Big 12, West Virginia could have future mid-week games
The Big 12 is playing the lone planned season as a 14-team league.
Next year both Texas and Oklahoma will be off to the SEC and the league will take on a 16-team composition after the addition of Colorado in July and then Arizona, Arizona State and Utah in August for the foreseeable future.
But as part of that future, the Big 12 was able to extend the media rights deal with major linear partners ESPN and FOX through the 2031 campaign.
The television deal will pay each of the 12 teams just short of $32 million per season and that is before any additional revenue from the College Football Playoff and NCAA Tournament are tied into the final figures. Officials expect that could bring the total payout to around $50 million.
The media rights deal is expected to be heavy on the linear side of things with a digital component similar to what the Big 12 currently has with Big 12 NOW on ESPN+.
However, one thing that the Big 12 is looking at is the possibility of playing more games on weekdays such as Thursday or Friday. It’s a way to get more exposure for the league if they elect to go that route.
And West Virginia head coach Neal Brown is open to the idea of those opportunities, too.
The Mountaineers played three mid-week games during the 2022 season and each of those posted strong television ratings compared to other games on the schedule.
This season West Virginia has one mid-week game on the schedule set for Thursday Oct. 12 at Houston.
“These games are extremely high,” Brown said. “You’re only competing against one other game.”
It also helps matters that the NFL has moved their Thursday night offering to the Amazon streaming service which not all fans have access to watch. That moves college football to the forefront for some.
The problem at West Virginia when it comes to hosting those games is the fact that the hospital complicates matters due to the fact that things must be moved around to accommodate, and the parking lots can’t open until later in the evening creating issues for tailgating and getting to the stadium.
The Mountaineers hosted Baylor in 2022, although the other two games were on the road. Still, the mid-week games have often been kind to the program over the years and in the past helped to establish the brand.
"I think it makes a lot of sense for West Virginia. It's something really as West Virginia was growing in the early 2000's, that was an aspect that really grew our logo, our brand, it grew the football program by playing those mid-week games," he said. "I think it can benefit us in the future as well."
However, in the future the possibility to showcase the league on those mid-week opportunities is something that officials are definitely exploring, and Brown is open to the idea.
“We can add to the exposure of the league,” Brown said.
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