The Big 12 expansion groundswell

[Uncle Ted]

So it seems the Big 12 ADs would like to stop at 14...

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I think I have seen this movie before... The Big 12:




The Pac 12-3 schools:

[Paperback Writer]

This assumes money will keep growing astronomically in the Big Ten and SEC contracts. Where does the money come from when cable cutting catches up with the ESPNs of the world and there aren't enough fans willing to pony up for streaming fees? I think its more likely that when traditional contracts hit their ceiling or dip, those in the Big two conferences who could command their own standalone streaming fees will get restless and threaten the stability of those conferences.

Nothing is certain. We are in such unprecedented territory with the continued evolution of how we consume and pay for media as well as the new world of NIL, so anyone who has certainty in their predictions is blowing smoke. But I'm extremely comfortable with where BYU has ended up during this transition period.

I'll offer a contrary view. B1G and SEC members won't go the way of Notre Dame (and until recently BYU) of independence and standalone streaming. Those two conferences will continue to expand and take Notre Dame and select teams from the PAC12 and ACC until they've gobbled up all desirable programs. They have already done that to the Big12 (PAC-12 is in progress). My guess is that the B1G and SEC will stop at 18-20 teams each. Then those conferences will be able to negotiate with TV networks or whoever will be providing content. It will be like the NFL - the B1G and SEC will become the NFC and AFC of college football. The model is already there. Does anyone think the NFL will decide to split up with teams going after their own standalone streaming? College football is simply separating the "wheat from the tares".

[UtahJazzFan88]

I think it’s a shame that Utah & BYU hold grudges over one being P5 and the other being independent.

I want the rivalry back in conference.

I hope Arizona, Arizona State, Utah get the invite over overrated NW snob Oregon & Washington who’s just waiting on the Big Ten.

[UtahJazzFan88]

The P12 was not in any danger of imploding before BYU's invite. If USC/UCLA would have defected right after Texas/Oklahoma, the P12 would have cannibalized the B12 instead of the other way around. This is what makes the Big 12's resurgence so remarkable. BY's leadership has been as impressive as Larry Scott and GK's is incompetent.

Edit: but yes I do agree we are fortunate. But the really delicious part is it's the arrogance of the Pac 12 (with Utah's full participation drinking the kool-aid) that led directly to BYU's invite and set the stage for the solidfying of the B12 and implosion of the P12.

I don’t see how any BYU fan is seriously blaming Utah for wanting to improve their program and get better from the MWC to the PAC.

Blame it on the PAC-12 as a whole, not just Utah.

[Uncle Ted]

I think it’s a shame that Utah & BYU hold grudges over one being P5 and the other being independent.

I want the rivalry back in conference.

I hope Arizona, Arizona State, Utah get the invite over overrated NW snob Oregon & Washington who’s just waiting on the Big Ten.

Yeah, it would be nice to have the Utah 'Holy War' game back but BYU has the 'Holy Trinity War' with Baylor and TCU. The Big 12 just needs to add ND now for the holy war of holy wars.

Utah is still drinking the GK koolaide and doesn't want to be in the Big 12. And Utah doesn't command that many eyeballs so the Big 12 isn't really interested in Utah either. If Utah wants in the Big 12 they need to pick up that stick and fight.

[UtahJazzFan88]

Yeah, it would be nice to have the Utah 'Holy War' game back but BYU has the 'Holy Trinity War' with Baylor and TCU. The Big 12 just needs to add ND now for the holy war of holy wars.

Utah is still drinking the GK koolaide and doesn't want to be in the Big 12. And Utah doesn't command that many eyeballs so the Big 12 isn't really interested in Utah either. If Utah wants in the Big 12 they need to pick up that stick and fight.

I think the folks up on the hill are making some major mistakes if they don’t see this sinking ship.

[Omaha 680]

I don’t see how any BYU fan is seriously blaming Utah for wanting to improve their program and get better from the MWC to the PAC.

Blame it on the PAC-12 as a whole, not just Utah.

Did you quote the wrong person? Not in that post nor anywhere else in my life have I blamed utah for leaving the mwc. Quite the opposite I have been open about how jealous I was. What I do say about utah and the pac 12 is they have been condescending and love the smell of their own farts so much they failed to plan for the future. But that doesn't hurt me as a byu fan. In fact it helps if utah gets left out.

[Omaha 680]

I'll offer a contrary view. B1G and SEC members won't go the way of Notre Dame (and until recently BYU) of independence and standalone streaming. Those two conferences will continue to expand and take Notre Dame and select teams from the PAC12 and ACC until they've gobbled up all desirable programs. They have already done that to the Big12 (PAC-12 is in progress). My guess is that the B1G and SEC will stop at 18-20 teams each. Then those conferences will be able to negotiate with TV networks or whoever will be providing content. It will be like the NFL - the B1G and SEC will become the NFC and AFC of college football. The model is already there. Does anyone think the NFL will decide to split up with teams going after their own standalone streaming? College football is simply separating the "wheat from the tares".

This also assumes the money will keep going up. Are you confident the total amount of licensing fees for CFB broadcasts/streams across all platforms will continue to go up? I'm not. It's possible we are nearing the peak due to this transition period. Disney is going to spin off espn eventually because they see the writing on the wall. Streamers are going to have some pain as the market becomes more saturated and people start choosing one or two services. I don't think there are enough college football fans willing to pay for the rights to see their team or conference to keep pushing the contracts up after linear tv contracts.

Edit: also tbe comparion between the sec/b1g and the NFL is not valid. The popularity and mass appeal are much higher for the nfl and they can charge much higher fees. And as I have said before the big 2 conferences need some of the structure and tradition of cfb to maintain the appeal they do have. If they just become a 32 team minor league for the nfl no one will care but the fans of those schools and the viewership and broadcast fees will decrease accordingly.

[beefytee]

I don’t see how any BYU fan is seriously blaming Utah for wanting to improve their program and get better from the MWC to the PAC.

Blame it on the PAC-12 as a whole, not just Utah.

Even the most anti-Utah cougar board contributor doesn’t fault Utah for that. They are mad the Utah president at the time supposedly sabotaged the byu/wac deal, letting the MWC folks know it was going down beforehand.

[Uncle Ted]

I think the folks up on the hill are making some major mistakes if they don’t see this sinking ship.

Yeah, one would think that they are singing PAC 12-3 praises in public but are actually (or hopefully) in deep discussions with the Big 12 behind the scene.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Yeah, one would think that they are singing PAC 12-3 praises in public but are actually (or hopefully) in deep discussions with the Big 12 behind the scene.

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[UtahJazzFan88]

Yeah, one would think that they are singing PAC 12-3 praises in public but are actually (or hopefully) in deep discussions with the Big 12 behind the scene.

I’m hopeful that Arizona, Utah, Arizona State are headed to the Big 12 (XVI).

I think the league has a lot of good rivalries if you bring the 4 Corner schools.

I do find it interesting that Colorado is all of a sudden some powerhouse overnight with Deion. They have an overall record of 48-94 since joining the PAC-12.

[Uncle Ted]

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LOL.

There are rumblings on X that the wildcats will be making an announcement this next week...

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But what about Oregon and UW? Where are they going to land?

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[myboynoah]

LOL.

There are rumblings on X that the wildcats will be making an announcement this next week...

I hope, but it seems like Colorado was an early next week thing for about two months. Sheer tweeted today that things take time and that he would be surprised if something happened next week.

[Jeff Lebowski]

I hope, but it seems like Colorado was an early next week thing for about two months. Sheer tweeted today that things take time and that he would be surprised if something happened next week.

That's kind of what he said:

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Also:

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Barnes and Schulz are the WSU and OSU presidents.

FWIW, I cannot find a single UA account (not just fans, but Arizona podcasters, sportswriters, etc) that is not 100% in on a move to the B12. ASAP. Seems like a certainty at this point.