USC Traveler

It sounds like the revenue crunch is happening now, which would indicate Comcast has been holding back money this year, possibly since the story broke, which is what I would do if I was running Comcast, in addition to suing all the PAC schools to get my money back asap. I'd also be going after Larry Scott and the other fraudsters personally, since as fraud is one of the few ways to pierce the corporate veil and go after the individual's assets, iirc. Will be happy to be corrected by any Shaggy/Surly legal types.

Trojan Man explained it well, but since your cognitive dissonance is seemingly impenetrable, I'll take another shot. Your worldview revolves around playing schools that are close to your school and similar to your school. We get it. Understand this: UT and USC want to play schools that are similar to our schools. Those schools are named UGA, tOSU, UM, Bama, ND, LSU, etc. UT's most important rival is in another state. USC's only true rival is in the Midwest. (UCLA is an annoying little brother.) We've been traveling across the country to play for almost 100 years. UT and USC folks don't give a fuck about the schools that are close to us because we want to compete against the best. We'll happily trade unexciting matchups in the B12/PAC (that make up the majority of the schedule) to play unexciting schools in the BIG/SEC (that make up a smaller part of the schedule) because we get to play other bluebloods and near bluebloods. Games that we will be excited for and that will be memorable. When you're sitting on your tractor making a list of divisions that looks almost exactly like the way things were 50 years ago and acting like it would be some kind of CFB nirvana, you're only looking at it from your point of view. You somehow can't understand that your pov is very different from the pov of someone who has seen his team win multiple National Titles and lives less than 20 minutes from an airport that has nonstop flights to any road destination that we would want to visit. // Short version- for USC and UT, we don't care about travel because we're going to be playing more schools that are our peers, and we don't care about playing schools that are closer to us because we have never cared about playing them. We're going to have more games that are exciting to watch, make more money, and have better exposure for recruiting. It would be crazy not make the BIG/SEC move.

This is the clown who has said multiple times how great the new WACPAC tv deal is going to be, while coming up with a new excuse each time to explain why nothing has happened yet. Yeah- these look like the actions of a school that is about to sign a tv deal on par with what the B12 is getting. 😂

If you move a few schools around and get rid of one of those divisions, it looks a lot like the CFB world I remember growing up in the '70s. With a few minor changes, you'd have the PAC8, the WAC, Big 8, SWC, BIG, SEC, ACC and the Eastern Seaboard independent schools who eventually became the Big East. Everything was pretty stable back then, but there's a reason we're not there anymore. Once the 1984 SCOTUS ruling took broadcasting out of the hands of the NCAA, schools and conferences started looking out for their own financial interests, and capitalism/market competition created an inevitable consolidation that has seen us go from 8 conferences that matter to 5 (and soon to be 3). Success in CFB is driven by $$$ more than any other sport because of the costs involved- hiring top coaches, size of the rosters, cost of recruiting, etc. Fan interest was always going to lead to the clustering of tv money and top ratings draws in 2-3 conferences. Like Thanos, this was inevitable. Outside of the SWC, which had a unique set of issues, the conferences that are either dead or dying are those with the least passion for football and lowest levels of fan interest (Big East, PAC, ACC, ). Are/were there schools that were exceptions to the rule in those conferences ? Yes. And they all have or will find homes in the BIG/SEC/B12 when everything shakes out. So I'm not going to cry about the fact that not enough people in New England, the mid-Atlantic or Northern CA care about CFB. The money is going to the places where people care the most. The BIG, SEC and B12 deserve to be the surviving conferences because they have the most fans and the highest level of passion. The B12 won't have the blue bloods of the other 2, so they won't make as much money, but they're going to make a lot more than any other conference because the B12 will have a lot of great matchups between schools with similar resource levels that will be fun to watch. And while the $$$ differential will make it hard for a B12 team to win a national title, as we saw with TCU vs UGA this year, in a one game playoff setting, anything can happen, as we saw with TCU vs UM. We're in the transition phase now, but when we end up with a BIG20-24, SEC16-20 and a 20-28 team B12, I think it will actually be a very good setup. Three conferences of like-minded schools that want to play each other, and a lot of built-in drama/hate for future playoff matchups between teams from the different conferences. Assuming UW and UO end up in the B12, think about playoffs that included the following types of games on top of UM vs UGA type games: UT vs Tech/Baylor/TCU OU vs OSU Iowa vs ISU USC vs UO/UW PSU vs WVU/Pitt For CFB who didn't go to either school, the interest level in those games in the playoffs would be off the charts in a way that they wouldn't be if they were in the same conference, because the playoff format creates "win or go home" stakes, and the hard feelings, anger, etc that have built up for years between those schools will create must-see tv. At least it will for me.

I agree that a 32 team superleague would be terrible, and I say that as someone who thinks USC to the BIG and UT/OU to the SEC are great moves for fans of those teams and conferences because we're going to get more games that are compelling every year in those conferences with 3-6-6 scheduling. But I also enjoy B12 games, and look forward to the B12 absorbing PAC schools and whichever worthwhile ACC schools don't go BIG/SEC. Cincy, WV, Pitt and UL would be a great division in a 20-24 team B12. Same with a division that has TX schools (and possibly OSU). There are a lot of games in a 20-24 team B12 that people will tune in to watch, so there is real value to the networks. Sankey and Petiti are smart guys who would understand the negative consequences of a 32 team superleague, so a BIG/SEC/B12 breaking away from the G5 with 60-64 teams is much more likely. That wouldn't feel much different than what we already have. I almost never watch G5 games. I just don't care. And 99% of the time, G5 vs P5 games aren't competitive. We might see one-two G5 games on most teams' schedules anyway as tuneup/cupcake games each year. If we do end up with BIG/SEC/B12 in a division of their own, would that really be much different ?

Thanks for posting. Some crazy stuff in there. Backs up what a lot of BIG people have said about Warren- politician who is all about appearances. It's crazy that the BIG is even considering paying him a bonus after the way this was handled. Also- where was the BIG's general counsel and the Presidents when Warren was giving NBC night games and the CCG without the ability to do so ? It's stunning that no one caught this. Did no one read the deal ?

Looking pretty barren the last dozen years. Hmmmm. The fact that they commemorate a 3-way tie for the B12 South in 2010 tells you everything you need to know.* *except for the other half of the story- milkmen, jizz jars, fake army, etc, etc.😂

Interesting segment on multiple with Greg McElroy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JWRhEsKXm0 He says some things that make a lot of sense that many of us have speculated, some things that are surprising, and some things that sound crazy. Worth having on in the background while you're getting some other stuff done. Surprises: An ESPN employee on an ESPN show predicting that the 7 ACC schools will break away by 2026. (16:20) Makes Sense: UVA, UNC to BIG, VT and NCSt better fits with SEC. SEC adding FSU and Clemson not a slamdunk due to UGA, UF, SC. Crazy talk: The ACC breakaway schools may go independent. UT, OU, USC, UCLA added to SEC/BIG out of fear they were all going independent. Side note #1: Notice the helmets on either side of him- UT and USC. Hmmmmmmm. Side note #2: He blames big bad UT and LHN for aggy and Mizzou leaving B12. Same as it ever was for the media. Maybe Sankey told aggy he'd let ESPN keep running with that story until UT joins in 2024 as a pacifier/butt plug to keep aggy from whining so much about big brother joining the conference and casting a Godzilla-sized shadow over College Station.

Color me skeptical that any of these schools will be willing to challenge the GOR anytime soon. (8-10 years from now is a different conversation.) Yes, it's possible that 12 schools could work together (with some of them securing landing spots in the B12) to dissolve the conference, but that seems very tough to pull off, especially since the ACC adopted all of the legal language from the B12 into their new GOR. Think about this- UT has more money and resources than anyone, but they weren't willing to challenge the B12 GOR, even to leave one year early. it wasn't until ESPN worked out a deal with the B12 to get UT and OU out that they were able to leave one year early. No school wants to risk giving up that much money.

That would be hilarious.

I'm shocked that this was all posturing to get unequal postseason revenue. I was also shocked to find gambling in Casablanca.

That will be an epic trip!

That sounds like an awesome trip. Where are you going ?

We'll see what happens. Everything that I just quoted indicates otherwise, which is consistent with what Thamel, Auerbach, Feldman and others have been saying for the last 11 months. The only people who have been pushing the idea that the BIG is going to add UW and UO are Dodds and McMurphy. The bottom line: if the PNW schools aren't additive now, why do you think they'll be additive in the future ?

From the Athletic today: If Florida State, Clemson, Virginia, North Carolina and Miami were to become available, that’s a real and major domino to fall in conference realignment. As one Big Ten source put it, “Those schools are where the real value is.” That person was particularly interested in Virginia and North Carolina as new states and/or markets for the Big Ten to extend down the East Coast. This Big Ten source believes expansion out East makes far more sense than expanding into the Pacific Northwest, which has not had nearly enough support internally or among the league’s media partners since the idea was first broached.

ND is the only school that has a specific escalator clause that the BIG and the tv partners agreed to put into the new BIG media deal. The number has already been agreed to, so I'm assuming it's substantially additive. Otherwise, why go through the trouble of working out the numbers to add the clause ?

When the ACC gets picked apart, the more likely scenario is that the B12 absorbs the ACC schools that have some appeal, but are not taken by the BIG/SEC. That would set the B12 up as a true coast to coast conference (league), and put them firmly in a tier of their own in CFB. There's a bunch of different ways it could play out, but even in a worst case scenario for the B12, they'd get some good additions: Let's say BIG gets UVA, UNC, Duke, GT, and Miami, with UVA and UNC using the leverage of going SEC to bring Duke along. SEC takes FSU, Clemson, VT and NC St. B12 would certainly take UL and Pitt. Along with WVU and Cincy, that's a nice division with games that will draw eyeballs- especially on a Thursday night. Would the B12 take Wake ? Cuse and BC probably left behind. Memphis, Tulane and maybe even USF (more FL access for B12) would be better additions East of Texas.

When USC was looking for a coach last year, she was taking ideas that people were throwing around on the USC247 board and putting them out on twitter as if she had sourced info on the USC search. It was laughable. I look at her twitter feed once in a while for entertainment, but I'd be shocked if she has any real info.

I figured MN would get Wiscy, Iowa and Neb as their teams, but maybe that was a mistake ? I've thought about airports for fan travel, but hadn't thought of airport issues for the teams, as they'll all be flying charter. For the olympic sports, they've talked about multiple sports flying on the same charter, and there has even been talk of USC and UCLA sharing some charters. As for USC-NW, I think every top tier BIG school will get a cupcake, and with USC and NW being the only two private schools in the BIG, and both being in big cities, it seems like a good fit. USC fans are already talking about an annual trip to Chicago if we get NW and the BIG alternates @NW with our @ND years.

Yeah- that narrative is one of the reasons I don't think either of the LA schools is going to get a permanent rival on Eastern Time. Especially with UM, OSU, PSU and MSU all playing 2 of the other 3, none of them are going to want USC as a 3rd fixed rival. At that point, it's either RU, MD or IU. The schools on the East Coast aren't worth the negative media spin. Corn, Wiscy, etc make much more sense. UCLA-Purdue (Wooden connection) or UCLA-IU (Bball schools) would work, as people think of IN as midwest, even though it's mostly on ET, but those are the only schools on ET that would make sense. I think USC gets Wiscy and NW, while UCLA gets Corn and Purdue.

Yes sir. Meanwhile, LAX-SFO, LAX-OAK, and LAX-PHX are all around 90 minutes. Stanford will eventually get in, and that will guarantee USC and UCLA one road game on the West Coast every year. That actually helps with travel. Cal fits the BIG profile to a T as an academic institution, but their admin's hostility to football and bad on-field product will keep them out. ASU is in a great tv market, but their academics make them a non-starter. That's unfortunate. I had some memorable trips to Scottsdale when I was single.

Didn't edit the other post fast enough, so I'll add this. As far as travel issues, if we were talking about Stanford, Cal or ASU, those would be a huge help with travel. But the PNW schools aren't much shorter trips than the BIG West schools, so there's much of a positive there, whereas it's clear the BIG schools don't want to go to the West Coast too often. On the schedule front, I'm convinced the BIG will be very selective about going to 18, as they'd need to add a 10th game to keep the same rotation they will have in 2024. The 3-6-6 would become a 3-7-7. ND is worth that, and much more, but the PNW schools don't bring anywhere near that value. This is what I think, but ultimately, I don't know either. We might be two of the only people on the internet willing to say that.✌️ It's going to be fascinating to see it all play out.

You make a good point about no one else knowing about SC/UCLA/Nebraska/Rutgers/Maryland ahead of time.A As you know, I'm no fan of the PAC, but I do think Dodds and McMurphy are pawns for some combo of ESPN/Fox/B12 disinformation. They have consistently kept pounding away for 9-10 months about UW and UO going to the BIG. They keep re-running various versions of the same story, but nothing ever happens. The first question to ask about a leak is who benefits from that leak ? Especially with the BIG, where there were no leaks around other expansion moves. ESPN/FOX/B12 benefit the most from these consistent leaks around UW/UO to the BIG, as the more unstable the PAC is, the more likely some of the 4C are to jump to the B12. Combine that with Fox not engaging with the PAC and ESPN lowballing them , and they are creating a situation where it will force some of the 4C to jump if they want to stay relevant, given the lack of alternatives for a PAC media deal.

Agreed. I would have bet on them cancelling if the game hadn't been such a big part of the settlement to let UT and OU go SEC a year early. Because it was integral to getting that deal done, and with FOX owning over 60% of BTN, I'd be shocked if that game got cancelled.

If you listen to the interview, he was straddling the fence: "BIG could take a harder look at UW/UO" "When and if the BIG decided to add UW/UO". I still think he is a pawn that is being used by ESPN/B12 to constantly make the 4C schools nervous about UW and UO leaving. It makes no sense that the BIG has someone leaking info only to McMurphy after adding Corn, RU, MD, USC and UCLA in complete silence. Especially when all of the connected BIG reporters keep saying the same thing- ND and the ACC schools are the priority, and they won't even consider further expansion in the West until they know who they can land from the ACC.