Could the Pac 10 have forced the issue by offering Texas Tech rather than Utah?
I am sure this tactic was discussed and Tech may have jumped. Texas would have loved if it happened because the “Tech Problem” would have been eliminated opening potential doors for UT and A&M to join the Big Ten if that is the eventual route they choose to go. In any event the loss of anyone but Texas was survivable. Anyone that offers Tech or Baylor an independent spot is doing Texas a huge favor. Would the Big 12 have survived with only eight teams? First they said if Nebraska leaves the Big 12 won’t be viable anymore. When Texas and Colorado left the common feeling was that the Big 12 was dead. It wasn’t…it was actually more profitable for the remaining members because there was the same amount of money left to split with two less members. The smoking gun in all this is Dan Beebe and Texas had to have known that ESPN/ABC and FOX were not going to shrink the TV contract because of the loss of two teams. The money was the same because of the value of Texas TV sets. The league could
