The Big 12 is alive and soon to be stronger

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EQUAL REVENUE SHARING IN B12? Desperate times call for desperate measures, and eight of the nine remaining members of the Big 12 appear to be in agreement to have equal revenue sharing from the Tier 1 (ABC/ESPN) television contract that runs through 2015-16, multiple sources said.



The move, which is being supported by Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds, according to sources, is aimed at trying to hold a beleaguered conference together after a week of intense acrimony.



Messages left for Dodds Friday were not immediately returned.



The Big 12 has never had equal revenue sharing from its Tier 1 television rights in the 16-year history of the conference. In a gesture of unity, the Big 12 agreed in April to equal revenue sharing from its second-tier television rights with Fox upon signing a 13-year, $1.17 billion deal.



Unequal revenue sharing in the Big 12 has long been a complaint among the schools with the smallest athletic budgets in the conference. Currently, the unequal revenue sharing in the Tier 1 rights allows the schools who appear on TV the most to collect the most money.



But that would change under the new proposal, sources said.



The sources said there appears to be consensus among eight of the nine remaining schools in the conference to share Tier 1 revenue equally.

BYU just showed the country that they can hang with Texas at their place and even outplay them.... they know we belong.



My buddy just sent this to me, I don't know the source but I would guess it's one of 50 BYU blogging sites, etc.

How things stand this morning... looking up

BYU looks to be in a good position now. Things are relatively quiet on all fronts, which means the powers are looking through options and making very private phone calls. Real leaks will happen when the wheels have to start moving again. IMHO, this is all a good sign, but that is a hunch.



1. IMHO, there must have been some real feeling in the SEC that a lawsuit against them had merit. It is likely that there was some contact early on between the SEC and tAm and Baylor and the SEC feel the case is good enough to be nervous. These institutions have armies of lawyers that deal with this stuff every day. They don't buckle at the first sign of a lawsuit unless it has some merit. This is the fly in the ointment, but in the end, legal action is the nuclear option and very messy for everybody. The truth is, aTm should never have agreed to things last year if their plans were to leave, which we all know was their desire.



2. aTm is gone. The bridge is burned, there is bitterness and unrepairable damage has been done. No scenario keeps aTm in the Big12 and everybody knows it. aTm is not the hostage, Oklahoma is. Now, Oklahoma has tremendous leverage in negotiations. The question is, what do they want? Oklahoma truly just wants a stable conference, then a good home for their other sports on regional TV. They looked at their options because they honestly felt nothing on the table looked stable. It is all now in the works.



3. Oklahoma has nowhere to go or they would be gone. The PAC12 privately told Oklahoma and Co. they would prefer no expansion and a quick poll of their members showed that some members were against expansion under any circumstances. Add to that the legal challenges in the Big12 and the door is closed. The same is true for the BIG10 and ACC. I believe the Big10 and Pac12 have recently concluded that they do not want super-conferences, or even expansion for the forseeable future. They now hold the cards and have privately let interested parties know how they feel. I think this feeling will be solidified as they watch the infighting continue to play out. The other college presidents want no part of this bad blood between institutions.



4. The Big12 needs stability. This will involve a solid TV deal and expansion. The magic number for stability is 12 and if done correctly, a solid TV deal will follow. aTm is gone. aTm was nearly a redundant market anyway, so their exit actually improves the TV coverage. They need 3 football schools, and they won't lure them from the PAC12, Big10, SEC, or ACC. Another Texas school is unlikely because they need new markets. So, start with new markets that have respectable football/athletic programs and rank them by market size. BYU is in a GREAT position.



Prediction: The BIG12 survives and expands to 12. They invite BYU, and two Big East schools. I don't know markets, but I remember reading that Pitt and Rutgers sit on some big markets and both have solid up and coming athletic programs. They put in place the stiffest exit penalties around. Oklahoma and Oklahoma State get a regional TV channel.