Big 12 leaders embrace House v. NCAA revenue-sharing options but impact on Title IX, budgeting remains unclear

IRVING, Texas — “Uncertainty” was the word at the top of mind as Big 12 leaders gathered for spring business meetings this week in the wake of the House v. NCAA settlement. 

As part of the proposed settlement, which is still pending judicial approval, Football Bowl Subdivision institutions could fund a revenue-sharing model that could reach as much as $22 million in its first season. The number projects as more than 20% of many Power Four athletic department budgets, a massive line-item addition expected to go into effect Fall 2025. 

“We have 12 or 14 months here probably before we have to figure out what we’re doing in that first year of allocation,” Baylor president Linda Livingstone told CBS Sports. “I think that will be the biggest question … in some ways, you’re working on models without understanding the complete playing field yet.” 

Livingstone clarified that college athletics leaders have known that a major settlement was a possibility for more than a year, giving them time to plan for a major budget disruption. She is optimistic that schools will try and avoid cutting sports and emphasized the impact of college athletics on developing Olympic sports globally. But even after terms were publicly agreed to, college officials still face numerous questions in implementation. 

Schools will also take a haircut of several million dollars from the NCAA as part of the $2.8 bill settlement, increasing the total cost of proposed spending changes to around $30 million for fully funded athletic departments. At this point, the revenue-sharing distribution remains an optional program. It’s unclear at this point exactly how many FBS institutions will attempt to fully fund the maximum available revenue share. 

“From what I’ve heard and the engagement I’ve had, I can tell you that we’re going to compete at a very high level,” Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark said. “And making the right investments is part of competing at a high level. I anticipate us doing what we need to do when it comes to the cap.”

Yormark declined to guarantee that all 16 member schools will fully fund the revenue share. The legacy Big 12 schools were distributed just below $40 million each, a slight dilution of previous shares. The former Group of Five schools — BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF — earned $18 million and will receive just $19 million ahead of the 2025 season, meaning that fully opting…