Jayhawks, Wildcats, Tigers, Cyclones and Bears still have a BCS home.
Texas pledged allegiance to the Big 12 Minus Two last night, announcing on its athletics web site that the divorce was off:
The University of Texas' athletics programs will continue competing inShortly after Texas reaffirmed its commitment, the rest of the potential defectors -- Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M and Texas Tech -- announced they were staying, too.the Big 12 Conference.
I'm starting to wonder if Texas' flirtation was serious. Could this all
have been a money grab? Texas' projected cut of the new television deal
is estimated at between $20 million and $25 million, making the richest
college football program even richer.
But the deal is also good
for the other nine. Kansas, Missouri, Kansas State and Iowa State will
double their TV revenue cut from the ESPN/ABC and Fox deal to between
$14 million and $17 million. Texas's Rivals site, Orangebloods.com,
reports that the new $200 million
deal could hold the conference together for the next 15 years.
Yeah,
Texas gets more money. But for a program flush in money, what's another
$5 million?
The new deal seems to have stopped Missouri's eyes
from wandering. Missouri athletics director Mike Alden issued
this statement
Monday night:
"We're excited about the Big 12 Conference and for itscontinued growth. The University of Missouri has certainly prospered
during its time in the Big 12, and we
are looking forward to future opportunities in the years ahead."
The league likely lost its football championship game -- bad news for
Kansas City, which had played host to the game in the past. The NCAA
only allows 12-team leagues to hold football championship games. The
league would have to expand, and expansion doesn't look to be in the
cards.
"Ten is all anyone wants at
this point," a Big 12 source told The Oklahoman.
As for Colorado, sounds like they're theloser in all of this.
A source told Orangebloods.com that the
Buffs move to the Pac-10 puts them on the hook for a buyout penalty of
up to $7 million. Apparently, Colorado was so confident in the league's
collapse and were so worried about Baylor swiping its Pac-10 bid, that
the Buffs rushed in. Orangebloods notes that the new deal wouldn't have
happened had Nebraska and Colorado not left the league.
More to come.
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