What’s going on in the Big 12 and beyond? I expand and explain every Sunday in Postscripts at Heartland College Sports, your home for independent Big 12 coverage.
Today, the five most important things that happened in the Big 12 Conference this week were …
The Cruz-Cantwell Bill
We have legislation, courtesy of Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Washington).
Some of it I like, some of it I don’t. But that’s every piece of legislation you’ll see. It isn’t going to make everyone happy. But, I don’t really think it’s going anywhere.
Why? Because the legislation is mostly designed to protect the NCAA. The minute a player decides to take the NCAA to court and wins, this legislation, even if it becomes law, is dead.
Again, I ask, why can’t the NCAA solve its own problems? You don’t need legislation for that. You just need the will. And the NCAA is an organization that doesn’t have it.
I don’t think it impacts the Big 12 because I don’t think it’s going to happen. But, if it does and IF the conferences agree to pool media rights — which they won’t — the Big 12 might break up. Why? Per Dellenger:
“If media rights are pooled, the bill is written to encourage conferences to return to more regional competition and, eventually, says Maria Cantwell, the hope is for leagues to return to their previous, regional makeup.”
You can decide if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.
Big 12 Moneybags
Per a colleague, Mitch Harper at KSL, the Big 12 is expected to have a gross revenue of $710 million for the 2025-26 school year. That is the first year of the league’s new television contract.
Don’t confuse that with the numbers released a few weeks ago. Those numbers were off the league’s 2024-25 tax returns. That was the final year of the old TV deal. That number was $610.9 million. So, $100 million more is a good thing, right?
Let’s do some math (I know y’all love that). The TV contract is expected to pay each school $31.7 million per year. That’s guaranteed money. So, $31.7 million times 16 is … carry the two … $507.2 million. Remember — everyone gets that share with the new TV deal. The former AAC schools now get a full share.
So, subtract the $507.2 million from the top-line figure and you get … carry the four … $202.8 million. So … what’s that?
It a number of things. It is revenue generated from Big 12 events like the football championships game, the basketball tournament and other championship events. It’s NCAA units from the NCAA Tournament, which are paid out over several years. It’s sponsorship money paid to the Big 12 and, by extension, schools, by partners. It’s also accounted for in the $130 million that RedBird Capital and Weatherford have generated for the Big 12 in the last year, though that money is likely paid out over time.
Remember what I’ve written about previously? The RedBird/Weatherford private capital deal is less about trying to get schools to take the line of credit and more about further embedding the two entities into league business to generate more revenue. This is a good example.
The Big 12 still isn’t catching the SEC or Big Ten. It’s about squeezing every dime it can for its schools. That’s a good thing for the Big 12.
The Tech-Texas Beef
Earlier this month Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian said that he believed his “twos and threes” on the depth chart could win the Big 12. It was a thinly-veiled shot at Texas Tech’s schedule. Yes, that Oregon State sticks out like a sore thumb but it was made a decade ago when OSU was in a league that was still considered a power conference. George Klivakoff, take a bow.
So, on Thursday, Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire essentially challenged Sark to a duel. He proposed that both Abilene Christian (Tech’s Week 1 opponent) and Texas State (Texas’ Week 1 opponent) play each other so Tech could play Texas. Wherever, whenever.
It’s a no-lose for McGuire and Tech. Challenge Texas to a fight the Red Raiders know the Longhorns won’t show up for because the revenue generated by those Week 1 home games is already budgeted for. It’s kinda genius.
Sark has been running his mouth this spring (has that basket weaving major made it through the curriculum committee, Ole Miss?). It’s actually good for college football. But his “twos and threes” are not winning any power conference by themselves. But it’s great theater and the Big 12 got a lovely promotion boost from the whole thing. You need that during talking season.
The 20/10 Argument
Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark is interested in taking the men’s conference schedule back to 20 games. He’s also, more controversially, is interested in taking football to 10 league games.
Let’s start with basketball. The Big 12 did it two seasons ago, and it was a gauntlet. Many coaches I talked to the next year at media days were not a fan of it. I would argue that Houston’s 19-1 run that season might be the best in league history. But it was also a grind. It was 10 weeks with no breaks.
If the league does this, two of those games must be moved to December so teams can get a bye in January of February. Then teams can decide to use it for a non-conference game or take the break. Up to them. Otherwise, no. Stay at 18.
As for football? Man, I’m not on board. I think the league gets more out of playing nine league games, getting a power-conference non-conference game and the two games of the school’s choice. If we really want to juice up September put a stop to the game contracts signed for a decade from now and do dynamic non-conference scheduling based on last year’s results. I think you would get far better games that way.
I don’t like either for the Big 12. Leave it the way it is. Except add scheduling pods for football.
Coaches and Schools Sign Off
At the end of the Big 12 meetings, the leagues coaches and administrators did two important things. First, the football coaches signed off on supporting the 24-team playoff. Based on last year’s final CFP rankings, five Big 12 schools would have gotten in. I’m sure the league showed the coaches that before the vote. It just means the Big 12 is aligned with the format. Nothing more. The leagues — specifically the SEC and Big Ten — need to agree.
Second, all the schools signed off on being governed by the College Sports Commission, the first league to fully agree to be governed by the entity trying to manage NIL. Does this mean the Big 12 will adhere to those rules even if the other conferences don’t? Theoretically, yes. Actually? I honestly don’t know.
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