If the folks in Austin and Norman ever wondered what their loyalty to the aging Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas has cost them, Dallas Cowboys owner (and Arkansas alum) was more than happy to show them this week. Jones has been working for months with Texas A&M and Arkansas to bring an annual rivalry game to his new stadium in Arlington.
The price tag? A guaranteed $5 million… per team… per year… for at least six years. Texas & Oklahoma each receive approximately $4.7 million/year for their game in Dallas.
According to the Dallas Morning News, the game would likely be scheduled in late September so as to coincide with the State Fair of Texas. The Dallas Cowboys would retain the rights to market the game, which means a title sponsor is probable. The two teams would split the stadium seats 50-50, a la the Texas-OU game arrangement.
When asked what this series will mean to Arkansas, Mr. Broyles said, “Huge. Huge.
“We’ve got a tremendous fan base there. We used to play four games every year in Texas with the Southwest Conference schedule. Our fans miss that. We hoping we get things worked out. We’re anticipating getting things worked out.”
The only remaining hurdle at this point is for Arkansas to shuffle its SEC schedule in several years, as those games are locked in years in advance. However, Arkansas has indicated that it will not be a deal breaker.
An agreement is expected to be announced in January.
Source: Aggies, Hogs to get richer deal that Texas-OU
