Will Stanford's arrival in Big 12 make a difference for Brett Yormark's TV media money? Exploring all the possibilities around the realignments

There have been conflicting reports on the Big 12's interest in adding the Stanford Cardinal and California Bears.
Brett McMurphy of The Action Network initially tweeted:
"Despite various reports to the contrary, Big 12 has not had conversations w/any of the Pac-4 schools & has no intention in engaging w/those schools, multiple Big 12 sources told @ActionNetworkHQ."
Greg Swaim responded with a quote tweet, reporting that talks are still ongoing:
"Apparently Brett not talking to same #Big12 and #Stanford sources that we are. As always, it may or may not happen, but there are definitely talks going on with Stanford and the Big 12. #StayTuned"
Check out Brett McMurphy's tweet here and Greg Swaim's response here.
While it is unclear if the programs will wind up in the Big 12, the conference could benefit financially from their additions. The Atlantic Coast Conference is reportedly set to earn $72 million if they approve the Cardinal, Bears and SMU Mustangs.
Furthermore, the Cardinal and Bears have reportedly agreed to forfeit 70% of their shares, while the Mustangs will forfeit their entire $24 million. It is unclear if the programs would be willing to do the same to join the Big 12, however, if they receive an invite to the conference.
The additional revenue, about $57.6 million, would likely be redistributed among the conference's programs. While the Big 12 will already have 16 teams next season, further expansion has not been ruled out by conference officials.
How has conference realignment affected the Big 12?
The Big 12 has been one of the teams most affected by conference realignment. Things initially appeared bleak, as, in 2021, the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns announced that they would join the Southeastern Conference by the 2025 season. While many predicted that the departures would mark the end of the conference, they have utilized expansion to quiet that chatter.
Although the Sooners and Longhorns will now leave ahead of the 2024 season, the Big 12 has strengthed their ranks. The BYU Cougars, Cincinnati Bearcats, Houston Cougars and UCF Knights all joined the conference ahead of the 2023 season. Meanwhile, the Arizona Wildcats, Arizona State Sun Devils, Colorado Buffaloes and Utah Utes will join the conference ahead of the 2024 season.
Furthermore, conference officials seem willing to continue their expansion. In addition to the Stanford Cardinal and California Bears, the Big 12 has reportedly been monitoring the San Diego State Aztecs and UConn Huskies, according to Greg Swaim, who tweeted:

Players mentioned in this article

Brett Ackerman

Latest Player Notes

How a Wisconsin legend got his German protégé into Badgers pro day

Mar 15, 2024 Marlon Werthmann put his life on hold for the opportunity in front of him Friday at the McClain Center.Werthmann ...

Why former Wisconsin football running back Braelon Allen didn't run the 40 at pro day

Mar 15, 2024 Braelon Allen’s sweat covered his shirt and dripped off his beard as he approached a group of reporters Friday.The ...

How can UW recruit its best class ever? It starts with these five prospects

By Andy Yamashita Seattle Times staff reporter Jedd Fisch has lofty recruiting goals at Washington. He didn’t waste any ...

Texas football kicks off spring practice Tuesday. We answer 24 questions for the 2024 team

Things certainly look fresh for the 2024 college football season, especially on the Texas campus.There’s a new conference ...

College Football Playoff: Conferences solve their differences (for now) and agree on general framework for 2026 and beyond

The FBS conferences and Notre Dame agreed on Friday to continue the College Football Playoff beyond the 2025 season, signing ...

Ball security, leadership key as Aztecs look to identify starting quarterback

San Diego State seemingly auditions a new starting quarterback on an annual basis.In the past 12 years, the Aztecs have opened ...

Results and more: A look at what happened at Penn State football’s Pro Day inside Holuba Hall

Most of those at Penn State’s Pro Day Friday were relatively quiet throughout the afternoon’s workouts, but there was one ...

Defense dominates first two weeks of Oregon State spring practice as Beavers ready for 2-week breather

CORVALLIS – Oregon State hit the break of spring practices Saturday, not exactly the midpoint but a good place to assess ...

Dillon Gabriel to have similar input, autonomy as Bo Nix had in Oregon’s offense

Published Mar. 16, 2024, 6:26 p.m.By James CrepeaEUGENE — Dillon Gabriel will have much of the same autonomy as Bo Nix did ...

Two transfers, one underclassman who impressed in Missouri football's spring game

With that, spring camp’s a wrap.Missouri football held its Black & Gold spring game Saturday in front of a healthy crowd ...
See More Player Notes