In 2012, the Big 12 conference incorporated a
“99-year blood oath contract” for each member. In short, this contract was made to keep teams bound together as part of the conference for the long run. This deal doesn’t necessarily lock teams in permanently, but it does make it extremely difficult to leave.
For example, Texas and Oklahoma announced their plans to leave the Big 12 for the SEC in 2021. After three years of court cases, contract negotiations, buyouts and trials, these schools have finally been cleared to join a new conference. It didn’t come free, however, as it cost an estimated
$100 million for each university to buy out of the dreaded 99-year blood oath.
The University of Utah avoided this contract when signing with its new conference. The genius negotiations by U President Taylor Randall and staff negated an exit fee requirement if and when the Utes are ready to move on from the Big 12. This is a luxury that only Utah has in the newly formed conference, allowing them to easily leave for the Big 10, SEC, ACC or elsewhere in the future. Utah has a comfortable new home in the Big 12, but can likely play themselves into a superior conference over time.
The last two years have been a rollercoaster ride for the University of Utah regarding its future with NCAA sporting conferences. The first domino of uncertainty fell in June of 2022 when USC and UCLA announced plans to leave their long-time home in the Pac-12 and join the highly-coveted Big Ten...
dailyutahchronicle.com