Big 12 on Life Support; UT May Stay

Texas A&M may be the key in saving the Big 12

The Big 12 may not be dead after all.

After appearing to be bound for the Pac-10, the University of Texas has been convinced to stay in a 10-member Big 12 as presented by conference commissioner Dan Beebe, according to Orangebloods.com.

According to the source, UT is expected to announce its decision Monday. 

"But as it became clear over the weekend that Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State appeared ready join the Pac-10 and Texas A&M appeared ready to join the SEC, Beebe was able to obtain assurances that a TV deal could be reached paying each of the 10 remaining members of the Big 12 between $14 million and $17 million.

Under Beebe's plan, schools would also be able to explore their own distribution platforms, including networks."

In the Pac-10, Texas would not be able to pursue those options because that conference plan to launch its own network in 2012. 

The future of the Big 12 now apparently rests in the hands of Texas A&M, who may forgo its 100-year-old rivalry with UT to play in the SEC. A&M's Board of Regents are believed to be in favor of the move, 6-3.

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Texas A&M Regent Gene Stallings said he wants the Big 12 to survive -- and would vote to keep the Aggies in the league if it doesn't get a much better offer from another conference. Stallings told The Associated Press on Monday that keeping the Big 12 together "would tickle me to death."

Stallings coached Alabama to a football national championship in 1992. If Texas A&M moves, he'd rather see the Aggies go to the Southeastern Conference than the Pac-10.

But Stallings said the last thing he wants to see is the Big 12 break apart. Aggies officials have met with Pac-10 and SEC officials in recent days. Regents at Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State have scheduled meetings Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss conference allegiances. Stallings said he expects Texas A&M regents to meet later this week.

Former Big 12 members Nebraska and Colorado announced their moves to the Big Ten and Pac-10, respectively, last week.


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