How do you fix the Big 12?

[Kingdome]

The Big 12 is in trouble if you haven't been paying attention. The north-south split is ripping the conference apart.

I know you hate tangents, but this is relevant to this thread:

One solution to fix the Big 12 is dump the north-south split and go to a "zipper" system. That way the northern schools play in recruit rich Texas more often.

The north-south split is the lesser of two factors that prevented the Pac-10 from expanding in the past. The lack of Pac-10 worthy universities in the west was the #1 reason why no expansion. The new economics are forcing us to look hard outside of our current region.

 

[Miller]

Domer, great new topic....and yet another spin off

Took this out of your last post and made it a thread. What Texas "should" do has been beaten to death......so how do you save the Big 12 and make it so that Texas does not have to go anywhere.

Good suggestion above. Here is another area I would address. Once again....it goes back to MONEY!

One of the areas that makes the the Big Ten viable and happy from top to bottom is the even TV revenue share. Before you start to look at how you get a bigger pie, the Big 12 needs to look at how they split their pie. Without the mid level programs like Missouri and Colorado the Big 12 is in danger of collapsing which could leave Texas at having to make a tough decision which is what led to the previous discussion.

To avoid this, they need to rethink their unbalanced tv revenue share. It is based now off of TV appearances. This is great for Texas and Oklahoma, but screws the little guys. This is why Missouri would jump the second the big ten offered. They are tired of getting the short end of the stick.

If you even out the TV revenues you make the rest of the conference happy and are more stable. You then can turn your attention to making the pie bigger and increasing revenues for all.

 

[Kingdome]

14 team zipper:


Nebraska (CU)
Missouri (KU)
Oklahoma (UT)
Oklahoma State (KSU)
Houston (A&M)
Texas Christian (ISU)
Baylor (TT)

Colorado (NU)
Kansas (MIZZ)
Kansas State (OSU)
Iowa State (TCU)
Texas (OU)
Texas A&M (HOU)
Texas Tech (BU)

The above preserves rivalries: OSU vs. OU, A&M vs. UT, UT vs. OU, OU vs. NU, NU vs. CU, KU vs. MIZZ, KU vs. KSU, etc. It also adds two more Texas programs increasing the footprint in Texas which helps the northern Big 12 schools.

 

[Sgt John]

Without the TV split you make OU and Texas all the more willing to look elsewhere.

Im sorry Missouri doesnt like the split, but they dont do shit for the conference compared to OU, Texas, or Nebraska.

 

[Miller]

Without the TV split you make OU and Texas all the more willing to look elsewhere.

Im sorry Missouri doesnt like the split, but they dont do shit for the conference compared to OU, Texas, or Nebraska.

you are missing the big picture....it's not what these lesser teams do or do not do for the conference. Northwestern and Indiana don't do much for the Big Ten either.....but they still get their 22 mil. Why? Keeps the conference viable long term, and keeps their mid-teams entrenched in the conference. This creates a stable conference top to bottom than can then support and thrive with something like the B10 network.

With the unequal split, you always have the have nots like Mizzou, Colorado, Nebraska, Texas A&M, ect, who are not Texas and OU, but are still intriguing to other conferences looking to see if they can get a better deal. If a couple of them leave, where does that leave Texas and OU?? Holding the ball on a conference in shambles, which is why were talkig about this to begin with. If Texas fears this, they may strike first and leave before it falls apart.

If you really wanted to fix this, an equal spit is a must and in the end would be only positive for the big dogs like Texas and OU. Give up a little now, reap big benefits long term.

 

[Sgt John]

Which just rolls back to the start. Why give anything to save them when we can just join you or the Pac10 and get all we want and more.....

 

[Miller]

Which just rolls back to the start. Why give anything to save them when we can just join you or the Pac10 and get all we want and more.....

Only reason to do that is to take the next step as the Big 12. We are talking about fixing the Big 12. You solidify your conference and move forward to your own monster TV deal. Just as dome points out that the Pac-10 is going to try to create additional revenue through a network, the Big 12 could do the same. They also could look to pair with someone like the SEC and do a package TV network (think about that....SEC/Big12 channel...good stuff, good markets).

But before you can look to grow that TV revenue stream, you need to solidify your conference that seems to be under fire. The way to do that, is to put the conference on equal terms and then look to move forward.

 

[Sgt John]

I get what you are saying, I guess I just dont see a point in saving it when we could have so much more, not just for athletics, but for the students of this state.