Tasty tidbits from Utah athletics director Chris Hill

Utah athletics director Chris Hill broke bread with members of the local media Wednesday, tossing out a few morsels of news during an informal hour-long meeting.
Among the nuggets:
– Utah will receive about $3 million in television monies this year thanks to Colorado joining the Pac-12 a year earlier than expected. It created championship game and other new TV revenue for 2011-12.
– When then new television contract begins in 2012-13, Utah will begin receiving funds on a graduating basis – as per the Utes’ membership agreement. Hill said the conservative estimates are $7.5 million the first year, $11.5 million in 2013-14 and approximately $15.2 million as a full shareholder in 2014-15. The figures have a lot of expenses in it, he explained, and will gradually rise to the reported $21-$25 million per year over time. Additional revenues will eventually came via the Pac-12 Networks, which will be launched next year, as well.
– Hill said there are no plans to expand Rice-Eccles Stadium right away. The new football center, outdoor tennis courts (which may be built West of the indoor tennis center, prompting a reconfiguration of the football practice fields) and a softball field are the most urgent facility needs. Once a new campus recreation center is built, space in HPER opens up and work will begin on upgrading basketball’s practice and office facilities.
– The 2012 football schedule will be released in November. The 2013 slate will be out a year from now. He’d like to see future non-conference schedules include one really good opponent and two teams they feel they can beat because of the grueling Pac-12 schedule. BYU is expected to remain in the mix. Hill said he talks to Tom Holmoe a lot.
– Hill thinks the men’s basketball roster has been upgraded under new coach Larry Krystkowiak. Hill added, though, that there’s no question the next couple of years could be tough.
– According to Hill, Utah would have found a way to hire Norm Chow, even if UCLA didn’t give him a $500,000 buyout. It did, however, make it easy.
– As for his own future, Hill is taking the Jerry Sloan approach of staying on the job “as long as it feels good.”