Beebe firing last bullets in Big 12’s chamber

These have not been the best of days for Dan Beebe.

The Big 12 commissioner has already seen two schools -- Colorado and Nebraska -- bolt for other conferences on his watch. He’s also in the midst of rumors that could see up to five additional schools ditch the Big 12 for the Pac-10 under his stewardship, a turn that would leave the conference with just five teams huddled underneath a tattered surrender flag.

Beebe, however, is not going down without at least making an effort to keep the conference together.

Ahead of board of regents meetings in Texas and Oklahoma for multiple schools scheduled for Tuesday/Wednesday of this week, Beebe has allowed word of a last-ditch effort to save the league leak to ESPN.

According to that network’s Joe Schad, the linchpin of keeping the conference together -- Texas -- is being wooed by promises of strong television revenue even with it’s current ten-team configuration.

Per Beebe Schad:

Beebe has been told the loss earlier this week of Nebraska to the Big Ten and Colorado to the Pac-10 could diminish the value of the Big 12 by as little as 8 to 10 percent.

Beebe is stressing the value of sharing revenue with fewer schools and collecting and distributing the departure penalties of Nebraska and Colorado, the source said.

Secondary elements of the pitch include keeping natural rivalries intact and considering the interests of both fans and student-athletes.

Under the plan, Texas could still conceivably pursue its own TV deal, something it would not be able to do in the Pac-10.

So, it seems, there’s still hope for the Big 12 to survive after all.

So long as, it seems, Texas continues to get a greater share of the conference revenue, which played a major role in Big 12 upheaval in the first place. So long as, it seems, Texas will be allowed to plow the ground for their own TV network, which played a role in Big 12 upheaval in the first place.

Yeah, this will solve all of the problems for the Big 12. This will keep UT’s eyes from wandering two, three, four years down the road. And keep everybody else in the conference satisfied playing the role of mice to UT’s Pied Piper for the duration.

This will make the “Texas Ten” a stronger conference? At least for its mercenary namesake, it will.

How scorn is being heaped upon Nebraska for possibly decimating the Big 12 is beyond me. The Cornhuskers being painted as the villain in this whole conference apocalypse scenario? Please.

Buyer beware when it comes to any conference having Texas in their midst. Buyer beware.