The Big 12 is getting richer by doing nothing. The Big 12 is living the dream.

“Ten is the right number” of teams, University of Texas president Greg Fenves said in a statement on Monday’s no-expansion decision by the Big 12.

Elsewhere in the state, the governor shared a Fox Sports article calling for the conference to apologize after having all these schools publicly plead for membership, then not even voting on any of them:

“Ten is the right number” for a thing with “12” in its name, and the Big 12’s hemming and hawing has inconvenienced people to the point of suits taking offense. In other words, the Big 12 remains the Big 12.

These things happen, and not paying these schools the courtesy of a token vote once expansion was clearly off the table isn’t the most egregious of all snubs. And while this doesn’t necessarily destroy the conference’s future, it does leave the question of what happens once its current revenue-sharing deal ends in only eight years.

In 2014, Ohio State made it in over Baylor and TCU, prompting a crisis that led to Oklahoma’s president calling the conference “psychologically disadvantaged” for its lack of an 11th team, a 12th team, and a conference title game, despite the fact that his own school made it into the next Playoff.

From there, the conference threw open the doors a year later, calling for schools to send pitches for evaluation. It then goofed its way into exploiting its contracts with ESPN and Fox, according to a Sports Illustrated report from before the announcement, thus making itself more money without doing anything.

Multiple sources indicated there have been discussions with the Big 12’s TV partners to pay the league not to expand. The purpose of the payment would be to eliminate the pro rata clause in the TV contract — which the TV officials consider a loophole — that enables the league to receive nearly $25 million annually for every school it adds.

The Star-Telegram now writes:

The strategy amounts to legalized extortion via the threat of expansion. Big 12 officials would prefer to call it a contract negotiation and the extra financial bump will be tied to whatever figure the networks pay for rights to future Big 12 football championship games from the 2017 through 2024 seasons.

How much is the Big 12 being paid not to expand? That number is yet to be determined.

A frantic idea that goes nowhere and ends up making certain people richer: the Big 12 is, as always, the definitive college athletics conference.

And just in case you think the Big 12 is done doing silly things for money:

Purdue should get creative, rather than trying to hire Les Miles.

Ed Orgeron doesn’t exactly have fond memories of coaching Ole Miss, his opponent this weekend.

Alabama opened as more than a two-TD favorite against undefeated Texas A&M. That line has since gone up.

Podcast Ain’t Played Nobody sprints through the 25 best teams and ponders what the hell happens when Bama QB Jalen Hurts isn’t just a freshman.

The Shutdown Fullcast reviews Week 7, by which I mean continues its Papa John fanfic and spends a portion of its Make Fun Of Notre Dame time on making fun of Purdue.

UCLA fans are super mad.

ICYMI, it’s mid-October and West Virginia still controls its Playoff destiny.

Urban Meyer missed the winning play against Wisconsin because he was busy dialing up the next series. Same.

Alligator Army defends Florida’s Playoff chances.

Say, which position will Jabrill Peppers play in the NFL?

The most beloved player from Last Chance U scored an 84-yard Piesman touchdown, and all is well.

Samford’s entire team gathered to help a linebacker propose to his girlfriend.