<p>Maybe Texas has a planning partner. From a message board, fwiw.</p>
<p>[WildcatReport.com</a> - Message Boards](<a href=“http://northwestern.rivals.com/showmsg.asp?fid=57&tid=163241898&mid=163241898&sid=901&style=2]WildcatReport.com”>http://northwestern.rivals.com/showmsg.asp?fid=57&tid=163241898&mid=163241898&sid=901&style=2)</p>
<p>Big Ten and Texas Created a “Letter of Intent” Reply</p>
<p>Tonight, the University of Texas president Bill Powers co-authored a letter of intent with the Big Ten conference. </p>
<p>The key terms include:</p>
<ul>
<li>the University of Texas will in good faith conduct discussions with the Big Ten conference and no other conference related to its post-2012 conference affiliation</li>
<li>the Big Ten will not invite any other institution to join the conference without the prior approval of Texas</li>
<li>before joining the Big Ten, Texas will have assurances that it can schedule four non-Big Ten conference football games per season</li>
<li>the requirement that any final arrangement be designed to increased revenues among all Big Ten conference schools, with no discrepancies in distributions unrelated to television network distributions among conference institutions</li>
<li>Texas will become a full CIC member</li>
<li>Texas and the Big Ten will jointly approve any third party media arrangements related to Texas athletics moving forward</li>
<li>the goal that Texas participates as a full member of the conference beginning in the fall of 2014</li>
</ul>
<p>Texas’ intentions with regard to the Big Ten will remain without official announcements until a specific group of universities, including the current Texas’ Big XII schools, solidify their own conference affiliation status. Neither the Big Ten nor Texas wishes to be seen as the primary driving force in conference realignment.</p>
<p>The decision of Syracuse and Pittsburg to join the ACC came unexpectedly to the Big Ten. Certain leaders of the conference remained uncertain that a similar unexpected action could take place on the heels of the meeting of the Texas Board of Regents, particularly given the lack of uniform communications between Texas stakeholders and the conference. These individuals no longer have such uncertainties.</p>