‘A major and perpetual blow.’ Big 12 commissioner speaks on UT, OU bolting to SEC
At a Texas Senate hearing on Monday, Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby said the defection of Texas and Oklahoma from the league would cost the remaining schools tens of millions of dollars in just one year of lost TV revenue and put the long-term viability of the conference in jeopardy.
“It represents a major and perpetual blow to the remaining members of the Big 12,” Bowlsby said of Texas and Oklahoma leaving the league. “There is no question about that.
“If the inclusion of OU and UT and the SEC is intended to disrupt intercollegiate athletics, it will certainly accomplish that.”
Bowlsby touched on a wide array of topics, ranging from the financial impact to the future of the eight teams to the impact the latest shift could have on expanding the College Football Playoff to 12 teams.
Bowlsby sidestepped questions on a July 28 cease-and-desist letter he sent to the league’s TV partner, ESPN, saying both sides agreed to not have their dispute escalate publicly.
But Bowlsby said UT and OU represented half of the league’s value as far as TV revenue. The Big 12 distributed roughly $28 million to each member based on TV revenue last year, a number that would drop to $14 million without those two schools.
“The economies of the eight remaining Big 12 members are jeopardized, particularly the three universities in the state of Texas [TCU, Baylor and Texas Tech],” Bowlsby said. “The innate co-dependencies that are present in college athletics conferences extend far beyond the playing fields. Mutual commitments are made that rely on years and decades of history and relationships with many millions of dollars in the balance for those [remaining schools].”
Bowlsby reiterated his belief that the best route forward for the league is keeping the eight remaining teams together. As of now, Bowlsby said, the eight schools are committed to staying together and exploring options as a group.
Maybe it’s a scheduling alliance with another conference. Maybe it’s a merger with another conference. Maybe it’s looking at expansion, although Bowlsby said the conference had not contacted any possible expansion candidates at this point.
“We’re going to try to move as methodically and smartly as we possibly can,” Bowlsby said.
Added TCU chancellor Victor Boschini: “I see it as we’re going to try and make the Big 12 great again and stick together with these schools.”
Bowlsby declined to give a timeline of when decisions may be made.
He went on to discuss the ripple effects the shake-up would have on the entire sports universe. In one example he talked about the loss of revenue to respective schools likely leading to the reduction of Olympic sports programs at schools.
Bowlsby said roughly 80% of Team USA’s athletes competing in the Summer Games have been produced by colleges across the country. Without the necessary funds to support those programs, that would have a direct impact on the Olympic team.
Bowlsby also said the latest shift could impact the proposal to expand the College Football Playoff to 12 teams.
“The tectonic plates have shifted a little bit,” Bowlsby said.
Bowlsby served as the Big 12 representative at the hearing that also featured administrators from Baylor, Texas Tech, TCU and Texas. An economics professor from SMU also spoke.
Sen. Jane Nelson (R-Flower Mound), who chaired the hearing, said Texas A&M, a school that joined the SEC 10 years ago, declined an invitation to attend. Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte also refused to attend when asked.
Nelson said she reached out to see if an executive from ESPN could attend, but that didn’t come to fruition.
Baylor athletic director Mack Rhoades took a couple subtle shots at Texas. He said Baylor operates on a budget that is 48% of that of Texas’ and has remained competitive, including winning the men’s basketball championship this season.
He also described his passion for other Big 12 schools competing in postseasons, saying he roots for OU in the CFP and Texas Tech and Kansas in the Final Four. If Texas reached those prestigious postseason tournaments, Rhoades said, he’d cheer for them as well.
But Rhoades painted a bleak outlook if Baylor is demoted from a power conference. He would know given his experience as an athletic director at schools in non-power conferences such as Akron and Houston as well as power conferences at Missouri and Baylor.
“We will sell less tickets, sell less merchandise, raise less money, get less corporate sponsorships,” he said.
Rhoades also said it would be more difficult to retain talent, from coaches to administrators, if Baylor is playing in a lower league.
The same rings true for TCU and Texas Tech.
TCU athletic director Jeremiah Donati said the school has spent $500 million on athletics facilities since 2010, which wouldn’t have been possible without being in a power conference.
He said the university received $5 million in revenue during its final year in the Mountain West compared with a $35-40 million payout from the Big 12.
“We’d have to scale back,” Donati said if TCU doesn’t land in a power conference. “Cutting opportunities for men and women ... when you have to downsize or down scale, those are real issues we have to deal with.”
At the end of the day, the schools are facing an uncertain future. Texas also faces the possibility of losing hundreds of millions if it no longer boasts five Power Five schools. Texas is the only state with five Power Five schools in the country.
Rhoades made a request that the Texas Senate “use anything you can — your time and your resources — to help preserve the Big 12. Texas is better when there’s a Power Five conference within it.”
This story was originally published August 2, 2021 at 6:41 PM with the headline "‘A major and perpetual blow.’ Big 12 commissioner speaks on UT, OU bolting to SEC."
