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Michigan & Ohio State blocking it from happening. for now.

If the big two are blocking it, is it because they already have one foot out the door?

I'm taking the other side of this.  this is a no-brainer idea for the B1G, IMO.  i didn't read this espn piece but a PE industry piece about this recently.

I work for a firm which is a Port Co of a PE firm, I am more than familiar with the Good, Bad and Ugly of PE.   The B1G would benefit mightily as a conference in having a much more organized, uniform, stabilized (financially) conference.   I would imagine the two holdouts are purely seeking to maximize its position in this.  I would expect this to happen, candidly thought it would have by now.  the fragmentation, fiefdoms and ma and pa means of 'running these businesses'  are not sustainable with this present day model.

yup, a stronger Big Ten is better for OSU and UM, unless they lose control

they are simply leveraging their cornsiderable power over the conference to assure themselves that they maintain that power, leverage, and advantage

Yes, thats all it is.

They don't want to give up their power, and if this money is distributed equally, they lose their financial advantage. if the deal includes a guaranteed seat at the table for the two of them, and that the money is distributed proportionally based on existing revenue streams, they would sign off in a heartbeat

PE seeks a robust return.   

I would like to better understand their ideas around how the plan to achieve that.  What, specifically, is the strategy?

Hard for me to form an opinion without better visibility.  

Short version: investors, including the schools will set up the BIG Ten Enterprises LP,  schools plus conference plus investor will be the equity shareholders.   They will, as a unit, 'own' the relationships they build and contract for with 3rd parties among other major revenue streams .

A very short version 

PE firms are very attracted to these investments.  Unfortunately some folks view every PE move as a leveraged buyout or raid and that's simply not whats going on here.

Short version: investors, including the schools will set up the BIG Ten Enterprises LP,  schools plus conference plus investor will be the equity shareholders.  They will, as a unit, 'own' the relationships they build and contract for with 3rd parties among other major revenue streams .

A very short version

PE firms are very attracted to these investments.  Unfortunately some folks view every PE move as a leveraged buyout or raid and that's simply not whats going on here.

Forgive me,  I am just trying to understand.  Doesn't giving up a 5% stake usually mean the PE firm gets 5% of the "profits" every year forever?