Interesting bits (to me, anyway) from the SBJ piece:
The conference also likes the idea that the shorter six-year deal that runs through 2031 means that the Big 12 will be back in the market ahead of both the SEC, whose deal with ESPN goes through 2034, and the ACC, whose ESPN deal expires in 2036.
For the “A” package, ESPN gets the top four football picks each season, six of the top eight picks, eight of the top 12 picks and 12 of the top 20 picks. As part of the deal, ESPN also gets the rights to the Big 12 football championship game and the basketball tournament championship game. The Big 12’s parity helped convince Fox, whose package includes 26 football games per season that will run on Fox broadcast network and FS1, to do the deal.
From Fox’s perspective, the silver lining to the loss of Oklahoma and Texas is that the Big 12 will be more balanced and potentially deeper. For example, TCU and Kansas State sit atop the Big 12’s standings this season. Last season, it was Oklahoma State and Baylor. And the year before that, it was Iowa State. Fox’s deal also provides a slate of Big 12 college basketball games on Fox and FS1 for the first time.