Skull Session: Big 12 accuses ESPN of intentional damage, Quinn Ewers is already marketable, playoff extension pending

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Welcome Thursday. I knew you could do it.

Word of the day: Panegyric.

BLAME ESPN. The Big 12 is bleeding metaphorically on a cold pavement right now after being cut between his ribs by the SEC (and now, apparently the AAC), but credit is due, he’s not going to die without a fight.

And that fight took a fascinating turn on Wednesday afternoon with Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby sending a cease and desist letter to ESPN alleging the network is actively trying to harm the Big 12.

Specifically, he claims to be “absolutely certain” that ESPN has actively engaged with the AAC to prosecute the remaining conference teams in order to disband the Big 12, which is both an unprecedented savage claim and also totally believable.

The letter alleges that ESPN “has taken certain steps which are intended not only to harm the Big 12 Conference, but to result in financial benefits for ESPN.” The network currently shares the Big 12 rights with Fox.

Bowlsby told CBS Sports that ESPN’s actions amounted to “tortious interference”.

“[There are] two documents that govern our members, ”Bowlsby told CBS Sports. “One concerns the statutes and the other the granting of rights. The statutes go for 99 years; the granting of rights goes until 2024-25. ESPN has been behind these moves every step of the way. ”

He added: “I expect Oklahoma and Texas to do everything they can not to respond to their [contractual] obligations. This is what they have done so far. … One of the ways in which the two schools and ESPN will seek to break free from the obligation is to destabilize the league and cause an implosion of the other eight members.

“I am absolutely certain that the ESPN employees have discussed and provided incentives for at least one conference to loot 3-5 members of the Big 12. In doing so, they are prepared to reward them with future television profits. the conference ends as an entity, Oklahoma and Texas could be released from their exit obligations. Those obligations at this point would include the payment of $ 70 million to $ 80 million – two years of full revenue – per school and the transfer of their media rights to the Big 12.

If you’re looking for a motive for this murder, ESPN currently has exclusive broadcast rights with the ACC and will soon have exclusive rights with the SEC (and presumably the AAC). Meanwhile, he shares the broadcast rights for the Big 12, Big Ten, and Pac-12 with Fox. So ESPN would have absolutely every interest in just completely embracing the Big 12 and ranking all of those teams in the AAC and the Big 12.

And then there’s the exit money from Texas and Oklahoma (which ESPN could reasonably foot the bill for if they really are the ones pulling the strings behind the scenes). You can’t charge teams $ 80 million to leave your conference if it no longer exists!

This is far, far from a baseless conspiracy theory developed by Bowlsby. It’s just a matter of whether he can actually do something about it.

PEOPLE LOVE THE MULLET. Quinn Ewers could very well go from preparing for his final year of high school to being one of college football’s most marketable players instantly.

Before we get into the thick of it, we need to determine if this even makes financial sense for Ewers, which is closing in on 83,000 Instagram followers and 23,000 Twitter followers. In short, it does.

Right now, according to our numbers, if he were a Division I athlete he would be the 25th most marketable player right now, said Blake Lawrence, CEO of Opendorse, an athlete marketing company. , notices and NIL rights. . It’s based on the size of its audience, the engagement of its audience. The value of his post, or what he would get from an Instagram post, is around $ 25,000. Twitter costs an additional $ 500 per post. If he could field 10-15 sponsorship deals, he could make half a million or a million dollars a year just on social media.

I can’t claim to be terribly thrilled with this development, as it completely blows up the Ohio State quarterback’s succession plan for the next three or four years. At the same time, it’s hard to fault someone for wanting to er … instantly increase their seven-figure net worth.

If Ewers decides it’s best for him, I guess I’ll just have to come to terms with the harsh and unfair reality that Ohio State has three-quarter five stars on the list with the same level of college eligibility. Thin.

PUMP THE EXPANSION BRAKES. The slow and painful demise of the Big 12 and the conference reorganization that followed could have a major unintended consequence, putting the college football playoff expansion process on hold.

It became clear, both to other college sports executives and to anyone closely following the timeline of events, that SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey was preparing to poach the Big Crown Jewel programs. 12 even as he worked alongside Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby person PSC task force who explored expansion options. It is also clear, now, that Bowlsby was unaware of what was going on behind his back; he praised Sankey for supporting a 12-team model that would be best for college football in general.

This creates some concern about how the 12-team proposal was constructed, with a limited number of people in the room and imperfect information between those in the room, the new Pac commissioner said. 12, George Kliavkoff, at The Athletic. The proper process is this: Everyone who has a say should have a say, and everyone should operate with the same information.

The CFP’s 12-year contract spans the 2025 season, but the surprise announcement of a 12-team proposal last month has led many to speculate that the four-team format will be blown up sooner than that. Now the momentum to make the change to the format before the contract expires may stop.

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More importantly, I haven’t gotten a response yet, although I think in hindsight I understand the reasons we rushed to release this in June, Kliavkoff said, along with Alston (the deal Supreme Court) and NIL on the table and with no next step in (the timeline for) expansion. At the time, we didn’t understand why you had to announce it in June.

We have poorly defined the expectations of our fans as to how quickly this can be done. I think it’s a shame.

I hadn’t really thought about it, but it makes a lot of sense that something that forces everyone to work harmoniously as a group might not work very well once it is revealed that a group member has plotted to rob and murder another member of the group for months.

Also, if this whole system is based on five auto-bidding conferences and one of those big conferences might not exist in five years, it is certainly worth reconsidering!

In the meantime, I guess Ohio State is going to have to win a few more four-team playoffs. I can live with this.

GET THEM, REGGIE. The NCAA made it clear yesterday that they have no plans to return Reggie Bush’s Heisman Trophy or restore the Ohio State’s victories in 2010.

But Reggie is still rocking.

Fake investigation about to be unveiled pic.twitter.com/uNK6JIcxPq

Reggie Bush (@ReggieBush) July 29, 2021

The problem here is that reinstating these things would force the NCAA to admit they were wrong, which …

SONG OF THE DAY “You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid” by The Offspring.

DO NOT BOND TO SPORT. Lawn mowing company now employs goats to graze the grass … Protect Hyperion, the tallest tree in the world … The app that tells you if your cat is happy … Why we need it of insects ….

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