but the more teams get courted by other major conferences, the harder it'll be to keep them together. 

Then the Texas and Oklahoma schools may have to reconsider looking back to the Pac, because it's likely their profile and clout could be diminished.  If the LHN doesn't work and if the Big 12 can't stitch things back up, then everyone could end up going their own separate ways, and those schools will be scrambling for a home.

And Scott can bring them in on his terms and the terms of the other 12 schools. Equal revenue sharing, one umbrella of regional networks, and consolidating the LHN. It would be the ultimate victory for the Pac-12 if Scott could get Texas to concede everything.

It's still a victory if Texas and Oklahoma do manage to keep the Big 12 together, because it's unlikely they'd fit quite as well into a Pac-12 structure. The rest of their conference mates are too geographically remote to really regain the sense of rivalry that was part of the SWC/Big 8/Big 12 tradition. Sure, there would've been some fun Oregon-Texas or USC-Oklahoma matchups to look forward to every year, but the conference might just have been a bit sterile if it worked out like that. Expansion just might not be worth it for everyone involved. 

So for probably the next half-decade, and maybe even longer than that, we'll be living in a Pac-12 world. And that's cool. Super conferences for college football might be the way the world's going, but we can turn the world a little slower to get there.

We have obtained an exclusive look at the behind-the-scenes dealings regarding what happened regarding Texas and their consolidation of power regarding the Longhorn Network. Here are some snippets from the original script. It's unknown if the movie ever will be signed off for production.

* * *

Texas and the Pac-12 meet in a quiet Rose Bowl locker room on Saturday. The Longhorns have just smashed the Bruins to atoms.

Pac-12:  I hope you don't mind me being frank with you, Texas. You've done very well for yourself here in the Big 12. Have your own network. Have your own partners. But if you want to be with us, you have to let some of that go, Mr. Longhorn.

Texas: Now, the revenue I would get from your network would be millions less than I could potentially, is that correct? Now, why would I want to fold my network?

Pac-12: Because I intend to squeeze you. I don't like you. I know what you did the last time we did things. I'll do business with you, but you'd better be prepared to fall in line.

Texas: Would you like my offer now, Pac-12?

Pac-12 drops the frown, and gives a friendly if guarded smile.

Texas: My offer is this. Nothing. But I'd hope you'd kindly pay for our network. And make sure everyone else in your conference is willing to take us on on our terms.

Silence fills the room. After a few seconds of tension, it's quickly broken.

Pac-12: Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.

Goodbye, Mr. Longhorn.

Continue reading this post »

Thus ends a frenzied month of buildup toward Pac-12 conference expansion. And just like last year, it won't end with the first college super conference.

The Pac-12 has slammed the door shut on the Texas Longhorns, and by proxy the Oklahoma Sooners and Oklahoma St. Cowboys. It didn't even have to come to a vote. Texas refused to budge on the Longhorn Network, and the Pac-12 refused to budge on equal revenue sharing. The Pac-12 presidents and regents didn't want to take on Oklahoma and Oklahoma State without Texas [and Texas Tech], and they definitely didn't want to take on Texas with that giant albatross of ESPN Bevo. So things stay the way they are.

There won't be much argument around the Pac-12 schools that the conference made the right decision to keep things the way they are. Jeff Nusser of CougCenter had a very good viewpoint on the situation.

The conference is a model of stability. You could say that hasn't always been a good thing because the conference hasn't been as aggressive as it could have been in the past, but in this case, I think leaning toward stability is wise. The ACC is panicking, so it struck first. The Big East is now panicking. The Big 12 is on the verge of either collapse or becoming some kind of zombie conference that will add a team or two that ultimately lowers its overall profile just to stay alive.

All the while, the Pac-12 just sits back and watches the carnage with everything it already wants in hand -- a football championship, an enormous TV contract, its own digital media network. Perhaps not taking on the football properties of Oklahoma and Texas puts the conference in a slightly weaker position a decade from now in media rights negotiations, but if that's the price to pay for not getting used like a cheap tramp by Texas until the Longhorns find a better deal, I'm all for patience.

Texas will probably be alright for now, but their position is fairly tentative unless they start seriously considering independence. They've rejected the Pac-12 once and have been stonewalled this time around. There doesn't appear to be any considerable benefit to sticking around the Big 8, version 2.0. With no other conference interested in the Longhorn Network, it's starting to look like Texas would be best off striking it on their own and seeing how far they can go. If it doesn't work for them, they fold up shop and look to a conference that will take them. Not ideal, but still Texas has plenty of options here. They're just going to have to hope they haven't bitten too many of their partners in the hand that they won't be averse to future expansion.

Oklahoma and Oklahoma State aren't going to stop looking around. As suspected, the Pac-14 caused too many divisional problems, and geography also offset any financial benefits from adding these programs. It's possible that Oklahoma and Oklahoma State were probably used as bait to bring in Texas, but the Horns decided to play that card right back and call the Pac-12's bluff. It worked out in keeping the Big 12 breathing.

However, even when Texas wins back the Big 12, they could lose it as well.

Oklahoma made public their feelings on the Big 12 when they thought they had a bargaining chip with the possibility of Pac-12 expansion. Get rid of the Big 12 commish Dan Beebe (still quite possible) and equal revenue sharing with Texas (now quite impossible). If the Longhorns don't plan on settling (and if they weren't going to settle with the Pac-12, why on Earth would they do it in the Big 12?), Oklahoma and Oklahoma State will keep on looking for a new home, whether it be in the Pac-12, the ACC, or a new Big 12. Texas needs to find their own spot in a hurry, because last I checked, a conference can't stay in the top six with seven teams left in it.

Larry Scott learned well from last year's expansion debacle to trust Texas. So the commissioner decided to do something interesting this year--instead of moving to the forefront to try and court the Longhorns, he stayed back. He never publicly commented on expansion. He towed the party line instead, saying that he would support whatever the members of the conference decided they wanted. When they made it clear that what Texas desires runs strictly in conflict to the goals of the new conference, that was that.

In many ways, a Pac-12 and a weakened Big 12 work just as well as a Pac-16 and no Big 12. Oklahoma and Texas are now in the role that Pac-10 powerhouses USC once faced. They now have to run through their conference unscathed to get to BCS title games, or face oblivion. Meanwhile, the Pac-12 will have the extra game via the conference championship to break any tiebreakers with the Big 12, and will now move right up with the Big Ten in challenging for football national title spots on a yearly basis.

Could the Pac-12 be more powerful with the Texas and Oklahoma schools in the fold? Yes, but the long-term stability of the conference would be greatly challenged. Texas having its own network would be a point of contention for too many schools, could open up the demands for other big-time schools USC to demand their own conference network, and could in turn ruin the lucrative Pac-12 TV deal that Scott has placed for the entire school. It's the right move to stay at 12 if Texas isn't willing to concede.

Scott's message rings more true than ever here.

"After careful review we have determined that it is in the best interests of our member institutions, student-athletes and fans to remain a 12-team conference. While we have great respect for all of the institutions that have contacted us, and certain expansion proposals were financially attractive, we have a strong conference structure and culture of equality that we are committed to preserve. With new landmark TV agreements and plans to launch our innovative television networks, we are going to focus solely on these great assets, our strong heritage and the bright future in front of us."

Can the situation change? Of course. But it looks like that process will take years rather than weeks. So sit back and enjoy the Pac-12 era for as long as it lasts. Because you never know when the realignment talks will heat up again ...

We're moving all the closer to the Pac-14 with the Oklahoma Sooners and Oklahoma St. Cowboys. The Pac-16 could be a little further away.

The Oklahoma regents have handed over powers to Sooner president David Boren to decide what's best for the conference. As has been reported for a few weeks now, the Okies are ready to move to the West as soon as humanly possible. They will go with or without their antagonists to the South, and then the conference will be that much closer to the 16-team makeup they covet.

Boren's comments make it clear which way he's leaning (Part I and Part II here).

 (apply for Pac-12 membership within a week?)

"I don’t want to go into those kinds of details. I don’t think it would be appropriate for me to go into those kinds of details. Let me just say we’ve had conversations, informal conversations, with the Pac-12 and those conversations have been very warm and very constructive.

(any chance the Big 12 survives?)

"Well, I don’t think that’s a foregone conclusion at all, as to what might happen to the Big 12 in the future. Yes, I think there is a possibility the Big 12 survives. We have not taken off the table our possibility of remaining in the Big 12. That’s an option we’ve not taken off the table. Nor have we taken off the option of going to the Pac-12. Of course, the ball would be in our court to make application for membership, should we decide to do so.

(any interest?)

"I don’t even want to comment on that. I think, at this point in time, we want to examine all of our options. I would say that the principle focus, beyond the Big 12 itself – which is still a focus for us – is the Pac-12.

 

(Pac-12 say to back off? Academic stuff? Just OU/OSU?)

"No one has given us any words of discouragement on any front. No conference. Nor has the Big 12 given us any words of discouragement, either.

Hi new partners!

The Texas Longhorns have a lot of work to do though if they plan on negotiating themselves (and likely Texas Tech along with them) to a Pac-16. They need to reduce the scope of the Longhorn Network, and by reduce I mean "find the exhaust vent to dump proton torpedoes through to blow to a million pieces". They need to agree to equal revenue sharing, something they have tried their best to evade at every juncture. The Pac-12 is hardballing Texas, and they aren't going to let up on those issues until they're all in or out.

Or they could play games (AGAIN) and drive us all mad with years of expansion talk. Peter Bean of Burnt Orange Nation does a good job describing this nightmare scenario.

Let's momentarily set aside what is going to happen and consider, again, what Texas would like to happen. Again, for Texas, the optimal short-term solution is to salvage some kind of workable Big 12, slowing down the fall of realignment dominoes and buying some time to make its long-term decision. Why is time so important? Because with a little more time, and all the information that will come with it, there are -- at least potentially -- more options on the table for Texas.  The extra information might reveal independence to be more viable/workable than it appears right now (i.e. less risky). The extra time and information might also open up possibilities for Texas and, say, Notre Dame, to make a move together.  It's also possible that the extra time and information might leave Texas more or less in exactly the same position it is in right now, but the opportunity to make that decision with the additional information would be valuable in and of itself.

The talk of Notre Dame is interesting. Texas obviously doesn't want to shoulder Texas Tech as their new arch-rival; they're happy with them as the little brother, just as Cal does with UCLA.  But coveting a partnership with Notre Dame? It would make their football contests the most lucrative in all of college sports. Texas has always aspired to think they can be a power like the Irish--on top and ahead of everyone. In their eyes, partnership with them is the only partnership where both parties are equal in their power--and the relative resentment they engender from other schools.

Too bad Notre Dame would never thinking of joining a western super conference. In terms of academics and conference power, they'd be a great fit for the Pac-16, and along with Texas would make the Pac-16 the most powerful conference in the country. But Notre Dame's eyes are fixed east, so any supposed Texas-Notre Dame partnership  to the Pac-16 would be moot. I'm not even sure Notre Dame is aware that Texas wants to partner with them though.

So Texas could consider keeping what's left of the Big 12 together, or seek independence. Right now the LHN stands on perilous ground and doesn't look like it's in a strong enough position to guarantee massive profits. While it's unlikely, I can understand why Texas would want to wait things out and see if their options grow. If the LHN proves to gain widespread distribution (unlikely) and become a viable national network that regular Texas fans can get on regular cable (VERY unlikely), then maybe, just maybe, Texas would gain something from independence over taking the Pac-12 deal, and could choose their own fate.

But to keep the Big 12 intact, Texas would have to keep Oklahoma in line. Oklahoma wants equal revenue sharing, and Texas has not yet shown that they want concede that. So Oklahoma goes, and Texas is left with a bad conference

However, being recalitrant with the Pac-12 when it's clear an invitation awaits them will probably doom them from ever being invited to the conference. More from Peter:

That last part is key, because on an accelerated timeline the Pac-12 has much more leverage than it would if, say, Texas and Oklahoma held out together and then forced the Pac-12 to negotiate favorably with the two schools in order to secure their presence in its super-conference.  Because let's face it, if the Pac-12 strikes out on both, it's a big, big blow to their stature in a super-conference future. Look at the other western-oriented candidates... it's slim pickings.

This assessment is probably incorrect, as Scott has shown interest in looking toward the north if things go awry with the Horns again. While the Kansas Jayhawks and the Kansas St. Wildcats aren't the super-optimal options, they're still fairly good, and it does offer the possibilities of capturing the Kansas City (larger than Oklahoma City when you combine both parts) and Wichita markets. Additionally, while the SEC is supposedly reaching out to the Missouri Tigers if the Big 12 breaks apart to form a 14 team SEC, the Pac-12 would be interested in them fi they can somehow get a Kansas/Missouri partnership to work. This is less likely than garnering both of the Kansas schools though.

Plus it's not like Texas isn't full of alum of the aforementioned four schools. The odds drastically increase that the Pac-12 Network gains distribution to the millions upon millions of cable/satellite TV subscribers within the state of Texas if the Kansas/Oklahoma schools join up. So the Pac-12 could get some of what they wanted without Texas after all--more eyeballs watching their conference on a daily basis.

Also, a Pac-16 doesn't need Texas. A Pac-16 without Texas would be everything Scott would ever want from a conference--stability, with everyone buying in on equal revenue sharing, and 16 competitive teams in both football and basketball that would have pretty good chances of winning in the long run. All in all, I'd take that if Texas decided not to answer the conference's calls in the next few days, the Pac-12 would happily move onto more homely and stable partners.

Texas must be neutered and put in its place, or they'll always come back to stir up trouble. The Horns must know that the Pac-12 is tired of their games and will very happily go to a 16-team conference without them if necessary. It's time for Texas to start conceding things, regardless of where they end up, before everyone else secedes from their clutches and they're left with no optimal solutions. 

Oh sure, the desire is there for more action with the super hot one, even if she'll probably drown your pets down the line. But who wants all of that drama when you can have 16 stable partners to rely on for good nights ahead?

The Texas Longhorns appear to finally be ready to commit to the Pac-12. Their options are all but exhausted. The ACC will not give them what they want and will not cater to their demands; they've moved onto Syracuse, Pitt, with perhaps Rutgers and UConn next on the docket to shape their future as a 16-team conference. Independence is still there if they want to pursue it, but irrelevance could soon follow. The Big Ten would never ever accept any of Texas's conditions, and the SEC isn't interested. So to the West they must go.

All that's left is Texas releasing herself from the pimp hand of the Longhorn Network. However, he slaps hard. Pete Thamel:

First, the Texas regents must approve of the deal when they meet Monday. (Oklahoma’s regents have made their interest known. Oklahoma State and Texas Tech are a package deal with Oklahoma and Texas.)

The second factor is completing the details of the new 16-team league, including the alignment of the divisions and how Texas’ Longhorn Network would fold into the Pac-12’s television contract structure. This will require intensive work for Scott, ESPN and Texas to see how things can be settled financially and in terms of branding, and still meet the approval of the Pac-12 presidents.

Texas has been reluctant to part with the LHN mostly because of the guaranteed Benjamins they earn from the deal--$300 million over 20 years isn't just something you throw away, unless you have to choose between the money or your pet. Too bad Bevo can't be bartered in these negotiations.

Outside of just the money, the Longhorn Network promises Texas a preeminent platform to promote their university product. To fold it back into the Pac-12 TV structure would be a huge concession, and a pretty bitter concession after a year of hype and promise surrounding the network. Even though it's not clear how successful the endeavor will be, the upside is mighty if they can get it to work.

That's why Texas offered a counter-proposal that would have allowed the Longhorns to pocket an additional share of their revenue from the network. George Schroder:

Texas' Longhorn Network remains an issue. Today's reports indicated some give on Texas' part, a willingness to slightly downsize its network while keeping at least a portion of the media rights -- and the revenues -- for itself. (It's more complicated than that, but see the Austin American Statesman's story, which does a nice job of laying it out.)

It's certainly possible the Longhorns are still trying to leverage the best deal. I don't blame them. But it probably needs to be the Longhorns' opening position in bargaining.

The slightly, sorta-kinda-downsized Longhorn Network we're reading might be a part of the deal? I'm not sure that's enough for the Pac-12 members.

It's starting to become clear that this was simply spin from Austin, because the Pac-12 won't have any of it. No way they'll allow Texas preferential treatment in their conference, certainly not after all the games Texas has played with them in the past. Jon Wilner has more:

For one thing, the Longhorn Network would have to be folded into the Pac-12 regional model — it wouldn’t exist as a separate entity.

What’s more, there is no chance that any school will have more than 1/16th of the revenue that comes from the conference’s first, second or third-tier rights. NO CHANCE.

We’re more likely to see USC give up football and join the Big West.

Remember, the Pac-12 CEOs would like to have Texas, but they are not desperate to have Texas.

They have all the leverage.

The Longhorns are not going to push the Pac-12 around. Scott and the conference presidents know plenty well what's happened in the previous two conferences they've been in, and they're not about to let Texas go and ruin their tidy little conference deal with their own impositions on revenue sharing. Texas will have to do it the Pac-12's way, which means folding the LHN up and moving back into the fold.

Will Texas reject? Hard to say. It'd have to be an ego thing, and we all know how modest Texas is. Sure, Texas will be fine for the next two decades financially if they reject the Pac-12 and then go independent or stay with the Big 12. The Big 12 does have some sadomasochistic appeal: They'll have their own network, they'll have a conference full of low-level FBS and mid-major schools that they'll certainly have a great chance of romping through week after week, and they can rule over their own feudal kingdom of Texasland.

Not sure if that'll help them get back to winning national championships though. Or being in national championships. Or being screwed in future playoff models.

The Pac-12 knows Texas is running out of options, and are ramping up the pressure to get them to cave. They're willing to expand to 14 with the Oklahoma schools and go zipper. It'd pretty much be a pure power move to force the Longhorns to the table. It would immediately deprive the Big 12 of half of their premier college football teams and the majority of their individual matchups. Staying in the Big 12 becomes immediately unattractive and with no other serious conference options, it immediately comes down to the Pac-12 or independence.

Texas might not think the Pac-12 will take the Oklahomas without them, but the conference could always look north to Kansas, Kansas State and/or Missouri to get to the coveted Pac-16 number. While they aren't quite as attractive as Texas, they are a suitable alternative and have their merits.

In short, Texas has to fork the Longhorn Network over or move over. Sure, the Pac-12 is playing hardball, but sometimes when you're chasing a crazy hot girl like Bevo, you have to ignore her to get her to play.

It's Sunday, and shockingly, suddenly, here comes the Pac-16.

At least that's what the Austin Statesman says. Considering the source, it probably means this story isn't quite done yet, but something to just keep in mind before you start welcoming the Horns into the conference.

Here's what the original source said.

The Pac-12 appears to be working out the final details of a deal that would bring Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech to the conference, sources close to the situation told Hookem.com and the American-Statesman on Sunday morning.

This movement was probably triggered by the sudden movement of the ACC to invite Pitt and Syracuse into the conference to expand to 14 teams on their own. Larry Scott said he was not interested in further expansion unless other moves were made, and the ACC's raid of the now beleaguered Big East was quite the strike. Scott can now claim he was reacting to the moves by the ACC rather than saying he took the original step, and it makes sense that he'd move to invite the four usual suspects back into the fold.

With that expansionary move by the conference, Texas pretty much could no longer bargain the ACC against the Pac-12 to try and keep the Longhorn Network as is. The ACC's interest in equal revenue sharing also might have been the final blow to any other preemptive moves Texas could've made with the Longhorn Network, which is clearly as anti-equal revenue sharing a network as they come. With no likely concessions coming from the ACC and Big Ten with regards to the BTN, it made sense to move back and look back at the more natural fit of the Pac-12.

Moreover, the bargaining advantage of Texas has deteriorated to the point where they are ready to fold up the LHN back into the Pac-12 regional TV network structure. 

Nothing has been accepted or approved, yet, but the deal would allow the Longhorns to keep the Longhorn Network.

Texas, though, would have to add Pac-12 (soon to be 16) content to the LHN programming.

...

The Longhorns would be able to keep all of their revenue from the network if that amount is greater than one-sixteenth of what the entire Pac-12 receives for its third-tier rights. However, if one-sixteenth of the money the Pac-12 receives from third-tier rights ends up being a larger amount, the schools would divide the revenue evenly and everybody would receive the same amount, the source said.

"Nothing has been definitively confirmed. But that’s in the zip code," a source very familiar with the realignment discussions said Sunday. "This is not yet a done deal. It appears that (Pac-12 commissioner) Larry Scott is going to be able to work some magic and help Texas keep the Longhorn Network and their revenue stream."

So basically, the LHN would stay intact as Pac-12 Texas (or whatever the network decides to call it), and they'd have to pair up with Texas Tech in distributing content. It'd be a pretty big concession to give up all of that, but Texas might have no choice unless they really want to go out for independence.

It looks like Scott made the right choice to ignore Texas until they had to come to the bargaining table. Texas is like that super hot girl all the guys want, but will never get with you unless you deny them the attention and ego they believe they deserve. Then when it's clear she only had the choice between the sharp-dressed rugged man from the  West, the average white-collar dude from the East, or a life wandering in the arid plains of the Midwest as a nun, she put her arm around the man with the faded jeans.

The Pac-12 decided to sit back and let expansion play out on its own, and realize Texas had only inferior options to pick from in this aggressive college football marketplace. Texas could choose between the ACC (which would only offer what the Pac-12 offered at the cost of breaking up most of Texas's traditional rivalries and diminishing their potential football product), independence (possible upside with the LHN, but highly uncertain scheduling and no guarantee they could ever get back into the expansion market), and the Pac-12 (regional distribution, a strong football conference, and could preserve the majority of their scheduling). Eventually, it was obvious who the conference had to pick.

It's still too early to determine if the Longhorns are just trying to survey the situation, then barter for last minute demands like they did in previous year's negotiations and then be forced out of the discussion. But all signs are positive that a Pac-16 is on its way.