A lot of BS is being spewed about the Big 12’s disproportionate revenue sharing, and how greedy Texas is.
A few things to remember:
1. Revenue sharing is a function of TV appearances and bowl game revenue. Each AD has control of the former, via scheduling. Schedule interesting non-conference games, and TV appearances go up. Too many schools want to free-ride by scheduling unexciting non-conference games, showing up for conference play, and collecting their reduced (but still larger than earned) share of the contract.
2. Teams are griping about the revenue sharing because they want a face-saving excuse to bolt. If a team like Missouri bolts to the Big 10, it’s not because they’re upset about getting $100k less than an equal share of the Big 12 money. It’s because they want the extra $12 million the Big 10 offers.
3. Texas voted for unequal distribution, but so did a majority of the Big 12 schools. This is not the dealbreaker vote for Texas. Texas is being blamed because it gets more from the contract than anybody, and so serves as a convenient scapegoat, not because it is driving the unequal distribution.
Here is the 2007 - 2008 data, with non-conference opponents and bowl games:
1. Texas: $10.2 million- Arkansas State, TCU, Central Florida, and Rice- Holiday Bowl
2. Oklahoma: $9.8 million- North Texas, Miami, Utah State, and Tulsa- Fiesta Bowl
3. Kansas: $9.24 million- Central Michigan, SE Louisiana (D-1AA), Toledo, and Florida International- Orange Bowl
4. Texas A&M: $9.22 million- Montana State (D-1AA), Fresno State, Louisiana-Monroe, and Miami- Alamo Bowl
5. Nebraska: $9.1 million- Nevada, Wake Forest, USC, and Ball State- No bowl.
6. Missouri: $8.4 million- Illinois, Ol’ Miss, Western Michigan, and Illinois State (D-1AA)- Cotton Bowl
7. Texas Tech: $8.23 million- SMU, UTEP, Rice, and Northwestern State (D-1AA)- Gator Bowl
8. Kansas State: $8.21 million- Auburn, San Jose State, Missouri State (D-1AA), and Fresno State- No bowl
9. Oklahoma State: $8.1 million- Georgia, Florida Atlantic, Troy, and SHSU (D-1AA)- Insight Bowl
10. Colorado: $8.0 million- Colorado State, Arizona State, Florida State, and Miami (OH)- Independence Bowl
11. Iowa State: $7.4 million- Toledo, Northern Iowa (D-1AA), Iowa, and Kent State- No bowl.
12. Baylor: $7.1 million- TCU, Rice, Texas State (D-1AA), and Buffalo- No bowl
Note- Difference between Texas and BU is $3.1 million. They (and Iowa State, and others) could have had more money if they had scheduled games more attractive to TV, rather than try to schedule wins and free ride on the conference contract. If revenue were shared equally, Nebraska and Missouri would have received $8.5 million, in other words less than NU actually received and a hair more than Missouri received. If they leave for the Big 10, it will be for the extra $12 million per year, not resentment over money the Big 12 unfairly denied them.
Also, note how much TAMU received in a year where they went 7 - 6. That's why they are an attractive candidate in a re-alignment.