Texas Tech close to canceling 2012 game at Texas State over Longhorn Network

By Kevin Kelley -

Texas Tech at Texas StateTexas Tech came close to canceling their Sept. 8, 2012 game at Texas State because the game could have been picked up by the Longhorn Network, RedRaiderSports.com has reported.

The game was slated to be picked up by one of the ESPN networks, but the exact channel hasn’t been announced yet. A source told RRS that Texas Tech is “adamantly opposed to playing on the Longhorn Network” and is “putting serious consideration into canceling the game and playing an 11 game schedule.”

As a rival of Texas, the Red Raiders naturally don’t want anything to do with the Longhorn Network. Neither did Missouri and Texas A&M, and that’s a big reason why they both moved to the SEC.

The Longhorn Network created instability in the Big 12 when it was started and it’s still stepping on toes today.

On the flip side, Texas State is the home team and has the final say in television rights for this game. Tech should honor the game contract, especially since they are the highlight of Texas State’s 2012 home schedule.

They may not have to though, as Chip Brown reported this morning that ESPN is backing off of televising this game on LHN:

Update (6/25/12): The Texas Tech at Texas State game will be broadcast on ESPN3 (h/t MattSarzSports.com).

Football Schedules:

Comments (16)

Not really. The amount of money Texas gets from ESPN for the network is already agreed to. They won’t get more or less regardless of what appears on it. ESPN might have gotten more if they had a football game on rather than whatever they’ll air instead.

Why can’t they just put this game as an ESPN Regional Television Game (ESPN+) or ESPN3 if they don’t want to put it on a regular ESPN network.

LHN has had an awful start, basically no subscribers, how long before LHN is dead and gone?

You read this, you got Texas State selling out to Texas. You can not blame Texas Tech one bit. Frank Broyles only had affection for the SWC. However years ago I remember Broyles saying “If we ever wanted anything done in the SWC, we had to go to Texas. If Texas agreed, all the other Texas Schools fell in behind. We had to get Texas, the other schools would not agree until Texas did.” You’ve seen Nebraska, Missouri and even Texas A&M all leave the B12 amid complaints about Texas. Now you see Texans and B12 people lauding the B12 in attempts to get FSU, Clemson and other ACC Members to join the B12. FSU people complain about not getting a fair ACC shake and bad ACC officiating. They think the B12 will be better? That’s the joke of the year!

The LHN symbolizes everything that’s wrong with college football. Despite being born and raised a UT fan, I’ve begun to sour on the whole program, due to the school’s imperial approach to sports. Here’s a not quite fun fact: Texas pays Mack Brown more than the entire athletics budgets of several Division I schools, including the one that produced Jerry Rice.

It really hard to get in an uproar about being imperial, and too super special when they look like idiots because no one can watch their network

I think the real reason here is that the Tech AD just realized that Texas State will be an FBS team. As we all know Tech has a strict policy of scheduling FCS, JUCO, and Pop Warner All Star teams ONLY during OOC.

As a recent graduate of Texas State I’m outraged by ESPN3. Watching an in state rivalry game on the damn computer? Seriously! EspnU or FSN would have been the logical choice. Now I might as well pay the 65 bucks a ticket + 80 bucks in gas to drive my ass out there from Houston. Unbelievable!

As a Texas St. grad/fan you should be enthusiastic to know that your team is actually able to watch on any device.

This also may be difficult to comprehend seeing as you are a Texas St. grad, but for half the price that it costs you to drive your ass in your station wagon and pay the $2 for a ticket to that place…. You could do a magical thing called plugging your laptop/desktop into your TV via HDMI. Boom it’s like magic… But, most likely seeing as you are a Texas St. grad you’re still supporting the 500lb. wooden TV with the slick Texas St. gold colored dials. And, if you’re really such a perfectionist douche we can talk about who provides ESPN3 as a channel, so you can watch Texas St. get beat on TV once every 10 years.

I Think what really upset Texas Tech more than anything is that the “Televised Game”, wouldn’t be seen by anyone since NOONE can get the freaking Longhorn network. In San Antonio there is only one rinky dink group that does, the Grande Communications. I called them, and they don’t provide service to my area. WHY all of this uproar about something nobody can get?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????