How BIG is the BigXII without UT and OU

[UtesRule]

Congrats to the in state team south of Salt Lake City for the invitation to join the Big XII conference.

But, how big of a deal is it really to join that conference without its two biggest guns Texas and Oklahoma???

It would have been like Utah being invited to join the PAC without USC and Oregon.

Good for them I guess, but not that exciting if you ask me!

Go Utes!

[Larry B]

Depends on who you ask. According to them, the Big12 is now the best P5 to ever exist.

[GameForAnyFuss]

Let me put it this way:
1. When the non-SEC power conferences decided to form an alliance, the Big 12 wasn’t invited to be a part of it.
2. When the non-SEC power conferences had a chance to poach any remaining Big 12 member they wanted, they all declined.

It is now the P4.

[Central Coast Ute]

^^^this. I’ll add they also weren’t invited to the SEC. It’s the SEC and alliance, then everyone else.

[Stone]

Is it a big deal? Totally depends on one’s perspective. For TDS, an invitation to the revamped Big12 is a much bigger deal than being invited to the MWC or remaining independent. Would they prefer an invite to the SEC or the three alliance conferences, yes, of course. So maybe the excitement level is a rorschach test on whether one is a pessimist or optimist. If I were a TDS fan, I would be excited. Independence is a dead-end, and given the viable options out there (i.e., the revamped Big-12 or the MWC), I think they should be excited. I think a realist would be excited. Of course, if one was holding their breathe for an SEC, Big10, or Pac12 invite, you will be disappointed (and are also delusional).

[UteThunder]

More like joining the Pac-12 without USC, Oregon, Washington, UCLA, or Stanford. Have you seen who is joining with them plus who is left? 

The Big XII is a P5 lite and G5 hybrid.

[UtesRule]

This was much more of a rhetorical question than a serious one…I never miss a chance to smack down the kitties down south. Thanks for all of the great “discussion” and Go Utes!

[wcrunner]

Utesrule-here are some items in answer to your question.

Sam Bradshaw, a Pro Big XII, writer wrote this last month.

“What does it mean for the Big 12? (Losing Texas and OU)

It means that there will obviously be a very big cut in TV revenue as the league isn’t going to generate as many giant viewer games as it would with UT and OU still in place. 

The remaining eight Big 12 programs are pretty similar to the depth of much of the Power 5 …  Bowlsby put the impact at 50% of the TV value and since that comprises 62% of league revenue, it’s reasonable to expect a big drop.”

One of the Athletic writers, Andy Stapelton, said that CFB will evolve into tiers.

Tier 1:  The Power 2-SEC & Big 10

Tier 2:  The upper middle class-Pac12 and ACC

Tier 3:  The middle class-Big XII

Tier 4:  All others.

[UteFanatic]

Better than independence by a country mile, but a P5 league without at least one blue blood is not a very secure conference in the long-term. Look at the Big East.

Even if they are down (a la Texas and USC), blue blood programs are the glue that holds conferences together. They drive interest and ratings.

[Central Coast Ute]

That’s exactly right. If Oregon were to leave by themselves, it would hurt, but we’d be fine. If USC left, we lose P5 status.

[UteFanatic]

Yep, and this is still a legitimate concern during the next round of TV deals. If USC called the B1G and asked for membership, they’d be accepted instantly. Let’s hope that USC wants to stay where they’re at due to tradition and culture. As the gap grows between the P12 and the SEC/B1G, USC may start to get impatient. It might take unequal revenue sharing to get them to stay – which the P12 would agree to in a heartbeat.

[Central Coast Ute]

From what I’m hearing from USC people around here, the USC Pres. Doesn’t want to leave the PAC 12. And she’s the one with all of the juice. USC is expected to throw their weight around and demand a larger revenue share, which they’ll get. So as long as this pres. Is there, USC should be staying put if what I’m hearing is true. But, they could change presidents at some point too.

[UteFanatic]

That’s good news, for now. USC is the P12, and I could see some of the blue hairs not wanting to venture into the midwest. Hopefully tradition and culture is a big enough factor for them to stay.

A larger revenue share is totally doable without really affecting the other conference members. If each school gave up just $1.5M in revenue and alloted it to USC, they could match the per school revenue of the B1G.

[Dallas]

It’s like Utah joining the PAC without USC, Oregon, and Washington.

[Charlie]

If you look back to Nebraska, Missouri, TA&M and Colorado as well, in 10 years they have lost their best 6 programs. Imagine the Pac missing the top 6 and adding UNLV, Boise St, Fresno St, etc.