Well, assuming a decent TV does arrive and the Northern Big 12-2 teams get a decent cut albeit less than UT, OU, ATM, what kind of dollars would it be worth for those teams to seek out membership in another conference? Sure it stinks that they are at a severe disadvantage as far as bargaining and power, but what kind of a pay cut is it worth?
As a hypothetical, let's assume that KU, KSU, Iowa State, and Mizzou decide to join the Mountain West and it is granted BCS conference status. While those four schools are given significant bargaining leverage within their league, let's say they make $3-5 million less per year from TV $ and conference revenue sharing, and they are perceived as a lesser conference because they lack a traditional football power school (aside from Boise State/TCU which are very tough sells). Is it worth it to get out of the Texas shadow?
I think it's an interesting question, and I can see both sides. I guess the answer depends on what a school can do with heightened power within its conference, and what rewards can be gained from that status (for example gate revenues may go up thanks to winning seasons (which is always a gamble to bet on) and donations could be affected. In any case I don't envy the position of those Northern schools. They have some serious calls to make.
