Kan. gov., senators see Big 12 survival as ‘great news,’ despite concessions to other states

Kansas celebrates Big 12 survival, despite cost

TOPEKA, Kan. — Top Kansas officials Tuesday celebrated the survival of the Big 12 Conference, even if it came with significant concessions to universities in Texas and Oklahoma.

Gov. Mark Parkinson called the renewed life for the league with 10 members “great news” for the University of Kansas, Kansas State University, their athletes and fans. U.S. Sens. Sam Brownback and Pat Roberts said the regional economy would be bolstered.

University of Kansas and Kansas State officials saw keeping the conference together as their best option after Colorado and Nebraska announced last week that they would leave by 2012. Five schools in Texas and Oklahoma also seemed ready to bolt but agreed to stay.

“I really believe that this is a big momentum boost, not only for us, but the other teams in the league,” said Kansas men’s basketball coach Bill Self. “I do believe the league can be even more competitive.”

The conference is allowing Texas to move forward with a plan for its own television network, without sharing the revenues. Also, Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe told reporters that Kansas, Kansas State and three other schools agreed to give up one-time cash payments, though questions remained about that issue Tuesday night.

State officials in Kansas weren’t talking much Tuesday about the concessions, referring questions to the Big 12 or saying details might take weeks to work out. Several said Kansas and Kansas State are likely to do significantly better financially in a slimmer Big 12 even with the concessions than they would be searching for new leagues.

“You’re weighing your costs and your gains,” said former Lt. Gov. Gary Sherrer, vice chairman of the Kansas Board of Regents, which oversees both Kansas and Kansas State.

He added: “One thing we know is that being in a premier conference is not only important financially for the athletic programs, but it really has a lot to do with the recruitment of students, maintaining strong support from alums and donors.”

Officials with the conference and its remaining member universities said promises of more lucrative television contracts saved the Big 12.

“In fact, we are in a better position than ever before,” Parkinson said in a statement.

Self and Kansas football coach Turner Gill acknowledged their schedules are likely to get tougher. The league lost relatively weak basketball programs at Colorado and Nebraska. In football, Kansas could face playing powerhouses Oklahoma and Texas every year; the Jayhawks played neither in their 12-1 season in 2007, leading up to their 2008 Orange Bowl victory.

But both said the heightened competition will strengthen their programs and give them more exposure.

“I think you couldn’t draw it up any better,” Gill said.

Kansas State men’s basketball coach Frank Martin said: “At the end of the day, I thought common sense would prevail and everyone would understand how important all our partners are to our existence.”

The Big 12 expects Colorado and Nebraska to pay millions of dollars in penalties for leaving, and the money normally would be split among the remaining conference members.

But the two Kansas schools, Missouri, Iowa State and Baylor agreed to forgo their payments, with their shares split among Texas, Texas A&M University and Oklahoma.

Big 12 officials didn’t have figures for how much the five schools would give up, and late Tuesday, Missouri officials said they hadn’t agreed to give up their share.

Such a concession didn’t bother Kansas House Speaker Mike O’Neal, an ardent Kansas fan who temporarily displayed the school’s 2008 men’s basketball championship trophy in his Statehouse office last year.

“It’s all about the money in the first place,” O’Neal said. “Keeping them in the conference also has a value to it. At some point, it’s a matter of, ‘What it’s going to take to keep you in the conference?’”

Kansas officials wouldn’t speculate about what would happen if the Big 12 collapsed, but their worst-case scenarios included Kansas and Kansas State landing in less prestigious — or even separate — conferences.

“I think there’s been a collective sigh of relief in Kansas,” said Board of Regents chairwoman Jill Docking. “The conference that we supported and supported consistently is staying together.”

AP Sports Writer Doug Tucker in Kansas City, Mo., contributed to this report.