Brett McMurphy tweeted the figures this afternoon. I'd say they're "mostly correct" - David Boren himself has said OU only makes a negligible banking off the value of its tier 3 deal - but certainly the actual contract detail feels accurate
The money in the league is and will continue to be fine till the conclusion of the deal The question is will the Big 12 be worth near that to the networks come 202X? I have serious doubts that the numbers will be anywhere close to that with the current cable situation and the low population numbers of the leagues make up.
I'm not saying the Big 12 is "lol doomed" I am saying that these figures might be giving some a false sense of security. Money, in the short term isn't going to be what kills the Big 12, Reminder the money the Big 12 is currently getting is still based on a 12 team split IE the league is still cutting these fat checks at a premium from ESPN - this isn't sustainable in the long run and we've witnessed ESPN hemorrhaging talent recently - the cable bubble is only going to continue to soften as we approach the window . This money at the moment is great, I just have major doubts it will exist 3-5 years from now
The other elephant in the room beyond even money: It's no secret that large portions of OU/Texas fanbases would rather be chilling elsewhere. There are elements in the fanbase who are loudly displeased with their home schedule -every other year.. Ticket prices won't be going done either. You can't make fans care about a home schedule if their conference opponents are heavily overmatched. This TV money has to be be funneled into tangible improvement on the field
What should the Big 12 be doing? Well the fate of cable is outside the scope of most athletic departments but... a commitment to winning and securing talent needs to be made... I'm not talking about Iowa State rolling out and offer kids bags of cash Ole Miss style - but it wouldn't freaking hurt.
If you're making 30 million at Iowa State - you best be taking every advantage that money provides your athletic department - I'm talking expanded scouting & support staff. If Iowa State could roll into town 4-1 instead of 2-3 the value of the tickets might feel more meaningful. Hell OU fans still talk about murdering Seneca Wallace..just cause of his hype.. The Iowa States of the world, need to be building their own programs internally so that product improves. They need to do as much as possible to win over their own fans so OPPOSITION takes them seriously.
