I still haven't decided if there's anything to all the Oklahoma chatter and I've read varying opinions on whether anything will happen prior to 2023-25. However, I read a lot of opinions that the TV networks are complicit in all realignment decisions.
So consider this theory (that I was discussing with a friend today): what if a couple of schools out of OU, WV, or KU moved conferences? Let's say the TV networks allow the league to backfill the losses and they keep the contract intact (same money for everyone) to keep everyone from suing each other for huge damages (teams would still pay exit fees)? Now let's say that once the TV contract is up, the pay drops commensurate with the value of the teams so you could literally have the leftover teams (plus the backfills i.e. BYU, Cincy, Memphis, Houston, and/or UCF) getting better than Mountain West money, but way behind the other power leagues. Texas could still move when it was all done if they wanted to (maybe they go independent like ND), but you'd essentially have 4 power leagues of ~64 teams and they'd be able to cut out some of the lesser Big 12 schools or essentially downgrade them to midmajor status.
If the chatter of teams moving before the end of the GOR continues, it's because someone thinks they have a way of working through the legal issues. I'd be really worried if KU isn't proactive.
So consider this theory (that I was discussing with a friend today): what if a couple of schools out of OU, WV, or KU moved conferences? Let's say the TV networks allow the league to backfill the losses and they keep the contract intact (same money for everyone) to keep everyone from suing each other for huge damages (teams would still pay exit fees)? Now let's say that once the TV contract is up, the pay drops commensurate with the value of the teams so you could literally have the leftover teams (plus the backfills i.e. BYU, Cincy, Memphis, Houston, and/or UCF) getting better than Mountain West money, but way behind the other power leagues. Texas could still move when it was all done if they wanted to (maybe they go independent like ND), but you'd essentially have 4 power leagues of ~64 teams and they'd be able to cut out some of the lesser Big 12 schools or essentially downgrade them to midmajor status.
If the chatter of teams moving before the end of the GOR continues, it's because someone thinks they have a way of working through the legal issues. I'd be really worried if KU isn't proactive.
