UConn rejoined BE in ‘20

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is adding Pac-12 APschools unhappy with g theprojected television revenue with USC and UCLA set to leave the conference. Dellenger reported the Big 12 is focused on possibility of adding Pac-12 schools, the most likely of which seem to be Colorado and Arizona. Dellenger also reported that adding non-Power 5 schools such as UConn, Gonzaga, San Diego State and UNLV is linked to the Big 12 adding Pac 12 schools.

The UConn-Big 12 talk touched off a debate in Connecticut on whether the school should leave the Big East after what has been a successful tenure since UConn rejoined the league in 2020.

While the TV revenue being a Big 12 member far exceeds what the Big East brings in for UConn — between $35 million and $40 million a year from the Big 12 compared to $5 million a year from the Big East — many other factors have been cited, including travel, being a geographical outlier, and the cost of exit and entrance fees offsetting possible Big 12 income. New schools typically don’t get full TV shares for a few years after joining.

UConn’s athletic budget deficit, which reached $53 million last year, was cited as a reason to join the Big 12. But Senator Chris Murphy contended in a recent tweet that the term “deficit” is misused in reporting athletic department subsidies.