Media rights contracts do not last forever, and the money that ESPN is paying Texas is not, in the big picture, all that much.

In the big picture, Texas will consider their billion+ in annual research expenditures. If they believe that association with the B1G will enhance that number they will choose the B1G. Consider that a 10% increase in their R&D budget would equal their annual athletic revenue. Even a small bump brought by inclusion in the B1G would dwarf any delta due to membership in the SEC.

And consider exposure: would exposure in the southeast help UT draw wealthy highly qualified students? Doubtful, because the southeast is full of state schools with cheap in-state tuition. They'd much rather draw from the northeast. One game in Chicago versus Northwestern sounds a lot better than a game in Oxford.

I've always assumed UT would end up in the B1G because they are the quintessential B1G school, regardless of network issues which in the long history of the school, will prove trivial. Plus, why compete with Alabama every year? OSU and UM are much preferable to the SEC lineup.

Lastly, there is perception. Anybody whose ever known any UT grad knows that they love to cast A&M as their country cousins (sound familiar?). No UT alumnus that I know wants the SEC because it puts them on the same field as A&M. They want the B1G because it is the ultimate thumb of the nose at A&M.






[Post edited by lawhokie at 06/07/2017 08:56AM]