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One out of three is OK for baseball, and for the Big 12 it is a grand slam because something actually got done. The conference unanimously voted on bringing back a conference title game within the 10-team league for the 2017 season.
The title game will pay the league nearly $30 million for having a conference championship game.
The other news came on the conference television network side, and that seems to be shutdown, for now.
Boren: “the boat has sailed” with regards to creating a traditional conf network. So the vote this summer will strictly be an expansion one
— Jake Trotter (@Jake_Trotter) June 3, 2016
If the conference is not pursuing a television network similar to what the SEC, Pac-12 or Big Ten have then that really hurts Colorado State's chances to get into the Big 12, if they decided to expand.
The reason the Rams were an option were based on being located near the Denver market and thus have a good number of subscribers for being located in Colorado.
The criteria for what the Big 12 may want not really changes quite a bit because if a TV network is not going to happen then what is the priority for the Big 12 to add teams.
Do they want big brands and that would fit with BYU and even Boise State that win and have a solid draw even outside of their markets?
If that is the case it is hard to say that Colorado State fits in that area. Their new on-campus stadium helps to get in the neighborhood of the stadium size for the rest of the Big 12, but it might mean winning more games.
The league is not closing the door on expansion but could meet again later this month to discuss potential additions, and have a decision to expand by the end of summer.
"There was no feeling we're going to slow our look at expansion," Oklahoma president David Boren.
One key reason the Pac-12 expanded with Utah and Colorado was mainly for the extra money that came with a championship game in football, and with the Big 12 no longer needing that what is the point of expanding.
The league is expected to get near $30 million per year for the title game, so why add teams that can not increase the media rights contract by adding two teams.
This would fit in with the Big 12 not wanting to settle for teams because some think there could be another shift of realignment and be able to choose from more established programs than being saddled with picking up any current group of five teams which do not have that same value.