Big12 Basketball 2025-26

[RezClone]

@Kyle_Be_Coogin

I’d be willing to bet that our basketball AND football roster salaries are higher than both TCU & Baylor… throw Okie State and ISU in there, too

FWIW, These are AI best bball avg estimates for 2026-2027

BYU
$15-18 million

Arizona
$11-13 million

Baylor
$10-12 million

Houston
$9-11 million

Texas Tech
$9-11 million

Cincy
$9-11 million

Iowa State
$8-10 million

Kansas
$7-9 million

Kansas State
$6 million (Jerome Tang 3.6 million )

Utah
$5-7 million

West Virginia
$5-7 million

Oklahoma State
$4-6 million

Arizona State
$4-6 million

Colorado
$3-5 million

A few notes:

Brigham Young University is widely viewed as the league’s biggest spender right now. Multiple estimates place BYU around $15M+, with some claims even higher.

University of Houston operates more efficiently than almost anyone nationally. Kelvin Sampson has openly discussed how expensive elite rosters have become, with power-conference contenders now commonly running $8M–10M+ rosters.

Kansas State University is one of the few schools with an actual semi-public estimate from its AD: roughly $6M for next season.

University of Kansas is harder to peg because KU traditionally relies on both NIL and huge national-brand pull. Some insiders think KU is closer to $10M–15M now, while public estimates trend lower.

Texas Tech University has become one of the most aggressive spenders in the Big 12 overall, especially with donor backing from Cody Campbell.

The broad consensus nationally is:

Elite national-title-caliber rosters now cost roughly $10M–20M.

Middle-tier power conference teams are around $4M–8M.

Low-major contenders are usually under $2M.

[RezClone]

@Kyle_Be_Coogin

I’d be willing to bet that our basketball AND football roster salaries are higher than both TCU & Baylor… throw Okie State and ISU in there, too.

Now, trying to get to state flagship levels is the next goal… that’s a tough row to hoe…

Now football (yes, rev share + NIL combined)

Texas Tech Red Raiders
$28M–36M

BYU Cougars
$10M–15M

Arizona State Sun Devils
$10M–14M

Utah Utes
$10M–13M

Kansas State Wildcats
$9M–12M

TCU Horned Frogs
$9M–12M

Oklahoma State Cowboys
$8M–11M

Baylor Bears
$8M–11M

Houston Cougars
$8M–10M

Iowa State Cyclones
$7M–10M |

Kansas Jayhawks
$7M–10M

Arizona Wildcats
$7M–10M

Cincinnati Bearcats
$6M–9M

UCF Knights
$6M–9M

West Virginia Mountaineers $6M–9M

Colorado Buffaloes
$5M–8M

[CougariDOC (John m Bevil)]

@RezClone

"I don’t have a lot more years left and that’s fine.

When asked CKS says if he were playing golf he’d be at Amen Corner. That could be good, only hole 13 out of 18 or bad because the last 5 holes can go fast.

[Kyle_Be_Coogin (Kyle)]

But there was that other article that said we’re spending close to UCONN/UNC… So… who knows…

All I know is we’re spending some serious dough on our rosters…

[Kyle_Be_Coogin (Kyle)]

And according to On3 we have 3 players in the top 100 of basketball NIL…

But they have Flemdawg in there still…

So, who knows for real…

The recent push by CKS is to KEEP US AT THE TOP of NIL spenders; not to pull us up from the dregs…

I wonder if Uncle Tilman told him something like I can’t continue to contribute the lion’s share of these rosters so CKS is pushing hard before he hands the keys over to Kellen…

College Basketball NIL Valuations

[Kyle_Be_Coogin (Kyle)]

Then chatgpt says this…

2026-27 roster NIL valuations projected for ncaam teams… top 50

There isn’t a fully public, verified “top 50 team roster NIL valuation” database yet for 2026–27 men’s college basketball. Most estimates come from a mix of On3 NIL rankings, reporting, booster/collective rumors, and insider projections.

Based on current reporting, transfer activity, and player valuations, this is the rough projected tiering for 2026–27 roster NIL value entering the season:

Rank	Team	Estimated Roster NIL Value
1	Kentucky Wildcats	$20M–25M
2	Texas Tech Red Raiders	$18M–22M
3	BYU Cougars	$17M–21M
4	Duke Blue Devils	$14M–18M
5	Arkansas Razorbacks	$13M–17M
6	Kansas Jayhawks	$12M–16M
7	Louisville Cardinals	$12M–15M
8	Michigan Wolverines	$11M–15M
9	Texas Longhorns	$11M–14M
10	St. John’s Red Storm	$10M–14M
11	UConn Huskies	$10M–13M
12	Illinois Fighting Illini	$9M–13M
13	Houston Cougars	$9M–12M
14	Tennessee Volunteers	$9M–12M
15	Florida Gators	$8M–12M
16	Arizona Wildcats	$8M–11M
17	Auburn Tigers	$8M–11M
18	Michigan State Spartans	$7M–10M
19	Miami Hurricanes	$7M–10M
20	USC Trojans	$7M–10M
21	North Carolina Tar Heels	$7M–9M
22	Purdue Boilermakers	$7M–9M
23	Gonzaga Bulldogs	$6M–9M
24	Alabama Crimson Tide	$6M–9M
25	Baylor Bears	$6M–9M
26	Virginia Cavaliers	$6M–8M
27	Nebraska Cornhuskers	$6M–8M
28	Ohio State Buckeyes	$5M–8M
29	Ole Miss Rebels	$5M–8M
30	Indiana Hoosiers	$5M–8M
31	UCLA Bruins	$5M–7M
32	Wisconsin Badgers	$5M–7M
33	Oregon Ducks	$5M–7M
34	Creighton Bluejays	$4M–7M
35	Iowa State Cyclones	$4M–7M
36	Missouri Tigers	$4M–7M
37	Texas A&M Aggies	$4M–6M
38	Cincinnati Bearcats	$4M–6M
39	Memphis Tigers	$4M–6M
40	Kansas State Wildcats	$4M–6M
41	Villanova Wildcats	$3M–6M
42	Xavier Musketeers	$3M–5M
43	Marquette Golden Eagles	$3M–5M
44	TCU Horned Frogs	$3M–5M
45	Oklahoma Sooners	$3M–5M
46	NC State Wolfpack	$3M–5M
47	Washington Huskies	$3M–5M
48	LSU Tigers	$3M–5M
49	Providence Friars	$3M–4M
50	San Diego State Aztecs	$2.5M–4M

A few notable things:

• BYU Cougars exploded upward largely because of AJ Dybantsa, whose valuation alone is around $4.2M according to On3.
• Texas Tech Red Raiders remain near the top because of JT Toppin and aggressive collective spending.
• Kentucky Wildcats is widely rumored to have the highest overall spend in the sport, with estimates exceeding $20M.
• Houston Cougars are viewed as operating efficiently relative to budget — not top-5 NIL spending, but still near the national elite competitively.

The important caveat: NIL “valuations” are often not actual signed compensation figures. Even industry insiders say many numbers are inflated or speculative.

[RezClone]

@Kyle_Be_Coogin

But there was that other article that said we’re spending close to UCONN/UNC… So… who knows…

Yeah, at least theoretically AI scans all relavent sources across all available information and takes that into account. And my post includes Rev Share and NIL combined, I was sure to specify that.

But who knows. Either way, I’m more than fine with all of our top teams’ spending in basketball it seems. I’m thrilled with little old Ames’s commitment in particular.

Leaguewide tho, football may be another story…

I hate to contribute to the doom and gloom, but we just lost our head coach to a school that committed to him 30 million ADDITIONAL NIL money to football alone, annually. You can pencil in another at least 15 from Rev share which will only increase.

So, I am concerned with the future of Big 12 football to say the least.

[MountainCoug]

I don’t believe BYU is a top spender like people online say. AJ’s dad said BYU wasn’t his highest offer. None of us believed it at the time but other BYU recruits who picked BYU said it wasn’t their best offer and a few of the recent bigs they missed on also said it wasn’t their best offer. LSU gave the recent Croatian big a bigger bag.

Don’t get me wrong I’m sure they are spending more than most teams … but I don’t think they are trying to be at the top of these lists. Before this party started an unnamed booster said they don’t ever want to be the highest bidder but they don’t want to lose on money. I think that’s looking like it’s actually real…

I’ve also suspected Houston spends more than people thinks. They deserve the investment.

[Kyle_Be_Coogin (Kyle)]

And for football…

To your point @RezClone … PSU should be on here but I don’t see them… nevermind… I see them at 27.

So… WHO KNOWS!?

Can you do the same thing for football

Here’s a projected top 50 for 2026 college football roster NIL valuations entering the 2026–27 season. These are synthesized from reported/estimated roster values, player NIL valuations, portal spending, and collective activity — especially from CFO Football and On3 data.

Rank	Team	Estimated 2026 Roster NIL Value
1	Texas Longhorns	$47M–50M
2	Miami Hurricanes	$43M–46M
3	Ohio State Buckeyes	$42M–45M
4	LSU Tigers	$42M–45M
5	Oregon Ducks	$41M–44M
6	Notre Dame Fighting Irish	$39M–42M
7	Texas A&M Aggies	$38M–41M
8	Alabama Crimson Tide	$36M–39M
9	Tennessee Volunteers	$35M–38M
10	Texas Tech Red Raiders	$35M–37M
11	Ole Miss Rebels	$34M–36M
12	Georgia Bulldogs	$33M–36M
13	USC Trojans	$33M–35M
14	Oklahoma Sooners	$32M–34M
15	Michigan Wolverines	$31M–34M
16	South Carolina Gamecocks	$30M–33M
17	Indiana Hoosiers	$30M–32M
18	Florida Gators	$29M–32M
19	Clemson Tigers	$29M–31M
20	Houston Cougars	$27M–30M
21	Auburn Tigers	$26M–29M
22	Arkansas Razorbacks	$26M–28M
23	Colorado Buffaloes	$25M–28M
24	Nebraska Cornhuskers	$25M–28M
25	Mississippi State Bulldogs	$25M–27M
26	Florida State Seminoles	$24M–27M
27	Penn State Nittany Lions	$24M–27M
28	Missouri Tigers	$24M–26M
29	BYU Cougars	$23M–26M
30	Washington Huskies	$23M–25M
31	UCLA Bruins	$22M–25M
32	Kentucky Wildcats	$22M–24M
33	Iowa Hawkeyes	$21M–24M
34	Wisconsin Badgers	$21M–23M
35	TCU Horned Frogs	$20M–23M
36	Baylor Bears	$20M–22M
37	North Carolina Tar Heels	$20M–22M
38	Arizona State Sun Devils	$19M–22M
39	Utah Utes	$19M–21M
40	Virginia Tech Hokies	$18M–21M
41	NC State Wolfpack	$18M–20M
42	Kansas State Wildcats	$18M–20M
43	Louisville Cardinals	$17M–20M
44	Iowa State Cyclones	$17M–19M
45	Arizona Wildcats	$17M–19M
46	UCF Knights	$16M–19M
47	SMU Mustangs	$16M–19M
48	Virginia Cavaliers	$15M–18M
49	Rutgers Scarlet Knights	$15M–17M
50	Vanderbilt Commodores	$14M–17M

A few notable takeaways:

• Texas Longhorns are viewed as the clear No. 1 financially, anchored by Arch Manning plus elite portal spending. CFO estimates Texas near $48M total roster value.
• Miami Hurricanes surged because of aggressive portal/NIL infrastructure and top-end donor spending.
• Ohio State Buckeyes may have the deepest overall roster value distribution rather than relying on one superstar.
• Houston Cougars being around top-20 nationally is a major jump historically, driven by recruiting momentum and the addition of Keisean Henderson.
• Texas Tech Red Raiders became one of the biggest spenders in America after major portal investments around Brendan Sorsby.

Big caveat: these are estimates, not audited payrolls. Even insiders and fans note that many NIL numbers are “directionally correct” rather than exact because most contracts are private.

[Kyle_Be_Coogin (Kyle)]

Basically, chatgpt loves the Coogs!!!

[RezClone]

Called it! @IowaCoog @NorCalCoog

[RobDob (SemperFi)]

My man Blake, a cog

[RezClone]

A real cog’s cog, indeed.

Cogfans.com

- YouTube

[Kyle_Be_Coogin (Kyle)]

@zrf doesn’t approve…

[RobDob (SemperFi)]

He sure as h3ll doesn’t

[IowaCoog (Tom Lidiak)]

You sir are a prophet!!

[RezClone]

They only real unexpected change is Jackson Kiss flipped to UNLV earlier this week.
(TJ’s last coaching stop)

Mutual parting of ways, perhaps? I’d tend to assume so. Kinda came outta nowhere!

Making room for Mommy’s possible return?!?!
@Kyle_Be_Coogin

[Kyle_Be_Coogin (Kyle)]

The Starting Bunch!

[IowaCoog (Tom Lidiak)]

The bench should be soybeans. Lol

[aldineblue (Monte P Gilliam)]

Defending national champs are listed at 17th. They had almost no 4 or 5 star players on their team, but rolled to an FB natty anyway. A winning culture still hugely important. Texas will still find a way to lose 2 or 3 games, because they cant beat the best teams on their schedule, particularly on the road.