Yormark also doesn't have schools rowing against him like Bowlsby, Beebe, and Weiberg did.
Realignment Megathread (All The Moves)
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Yormark also doesn't have schools rowing against him like Bowlsby, Beebe, and Weiberg did.
A conference network was also an idea pitched by the Big 12 commish at the time the Big Ten was kicking theirs around. The Big 12's big boys didn't want to play along, so he bounced and went to run BTN instead.
Only problem is if you put them in a preseason tournament it’s kinda pointless if they are in the same conference. The challenges, invitationals, Nike classic, etc all make sense because you won’t see those teams play again till the tournament if at all.
Also don’t think you need to nudge Pitt or NC State, they will be in the big 12 at some point.
I completely disagree. The Big 12 has always been way to reactionary when it comes to realignment. Hearing that Yormark is being the aggressor is pretty damn refreshing. If we've learned anything during the rounds of realignment its that you have to strike while the irons hot.
Yeah, Bowlsby wasn't perfect, but at the end of the day a commissioner can only do what their board will allow. Certain elements of that board weren't working in the best interests of the conference for the long term.
It’s about being a solid conference. There are few schools left that really raise a conference pay out. Colorado provides a large university in the Denver market, another Mountain time slot team for late night games, and a national alumni base. All of those things make for a stable conference mate.
The last year of Bowlsby's tenure (2021/22 Fiscal) Big12 schools made around $42/$43M annually. Also Bowlsby, Swarbrick and Sankey were the guys who proposed a 12 team playoff.
My expectations are more than $50M once we move to a 12 team playoff. If the 12 team playoff brings in $2 billion when going out to open market for 2026 season- that could be $20M+ per Big12 school. The current football playoff structure brings $8M per Big12 school. That doesn't include all the other NCAA Championship revenues.
Bowlsby might not have been the most energetic or creative leader. But for people to give Yormark credit for $50M is misplaced. I hope that is the floor created by Bowlsby and all Yormark's ideas like: Rucker Park, Big12 Mexico, Pac12 Realignment and Basketball only schools can bring $5-$10M/school annually of new revenue streams.
If the Big 12 can really get schools to $50 million per year, they can afford to be a little more selective, which takes several schools off the board in my opinion. Unless another conference outside of the top two (B1G and SEC) starts making wild moves, I wouldn't think about adding schools unless they raise that projected value number up and I don't know if there's a ton of schools left that are in that category that don't have a somewhat realistic shot at SEC/B1G money (Oregon, Washington, Notre Dame, FSU, Clemson, etc.).
Take those road games plus another at @ Cincinnati to go with home games against Baylor, TT, Kansas, Houston and Okie State. Then the second half of the season starts.
To say it would be a massive step up is an understatement. Gonzaga very well could win any one of those games, and would probably be favored in most, but they'd probably lose 3-4 or more, especially in the early years.
Currently, I think all live content on NBC also airs on Peacock. There is some programming on Peacock that is a premium for subscribers that does not air on NBC.
I think they view it as a reason to sub to Peacock, in their model, you get premium content plus everything that is on NBC.
May change in the future, but I think that is how they are doing it.
Nailed it. CBS is doing the same thing with Paramount+ and ABC/ESPN are simulcasting more and more linear content on ESPN+.
It's kind of a transition phase in practice.
So, who is going to pay them. In the current deal there is no Pro Rata for BB only schools. So that means if the media partners do not want to pay more for BB only, then the other schools have to reduce their share to pay them, until a new contract is negotiated and started. That is quite a few years of reduced shares if they join in the next year or 2.
Are you willing for ISU to take a significant pay cut, to add these BB only schools for the next half dozen years? To fall further behind and get pushed below the other conferences below us, in the per team compensation. Just to be forward thinking.
Or is it better to add them 5 years or so down the road when we are starting negotiations on a new deal, where we can split the BB money off?
Sure if the media partners are willing to give more in the mean time. Great. But what makes you think they will. They didnt give us more to add the last 4 before the new contract. Which reduced our share. Everyone says ESPN has no reason to give the ACC more. So what has signaled that the media partners will pay more to add BB only schools, in our current and new contract that are already agreed upon?
Negotiations, Negotiations, Negotiations.
Just because a deal is signed, doesn't mean it can't be amended. It's happening in the SEC right now with the discussion to add a 9th conference game. Some schools want to be paid. It will happen in the Big10 if Oregon & Washington are added. The TV folks will have to pony up and pay OR/WA.
So the Big12 isn't breaking new ground. If we add Gonzaga, UConn, etc. Yormark will have already discussed with the TV folks and arrived at a fair value for the new schools.
Not sure it is good or bad for Big12, but the Big East TV with FOX expires in a couple years and they have started negotiations. IMO Yormark isn't having public/leaked discussions with Gonzaga and UConn if his timeline is 2031.
Not sure I fully get the UCONN thing, but what do I know.
I think UConn is beneficial for both sides and I think there's far less risk there than there is with Gonzaga (and I say that as someone who thinks Gonzaga would do well in the Big 12).
1) It gets the league into the Northeast and UConn has lots of wealthy alums in all of the big east coast cities.
2) Anything that even slightly destabilizes the Big East in FOX's eyes may open up more money or linear TV time for the Big 12 or both.
3) It solves UConn's football problem while keeping them in a big time basketball league.
1) It gets the league into the Northeast and UConn has lots of wealthy alums in all of the big east coast cities.
2) Anything that even slightly destabilizes the Big East in FOX's eyes may open up more money or linear TV time for the Big 12 or both.
3) It solves UConn's football problem while keeping them in a big time basketball league.
Looks like UConn's football attendance was around 20,000 to 25,000 last season. That's not great, but it's interesting that they play their football games in Hartford, CT which is 30 miles from their main campus.
Their average bball attendance is solid as you would expect at 12,000.
Their average bball attendance is solid as you would expect at 12,000.
