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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mountaineer Steve" data-source="post: 129579319" data-attributes="member: 1495432">You have been wrong and you are still wrong.  The BIG12 is just fine.  <a href="http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/15994651/five-reasons-why-big-12-panicking">http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/15994651/five-reasons-why-big-12-panicking</a>1. The league's leaders actually get along"I don't think there's ever been a better spirit of cooperation," said Boren, OU's president since 1994. "The individuals serving in these various positions in the conference, they're very determined. ... They feel very invested in the Big 12."The Big 12 has tried to demonstrate its solidarity before, but rarely sounded convincing. This time, there seems to be a genuine desire to work as partners, and not just until the grant of rights expires.3. A realistic outlook on revenueBowlsby's ominous statements about how dithering would damage the Big 12's future financial position might have obscured a general belief within the league: We're not catching the SEC or Big Ten in revenue, and we're OK with it.Big 12 officials, both publicly and privately are pragmatic about revenue. If the league can be a solid third among Power 5 leagues, and not a distant fifth, the plusses of staying together could outweigh the potential benefits of expanding or, in the cases Texas and Oklahoma, moving to deeper-pocketed conferences.The return of the title game -- projected to bring in $27 million to $30 million -- was a revenue slam dunk. Friday's financial release also boosted confidence. The Big 12 reported distributing $30.4 million to its members for fiscal year 2015-16 -- a 20 percent increase from the previous year -- putting it third among Power 5 leagues.The ACC and Pac-12 have more members, but is their long-term outlook much better than the Big 12's?The ACC Network still isn't off the ground, and commissioner John Swofford's vague comments about the negotiations last month, combined with the market changes, doesn't inspire excitement. Remember, if the Big Ten expands again, its desired choices likely would be ACC schools, not Big 12 schools.The Pac-12's distribution difficulties with its network haven't led to the revenue windfall members had expected. There has been grumbling about commissioner Larry Scott, who recently went all Big 12 on longtime UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero for <a href="http://espn.go.com/blog/pac12/post/_/id/99947/for-now-larry-scott-chills-out-previously-combustible-pac-12">botching the satellite camp vote</a>. After nearly winning the realignment sweepstakes with Texas, Oklahoma and four other Big 12 schools, the Pac-12 has lost pizzazz.The return of the title game -- projected to bring in $27 million to $30 million -- was a revenue slam dunk. Friday's financial release also boosted confidence. The Big 12 reported distributing $30.4 million to its members for fiscal year 2015-16 -- a 20 percent increase from the previous year -- putting it third among Power 5 leagues.The Big 12's revenue model creates internal inequalities, but if the baseline distribution continues to rise and members capitalize on their third-tier freedom, everyone could be satisfied."It's something we actually like. We are all able to go out and find deals or contracts to help fit each other best," Kansas AD Sheahon Zenger said. "At Kansas, our contract with Time Warner allows us to have an additional 70 productions a year. Our coaches and our student-athletes love the fact that they're on TV all the time. If you're on a conference network, volleyball might only be on once or twice.""That can be very substantial," Boren added. "That helps close the gap, the differential, between the Big 12 and some of the other conferences because our schools have been very creative."</blockquote>

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