Not sure if this is exactly how it works but the Big 12 distributed about $35M per team this past year. Adding 4 teams before UT/OU leave (14 total teams) would decrease that distribution to $25M per team. If they negotiate some type of buyout for UT/OU and get the conference back to 12 teams, that would net each team about $29M. With 4 years remaining in their deal, that would be about a $16-$20M difference + whatever buyout UT/OU payout. Conversely holding UT/OU to the full payout would be about $20M if paid only to the remaining 8, $13M if spread evenly among the 12. Seems like both sides would be better off financially if UT/OU exit early, at least in the short term. Edit: Actually looks like adding teams before UT/OU exit would decrease their exit fee since it’s revenue based. If they add 4 teams, the fee would be about $50M each. That’s $8M per team if they distribute evenly among the 12.
It's possible that the remaining (non-UT, not-OU) teams from the BigXII are better than the Pac12, given the poor showing the PAC has in 2020. It was a weird year, though. PAC almost didn't play a football season. By the time the XII expands, though, the players on the current teams in both conferences may have totally rotated out. Today's snapshot is pretty meaningless in that account.
Could they try to make it so the incoming 4 teams aren't eligible to receive the UT/OU payouts? Would the incoming 4 agree to that? I know sometimes they force new teams to take less money in the first few years of membership.
Yes, I mean athletes in the Houston metro area which includes areas like Katy which aren't Houston but still kinda are Houston. It's not going to make that much of a difference to UT/A&M as long as the SEC is significantly better than the big 12. Maybe that won't always be the case. Maybe this new big 12 lacks star power but proves that on the field is a GREAT product and maybe things are different 15 years from now. However, in the short term it's still not going to hurt UT like it would hurt the Tech, Baylor, Ok St and TCU. The reason kids would happily go to Normon is because it's OU.
They could which would net them about $12.5M vs $8M. In any case, doesn’t seem like the numbers work out favorably for the conference members if they go this route.
That's fair. I guess my point is that...it seems clearly a better hoops conference...and that it's not some far fetched fantasy that it's simultaneously better at football, because it actually would be right now. Some of that is optimism for the Big XII, obviously, and some if it is, "holy crap, the PAC 12 is missing an opportunity here that it might not get back for a very long time."
You might be right since Iowa State is good. But... and I know it's not what you meant or want to hear. "Right now" just doesn't really matter in college sports. Pac 12 will be better.
TAMU & UT don't give a **** what UH does. UH could show up in the SEC and I don't think they care. As much as this move would raise UH's tide, the Big 12's tide is dwindling.
The B12 losing its flagship program is pretty rough and losing UT might cause viewership to go down but even with the remaining members its really not that much of a change from the Pac 12 or ACC. I guess you could argue they also have viewership titans up top with USC and....Clemson??
Why would I be sad? I posted that I would ecstatic for you all and I get to see Baylor come here every other year and every year in hoops @DonnyMost Tailgating is pretty fun in Waco.. let’s make it happen. It looks like I’ll be also going to your stadium for the first time
It's been a while since the Pac 12 has been really good at football. In 2020, they finished with 1 ranked team. Admittedly weird year with Covid...but their best was USC who earned the spot of 21. The Big XII finished with 4 ranked teams among 10 schools. In 2019, they finished with 2 ranked teams at #5 and 16. In the same year, the Big XII finished with 3 (again, while only having 10 teams) at 7, 13, and 25. In 2018, the PAC12 finished with 2 ranked teams at #10 and #13. Big XII finished with 3 at #4, #9, and #20. In 2017, the PAC 12 finished with 3 ranked teams at #12, #16 and #20. Bix XII also finished with 3 at #3, #9, and #14 The PAC 12 hasn't had a team play in the college football playoff since 2017, with Washington as the 4 seed. In 7 years, they've had 2 teams total make the college football playoff. In basketball, they've been far worse. A PAC team has not won the national title since 1997!! That's pushing 25 years now. UCLA was a huge surprise making the Final Four this season as an 11 seed. 11 was the highest seed a PAC school earned last year. They've had a grand total of 5 schools make the Final Four since the year 2000! By contrast the conferences they're compared to do far better. The Big Ten has had 18 Final Four appearances in that time....the SEC has had 8....the ACC has had 13....the Big XII has had 11. The PAC 12 has a ton of name recognition built mostly off achievements from decades back. After the Big XII, it's in the most precarious situation of any of the remaining conferences...and they've chosen not to expand in the face of the SEC moves. All this while playing most of their games after people in time zones to the east stopped watching. I'm surprised they're not seeking to grab Tech, UH, or OK State to try to address that.
I think the PAC is going to benefit from paying athletes. I think we'll finally see those big markets pay off for the schools. Give it a few years and the Pac will be back.
I could see that. But time zones don’t help. ESPN slobbered over the USC group (rightfully so), but aside from that, it’s really difficult to get people to watch games that start at 9 pm CST or 10 pm EST. At the end of the day, your personal brand is around “Am I on TV, and how many people are watching?”
