Inside the Big 12's Allstate partnership and its efforts to close the gap with the SEC and Big Ten

Hi everyone,

In today’s newsletter, we’re going deep on the Big 12’s partnership with Allstate and some of the other plans the conference has in the world of sponsorships. Reporter Jamie Plunkett emptied his notebook on this one, and there’s a lot to learn.

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— Joan

KICKOFF

Advice for Dabo

We all know Dabo Swinney’s feelings on NIL and revenue sharing and his (to put it politely) preference for the previous way of doing things in college sports. We all also probably know that Swinney’s team lost on Saturday to Syracuse in a game that seemed pretty much decided by the second quarter. The Tigers, who started the season ranked No. 4 in the AP Poll, fell out of the rankings after their Week 3 loss to Georgia Tech, and this season is beginning to look a bit like a repudiation of Swinney’s attitude toward the new financial model. (Or maybe this Clemson team is just inexplicably bad.)

Whatever the explanation for Clemson’s struggles, Nick Saban had some advice for Swinney on “College GameDay” on Saturday — which is to say, before the Tigers’ surprising loss.

“Dabo needs to look at what he needs to do in his program to make his program continually successful,” Saban said. “Do you have to change the portal? Do you have to change name, image and likeness? The game has changed. You need to change with it. Otherwise, you're not going to put yourself in the same position other people are and having the chance to be successful.”

Buyouts in the age of revenue sharing

On Saturday, Wisconsin lost to Maryland, 27-10, at home, dropping its record to 2-2. Under coach Luke Fickell, the Badgers now have a losing record (14-15) and are well under .500 (8-11) in Big Ten play. Their schedule only gets tougher from here, which begs the question: How long will Fickell stick around?

Wisconsin’s athletic director pledged his support for the coach after the Maryland game. But to talk about Fickell’s future without mentioning his buyout would be the definition of shortsighted. According to multiple reports, it’s somewhere north of $25 million if he’s fired this season; that would put it at the second most expensive buyout after Jimbo Fisher’s epic separation from Texas A&M. A few years ago, it might’ve seemed natural that a program like Wisconsin would find a way to swallow that kind of sum if the product on the field continued to spiral … but in 2025, with more pressures than ever on athletic department budgets, can any school — even a Big Ten program — justify paying someone that much money not to coach? We’ll see.

DOWN TO BUSINESS

Why the Big 12’s Allstate partnership matters

by Jamie Plunkett

The Big 12’s new partnership with Allstate, announced earlier this month, is the latest agreement the league has reached as it attempts to close the financial gap with the Big Ten and SEC. 

As I asked around about this particular agreement, I got some good insight into what the league is trying to do with partnerships such as this one and how it came about — plus some other nuggets of information worth writing about. So, let’s dump the notebook out and try to get a better picture of how the Big 12 is navigating the sponsorship space. 

The nuts and bolts of the Allstate agreement

The partnership positions Allstate as the official partner of Big 12 women’s athletics and launches the Allstate Championship Series, which creates a “year-round platform that celebrates Big 12 Championships and student-athletes,” according to the league’s press release. It also makes Allstate the title sponsor of the Commissioner’s Cup, an annual award given to the Big 12 member that accumulates the most points over an academic/athletic calendar year.

Points toward the Allstate Commissioner’s Cup will be awarded annually to schools based on conference championships, graduation rates, academic and student services and community engagement. 

Allstate will also be the official partner of Big 12 Pro Day and the presenting sponsor of all Big 12 Olympic sport championships. It will be integrated into marketing efforts at major events, including the Big 12 football championship and men’s and women's basketball championships. 

What could this look like financially? 

While specifics of the partnership are still unclear, one person who works in athletics sponsorships and has an intimate understanding of the space suggested that a partnership with these types of assets typically sits in the three- to four-year, $10 to $20 million range. 

The same source noted that insurance companies typically want to have a strong presence in Texas, and though the Big 12 is now more spread out, having four institutions in the state (Baylor, Houston, TCU and Texas Tech) is a draw. 

The final iteration of a months-long negotiation

The Big 12’s discussions with Allstate spanned several months, with the parties discussing a variety of options, including conference naming rights. Commissioner Brett Yormark and the Big 12 opted to “pause” the naming rights discussion, which Yormark relayed to Front Office Sports’ David Rumsey in May. 

“So, not that it’s off the table, but I would say it’s probably on pause right now, because we are finding other ways to grow the commercial side of the business without necessarily having to give up the equity that we’re building,” Yormark told FOS.

With this Allstate partnership, along with several others, growing the commercial side of the business is beginning to take shape. 

The latest in a series of partnerships

Yormark’s move with Allstate is just the latest in a series of partnerships designed to boost the national profile of the league while also closing the financial gap between the Big 12 and the SEC/Big Ten.

A partnership with PayPal and Venmo was announced in June, allowing member institutions in the Big 12 and Big Ten to distribute revenue-sharing payments through the finance platform. The Big 12’s deal is for five years, and the Big Ten’s is for three. As a part of the agreement, Venmo also serves as the official partner of the Big 12 across football, basketball and Olympic sports championships. 

“Stacking” partnerships

So, if you’re keeping track, the Big 12 will have an official partner (Venmo) and a presenting sponsor (Allstate) for its Olympic sports championships. How will that work? 

One Big 12 representative indicated to NIL Wire that, beginning with the women’s soccer championships later this fall, Olympic sports will be described along the lines of “the Big 12 Women’s Soccer Championship, presented by Allstate.” Venmo, meanwhile, will have premiere signage placement around the event. 

Stacking partnerships for one event or a series of an event isn’t uncommon. For the Big 12, the practice will probably become more common as the league tries to close the financial gap. 

Losing A longtime sponsor? 

One person with knowledge of the situation told NIL Wire that longtime Big 12 partner Dr. Pepper is moving on now that the title sponsorship of the football championship has expired. The Big 12 and Dr. Pepper have been joined at the hip since the league's inaugural season in 1996. 

Dr. Pepper was the title sponsor of the Big 12 football championship game as recently as 2024, but that will no longer be the case. The Big 12 is still working on a title sponsor for its 2025 football championship. 

Meanwhile, the same source noted that Dr. Pepper will focus on pursuing partnerships with the Big Ten and SEC, as well as other national sponsorships. The soft drink company is the title sponsor of the College Football Playoff through 2026.

Dr. Pepper will also continue its $100,000 tuition giveaway at the conference championships for the SEC, Big Ten and ACC this winter. The Big 12 will not be included. 

Not to mention, Dr. Pepper’s Fansville advertising campaign is in year eight, and it continues to incorporate more college and pro sport personalities.

More deals on the horizon?

One Big 12 representative indicated that the league is in the process of selling the presenting sponsor rights for the football championship as well as other sponsorships for the men’s and women’s basketball championships, with the hopes that those deals will be finalized in time for the events in 2025 and beyond. 

Phillips 66 is the title sponsor of the men’s and women’s basketball championships — a partnership that dates back to 1988, when the league was still the Big Eight. The energy company is also the title sponsor of the Big 12 baseball and softball tournaments. How the league plans to stack sponsorships alongside Phillips 66 is yet to be determined. 

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