The Big 12 is looking to strike while the iron is hot. They aim to close the gap between them and other leagues with a game-changing financial play. With the conference’s embarrassing situation of holding just one spot in the playoffs, a massive $500 million private deal is their only chance to boost the league’s revenue and competitive edge.

The Big 12 conference is close to finalizing a deal with RedBird and Weatherford Capital that could provide up to $500 million to all its schools.

“Now, yesterday we got the news that the Big 12 is likely to sign a half-a-billion-dollar deal with two private equity firms called Redbird Capital and Weatherford Capital,” reporter Evan Hand said on X.

The RedBird network has already generated $145 million in revenue for the league, but this new agreement can bring additional capital to strengthen the conference financially and competitively.

The move came in right after the Big 12’s embarrassing standing in playoffs, as only one team, Texas Tech, could get in after beating BYU. Earlier this week, Big 12 team Utah completed a separate private equity deal, that’s set to finalize in 2026, with Otro Capital, which is expected to generate around $500 million for the school.

This deal can help the Big 12 conference big time. With the SEC and Big 10 dominating the revenue, ticket sales, and sponsorship deals, now even Big 12 teams can grow revenue streams. Each year the SEC programs get around $52.6 million and Big 10 Gets $80-100 million while the Big 12 just gets -$32 million. So, they are aiming to close this gap with this major investment.

“And it’s all because college sports, as we knew it, are cooked,” Evan Hand said. “Between the NIL, huge coaching contracts, and oh, these two guys, every other conference is either bleeding money or trying to keep up. And the distance between these two guys and every other conference just keeps getting wider and leaves the other conferences looking like this.”

Now, the Big 12 conference often gets strained because of rising costs of NIL deals and limited TV revenue, but now the private equity money can help them balance budgets and bring in better coaching staff and players, giving them better pay scales and growth. This isn’t the first time the Big 12 has explored private equity options. Last year, they explored a potential deal with CVC Capital Partners, which could have contributed $800 million to $1 billion in exchange for a 15–20% stake in the league.

And that’s where the problem lies. With financial stability, this brings in a lot of risk for the Big 12. As this will also bring in a lot of outside control, that could be a big red flag in the long run. Then this private equity cash is not for free; they eventually have to pay it back, unlike Utah’s deal, which doesn’t promise any ownership to them. But for others, the risk remains the same.

However, this isn’t the only deal Big 12 signed this week.

Big 12 smacks another major deal

With a major private deal, the Big 12 also struck a strategic deal with the NFL to strengthen its football program at all levels. This collaboration focuses on improving officiating, innovation, global growth, and student-athlete experience. Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark made his stance clear.

“We are thrilled to begin this groundbreaking partnership with the NFL,” Brett Yormark said. “By aligning with the NFL to elevate Big 12 football and grow our brand, we will strengthen our game on the field and enhance our student-athlete experience.”

Both organizations will work together on international football initiatives, emerging technology, and analytics to expand the program and help in their growth. They are also planning to make international camps and share play-based tracking and performance systems for development.

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Apart from this, even officiating will get better in the Big 12, as the officials will gain access to NFL clinics and their weekly teaching tapes. On top of it, they are also planning to expand flag football across campuses, connecting their programs with NFL records and coaching tools.

A major deal and groundbreaking collaboration, the Big 12 is setting the bar high for next season.