Peterson: Iowa State fans wonder about the new TV deal, the offensive line and the bowl streak
So much for the Big 12 Conference slipping dramatically after Oklahoma and Texas leave for the SEC. The league will continue to be alive and well, and get this:
More money will be distributed to schools after the defectors leave than schools receive now, according to a new media deal the Sports Business Journal reported Sunday.
Iowa State athletics director Jamie Pollard even tweeted over the weekend that the league’s new media deal with ESPN and Fox, which runs through the 2030-31 season, would bring the total payout to around $50 million per school. That’s $9 million more than schools receive now.
The "Big 12 is dead" narrative? Wrong again.
This is huge news, the deal new commissioner Brett Yormark and his consultants swung with the networks, and so is this: The $2.3 billion agreement, which starts after Oklahoma and Texas leave in 2025, means games won’t be on pay-as-you-go streaming networks, as feared. It means most games will continue to be on channels you probably have now.
That was part of the plan Yormark outlined when talking to a handful of us reporters at last summer’s Big 12 Media Days.
“We want to be innovative,” Yormark said. “We want to be creative. We want to reach our fans in every way possible – linear and digital. A digital platform connects us to a younger group. As I look forward, we will also be linear, because that’s the reach factor that helps build your brand. There’s nothing like linear TV.”
True confession: I held out judgment when conference presidents replaced Bob Bowlsby with Yormark from the entertainment business.
This also does not happen without Bob Bowlsby - he acted quickly in securing BYU, UCF, UH & UC! Total team effort! https://t.co/cokkMG9xkP
— Jamie Pollard (@IASTATEAD) October 30, 2022
Sports lifer (Bowlsby). Show man (Yormark).
Good hire? Bad hire?
Like all commissioners, he’ll be defined by the size of media contracts and ability to hold a conference together, but so far, so good.
After reading what John Ourand reported in the Sports Business Journal, I’m leaning toward good hire. The Big 12 will be third in the all-important media rights department, behind the Big Ten and SEC. Third is pretty good, too, when you consider you’re trailing only the giants.
What’s it mean for Iowa State?
It means a lot for everyone in a conference that paid out $41 million per school most recently. It also means the Cyclones are part of a secure conference that’s committed to staying together in a nationally respected conference.
Many among the Register’s Iowa State text-group wondered about the TV deal, but mostly they wondered what the heck is going on with the football program.
Text-group question: Can Iowa State win any of the four games left? Are there reasons to be optimistic?
My response: The best chances to win are against West Virginia and Texas Tech. Both are in Ames, including Saturday’s 2:30 p.m. game against the Mountaineers, while the other two games are on the road against Oklahoma State and TCU. I'm not optimistic enough to think a balanced offense can suddenly be found, which means defenses will continue focusing on ISU's passing attack. Why pay attention to a rushing game that’s averaging just 97.3 yards and 3.2 yards per carry a game? That’s the worst at Iowa State since the 1997 team averaged 93.5 yards a game and 2.6 yards a rush.
More:Peterson: Iowa State football's bad offense made Oklahoma's bad defense look decent
Text-group question: Will the head coach be on the hot seat if Iowa State goes 0-9 in the Big 12 this season?
My response: I unequivocally say absolutely not. Matt Campbell and his staff brought relevance to Iowa State football. The Cyclones played in the Big 12 Conference championship game two seasons ago. The bowl streak is a school-record five. A coach's job is to put players in position to win games. Four of the five loses have been by one score. At some point, players must make plays.
“We have great leadership,” Campbell said after Saturday’s game. “The thing that is still frustrating is that some of our best football players are still playing inconsistent at times, when we need to be better.”
He didn’t single out anyone. That’s not his thing, and I can’t recall that he’s ever put something on one player during his time at Iowa State.
If you don’t know who he’s referring to, then you haven’t watched Iowa State this fall.
Text-group question: What’s wrong with the offensive line?
My response: To be quite honest, there’s been little improvement at that position over the past few seasons. Jake Remsburg, projected to be the starting right tackle, missed the first four games after a knee injury shortly after fall practice started.
That set the position back, but coaches said Grant Treiber played well at the position.
No one’s expecting Iowa State’s offensive line to be the best in the Big 12. That’s not the point, but you’d think that in Year 7 of Campbell’s program, that this position group wouldn’t be taking steps back.
What’s the problem?
Campbell talks about players, formations and plays. That’s as good a place as anywhere to start.
Text-group question: With zero hope for a bowl game this season, who returns for 2023?
My response: Good question. Last Saturday's offensive starters with eligibility remaining: Hunter Dekkers, Jaylin Noel, Jirehl Brock, Jarrod Hufford, Darrell Simmons, Tyler Miller, Remsburg and Easton Dean. Defensive starters with eligibility remaining: Beau Freyler, Jeremiah Cooper, T.J. Tampa, Will McLaughlin, M.J. Anderson and Myles Purchase. Also returning are kickers Jace Gilbert, Keegan Shackford and Drake Nettles, and punter Tyler Perkins.
Notice I wrote "with eligibility remaining." It's a new world in that respect, with the transfer portal.
Iowa State columnist Randy Peterson embarked on his 50th year of writing sports for the Des Moines Register in December 2021. Reach him at rpeterson@dmreg.com, 515-284-8132, and on Twitter @RandyPete.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State football fans wonder about TV deal, Cyclones' bowl streak
