By: Phil Constantino
The famous scene in the 1976 Hollywood classic, All the President’s Men, memorably romanticized a timeless adage. Washington Post Reporter Bob Woodward, played by Robert Redford, meets an unnamed FBI informant, “Deep Throat,” in a dimly-lit parking deck in the early hours of the morning. For Woodward’s investigative reporting into President Richard Nixon’s Watergate scandal, Deep Throat advises “Just follow the money.”
College football fans can picture this scene playing out in the dark corners of Austin, Texas and Norman, Oklahoma. An unidentified voice coaxing two major university presidents, “Ignore the traditions. Ignore the game’s history. Ignore regional rivalries. Ignore all of the fans’ desires. Ignore everything college athletics is supposed to be about. Just follow the money.”
This morning, The University of Oklahoma and The University of Texas at Austin, in a joint statement, formally notified the Big 12 Conference of each school’s intention to not renew “their grants of media rights following expiration in 2025.” This statement provided the first tangible evidence of each schools’ plan to leave the Big 12 in the coming years. Per numerous reports over the last week, Oklahoma and Texas both intend to apply for membership into the Southeastern Conference.
But if money is the main motivator, if university presidents and athletic directors are willing to leave behind all that is great about college athletics, is the SEC the right destination for Oklahoma and Texas?
Embed from Getty ImagesYear after year, the SEC ranks second to the Big Ten Conference in total revenue. This includes 2020, where the Big Ten hauled in $768.9-million, $40-million more than the SEC’s $728.9-million.
Individually, each Big Ten-member school (excluding Rutgers and Maryland, both of whom are still in a transitional phase and do not receive full payouts) received an estimated $55-million from the conference’s revenue sharing agreement. Each SEC school received approximately $45.5-million from its conference.
Given the on-field success of the SEC, and the cult-like fervor built around SEC Football, this financial data may come as a surprise to most fans. But it shouldn’t.
The Big Ten features some of the largest schools in the country: Ohio State, Penn State, Minnesota, and Maryland, to name a few. Based on the most recent published undergraduate enrollment data, the average size of a Big Ten school is approximately 31,000-32,000 students. The average traditional undergraduate enrollment in the SEC is approximately 6,000 students less than the Big Ten average.
More traditional undergraduate students equal more living alumni. More alumni equal more passionate and emotionally-attached fans.
The Big Ten is also entirely comprised of academically revered flagship research institutions. More academic prestige equals more successful alumni. More successful alumni equal more large-dollar donors for an institution.
Embed from Getty ImagesAdditionally, the Big Ten features more schools with a historical track record of success on the football field, dating back to the first half of the 20th century. From 1936-1990 (when the AP began recognizing a national champion), current Big Ten institutions claimed 19 national championships. In that same time period, current SEC schools claimed 12 national championships. Big Ten schools have benefited from building upon their head start and grown their fanbases.
There is a reason why the Big Ten Network was the first, and remains the most successful, conference-affiliated television network in the country. There is a reason why the Big Ten Network remains the most easily accessible conference-affiliated network in the country. If there is a truly “national” college athletics conference, the Big Ten is it. Not the SEC.
Embed from Getty ImagesIf Oklahoma and Texas are so money hungry, why not approach the Big Ten? Especially since geography is increasing irrelevant in conference alignment.
Many have speculated what Oklahoma and Texas’s true intentions might be. Many have speculated what SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey’s intentions might be.
Might the SEC be on its way toward forming the first 20-team super conference? A conference that could dwarf the Big Ten’s financial haul and overall influence.
Might the SEC have plans for a complete split from the NCAA with the goal of becoming its own national NCAA-like governing body or professional minor league system?
Simply put, as long as the modern construct of college athletics holds, an Oklahoma and Texas move to the SEC is not the most financially advantageous move available.
There must be more to the dimly-lit backroom midnight discussions than the public is aware of. Oklahoma, Texas, and the SEC are planning something bigger than we know. There is a major shift coming to college athletics.
