2021: OSU was 9-1 and ranked No. 9 in the country, TCU was 4-6.
2022: OSU was 5-1 and TCU was 6-0 and ranked No. 3 in the country.
2024: OSU was 3-7 and TCU was 6-4, also in the same time slot as Bama-LSU.
You don't think that might have had something to do with the difference? Plenty of Big 12 games made it to decent timeslots and did fine (including some not involving CU). Nowhere near a UT or tOSU game, but in line with the contract. Before our season went to complete shit OSU-Arky drew 2.8M even though it was up against UT-UM (it certainly helped that your game was a blowout and ours went to double overtime). The biggest problem the Big 12 will likely have going forward is cannibalism where it will be difficult for one program to win out and make it into the Top 10 with any regularity. It is what it is, the games are still fun, and there's plenty of timeslots available. I doubt it helps to say it for the 40th time, but I and most other Big 12 fans (on this board especially) undertand the difference in ratings and TV contracts. It seems about right to me, I just always will push back against "nobody watches" or the notion that the Big 12 contract should be zero'd out in 2031, that type of hyperbole is just asinine.