Don Bebee Guaranteeing $17 Million Per Team In Next Big 12 TV Contract

Now one can say Don Bebee for not trying to save the Big XII from most of the league taking their show out West.  Bebee has also mentioned that the Big XII could stay together by attempting a raid of the Mountain West, then either C-USA, and perhaps the Big East.  Now, Bebee is putting together a drastic plan that actually looks good to keep the Big XII together:

--Beebe has secured information that enough money could be inked in its next TV negotiation (in 2011) that revenues per school would jump from between $7 million and $10 million in the Big 12 currently to $17 million, which is what the SEC pays out.

-- Three different sources at Big 12 South schools being targeted by the Pac-10 told Orangebloods.com Sunday morning that Dan Beebe's attempts to secure a new TV deal on par with the SEC's $17 million/school payout for the 10 remaining schools in the Big 12 is in play.


--Individal institutions would be allowed to pursue their own networks, which has been a goal of Texas. If the Longhorns went to the Pac-10, they would have to forgo their own distribution platforms, including a network, because the Pac-16 would seek to have a conference network in which all inventory is shared.

(Consultants have put Texas' ability to generate revenue from its own network at between $3 million and $5 million after a start-up window of about three years.)


--The Big 12 would proceed with 10 teams. Everyone would play everyone in football, providing a nine-game conference schedule. And the option to save or dump the conference championship game would be determined by the institutions.

The most intriguing item that would keep Texas around is the concession that would allow any school to create their own television network, and that could sway Texas to stay since the Pac-10 is not willing to allow a school owned network.  The very questionable scenario is the $17 million that is apparently guaranteed to the league starting in 2011.  This assumes that the Big XII can re-up with their ESPN/ABC deal, because that contract runs through the 2016 academic year. The only deal that is currently set to expire is the Fox Sports Net, and unless the league is going form a partnership with over the air Fox and Fox Sports, then that number might have a chance.

That $17 million is on par with what the SEC gets in their television deal with ESPN and CBS, and I find it hard to believe that a Big XII league that has ten teams with the best television market being Kansas City at 31.  Texas is a national brand and really carries the Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and of course the Austin market.  This amount of money seems too good to be true.

The school owned networks would have very little chance of showing football games.  Most likely Olympic sports, women's hoops, and some men's basketball games.  Actually football games could be considered because the Big XII still has some games that are still offered on pay-per-view if no network picks them up, but with a new potential $17 million television deal expect every football game to be on the Big XII television package.

There has been so much information out there, and it is plausible that Don Bebee has secured that amount of money, but if the league allows schools to have their own television network then that might put Texas over the edge to stay a member of the Big XII.  Also, the Longhorns and Aggies really do not want to split up if they do not have to.

Now assuming the league gets Texas to stay what does it mean for the rest of college football?  Does the Big XII go after the rumored reports of BYU and Air Force, or do they grab Utah and BYU to strengthen the conference.  Does the Pac-10 go for Utah to create a 12 team league, or is the rumor of an eleven team league team really a possibility.

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