Incoming Big 12 Commissioner Brett Jormark smiles during the opening press conference for the NCAA College Football Big 12 Media Day in Arlington, Texas, Wednesday, July 13, 2022. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
When the news broke this week, ESPN turned down a massive rights package offered by the Big Ten Conference — $380 million a year over seven years. My thoughts immediately turned to the Big 12.
With the Big Ten out of the mix for the first time in nearly 40 years, ESPN needs quality games and teams to fill a large number of time slots.
While this is great news for the Big 12, and perhaps what’s left of Pac-12, it’s wise not to take any authority at Big 12 Headquarters for granted.
The Big 12 aren’t just sitting around waiting for ESPN to come over to the Big 12 as a fallback solution when the next TV rights deal is negotiated, they’re doing whatever they can to not just remind the network of it. You should look for opportunities to be proactive. ESPN needs meetings, but they should want them as well.
We’re still talking a few years away here, so there’s no need to dig through this year’s schedule to point out the best games. And it can be addressed both by highlighting the best conference showdowns and scheduling to create even more compelling options on the non-conference slate in the future.
If there’s anything we’ve learned in the various rounds of reorganization over the years, it’s that the waiting game is stupid.
So launch a full-court press to drive the media value of the conference. 8th) is not necessarily Dayton and Honolulu at 65th and 67th. , respectively, with the latest Nielsen ratings.
Additionally, the Big 12 not only adds Houston, but also enters Tampa/St., the 13th, 17th, 30th and 36th TV markets. Pete, Orlando, Salt Lake City, Cincinnati—one year before his current rights contract expires when four new programs join the conference.
It may not sound like a powerful one. But no one believes that the Big 12 alone can compete with the Big 10 and the SEC in terms of market and media value. in the field? you bet And this is another point for the Big 12 to come home to in their sale to ESPN.
It makes no sense to leave anything to chance here. Not this time, and the stakes aren’t as high as they are.
Just because most of the reorganization headlines have to do with college football power meetings, hope the so-called second tier swoops in and collects some of these megas to make themselves more attractive Don’t think you’re constantly brainstorming how to do it. Millions suddenly became available.
If you look at what’s happening at San Diego State University (new stadium), Boise State University (new stadium), and SMU (a spectacular NIL collective), young people are strategic, ready, and ready to act. You can prove that you are willing to do it.
Granted, you might not think the American Athletic Conference or Mountain West will be the Power Conference. But UCLA and USC weren’t even likely to be in the Big 10, were they?
Great football is being played at these smaller conferences, and we’ve already seen how the power of marketing, branding, and exposure impacts a sport, a team, or a conference. Maybe, but don’t underestimate the reach and power of ESPN.
I can’t imagine Brett Yeomark, the new Commissioner of the Big 12, doing that. And for that reason and more, the Big 12 could remain well positioned going forward. In his July introduction, Yormark made it clear that he was proactive and willing to run and deal with whatever area was best for the conference.
This kind of leadership and approach should benefit a conference notorious for being reactive, and it would be wise for the Big 12 and Yormark to remain proactive in their actions and thoughts.
After all, the race for bronze is still on, and while the conference finishing third in the future power rankings is far from closing the gap between the Big Ten and the SEC, it could benefit greatly from something similar. There is a size gap between itself and the meeting sitting in 4th and 5th.
