The Big 12 conference will not expand by two and will not start a television network.
Thank goodness.
Chip Brown of HornsDigest.com broke the story on Tuesday and reports there was not a consensus on which two non-Power Five schools to add.
Put in a real-life truthful way: Houston, Cincinnati, Memphis, UConn and all the other schools asking to get in the Big 12 were not bringing enough to the table to get an invite to join the conference.
A TV network is the last thing the Big 12 needs to do since none of the major sports networks are lining up to start a new college sports channel with the Longhorn Network still rolling along on ESPN and reportedly losing money.
No smart sport network will jump into bed with the Big 12 if they can’t have a significant amount of UT inventory.
As usual, the Big 12 Conference is divided on major issues. The best thing for all parties is to wait a few more years and see how the landscape may change. That means waiting possibly nine years when the television deals with ESPN and Fox Sports expire in 2025 according to Brown.
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The conference missed the boat on Louisville and Notre Dame when they were looking around.
The only real move the conference can make now is to add a football championship game. Many involved with the College Football Playoff committee think the Big 12 is hurt by not having a 13th game.
Even though it would be a rematch, adding a title game would provide more revenue ($20M to $30M by some estimates) and more juice to the resume of the Big 12 champion in the CFP committee’s eyes. That is a move I would favor and returning to AT&T Stadium would be a great venue since the Big 12 headquarters are nearby.
