Texas Secession: Could the Texas Longhorns Succeed As an NCAA Independent?

Bring up the word "secession" as part of a conversation in Texas, and you'll get some pretty amusing responses.

Some people in the state still subscribe to the notion that Texas never truly became a part of the United States and therefore should secede and exist as a stand-alone nation with its own rules of governance and laws. I know, a little far-fetched, right?

I wonder what these same people would think about the Texas athletic department staging its own secession from the NCAA to become an independent without any conference affiliation.

If it is feasible for the Notre Dame Irish, why wouldn't it be for Texas as well?

After all, the Texas athletic department is one of the most profitable in all of the NCAA, bringing in windfalls of as much as $90 million per year, and its current conference appears to be crumbling before our eyes.

Any issue has two definable sides, and the notion that Texas could stand alone as an independent without conference affiliation is certainly no different.

Let's take a look at both sides of the argument.

Texas Should Secede and Be an Independent

What would "secession" to become an independent mean for the Texas athletic department? In simplest terms, ultimate autonomy and self-control.

As an independent, many of the regulations and standards hoisted upon schools which are members of the large conferences go out the window.

Texas would be open to negotiate a television and broadcast rights deal that could further bolster the massive profit that the athletic department already realizes without being forced to share profits, as would be the case with a conference network.

Evidently, the Belmont Brass realize this, as they are already in negotiations with ESPN to create a station devoted exclusively to broadcasting Longhorn sports, including one to two football games per season and as many as eight men's basketball games per season.

To complete the deal, ESPN must find a cable distributor to carry the station, something which shouldn't be all that difficult given the broad appeal of the Texas teams. 

DeLoss Dodds, the Texas athletic director, has stated publicly a desire to have this network kick off with the respective 2011-2012 seasons.

This wouldn't be the first time that Texas seeks to market the Longhorn brand as a moneymaker. If you look closely around Austin these days, you see all of the ways which the brand has been extended. Texas Longhorns Energy. H20range. Yes, branded water.

Yes, you read those correctly: Diehards can now actually heat and cool their homes (and bodies) with Longhorn-branded products.

A school that is willing to brand these types of products is obviously concerned with one objective: profit.

The football team isn't the school's only cash cow any longer either, as the women's volleyball, men's baseball and men's basketball teams make a case as being part of the collegiate elite.

Breaking apart from the crumbling Big 12 and becoming an independent would certainly eliminate any constraints standing in the department's quest for the dollar and could benefit the entire university through greater access to funding brought in by brand extension. 

Texas could also schedule whom they want, when they want (at least a few years from now) without the restrictions of the conference schedule, and there likely wouldn't be any drawback in terms of national prominence and ability to play for national championships.

Given these factors, why wouldn't Texas at least consider the option of becoming an independent?

Secession Could Backfire

Purists will say to be careful not to break something that isn't broken. The Texas "business model" is obviously successful as is, so why mess with it? 

If Texas were to make the plunge into the independent waters, it is very possible that new growing pains could arise that no one around the campus could have predicted.

Although it's hard to know the specifics, it's reasonable to assume that Notre Dame's transition to independent status didn't come without some tough times.

After all, it's much easier to be able to fall back on the foundation of a conference (and the financial stability it provides) when times are tough.

Texas athletics already draws the ire of many around the country, for various reasons. It is highly likely that making the move to become an independent, severing some traditional rivalries in the process, could only make things worse.

If the goal of the Texas athletic department is to increase its national fanbase, the network makes sense, but does secession really serve this purpose?

If you end up alienating those you seek to attract by seeming "holier than thou," as some already view Notre Dame, have you just shot yourself in the foot?

Texas has some big decisions to make over the next few years as the shakedown of the major conferences continues and things fall into place.

Should they secede from the shaky Big 12 and become an independent to truly be self-sustaining?

Or should Texas stay the course and not shake the boat that carries them?

Only DeLoss Dodds and UT President Bill Powers know what's next. Everyone else will find out in due time.