No they didn't. You are way too obstinate about this. The SEC schools had their Tier 3 deals up until they signed the new contract with ESPN in 2013 (which is what created the conference network).
The SEC repurchased its Tier 3 rights in April of 2013. Then the SEC signed the new contract with ESPN in
May of 2013.
Sorry, no, that's incorrect. Raycom had the SEC's Tier 2 rights, not Tier 3. As I just told the other poster, the SEC repurchased their Tier 3 rights in
April of 2013. In fact, in
September of 2008 ( one month
after the deal with ESPN), Florida renewed their Tier 3 contract with Sun Sports.
You guys are simply way off on the facts.
Not true.
West Virginia got $6 million a year from their old Tier 3 contract with West Virginia Radio Corp., which West Virginia had while still in the Big East.
I'm also not deflecting at all. You claimed I was incorrect, and I wasn't. West Virginia had a Tier 3 contract when they were in the Big East which paid similar (not quite as much) to what West Virginia gets now. The Tier 3 contract is/was independent of the conference, be it the Big East or the Big 12. I'll agree with you that
overall, West Virginia makes more money in the Big 12, but that's not because of Tier 3 money. It's because of the Big 12's league contract, not Tier 3 money.
Also, whether the Tier 3 money comes from Tier 3 money DOES matter, because that was the entire point I was making to the other poster. I was responding to his point about Tier 3 money. You jumped into that conversation, and tried to argue a point that was unrelated to the issue being discussed by the other poster and me.