Big 12 Commissioner Don Beebe Hopeful Conference Can Remain Intact

As the conference wrapped up its meetings, Beebe painted a positive picture.

Thursday, May 26th 2011, 11:46 am

By: News On 6

Big 12 Commissioner Don Beebe Hopeful Conference Can Remain Intact

Originally Published: Jun 4, 2010 2:4 PM CDT

Conference realignment news and analysis from Oklahoma Sports.
- Report: Pac-10 to Extend Invites to OU, OSU and 4 Other Big 12 Schools
- Big 12 Commissioner Don Beebe Hopeful Conference Can Remain Intact

- Dean Blevins: Revolutionary Realignment is Here

- Bobby Lewis: A Pac-10 State of Mind
- Realignment Rumors Bring More Questions - Chad's Blog
- How Do I Feel About OU and OSU Possibly Moving to the Pac-10? - Toby's Blog

Oklahoma Sports Staff & Wire Reports

KANSAS CITY, Missouri -- The head of the Big 12 Conference insisted Friday that the league can remain intact, though he did not announce a commitment from every member amid rumors of defections to the Big Ten or Pac-10.

Commissioner Don Beebe said the Big 12 is healthy, despite fears that the league has become the favorite target to be dismantled if other conferences expand.

"I am comfortable," he said as a week of meetings wrapped up. "There's still a process we're going through but based on the conversations we had I think we're in a very good position."

He said that process will "assure the solidification" of the Big 12.

Texas is considered the dominant Big 12 school and its decision on whether to stay is key. The Associated Press confirmed Friday that the Big Ten is interested in pursuing Texas.

Ohio State President Gordon Gee told Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany in an April 20 e-mail that Gee had spoken with University of Texas president Bill Powers. Gee said Powers would welcome a call.

Powers was expected to be at the news conference with Beebe, but was not.

The driving issue of the expansion talks is money, and the possibility of schools greatly boosting revenue by adding to their inventory of television homes.

As a sales pitch to keep the league together, Beebe spent the week explaining that he expected huge increases in rights fees when he opens negotiations next April with Fox. The league's contracts with ESPN run through the 2015-16 academic year.

Under the present television agreements with Fox and ESPN, Big 12 schools split between $7 million and $10 million last year, depending on how many appearances each school made. The Big Ten, enriched by its Big Ten cable network, distributed about $20 million to each of its members last season.

A report on Thursday said six Big 12 schools may be invited to join the Pac-10 and form two eight-team divisions, East and West. If they did, the Pac-10 could launch its own network and command huge money. Kansas, Kansas State and Iowa State, which were not reported to be on the Pac-10's shopping list, are in low population states and would not be as attractive to carriers.

"We're not going to have any kind of comments about anything that the board has been considering or acting upon until tomorrow," Beebe said after the report came out.

The Big 12 has increased the financial reward for every one of its members since it began play in 1996 with four members of the Southwest Conference and the old Big Eight Conference. Texas, the biggest, richest and most influential of Big 12 members, led the entire country with $138.45 million in total sports revenues in 2008, the last time Department of Education figures are available.

That was almost $20 million more than No. 2 Ohio State and more than $50 million ahead of Oklahoma, which was second in the Big 12 and 12th nationally with $81.4 million.