re: Texas Athletic Department in debt?

UT's debt level will be fine--as long as they keep raking in the same money they do now. That means they need a nice chunk of change from Tier 1 and Tier 2 TV contracts, and they need tickets sales (particularly suite and club seat sales) to remain strong. I think their aversion to a tough league is partly driven by their financial model--a succession of underperforming seasons would seriously crimp their style, as the first obligation for revenue is payment of that debt service.