The Morning Stake: February 18th

Big 12

Big 12 Makes Lots of Money. Still Lags Far Behind SEC. Via USA Today’s Steve Berkowitz, the Big 12 made almost $268 million in 2015, it falls behind the SEC, which made $527 million.

The Big 12’s revenue represents a $40 million increase (more than 17%) over the conference’s revenue for its 2014 fiscal year. (Under IRS rules, a non-profit must report its revenue and expense data based on its fiscal year; but it must report compensation data based on the calendar year completed during its fiscal year).

The $268 million in total revenue is nearly 70% greater than the revenue the conference reported having during its 2012 fiscal year.

The Big 12’s income was boosted most by the nearly $32 million increase it reported in revenue from bowl games. That’s a nearly 75% jump, and likely due largely to its share of money from the first year of the College Football Playoff.

The conference’s television revenue rose by about $8 million, or nearly 6%.

Boren Talks Longhorns. NewsOK’s Berry Tramel saved some of his best stuff from his interview wiht Oklahoma president David Boren.

* On the necessity for action: “I think it would be counterproductive for me to push anyone to a corner. Or make it hard for them to make a decision based on the facts. But I think the way it’s unfolding, we’re just having the facts brought into us. I think the facts will dictate the reforms I’ve talked about. As long as we get people to talk not emotionally, not self-protectedly. But what are the facts? What are the dollars? What’s at stake? If we’re going to look out 10 years from now, are we going to have $10 million less than the other conferences we’re competing with? A fact-driven decision is sort of the mode we’re in.”

* On what kind of issues will be researched: “People want to say, let’s get a better handle on the dollars. For example, if we have a network. Here’s Texas. We all know about their Longhorn Network. Makes a certain amount a year. Ours makes about $5 million a year. Do we want to give up that $5 million and not be compensated? Do they want to give up their $15 million a year and not be compensated? But if expansion and a championship game and network brings $7 or $8 million each to every school, then we can afford for five or 10 years to have a revenue distribution that kind of makes these other schools whole. So what are the real figures? We have people working with us. Conference staff, consultants.”

Lady Raider Basketball

Lady Raiders Blown Out by Iowa State. This was ugly, really ugly. The Lady Raiders were blown out by Iowa State, 77-48. Iowa State went on a 29-0 run at some point of the game. That’s unbelievable. Those transfers that are sitting out this year can’t get here soon enough.

Baseball

Baseball to Honor Segrist. Texas Tech will honor former Texas Tech head baseball coach Kal Segrist, who passed away in the summer of 2015. Segrist coached from 1968-1983 and has 317 victories with Texas Tech:

Segrist, a Texas Tech Hall of Honor inductee who collected 317 victories during his 16 seasons leading the Red Raiders, passed away this past summer at the age of 84. Members of the Segrist family as well as several former Red Raiders who played under Segrist will be on hand for the pregame ceremony.

Regarded as one of the top offensive coaches in the country during his tenure from 1968-83, Segrist still ranks second all-time in the Tech record book with 317 wins. He was recognized as the Southwest Conference Coach of the Year three times during his career (1969, 1980, 1982) as he guided the Red Raiders to nine 20-win campaigns, including a 32-win season in 1976.

Tennis

Good Day for Tennis. This would qualify for a good day for the tennis teams.

Football

Big 12 Defensive Back RAnkings. ESPN’s Jake Trotter continues to rank the Big 12 units before spring and today is the defensive backs and has the Red Raiders at #9:

9. Texas Tech: Keenon Ward, Jah’Shawn Johnson, Tevin Madison and Nigel Bethel II return for what figures to be the strength of the Tech defense. If the Red Raiders can take the next step up, it could go a long way toward helping the rest of the defense.

Recruiting in Texas. ESPN’s Sam Kahn has an in-depth and overall excellent look at what it’s like recruiting in Texas, namely, how it has become thtat much more competitive. Head coach Kliff Kingsbury is quoted a bit and said that the SEC entering the state has played a huge part of the new state of recruiting in the Big 12:

Johnny Manziel’s emergence made it an easier sell. The Aggies’ landmark win over Alabama on Nov. 10, 2012, and Manziel’s Heisman Trophy gave the Aggies the fuel needed to push to the top of the state’s recruiting ranks. The Aggies finished eighth nationally in ESPN.com’s 2013 recruiting rankings, while Texas finished 16th. It was the first time any recruiting service ranked an A&M class above Texas’ since 2005.

“I think the SEC was a huge part of it, I really do,” said Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury, who was A&M’s offensive coordinator in 2012. “That offered a new lure in the state that hadn’t ever been there. Those kids saw Alabama win a national championship, saw Tim Tebow playing at Florida and said, ‘Hey we can go play on that stage with that caliber athlete,’ and that was a unique opportunity.”

It didn’t just benefit the Aggies, it made the state more SEC-friendly.

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