Big 12 Survival Reading Room: How the Longhorns were kept in their pen

Everybody in Big 12 country is happy, right? Right?

Maybe not. Maybe not someone you'd think would be happy, someone widely presumed to have gotten its way and then some. That would be the University of Texas. So says Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman in this interesting column.

An excerpt:

The Pac-10 exodus of Big 12 South schools was derailed by Texas politics.

Not network television money. Not a desire to revive a league on life support. Not even Texas' desire to squeeze even more concessions out of schools desperate to keep the Big 12 afloat.

Texas politics. Governor Rick Perry and Austin legislators flexed their muscles. ...

Texas' arrogance toward Texas A&M started the firestorm. UT produced this (Pac-12) plan, then handed it over to A&M for rubber-stamping.

The Aggies don't like being told what to do by the Longhorns.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry is an Aggie. Better yet, a former A&M yell-leader. When A&M revolted by courting the SEC, and the 'Horns started talking about never playing the Aggies again in any sport, why wouldn't a governor step in?

Texas legislators scheduled hearings on Wednesday to discuss the issue, and suddenly the mood changed. State appropriations are no small matter.

Other takes from around Big 12 country:

Kirk Bohls, Austin American Statesman:

Just how do you rebuild what has been a fractured membership into a strong, united conference capable of withstanding the next round of temptation, especially if the have-nots in the Big 12 privately despise and mistrust Texas, the school I call the University of the Joneses?

For now, the league will play nice.

Until the next round of realignment. Does anyone think the Big Ten is finished? The Pac-10 has egg all over its face after adding, ahem, Colorado. I'll be surprised if that league doesn't scoop up Utah soon.

Just how long do we have to wait before the arrival of the bona fide mega-conferences? Maybe only Jim Delany knows.

"If this unravels," a highly placed Big 12 school official said over the weekend, "it's just a matter of time before it comes up again."

Sam Mellinger, Kansas City Star:

Greed is why this conference formed. Greed threatened to rip it apart. And in the end, greed kept it together.

There's nothing wrong with that. If KU, K-State or Missouri had Texas' power, they would've played it the same way. It's not Texas' fault that the Longhorns have the power.

But this whole realignment talk has left college sports fans feeling dirty. Dollar-chasing is a time-honored tradition in college sports, but it's never pleasant to get such an intense look at the sausage factory.

Admitting what this is all about may or may not do anything about helping the conference move forward, but it sure would be a welcome breath of honesty and transparency. This process has given fans precious little.

Richard Justice, Houston Chronicle:

For the University of Houston, there's finally a glimmer of hope. Now it's time to put up or shut up.

The Big 12 almost certainly will add two teams at some point. It may be two years from now, maybe longer. TCU would seem to be a slam dunk for one of the invitations, and UH needs to position itself for the other. ...

UH must lobby legislators, athletic directors, conference officials, boosters and Fox TV. Khator must convince them that UH is new and improved, that it's on its way to Tier One status and that its athletic facilities soon will be second to none.

Chuck Carlton, Dallas Morning News:

Another key conference voice weighed in during the afternoon – Dallas oilman

and financier T. Boone Pickens, whose $400 million in donations have transformed Oklahoma State. He was optimistic after giving a talk in Austin and said he liked the idea of a lean Big 12.

"I don't want to go off and leave Iowa State, Kansas State or Baylor," Pickens said. "The Pac-10 is not that interesting. I'd rather trim the conference. I don't care if Nebraska leaves, I have no love for them. And I'd just as soon Missouri leave, and Colorado kind of fell in the same category."

Dan Wetzel: Yahoo Sports:

As the Big 12's impending death became increasingly apparent last week, a diverse group of leaders across college athletics decided to come to the league's rescue. Athletic directors, business leaders and television executives all played a part in the league's 11th-hour attempt to save itself from destruction.

“This is was a potential doomsday,” said one college administrator who offered the Big 12 assistance and sought anonymity for fear of backlash from the Pac-10. “This was moving too quickly. The collateral impact wasn't being considered. [There was] a great deal of work to be done.”

Some were worried about the long-term stability of college athletics should an era of 16-team super conferences arrive. Others feared the potential wealth and competitive power of (Pac-10 Commissioner Larry) Scott's league. Some just helped for the challenge of it.

With Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe in charge, a furious weekend of phone calls, planning sessions and analysis reports allowed the league to secure a potential television deal, a revenue sharing plan and new sales pitch that proved tempting enough to stop lynchpin Texas from jumping to the Pac-10. ...

Once the Big 12 – aided by its outside consultants and experts – was able to show a financial roadmap the decision was simple. UT and OU can keep on winning and keep on cashing checks. With the uneven revenue, they both increase their take and decrease their conference opponents – essentially playing offense and defense at the same time.