College Football: Pac 12 vs. Big 12 Debate and Comparisons

A general overall view of the Pac-12 Conference logo at midield at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
A general overall view of the Pac-12 Conference logo at midield at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
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TCU vs. Washington State (Photo by William Mancebo/Getty Images)
TCU vs. Washington State (Photo by William Mancebo/Getty Images)

Here are the expected schools to be in each conference in 2024.

Big 12

Baylor
BYU
Cincinnati
Colorado
Houston
Iowa State
Kansas
Kansas State
Oklahoma State
TCU
Texas Tech
UCF
West Virginia

Pac 12

*Arizona (Rumored to be leaving for the Big 12)
*Arizona State (Rumored to be leaving for the Big 12)
California-Berkley
Oregon State
Stanford
*Utah (Rumored to be leaving for the Big 12)
Washington State

Due to there being a 13 to 4 difference between the schools and assuming that Arizona, Arizona State, and Utah do leave the Pac-12 for the Big 12, the matchups may be two Big 12 schools versus one Pac-12 school.

The First category we will look at is total revenue by each school according to NCAA Finances Revenue and Expenses by School report by USA Today and the annual university athletic department figures mandated by the U.S. Department of Education and its Equity in Athletics Data Analysis (EADA) arm report by PennLive. Lastly, the university’s current endowment according to College Raptor.

In the second category, we will explore the academics of the school according to their ranking in the U.S. News & World Report and if the school is a member of the Association of American Universities.

The third category we will look at is the tv/market that the school will bring according to the latest 2022-2023 Nielsen DMA Ranking.

First, match up is Washington State vs. TCU

Location of both schools

TCU is located in Fort Worth, Texas, a large city with a population of over 900,000 people. WSU is located in Pullman, Washington, a smaller city with a population of about 30,000 people.

Academics

Both TCU and WSU offer a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs. TCU’s strengths include business, education, and the arts. WSU’s strengths include agriculture, engineering, and the sciences.

TCU is more of an urban university with a strong academic reputation, whereas WSU is a smaller, more affordable school.

Total Revenue/Endowment: N/A (USA Today), $61.2 million (Penn Live), and $1,584,160,000

Academics: No. 89 (U.S. News & World Report) and not an AAU member

TV/Streaming Market: No. 5 (Nielsen DMA Ranking)

Total Revenue/Endowment: $85,028,825 (USA Today), $44 million (Penn Live), and $634 million

Academics: No. 212 (U.S. News & World Report) and not an AAU member

TV/Streaming Market: No. 67 (Nielsen DMA Ranking)

Winner: TCU wins the first one for the Big 12

Schedule

Schedule