3.) Former Kansas State president Jon Wefald has advised Ono, but says UC may have to take a financial “haircut.”
In a Jan. 26, 2015, message to Ono, Wefald said he had talked to several key Big 12 leaders, mentioning Boren and then-Texas President Bill Powers.
“David is impressed with Cincinnati,” Wefald told Ono. “He knows that UC is a big-time school. ... Now, I did not talk to him about the revenues that each school gets. I doubt that he would be enthused about any kind of a ‘major haircut.’”
Later in the email, Wefald said: “The only way I see to get Cincinnati into the Big 12 is this: that UC and the 2nd school would have to volunteer to take the financial haircut yourselves. Why? Because the three major networks will never add enough monies to allow the next two schools to have the same revenues as the 10 to (sic) now.”
Wefald continued: “The emphasis of UC right now should be this: Get into the Big 12 and worry about equal revenues later. So get in now and tell the other 10 universities that you and the second school will take the haircut.”
Later in the article:
If the Big 12 expands, it most likely will add two schools to get back to 12 members. UC is believed to be competing with about a half-dozen schools, including BYU and current American Athletic rivals Connecticut and Central Florida. UC and BYU appear to be the front-runners, according to Sports Illustrated.
In the end, though, it may not be about which school puts forth the best effort to impress the Big 12’s decision makers.
“It’s all about TV,” said Lee Igel, a sports business expert and co-director of New York University’s Sports & Society program.
And TV money seems to be a major reason the Big 12 has not been in a hurry to expand since losing Nebraska, Missouri, Texas A&M and Colorado in 2011 and 2012.
The Big 12 last year brought in $253 million from sources including TV and bowl games, Forbes says.