Big 12 Championship Brings Big Bucks

By Jon Jordan, NEWS 9

NORMAN, Okla. -- The Sooner's Big 12 win means big bucks for OU merchandise, Bob Stoops and the Big 12.

Fans were eager to get their hands on Oklahoma's Big 12 Championship t-shirts at USA ScreenPress. The shirts went on sale during the fourth quarter, and plenty of fans were lined up to get their hands on the championship goodies.

The t-shirts sales, among other Big 12 merchandise, will ultimately help Oklahoma's economy.

But it isn't just Oklahoma's economy that's expected to benefit. If OU goes the BCS Championship game Coach Stoops is due to rake in some dough too. If OU heads to Miami, Stoops will receive $150,000 and with a win, he'll bring home another $250,000.

And while OU fans think they were more deserving than Texas, both schools are going to big bowl games, and in the end, it means money for the Big 12.

"With one in the BCS, I mean championship, that means you get one in the Fiesta Bowl, which gives you another $4.5 million," Big 12 Commissioner Dan Beebe said.

Which brings the total to $23.5 million between the two bowls games, money that get's divided up by the Big 12 schools.