[July 27, 2011] Big 12 still unsettled over Longhorn Network Tweet DALLAS, Jul 27, 2011 (The Eagle - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe knows he's got a much tougher job selling the league than ever. Beebe was hailed as the conference's savior last year at media days for keeping the league together after Nebraska bolted to the Big Ten and Colorado joined the Pac-12. Beebe claimed the league was stronger despite the losses, talking about the "great spirit" that existed between the 10 remaining institutions. A year later, the bubbly Beebe is still smiling, talking about how great the league is and can be. But even he acknowledges the doubters outweigh the believers because of all the unrest over the Longhorn Network. "With what we went through, we're not going to get the benefit of the doubt," Beebe said. He said that four more times during an informal press conference. He added that only time -- maybe even fighting through and resolving the programming issues for the Longhorn Network, along with rectifying future squabbles -- will confirm this league's staying power to doubters. There's certainly concerns, starting with Texas' deal with ESPN that pays the Longhorns $15 million annually for 20 years. A few minutes before Beebe entered the room, Oklahoma's Bob Stoops had reiterated the feeling of the majority of the league's other head football coaches: It would be unfair for the Longhorn Network to televise high school football games because it would be too much of a recruiting advantage. Stoops said that Texas has always had more money than everyone else which is something the Sooners can live with, but allowing the Longhorn Network to televise the game of a recruit looking at Texas and OU would be too big of an advantage. And what Oklahoma thinks matters. The Sooners, along with Texas A&M and Texas, are the league's bell cows. That was certainly evident at media days, which were condensed from three to two days. There were enough storylines from Day 1 because of the Longhorn Network and UT, which is coming off its first losing season under Mack Brown who will begin his 14th season in Austin with new coordinators; the Aggies, who are picked the highest since coming off their only Big 12 title in 1998; and Missouri, which has averaged 10 victories over the last four years. Day 2 was pretty slim on stories with Texas Tech, Kansas State, Iowa State and Kansas -- the teams picked seventh through 10th in the preseason media poll -- joining preseason favorite Oklahoma. Halfway through a scheduled hour of interviews with the teams' players, there were twice as many reporters surrounding OU's players as the other teams' players combined. That ratio was just as pronounced during the hour slated for interviews with the coaches, with Texas Tech's Tommy Tuberville and Iowa State's Paul Rhoads able to leave early. It was interesting that Stoops lost more than half of his audience when Beebe came in. Beebe said officials at Texas and A&M are committed to the Big 12. He said UT athletics director DeLoss Dodds is holding out an olive branch, not a sword. That came after A&M athletics director Bill Byrne released a statement last week stating his concerns about the Longhorn Network, adding that recent news reports "have created a considerable amount of uncertainty." Beebe said that was "Bill being Bill" and added that Byrne rightfully always speaks his mind with the best interest of A&M in mind, whether it's an unfair road trip for the Aggie basketball team or his thoughts on the Longhorn Network. A smiling Byrne told the media Monday night that the Big 12 ADs would be meeting in a few weeks, and he is playing nice -- he fully supports the league and wants A&M to remain in it. A&M president R. Bowen Loftin also stated his concerns last week when the Board of Regents met, adding that he understands why some Aggies want to bolt to the Southeastern Conference, the nation's best league. Beebe, who used to be a director of enforcement for the NCAA, said he knows from experience that a number of Aggies would love to be in the SEC, though he added that the Big 12 suits A&M best. The NCAA presidents are expected to address the issue during a retreat with NCAA president Mark Emmert on Aug. 9-10. There also will be a one-day NCAA summit on Aug. 22 to discuss the changing landscape of network broadcasting arrangements that could include high school sports. UT officials have been invited to the summit, which will include the Big Ten, the Mountain West, the Pac-12, broadcasting experts and the National Federation of State High School Associations. The NCAA could make a ruling or interpretation at any time, but Beebe said with so much to digest in a subject where there have been no precedents set, that maybe the NCAA would table the issue for a year. However, the Big 12 presidents and ADs could make their own decision on the issue. And if that's the case, you'd think it would be to not allow the Longhorn Network to show high school games, pending a ruling by the NCAA. Then there's also the issue if the Longhorn Network would be allowed to show a Big 12 football game. Beebe added that ESPN has been good for college football, as have all the league's television partners. "This has to work for everybody," Beebe said. Well, not everybody -- just A&M, Oklahoma and Texas. They seemingly each got their way with more money and a clearer path to the football championship game with no conference championship. But now, the Longhorn Network is the first major snafu. The deal with ESPN was a huge coup for Texas, but what about the Big 12, particularly Oklahoma and A&M? Veteran columnist Berry Tramel for the Oklahoman said Oklahoma and Oklahoma State have the advantage of living outside of the Lone Star state, which is an advantage when it comes to dealing with UT's ego. But the Aggies have to live with the Longhorns 365 days a year, and now they'll have to see the Longhorn Network whenever they walk into a sports bar in Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston or San Antonio. Beebe is confident this will be resolved. But what about the next problem? He's right about one thing. There's lots of doubt and only time will tell, though it seems the league's stability is no better than it was a year ago. And that's not a good sign. ------ To see more of The Eagle or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.theeagle.com/. Copyright (c) 2011, The Eagle, Bryan, Texas Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. 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