Is it just me or is someone or some group trying to keep us off their tracks. Illusion can be a fascinating spectacle, often giving us the idea that the impossible can be possible. Often times, illusion can be used as a tool to deceive the eye and send the truth down a path with no breadcrumbs. Beginning in January, college fans were treated to the idea that re-alignment was coming before the next college football season. As usual, parties denied the idea that re-alignment could ever happen again. However, the idea of re-alignment picked up when talks of playoffs hit the air. How would a playoff affect a conference? What would the criteria be to determine which teams are selected to participate in the conference? Would this finally drive Notre Dame to join a conference? Lastly, would ACC be dismantled by the Big 12, SEC, and Big 10?
These topics would eventually require someone or some group to provide answers. Articles quickly appeared in the media mainstream and on various blogs citing sources that could not be revealed, that re-alignment would happen, and still believe that it will happen before the next football season.
The real story though, is the action happening behind the scene. The truth that these decision makers are trying not to leak unless they feel it will work to their advantage. As re-alignment talks continue, two interesting stories have immersed. One story pertains to the article written by The Oklahoman, which indicated that Notre Dame would be the only school to bring any television value to the Big 12. There has never been any doubt that the Big 12 wants Notre Dame. However, what happened to Florida St., Clemson, Georgia Tech., etc.? Articles about these schools leaving the ACC fell off as talks of playoffs grew. Early in the year, Florida St. and Clemson were hard pressed by the media to indicate their intentions to join the Big 12. The real question to ask is, were these teams scared away because of all the media attention they were receiving? When deciding whether to join, these schools had all the facts and it all pointed to the Big 12.
The other story that popped up was ESPN’s probable control over re-alignment. That ESPN was the hand that controlled the chessboard and the positioning of the colleges and conferences they were in contract with. To say that ESPN and any other television source controls the decisions these colleges make is hard to accept, but understandable considering the amount of money thrown at conferences and universities. Therefore, as we are told by the media, ESPN is the horse that drives re-alignment.
Now illusion, how does this fit in. Well consider the illusion of the article in The Oklahoman. This news media just so happened to get their hands on a memorandum, which I would think the Big 12 would want to keep confidential, at least until they made their decision for re-alignment. Was this memorandum leaked by the Big 12? Obviously: but for what purpose? Could it be to move the media away from the other colleges it is looking to invite? Or, heighten Notre Dame’s interest in joining the Big 12?
As for ESPN, well, what a better was to through re-alignment out of the door than by using a pawn. Throwing ESPN in the fire for why re-alignment will not happen without their consent is comic, considering that you also have ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS, TNT, etc. So why ESPN? Well, you do not want to give your school a black eye by having them as the reason that re-alignment never happened. ESPN can take those shots because they already have your school and they are not going anywhere.
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