RedZone Talk, Five-Star QBs, and NIL Moves

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, a college football Red Zone? Two Big 12 teams have five-star quarterback recruits (and neither one is going to Lubbock) and our site owner has some great video for you.

A COLLEGE FOOTBALL RED ZONE?

The big news in broadcasting this week was ESPN and NFL Network’s deal for ESPN to acquire the 20-plus year old network and for the NFL to get a 10% equity stake in ESPN. The latter part of the deal makes me queasy, journalistically speaking. But that’s on them.

Once approved, ESPN gets NFL Network and certain other media assets owned and controlled by the NFL — including NFL’s linear RedZone Channel, and NFL Fantasy, per the league’s release announcing the deal.

For years, RedZone has been scintillating viewing for NFL fans on gameday. The NFL’s deal with its broadcast partners allows host Scott Hanson to whip around the league whenever a team is in scoring position — aka the red zone — and let fans watch scoring opportunities as they happen. If you can’t afford NFL Sunday Ticket, RedZone is a fantastic alternative.

Well, after the deal, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, normally tight-fisted about how the NFL’s own tools are used by other entities, seemed warm to the idea of a college football RedZone.

The deal allows ESPN to take the RedZone name and idea and apply it to other sports. Even Goodell suggested it could become a reality.

What makes RedZone for NFL work is the formula. It’s only on Sunday. There are 16 NFL games in a week. One is on Thursday and at least one is on Monday. That leaves a maximum of 14 games (remember there are bye weeks).

There are a set of games in the 1 p.m. ET block and then another set in the 4:25 ET block. You get just enough action to stay engaged but not so much that you feel oversaturated. You’re not exhausted before Sunday Night Football, are you?

Now imagine ESPN doing that with its college football properties? I mean it sounds great in theory. But we’re talking, what — 30 or 40 games in a day between the mother ship, the spin-off linear sites and ESPN+? What if they include FCS in this? The cognitive overload would be insane.

The other part that makes NFL RedZone worth is that it doesn’t matter which network carries the game. Whether the game is on Fox or CBS, if a team is in the red zone, you’ll see it.

ESPN can’t make the same bargain, and I don’t see CBS and the other Big Ten partners playing along unless there is money involved. A LOT of money.

All of which is to say if RedZone translates to college football it won’t be a free product, of that I can promise. But what makes it so great for the NFL might get lost in translation with college football on Saturdays.

THIS WEEK’S WINNERS AND LOSERS

Our site owner, Pete Mundo, does a lot of our video. Lately, he’s taken time to do a winners and losers segment in the Big 12 each week. Here is this week’s edition.

As he likes to say, “Watch and Subscribe.” Great content is coming for football season.

Pete also ranked all 16 Big 12 quarterbacks, a list that surely you will totally agree with and have no questions or debate about.

FIVE-STAR QUARTERBACKS? IN THE BIG 12?

The narrative around Texas Tech’s ability to recruit is LOUD. But, hey, they’re playing the game by the current rules and bringing in great players by the droves. And, no it’s not just because of those school-colored oil pump units that just went up on campus.

Laugh all you like. Lubbock’s leaning into it like never before. But the Red Raiders aren’t the only ones pulling top shelf talent.

In case you missed it, a pair of Big 12 programs — neither of which is Texas Tech — have five-star quarterback commits for the Class of 2026.

They’re both with programs that have only been in the Big 12 for two seasons. BYU landed Ryder Lyons and Houston landed Keisean Henderson. Now, these aren’t recent commits. Both have been on the hook for a while.

But they represent 40% of the schools that currently have a five-star quarterback commit per Rivals. The other three are SEC schools — Georgia, Tennessee and Texas (that last one is still weird to write).

There is more than one way to get it done on the recruiting trail. It’s great to see BYU and Houston capitalize on being in a power conference, something their basketball programs have been doing for the past 18 months.

MEANWHILE IN LUBBOCK …

The Red Raiders did do this earlier this week.

On3 reported the financial commitment from Tech for Guyton to be $900,000. Remember — the College Sports Commission and NIL Go is set to be more lenient with NIL deals from collectives moving forward. That allows Tech to open up its checkbook more than it expected after this season.

MY YEARLY ADMIRAL AKBAR ARTICLE

In the tradition of my favorite Star Wars military mind, Admiral Akbar, “It’s a Trap!”

As in, it’s my selection of each trap game for each Big 12 football team this season. You may not agree. That’s OK. Just remember not all trap games are created equal.

Next up? The best-case and worst-case scenario for each Big 12 football team next week. I’m sure everyone will agree with everything I write.

You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.