The Big 12 after its spring meetings on Friday "announced its members will split" $348M from the '16-17 school year, according to Don Williams of the LUBBOCK AVALANCHE-JOURNAL. Nine of the 10 member schools will receive $34.8M, with a "portion of Baylor’s share to be at least temporarily withheld in the aftermath of a sexual assault scandal." The $34.8M is behind what SEC and Big Ten schools receive, but "well ahead" of the Pac-12 and ACC. Texas Tech AD Kirby Hocutt said, "Everybody is really confident as to where we are as a league and what our future holds.” Williams noted the Big 12 distribution is up from $30.4M per school from the '15-16 school year. Texas Tech President Lawrence Schovanec said, "We also looked at the projection out to 2025 and, without even taking into account the (Big 12 football) championship game and ongoing negotiations with Fox and ESPN, the distributions are going to go considerably above $40 million." Meanwhile, Oklahoma President David Boren said that Friday's announcement "should hush speculation" about the conference possibly losing members. Boren: "The day has come and gone, when the question, ‘Is the Big 12 in danger, is the Big 12 here to stay, is it a stable conference?’ ... I don’t even think that’s an issue anymore.” Asked about a report that OU wanted out of the conference, Boren responded, "Emphatically not. ... We’re more optimistic than we’ve been in some time about the future of the Big 12, about the strength and stability of the conference. My goal is to get that topic off the table" (LUBBOCK AVALANCHE-JOURNAL, 6/3).
SHOWING STRENGTH: In Dallas, Kevin Sherrington noted after throwing in each school's "third-tier rights," the Big 12's TV revenue streams are "comparable" to the Big Ten and SEC. With grant-of-right agreements and TV contracts, the Big 12 "can expect to remain solvent for at least a half-dozen years and maybe through 2024-25, at which point all bets are off." Sherrington: "One of these days, maybe, it'll make sense to leave the Big 12. But not now. Not with revenues up and contracts in place and a league championship game on the horizon" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 6/3). College football reporter Brett McMurphy examined media rights for several Big 12 schools last year, "including 3rd tier rights." He found Texas had $49.8M, while Oklahoma had $40.8M, Kansas had $39.8M and West Virginia had $37.8M (TWITTER.com, 6/2). Big 12 officials said that the payouts were "proof of financial strength" for the conference. The AP's Stephen Hawkins noted conference revenues are "expected to increase again next year, when the resumption of the league's football championship game could generate" nearly $30M. Meanwhile, Boren "ended his term" as the Big 12 BOD Chair, with WVU President E. Gordon Gee selected as his successor (AP, 6/2). In Dallas, Chuck Carlton wrote the financial figures "certainly helps the conference's stability" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 6/3). Carlton noted Boren also praised Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby for his work this past year, which "included overseeing the return of a football title game." Apparently, that work "led to a bonus." Boren said that conference presidents "did recognize financially his performance, outstanding performance for this past year"(DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 6/3).
HOLD MY BEER: Meanwhile, the SEC announced that it "would table discussion of beer sales at public venues for sporting events" (SECCOUNTRY.com, 6/2).
