Pac 12 gets sick amount of money for TV rights

A Pac 12 logo

((ht: san jose mercury news/nytimes.com))

**UPDATED**12:25pm Tuesday--

According to the New York Times, we undercounted in the story below. (We always sucked at math anyway)

The Bell weather of all things newspaper reports the deal is closer to $3 billion than $2.7 for 12 years. But hey, what's a couple mill amongst the billionaire club anyway?

The New York Times story is RIGHT HERE

The league will also apparently create its own network, one they'll have complete ownership of. However the premium games (football and basketball), they'll still rotate between ESPN and FOX.

And yes, the numbers here are still obscene. They dwarf the NHL and are pretty close to...if not are better than the NBA and Major League Baseball deals...

----------------ORIGINAL STORY------------------

The TV rights thing for college sports...is officially crossed into obscene territory.

According to multiple reports, the Pac 12 (former Pac 10) has gotten their TV deal. And it's for a lot of money. Several billion worth of a lot of money. About $2.7 billion to be more specific.

That works out to $225 million a year or about $19 million for each school. (No, I'm not that good at math, I can read stories and punch numbers into a calculator though)

And...get this. Fox and ESPN are sharing the rights.

We don't know exactly how that will play out yet. Partially because commissioner Larry Scott hasn't laid out the details of the deal yet. But we do know that this is the biggest rights deal in College Football history. Bar none. And it scares us to think that the SEC is now being dwarfed by this.

The Pac 12/10 is currently meeting in Phoenix and an announcement is scheduled sometime today. We'll update the details of this story then.

OSG Buzzer Beater: UCLA Claws Past Cal On A Last Second Tip In.

Not only did UCLA's Reeves Nelson have a career night with 24 points Nelson also won the game for the Bruins at Pauley Pavilion with a tip in at the buzzer.

Check out the highlights. (Thanks Comcast Sportsnet Bay Area)



UCLA is now 4-2 in the Pac 10, 12-6 overall.

An OSG College Football Status Report After 1/3 Of The Season

Time flies when you are having fun and can you believe we are one-third of the way through what has been one hell of a college football season. Boise State and TCU are up their with the big boys. The ACC and Big East conferences have not helped their underachieving reputation. The Mountain West once again has proved it deserves BCS status and the SEC and Big 10 are flexing their muscles while the Pac 10 is on the rise.

That leads us to the OSG college football status report.

The Final Four – The Best Teams In College Football So Far

Alabama – The reigning national champions are still playing like the best team in the country. The Crimson Tide dominates both sides of the line, have two of the best running backs in the country in Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson and a quarterback who rarely makes mistakes (although Greg McIlroy had a couple against Arkansas last Saturday.) ‘Bama has a few more tests to pass and with Jolly Ole St. Nick running the show you tend to think the Tide will.

Oregon – Duck fans including their very deep pocketed one Phil Knight should be ecstatic about Oregon’s season. In each of Oregon’s four games the Quack Attack offense has put over 40 points on the board and leads the Pac – 10 in virtually every offensive category. Oregon heads into teeth of their Pac-10 schedule facing Stanford Saturday. That game will tell us where the Ducks are in the Pac-10.

Boise State – Lay off the Broncos. Boise State has proven they can play with the big boys with wins over Virginia Tech and Oregon State. There talent is far above the run of the mill WAC schools so don’t knock them for that. Boise State may not be an automatic BCS qualifier but the Broncos are doing what they have to do to compete for the crystal ball. Unless Boise State loses a game they shouldn’t deal with it, the Broncos are for real.

TCU – The Horned Frogs are probably the best team in the state of Texas. If TCU were in a BCS conference they might be just as good. Those of us at the OSG HQ think TCU is better than Boise State. TCU has one big test to pass at Utah, win that and TCU is in business.

TCU and Boise State have one BCS common opponent, Oregon State. The Horned Frogs beat the Beavers 30 – 21. Boise State defeated Oregon State 37-24. Judge for yourselves but that appears to be a pick’em.

Those of us at the OSG HQ think right now no matter what Boise State and TCU do they have almost no shot of playing for the BCS Championship Game and that’s a shame. If college football had a final four they would be there.

Teams To Watch Out For:

Stanford – We knew the Cardinal would be good but they are scary good. If Stanford gets by Oregon you might be able to bet the farm that the tree will be shaking in Pasadena.

Nebraska – The Cornhusker team you knew and loved growing up is back. Quarterback Taylor Martinez has been fantastic. Any question the Huskers are going to win the Big 12 North.

NC State – Before you say “huh” hear us out. The Wolfpack are rolling and have two of their toughest games, Virginia Tech and Florida State, at home. If the Wolfpack keep this up and “Don’t drink the Kool-Aid” as offensive coordinator Dana Bible said then NC State fans might head down to Miami and the Orange Bowl in January.

Heisman Stock: On The Rise

Mark Ingram – Alabama: I know he missed two games to injury but the reigning Heisman Trophy winner ran wild at Duke and pounded Arkansas. He may not win it again but he’s got the nation's attention.

Russell Wilson – NC State: The way Wilson is playing he will get an invite to New York. Wilson is among the NCAA leaders in total offense, moving up the ACC passing charts and leading his team to big wins.

Denard Robinson – Michigan: Robinson is the leader in the clubhouse. He’s been electrifying and has woken up the Wolverine fan base. Those of us at the OSG HQ wonder if Robinson can continue to take the pounding.

Heisman Stock: Dropping

Ryan Mallett – Arkansas: A fourth quarter offensive meltdown with two “WTF” interceptions against Alabama at home really hurts.

Christian Ponder – Florida State: Sticking up the stadium on national TV against Oklahoma will be tough to overcome.

Coaches Who’s Backsides Are Feeling Quite Warm

Houston Nutt – Ole Miss: Losses to Jacksonville State and Vanderbilt already. Call it the curse of Jeremiah Masoli.

Dan Hawkins – Colorado: When will the University begin a collection fund to pay for Hawkins’ buyout?

Mike Locksley – New Mexico: His ass is practically on fire. We expect something to go down soon to stop the madness in Albuquerque.

Tim Brewster - Minnesota: Let's see new stadium, alumni and boosters ready to win, a 1-3 start including a loss to South Dakota. How much is Brewster's buyout?

Coaches Who Have Cooled Off The Hot Seat

Rich Rodriquez – Michigan: That seat still has some warmth to it but after Michigan’s start and the emergence of Denard Robinson Rich Rod new fangled ways in Michigan are beginning to win over the hardcore Wolverine fans.

Ralph Friedgen – Maryland: The Terps have already topped their win total of last year. The Navy win to begin the season was a huge confidence boost for Maryland and despite one setback at West Virginia the Terps have ridden that wave and saving Fridges job.

12-Pac, Utah To Accept Offer From Pac 10

It looks like the Pac 10 Conference is set to make it a 12 pac. The University of Utah board of trustees will meet Thursday afternoon and the only item on the agenda is "Discussion of Athletic conferences."

It is expected that Utah will accept and invitation to join the Pac 10 Conference and become Colorado's travel partner.

A news conference will follow the board meeting.

The Associated Press is reporting that the Pac-10 formally invited the Utes to join the conference Wednesday. Officials from the University of Utah didn't say whether that invitation would be immediately accepted.

Tuesday UteZone.com reported that on Monday the University of Utah informed the Mountain West Conference that the University intended on leaving the conference.

The Pac-10 turned it's attention to Utah after its botched attempt to convince Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State to "go west".

While Utah doesn't bring the cache the Texas & Oklahoma schools did the Utes have been impressive the last 10 years going 6-0 in bowl games, 2-0 in the BCS. Utah does deliver the Salt Lake City TV market which is market 31.

Those of us at the OSG HQ believe Utah can't lose. The Mountain West Conference will get a BCS automatic bid soon though joining the Pac 10 is automatic BCS. What Utah has to come to grips with is whether its worth it to end their rivalry with BYU. It's one of the best in college football. Changing conferences will increase the bank account and as we have seen that's what matters most.

The True Story of the Texas Two-Step...

Wow. We knew that there were some conflicting stories and a lot of mis-information over the past week about the attempt at realigning the college football landscape. What we didn't know were the details and what it took to keep everything from changing.

The leader in this story, the guy who was ahead of everyone else, knew the back room maneuvering and what was at stake was a guy by the name of Chip Brown.

((Texas Football Tunnel//Courtesy: bealonghorn.utexas.edu))

Chip, a former UT beat writer for the Dallas Morning News, writes and co-owns a Texas based and Texas driven website called Orangebloods.com. Over the past week, they went from a fringe, small-subscription based site devoted to the University of Texas to being a nationally regarded powerhouse of information.

FOLLOW THIS LINK and read about what Chip was able to gleam and cobble together about the wooing of the schools of the Big 12 by a variety of people. It's utterly fascinating and very in depth. And it shows just how close we came to having a Pac 16 and no Big 12 who are 10.

Mr. Brown, should you have the opportunity to read what we at OSG Sports, ourselves a bit of a small player in the blogosphere have to say; sir, we tip our hat to you. Great job, great reporting and what online journalism should be. Not only did you beat the "Big Guys" at the 4-letter (ESPN) to the punch, you established and made a name for yourselves on the national stage. Many Props to you sir.

Big 12 is done...What's next for the Pac 10?

Now that the Texas Two-Step has ended and the Big 12 is now 10 and chock-full-o-money for Texas, Texas A&M and Oklahoma, what is next for the great realignment dance of 2010?

Well, let's try and figure it out...shall we?

It looks like Colorado jumped to the Pac 10, now 11 and probably soon to be 12, a bit too soon. There is some speculation that they panicked, but according to reports out of Colorado, they are perfectly happy moving West, they see more money in it for them.

Check out the analysis from the Boulder Daily-Camera RIGHT HERE

((That's me, kinda near Ralphie the Buffalo when Colorado was in the Big 12 now 10//Courtesy: Eric Hager))

The next step for the Pac 10, now 11 and looking to be 12....find number 12. The early frontrunner...Utah, from the Mountain West, which by the way just added Boise State.

More from the Deseret News RIGHT HERE

The Salt Lake Tribune opines about what should be next RIGHT HERE

The San Jose Mercury-News all but proclaims Utah a member of the Pac 10-11 and soon to be 12. The story is RIGHT HERE

While we at the OSG think that the Utah scenario will more than likely play out, don't assume it. There are strong arguments to say stay in the Mountain West, an already strong and now upgraded conference in Football with the Boise State addition.

Should they say no, Larry Scott and the Pac 10 that is 11 will have some work ahead. Yes, you can argue that he made a huge, bold move trying to add half of the Big 12 now 10, but it didn't work.

The only way Scott can save some face and add the revenue he is advocating is by having 12 teams and a Championship game. Will that happen? Probably. But it won't be easy. It will be, however, much less hyped which should increase the chances of it getting done.

We think that this song is the only appropriate video we could think of for the winding down of this story. Enjoy Europe. Thanks Vevo/You Tube:

BREAKING NEWS: Dan Beebe may have saved the Big 12...Texas stays...

It looks like what we speculated earlier today is coming true. Reports are now circulating that yeah, it's true, Texas isn't going anywhere and neither are the other teams left in the Big 12/10.

Pete Thamel of the New York Times breaks it down...RIGHT HERE

What Orangebloods.com, us and many others speculated as being the turning point appears to have been true. It's all about the TV money. Essentially, not only will Texas share the TV revenue that the 12/10 will bring in, they'll have the opportunity to do what they have wanted to all along...create their own TV network/broadcasting deal.

((University of Texas logo//Courtesy: sivacracy.net))

One thing that will change, the 12/10 will not have a Championship game any more. This isn't a "surprise" to anyone since there has long been a rule in place that prohibits any team with less than 12 members from having one. It won't have much of an effect on the 12/10, the teams are held in high enough regard that if they are in the Top 5, they'll get their BCS time.

Most, I think are breathing a collective "sigh" of relief that this is going to happen. At least, for now, it should keep a radical realignment from happening. It looks like the 4-letter was wrong...(surprise), though we suspect they won't admit it.

Either way, hopefully things will calm and we can get down to playing games in another 60 days. Let the countdown begin.

1900 UPDATE: According to the Dallas Morning News among others, Pac-10 commish Larry Scott says that Texas is staying in some form of the Big 12/10...

Chuck Carlton's piece has Scott quoted as saying: "We've been informed by University of Texas president Bill Powers that Texas will stay with the Big 12. We have not received definitive details about this decision. It is our understanding that Texas was going to meet the terms that we have proposed."

A source told Carlton that a "Texas Network" plus the projected revenue from a new TV deal with the 12/10 could eventually produce up to $5 million in revenue based on projections- more money than a move to the Pac-10.

The HQ thinks we're not done yet...

BREAKING NEWS: The Buffs Are Officially In The Pac 10 Conference

[HT/cubuffs.com/Pac 10]

It's official, the University of Colorado has joined the Pac 10 Conference. The conference announced that Colorado has accepted the Pac 10's invitation to become the league's 11th member.

"This is an historic moment for the Conference, as the Pac-10 is poised for tremendous growth. The University of Colorado is a great fit for the Conference both academically and athletically and we are incredibly excited to welcome Colorado to the Pac-10," said Commissioner Larry Scott.

"On behalf of The University of Colorado students, faculty, alumni and fans, we are proud to accept this invitation from the Pac-10 and join the most prestigious academic and athletic conference in the nation, " said Philip P. DiStefano, chancellor of CU-Boulder.

"The University of Colorado is a perfect match - academically and athletically - with the Pac-10," said University of Colorado President Bruce D. Benson, "our achievements and aspirations match those of the universities in the conference and we look forward to a productive relationship."

Big 12 Conference commissioner Don Beebe issued the following statement released by the conference:

"The Big 12 Conference has been informed that the University of Colorado has accepted an invitation to join the Pacific-10 Conference. I continue to work through the process that was agreed upon last week by our Board of Directors to address membership issues, and am working tirelessly towards the long-term viability of the Big 12."

More to come.