Big 12 Realignment: Ironically, TCU Edged Out BYU Because Of Cougars' Special TV Deal

Stop us if you've heard this one before: the make-up of the Big 12 hinges on a school with a unique television deal, their own network, and they expect a set of demands to be met and concessions to be made before they'll agree to conference membership.

It's not the Longhorns: it was BYU, and The Ft. Worth Star-Telegram is citing a Salt Lake Tribune report that a combination of BYU's religious mandate not to play games on Sundays (the Big 12's primary concern was basketball season) and their existing BYUtv contract as the reason TCU was chosen over the Cougars:

Big 12 television partners ESPN/ABC and Fox Sports had concerns about working with Brigham Young as a conference member, a factor that contributed to TCU being approached ahead of BYU as the Big 12's newest addition, according to a Friday report in the Salt Lake Tribune.

The newspaper reported that Big 12 TV partners had concerns with BYU's policy of not playing games on Sunday and how it might impact future basketball telecasts.

BYU also sought assurances in regard to a minimum number of nationally televised football games each season, as well as permission to show football games that were not picked up under the league's TV package on the school's TV network, BYUtv.

Big 12 Realignment: TCU To Make 'Major Announcement' At 7pmET Monday

Confirming what the Ft. Worth Star Telegram reported earlier, TCU has issued an official press release confirming a "major announcement" concerning TCU athletics will be made Monday at 7p.m. ET, where it's expected that TCU will announce it has accepted the Big 12 Conference's invitation. 

Fox Sports' Matt Mosley says that TCU's addition will give the Big 12 some long-needed security, not so much because of anything the Horned Frogs add to the equation, but because the move goes directly against the wishes of all-powerful Texas: 

The best sign for the Big 12's long-term viability is that it appears TCU has gained entrance despite protests from all-powerful UT athletic director DeLoss Dodds. He's said some nice things about the Frogs in recent days, but this was never part of his ultimate business plan.

Dodds made sure his Big 12 soldiers, including former commissioner Dan Beebe, delivered the usual talking points about how TCU didn't provide anything from a TV revenue standpoint. The Big 12 already owned the Dallas-Fort Worth TV market because of Texas, Texas A&M and to a much lesser extent, Texas Tech and Baylor. 

The other reason Dodds wasn't particularly interested in TCU was that Gary Patterson has built the program into a national powerhouse. With UT going through a rare down cycle under Mack Brown, he didn't see the wisdom of adding another team capable of at least giving the Horns a scare on an annual basis. 

Big 12 Expansion: TCU Could Officially Announce Big 12 Membership Monday

According to multiple reports, TCU's board of trustees will meet as early as today to discuss and vote upon an invitation to join the Big 12 Conference.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that a meeting could take place this morning and an announcement could be released as early as this afternoon:

One source in TCU's athletic department said the meeting could happen Monday morning, leaving the possibility that an announcement could come as soon as Monday afternoon. But another suggested a 5 p.m. meeting could likely set up a Tuesday announcement that TCU will join the Big 12 in July.

The Big 12 officially invited the Horned Frogs on Thursday, moving to replace departing Texas A&M, who will join the Southeastern Conference in 2012, to keep the conference at at least ten teams. Current member Missouri is exploring its options to leave the Big 12 as well. 

Earlier this year TCU accepted an invitation to join the Big East, and would have to formally "exit" that conference despite having never played a game in any sport as an official member. Per ESPN Dallas:

A source told ESPNDallas.com last week that TCU would have to pay a $5 million exit fee to leave the Big East, but would be able to join the Big 12 in time for the 2012-13 athletic year.

Big 12 Expansion: BYU, Cincinnati, Louisville, West VA, Tulane All Rumored Targets

In the wake of the Big 12's lightning-fast move to absorb TCU into the conference, plugged-in reporters throughout the region are speculating on a which school could join the realignment merry-go-round.

From Austin, Orangebloods writer Chip Brown's sources gave him a list of additional targets: 

The Big 12 appears ready to expand, and the list of targets getting the most consideration right now continue to be BYU, TCU, Louisville and Cincinnati, multiple sources said.

Tulsa columnist Dave Sittler, meanwhile, has mentioned a slightly different list on Twitter:

DaveSittler Dave Sittler 

Bi 12 source: "BYU, West Virginia and Tulane also on list."

28 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

DaveSittler Dave Sittler 

Bi 12 source: "Louisville next in line."

28 minutes ago 

With the addition of TCU, the conference currently has ten members, but Missouri appears to be angling to become the SEC's 14th member. 

Right now, it's still unclear whether the Big 12 wants to stay at 10 schools or whether it wants to expand to 12 in order to have a conference championship game. Either way, this story doesn't appear to be fading anytime soon.

Big 12 Expansion: Conference Officially Announces Addition Of TCU

Confirming rumors that have been spreading throughout the blogosphere this morning, the Big 12 has officially announced the addition of TCU to the conference:

Acting upon a unanimous recommendation of its expansion subcommittee, the Big 12 Conference Board of Directors has authorized negotiations with Texas Christian University to become the Conference's 10th member, and instructed interim commissioner Chuck Neinas to immediately begin discussions with TCU. 

After losing three schools in the last year and fighting off multiple attempts by the Pac-12 to swallow the rest of the conference, the addition of TCU is a strong signal that the Big 12 intends to survive the latest round of conference realignment.

Under coach Gary Patterson, the Horned Frogs have become one of the nation's elite football programs, culminating in last year's undefeated season and a victory in the Rose Bowl. TCU was originally scheduled to join the Big East next season, but after that conference lost Pittsburgh and Syracuse to the ACC, they appear happy to rejoin their old Southwest Conference partners (UT, Texas Tech and Baylor) in a new-look Big 12.

Big 12 Expansion: TCU To Join Big 12, According To Report

TCU has agreed to join the Big 12 conference for the 2012-2013 school year, according to college football insider Brett McMurphy of CBS Sports.

TCU was supposed to join the Big East conference on July, 1 2012. But now TCU will have to pay the Big East a $5 million exit fee but won't be bound by the conference's normal 27-month requirement for notification.

This is another good sign for a Big 12 conference that has now received the commitment from TCU, and a rumored commitment with BYU. The conference has seemed to go on the offense in terms of finding schools to join a newly-aligned Big 12. After losing Nebraska to the Big 10 and Colorado to the Pac 12, the conference has been in disarray with daily reports on the status' of Texas A&M and Missouri possibly looking at the SEC. But this is a good sign for the Big 12 and its' future.

Obviously TCU feels comfortable about where the Big 12 conference is headed. The same cannot be said for the Big East, who has now lost a committed-TCU program, along with Syracuse and Pittsburgh that have joined the ACC.

Texas Agrees To Keep High School Sports Off Of The Longhorn Network, According To A Report

Chip Brown of Orangebloods.com is reporting that Texas has agreed to not air any content involving high school athletics for the next six years. The initial inclusion of high school sports within the Longhorn Network was a major point of contention among other Big 12 schools and was a big factor in Texas A&M's move to the SEC. 

The move was negotiated as Big 12 officials work to save the conference just as Missouri has announced that it is exploring its options in conference realignment. It remains to be seen whether this announcement will be enough to convince Missouri to remain a member of the Big 12. 

Missouri was originally looking for a commitment that would grant rights for the 13 years that are remaining on the conference's TV deal with Fox. Texas opted to give just a six year commitment as a compromise from talks that occurred over the weekend. 

Big 12 In Trouble As Missouri Begins 'Exploring Options'

Things may have taken a turn for the worse for the Big 12 conference as Missour's Board of Curators met on Tuesday and appointed Chancellor Brady Deaton to explore all conference realignment options. Deaton had served as chair of the Big 12's board of directors and on its committee on expansion but his role in that capacity has apparently come to an end. 

Missouri has long been rumored as a potential target to become the 14th member of the SEC. Today's announcement has to come as a bitter disappointment to the Big 12 who recently had been working on changes to the way the conference shares its television revenue in hopes of solidifying the nine existing members of the conference. It appears now that all of that may have been for naught. 

The Kansas City Star's Mike DeArmond:

Big 12 Board Votes To Equally Share Television Revenues

The Big 12 board today agreed to a plan that would evenly share television revenues between each of its member schools. If the deal is adopted individually by each member of the conference, it will effectively end all of the talk of Missouri joining the SEC and save the conference from extinction.