War Room:
IRVING – Here is the easiest way to describe this week’s Big 12 meetings.
On Wednesday, Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield learned the Big 12 did not approve a proposal that would have made him eligible to play in 2017 because the conference was counting a non-scholarship year at Texas Tech against him. After a huge uproar, a second vote occurred on Thursday.
Surprise ... Mayfield was awarded that year of eligibility.
Sigh.
There were two main issues addressed by Oklahoma President David Boren (Big 12 board chair) and Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby during their media session on Thursday night. Okay, Boren did most of the talking while Bowlsby enjoyed a rare moment of not having to answer questions. Boren is a former politician, so to say he knows how to put on a show when the lights are on would be an understatement. I am not insulting the man. From a reporter’s perspective, he is a quote machine.
I asked Boren if there have been any discussions behind closed doors about the Longhorn Network's future and eventually establishing a conference network. Boren has been outspoken about his dislike of LHN and the disadvantage he believes it creates for other Big 12 programs.
The topic was not discussed, but Boren had plenty to say about the network.
“We’re not at a point to have those kinds of discussions,” Boren said. “We’re moving through the data to see what the data will show us. I think there’s no secret, and it’s been said before, that we are concerned about revenue imbalances with other conferences, and that if we project ourselves out, we’ll (potentially) have some revenue imbalances. Although, when you look at, and we’ll be announcing tomorrow (Friday) the revenue distribution to the individual members of the conference. When you look at the individual revenue distributions, the conference is not as disadvantaged as it would look like on a gross basis. That’s the first thing we have to look at.
“We’re in a situation, it’s no secret that I’ve made comments before about our financial disadvantage, and we need to find ways to do that. There’s several ways to look at it. I think it’s premature. One, we have to look at the marketplace. What is the marketplace? Right now, we know we’re going through tremendous technological change as we have a growth of those who are getting their sports from digital platforms rather than the traditional platforms. That, of course, we’re going through a technological transformation. That affects the marketplace. That affects the finances of the network. It affects where they are financially. We have to really consider what all those factors may be. We’re going to look at all the possible strategies of making our conference stronger. I think our conference is extremely strong. I want to underline that. We’ve gone through choppy periods in the past. From my point of view of having been here as a president through the whole history of this conference, I don’t think this conference has ever been stronger.”
Stronger is probably a relative term.
Sure, teams in the Big 12 are making money, but having only 10 members is still an issue of concern for many college observers. The issue is so obvious, reporters from Cincinnati and Orlando (University of Central Florida) have been in attendance this week hoping to relay some sort of positive news to the programs they cover.
Texas athletic director Mike Perrin expressed no desire to add more teams this week, but Boren said he needs more information before formulating an opinion.
Boren said there are several schools interesting in joining the Big 12. However, when asked if those programs were power five members, he admitted the universities that wanted to join their conference were on the outside trying to get in.
“To use a financial term, we want to make sure they are not diluting,” Boren said. “In other words, you want to look at how do they fit athletically? What is their fan base? What media markets are they in? Obviously, we want to look at where they stand academically. We don’t want to be diluted academically, as well as athletically. Where are they? What’s their level as a research institution? What’s their excellence in teaching? To use a financial term we want to make sure they’re not dilutive to I think what is a very strong conference at the present time.”
Boren wants a conference where no member is at an economic weakness, which basically means he has an issue with Texas. He is concerned with staying competitive with other conferences, athletically, academically, but also financially. Boren said those goals can be reached through expansion, television networks, or technology.
“We don’t have to exactly have the same financial income as every other conference, but we should not be at a strong disadvantage,” Boren said. “Everyone doesn’t have to be exactly penny for penny the same. But we do want to find strategies to help us in terms of the financial situation going forward. As I mentioned, we’re not as disadvantaged as some might think when you look at individual distribution to the universities. I think we need to focus in a new way when we talk about where are we financially … The Longhorn Network is talked about, sometimes the Sooner Network is not talked about, which we have, which has a very healthy financial return to us each year. It’s something we’ve created. We have other agreements with other sports marketing organizations, and other things that bring additional revenue to the university. We have to be very careful that we don’t do any damage to the other creative things the institutions have done, in a marketing way and other wise to bring in additional revenue to their school.
“I put it this way. We’re going to be very careful.”
In addition, Boren was asked about his relationship with Texas president Greg Fenves compared to conflicts he previously had with Bill Powers. Boren used the question as an opportunity to praise Fenves.
“I have gotten to know him, and I think he’s an outstanding president,” Boren said. “He has a wonderful, analytical mind with his engineering background. He’s an extraordinary person. The University of Texas has obviously made a very good choice. I think the idea that the University of Oklahoma and University of Texas, even though we have a great rivalry, has some deep seeded unwholesome feelings about each other is just not right. If you really look at this conference, and the whole history, when Bill Powers left the presidency, one of the greatest honors to me was in our final meeting, he asked me to make the final remarks about him and his service on the board. I think that demonstrates some of the publicity and reports about our relationship were completely misguided. I have great respect for him. He stood for academic freedom. He stood against political interference at the university. I had a lot of admiration for President Powers, as I do President Fenves.
“He’s going to be excellent … Yes, there’s a rivalry. Yes, there’s nothing that makes me happier than to win on the football field, or the basketball court, or the baseball diamond. I love beating Texas. I absolutely relish it. But, at the same time, I really value our friendship and relationship. Nothing I’ve ever said has ever been aimed at creating some disadvantage for the University of Texas, or any other member of this conference.” (Richardson)
