What’s going on in the Big 12 and beyond? I expand and explain every Sunday in Postscripts at Heartland College Sports, your home for independent Big 12 coverage.
This week, it’s all about the official partnership with Allstate.
The Big 12 is in Good Hands
Well, it took more than a year, but the Big 12 and Allstate finally got there — and the Big 12 didn’t have to change its name, either.
Remember last July in Las Vegas? Amid all the discussion about a potential infusion of private equity money, there was one other partnership under consideration, one that might have led the Big 12 to change its name to something like the “Allstate Conference,” had those reports come to fruition. Well, they didn’t. But this is actually better.
The new partnership between the two entities was announced earlier this week. It’s exactly the kind of partnership that college conferences want — with a corporate partner that already has a footprint in the space and wants to go all-in with a league, or “double down for all the right reasons,” as commissioner Brett Yormark likes to say (that’s a great drinking game, by the way, if you’re watching a televised press conference).
Allstate — which partners with the NCAA on its GoodHands Nets program at football games and sponsors the Good Works Team — will get the usual treatment most major sponsors will get at the Big 12 football championship game and the Big 12 men’s and women’s basketball tournaments. But, what’s great about this partnership from the Big 12 perspective is how it has the potential to shore up the conference’s Olympic sports.
Allstate will become the presenting sponsor of all Big 12 Olympic sport championships. One must assume that starts immediately, which means that women’s soccer, cross country and volleyball will be the first sports to immediately benefit from the partnership as those championships are held this fall. There’s an infusion of sponsorship cash and attention that will help the conference, especially since those sports’ championships typically get consigned to ESPN+. More major sponsorship means more potential for attention.
Naturally, Allstate will get “favored nation” status with the Big 12 and become its official insurance partner for home, auto and property insurance. I would imagine Allstate would be interested in getting some Big 12 athletes into its commercials. I’m just waiting for the Avery Johnson-Mayhem crossover event.
Finally, the Big 12 is launching what it is calling the Allstate Championship Series. If you follow college sports closely, you’re probably familiar with the Learfield Cup, also called the NACDA Directors Cup, which is awarded nationally to the athletic program that picks up the most points across all its sports. The Allstate Championship sounds similar. Schools will pick up points for performance in conference championships, graduation rates, academic and student services, and community engagement. Whichever school has the most points at the end of the season wins … something I’m guessing. I’m sure we’ll find out. Free insurance? That would be cool.
The Big 12’s presidents and athletic directors must be happy with this deal. Same with Yormark. This is title sponsorship. This is a brand that is now committed to working with the Big 12 for multiple years in areas that should benefit the whole conference, but Olympic sports in particular. Given the new era of revenue-sharing, there is worry it will cost schools those sports. If a deal like this helps keep them safe, then it’s a perfect bargain for the league.
Why Arizona State’s Loss Matters Nationally
I drew the Arizona State-Mississippi State game for Saturday night and, well, that was an amazing game. Not perfect but plenty of plot twists. The only thing missing was a Big 12 After Dark backdrop. The Sun Devils lost, 24-20, but in doing so they showed a new-found power nationally. The folks in Starkville beat a nationally ranked defending conference champion at home. MSU wasn’t picked to win. It was a big upset. So, the fans stormed the field and tore down the goalposts. Who knows where those things are now? Gabriella Chernoff, who works for Sun Devil Source and was on-site for the game, was in the thick of it.
Could you have imagined than an SEC team that beat a ranked Big 12 team at home two years ago would have done that? No. The complexion of the game — and ASU’s reputation nationally — has changed. That’s for the better, even if it meant losing to prove it. Oh, and ASU’s isn’t going anywhere. The Sun Devils still have a great shot to win the Big 12. And you need to get to know running back Kanye Udoh. He’s coming.
Speaking of Women’s Sports…
Yormark talks like a commissioner that wants to prop up women’s sports. Earlier this year volleyball had an on-site media day, which was a first for the league. The Big 12 also produced a season preview show last month. The league is investing and for good reason. Look what TCU did earlier this week.
In this week’s AVCA poll, Arizona State, Kansas, BYU, Baylor and TCU were all ranked in the Top 25. Arizona is receiving votes. Losing Texas in this sport was a tough one. But Big 12 volleyball is in good hands.
