PFB+: How the New Big 12 Impacts Sports Other Than Football

Let’s not forget there will be more than just football in the new Big 12 next year.

I get it, football Saturdays are so close, and I love that time of year more than the next guy. And I understand that football is the battery that keeps everything powered, but all this conference realignment has centered on the one sport, for the most part. Basketball has been mentioned briefly, mainly by Brett Yormark.

Eventually, we’ll witness the effects this shakeup has overall on the “smaller sports,” whether the money coming in ticks up their budgets, or traveling from Morgantown, West Virginia to Salt Lake City, Utah, for a soccer match is more detrimental than beneficial. Missouri football coach Eli Drinkwitz actually had a quote Sunday that encapsulated the concerns I’ve had since Friday. But I want to give the conferences and universities time to see what their plans are first for the sports that don’t line their pockets before delving too far into that.

For now, we’ll take a look at how the Big 12 will be impacted immediately next year in most of the smaller sports from the move of adding Colorado, Arizona, Arizona State and Utah, while losing OU and Texas.

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