Stability and a playoff auto bid would be the hang ups. If those two are found to be in a package, then I think the number would be negotiable. Those two things work to hey and also provide better payouts.
Future Big 12 Contract
- Thread starter HouClone
- Start date
Maybe covered elsewhere - but I am not sure it is wise to piss off ESPN. What are your thoughts?
Because we like the abuse? I think we're beyond justified in fighting back.
Why just for FB? Their mens bball has the same positives the football program has. Arizona is the only team in the mountain and pacific time zones that averages more fans. They would be 3rd in the big 12 attendance only behind us and KU, who are in the top 15. They have a power conference basketball program.
Is another TV network offering the 3 billion ESPN is offering in the OP? Until we get another offer, ESPN still has plenty of weight to throw around and, like it or not, we don't have a lot of options. Edit: we can pretend like the PAC 12 or B1G is an option at this point, but none of us really know.
I haven’t been super warm on the thought of the Big 12 surviving this but maybe we could add some teams get back to 12 and have a scheduling alliance with the PAC 12. We might not make quite what we do today but if you add 4 quality teams you probably keep the P5 standing and still way more money than the G5 schools. I think Houston and BYU have to be your top two targets. I agree Memphis makes a lot of sense. Maybe Cincinnati is the other. Still think WVU would be looking to bail.
Travel and Sundays. They have no real basketball tradition to speak of. I guarantee West Virginia doesn't want to travel that far. Also- they still refuse to play on Sundays. Let's avoid the scheduling headache. Their Olympic sports are fine where they are.
They have 9 more NCAA appearances than we do....when was the last time we played a big 12 bball game on a Sunday?
Big 12 hasn't played conference games on Sundays for sure in the last 10 years, the big 12 tourney even ends on Saturday now.
They'd be a great addition in bball. By your standards, they don't have any football tradition either. The last "big" bowl game they played in was the '93 Holiday Bowl.
OP slipped in an extra zero. ESCUM is likely to offer us $300 million for 15 years.
Oklahoma State played Texas on a Sunday last season, but yeah we could probably work around it.
I'd say their Cotton Bowl appearance in '97 was a big bowl.
I just don't think people think of basketball when you bring up BYU. Jim McMahon > Danny Ainge. And again, it's a lot of travel. Going to Morgantown consistently is bad enough.
We already have so I’m guessing we will be at best one more contract no matter what.
I'm thinking Fox and CBS might be coming hard for more live sports inventory which should help increase the media rights for conferences. CBS just signed up the Mountain West as a deal. Maybe they'd sweeten the pot for the Big 12 if there were a certain amount of games scheduled between the two conferences. Maybe a 2 for 1 deal in scheduling home games. Networks can be pretty creative if they want.
Meh -- it was true at the time. Less true today, but still not far off. Texas may piss their talent down their legs, but they undeniably have a huge talent base and the money to keep getting it. OU has been overall more successfull in football than practically the rest of the Big12 combined.
What's growing in importance now, though, is not just the size of your donors or TV market, but how many people will pay to watch your games in person and on stream. In that, ISU is gaining ground quickly. Might not ever reach Texas levels of loyal alumni, but still--ISU fans are pretty loyal to ISU, and there isn't a very local NFL team.
Also, the doom and gloom Big 12 hit pieces seem to come from media sources heavily invested in BIG or SEC teams.
