Move from Big 12 would be costly in the short-term

As you’ve no doubt know, conference expansion has been the story du jour in college football over the last week or so.

Whether it’s Texas, Missouri or Nebraska to the Big Ten, or Colorado to the Pac-10, the dominant theme in all of the expansion talk has been the Big 12 could be on the cusp of a major shakeup.

If that turns out to be the case, if one or two or more members of the conference decide to bolt for another league, it will prove costly in the short-term, even as one of the reasons for their leaving will be long-term financial gains.

According to the Denver Post, any Big 12 school that decides to leave for another conference must give two year’s notice.  And, during those two years, their revenues would be cut by 50 percent.

(Note: The Austin American-Statesman reports that a school could “theoretically” leave today, but they would forfeit all of their conference-generated revenues from the 2009-2010 season.)

Obviously, such a penalty would, as intended, make any member institution think twice about leaving the Big 12.  However, it wouldn’t preclude them from bolting.

“Well, certainly,” CU chancellor Phil DiStefano said when asked about the lost revenue playing a role in a future decision. “Any time that you are looking at a financial penalty moving from the Big 12 to the Pac-10, that certainly has to come into play.

“As we’re thinking about that decision, we have to look obviously at revenue and expenses. The revenue that we would bring in either by staying in the Big 12 or moving to the Pac-10 and what the expenses would be and certainly the upfront expense of moving from the Big 12 to the Pac-10.”

While both DiStefano and athletic director Mike Bohn emphasized to the Post that there is no dissatisfaction with the Big 12, the former did give a hint as to what their direction may be.  And why — the West Coast is loaded with CU alumni, more so than in their current arrangement.

“Our alumni base is stronger in the Pac-10 areas than in the Big 12,” DiStefano said. “That’s certainly something to consider, especially when the team travels.”

And that right there could be what tips the scale in favor of the Pac-10 if/when the league comes knocking on the Buffaloes’ door.