Big 12 vs. SEC--Legal action takes the lead

The impetus of Change

((aol.sportingnews.com))

This is getting uglier by the hour.

The tectonic shift of college football teams has been put on hold--because of the threat of legal action.

And while we aren't big fans of the potential "Mega-Conferences" that are expected to form when the shift does finally occur--and it will, the current battle between the SEC and the Big 12 over Texas A&M is just getting stupid.

By now, we all know the SEC agreed to offer A&M membership in their league, so long as nobody in the Big 12 would sue. Early yesterday, the only one who didn't agree to this was Baylor.

That changed.

You can now add Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Texas Tech, Missouri and Oklahoma State to that list.

Put simply, what you are seeing now is not so much a protest against the SEC or Texas A&M, you are seeing schools trying to cover their collective asses. Because if the A&M leaves, Oklahoma is right behind them. And if Oklahoma goes, OK State is right behind them...and suddenly you no longer have a Big 12 and all the above schools have to find a home.

And yeah, they have all said they would be willing to waive those claims if Oklahoma agrees to stay. Something the Sooners have "Said" they will decide in the next two weeks, but now could drag out as long as they feel like.

In the meantime, now Texas A&M is pissed at Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe and most of their soon to be former conference mates. Though Beebe insists the conference won't do anything to stop A&M. The SEC isn't pissed at anyone (we think), they are just shaking their collective heads. And the rest of us are quickly tiring of all this.

In reality, there are no lawsuits that could be filed against anyone here that could hold up in a court. But that isn't the problem. It's all image right now. Nobody wants to be perceived as being the the bad guy and yet everyone involved really is. It's a shame to see the landscape of college football change like it is about to, but it is going to happen. Apparently it won't today, but it will happen and happen in the next couple of months.

It's become a battle for money and it is getting more and more competitive by the day. Everyone wants a piece of the ESPN pie, because truly, as Clay Travis has so eloquently put it in his OutKickTheCoverage.com blog, that is what now drives college football. It has nothing to do with what is best for the fans. It has nothing to do with what is best for the players and it has nothing to do with what is best for the alumni. It's all about the greenbacks and the only one's waving those things around right now (see Longhorn network--which is what started all this) is the folks in Bristol.