(03-10-2018 12:08 PM)OdinFrigg Wrote:  

SMUmustangs</blockquote>

Not gonna happen. Texas will never settle for being isloated on an island.
[/quote' Wrote:  Exactly, SMUmustangs. Texas has options, most are not beautiful; but they will not go 'ridiculous'.

There has been nothing presented that Swofford has offered Texas a Notre Dame-style deal. Those rumors originated in Texas during the time B12 departures were happening beyond several years back. Of course Texas talked to the ACC and other conferences, as did a host of others.

Taking a huge, no evidence, leap in assuming Swofford did secretly make some offer to Texas, the terms and conditions may not necessarily be the same extended to ND. Also, member ACC schools vote on such things, and their Presidents may not rubber stamp alledged ESPN talking points, whereby there is no evidence they are going to fork out a huge bundle to the ACC to do this, which would include a big, enhanced payout to Texas in addition to the loses ESPN is already taking regarding the LHN. ESPN is cutting back on spending and personnel, and are not in that much of a power position to be re-organizing P-5 conferences at this moment with extraordinary financial incentives. The SEC, a major ESPN investment, may not be keen on an ACC-Texas deal, particularly if ESPN is showing lavish spending of unseen discretionary revenue not coming their way.

Expense is one reason I could see this working. First, no 2 teams are likely worth $60M+ per year, which is what ESPN would have to increase the ACC's payout to if 2 more teams were added -- just to break even. I don't even think full ND membership + whoever is worth $60M, since it's only 4 extra home ND football games in odd years. Whoever NDs partner is won't be carrying their full weight so ND would be subsidizing them. I think ESPN would ultimately pay it to lock up ND long-term.

But a UT deal would pay for itself. The ACC would pay UT a nominal rate like for the football games, like they do for ND, which is currently around $6.5M. Unless something happened to the LHN, the ACC wouldn't give UT a full share of the ACCN. So total cost is only $6.5M + whatever fraction UT would get from ACC for hoops and tier2 games. The question is whether UT could get an NBC-type national contract for its home football games. That's questionable.