That's admittedly as much an indictment of the Pac-12 South as it is praise of Utah, but the U's football team has been consistently good or very good since finding its footing in the Pac-12.

The problem isn't how many ways the Pac-12 is splitting the money - and even if it was, Utah and Colorado have been net positives since they were (at the time) necessary to hold a conference championship game and helped the Pac-12 secure its (at the time) nation-leading TV deal. All of the Pac-12 teams are in a better financial position today because of Utah and Colorado.

My suspicion is that Utah and Colorado will continue to be net positives for the Pac-12 moving forward. They are arguably the premier brands in their respective states - and even if that is disputed, they deliver two of the biggest remaining markets in their time zone - markets that are large enough and valuable enough for NBA teams. By delivering SLC and Denver (plus much of the rest of Utah and Colorado) I think the Pac-12 is in a stronger negotiating position when it comes time to pursue a new television contract.