Some weird nattering in the Memphis Business Journal...
Uneven revenue distribution...focus on UCF
"Memphis, Cincinnati, Houston, and South Florida are the other candidates most likely to be targeted by the power five, according to several well-placed sources.
If conference brass is able to lock up those top schools, they would create a level of stability the five-year-old AAC has not had before. Conference backers believe this move could be pivotal in Commissioner Mike Aresco’s quest to make the AAC part of the autonomy conferences, or the "power six," as he calls it.
Part of the negotiations have explored the possibility of top AAC schools making more revenue than others, which is drastically different than the conference’s current deal in terms of revenue distribution. Currently, the conference splits revenue evenly among its members. It’s unclear how a new distribution system that pays more to certain schools would be received by the rest of the conference, but the presence of UCF is expected to lead to a bigger media rights deal for the conference.
For a media company like ESPN, getting higher-profile schools to commit long term takes a lot of the uncertainty out of its rights negotiations. ESPN does not want to commit to a media rights deal only to see other conferences pick off the best teams. UCF’s Florida location, thriving Orlando market, and on-field success would make it a prime target if the Big 12, the smallest of the power five leagues with 10 schools, revisited expansion. The Big 12 looked into expansion two years ago before deciding to stand pat."
"The American Athletic Conference’s (AAC) current, seven-year, $126 million package with ESPN expires in 2020. A new deal could be three to four times higher, but only if the top AAC schools commit to stay in the conference, sources said.
By committing to stay in the AAC, those schools sacrifice the opportunity to jump to a more lucrative arrangement if a power five league like the Big 12 decides to expand. In return, those schools will get a bigger share of the conference’s revenue from its next media deal. The schools also get the stability that comes with a long-term commitment. "