USC Traveler

Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't. BIG made NU, RU and MD take partial shares for something like 7 years on the premise that the BTN was already successful, and that they had to buy in over the course of time to earn their equity in BTN. I knew USC and UCLA were getting full shares from the jump when I read that the only schools that had any questions about bringing in the LA schools were MD and RU. It then came out in a story a few days later that USC and UCLA were getting full shares from day 1 because of the value they brought to the tv deal. Iirc, it was similar with aggy. I think they got full shares from day 1 because getting SECN into TX at an in-market rate was such a big deal. Given the value UT and OU bring to the table, I'd be shocked if they weren't getting full shares. And even more shocked by the fact that we didn't hear anything about this for two years.

I find it very hard (almost impossible) to believe that it's been almost 2 years since UT and OU to SEC was announced, but we're only just now finding out from Kirk Bohls in the second half of a random tweet on a Friday that UT and OU aren't getting a full share in the SEC in '24-'25. This would have been broken long ago, as it would be a big story, and it would have come from someone else. Aggy would have made sure everyone knew. It was known within a couple of days that USC and UCLA were getting full shares in the BIG-a conference that made NU, RU and MD take partial shares for a while. Has the SEC ever made anyone take a partial share ? I don't think they have. I think Kirk is very confused. His whole tweet is off, as he talks about UT getting paid "this year" and "next year" by the B12, but they're really getting paid for last year ('22-'23) and this year ('23-'24). Maybe Kirk started happy hour a little early down at Destin.

Bama, Auburn and the Vols noticeably absent from the list. Pathetic. Pretty easy for them to vote for 8 knowing Bama-Vols and UGA-Auburn will be on the schedule in '24. Will be a lot harder to vote for 8 for the following year knowing that those games won't be played. Hopefully the boosters at those schools step up and put the pressure on to go to 9. 3-6-6 will deliver more quality games every year.

100%. If those 3 schools aren't on UT's 2024 schedule, someone in Birmingham has fucked up royally. The "temporary schedule" for 2024 will allow all the rivalries that matter to be preserved, while also sending a message to ESPN that there is a deal to be made to get to 9 games, but it's not going to happen for free.

Miami and ASU also caught my eye. BIG schools clearly hold a lot of influence with the AAU, and we can take it one step further. The Chair of the AAU Board of Directors is none other than USC President Carol Folt. BIG putting pieces in place for teams they want to add over the next 2-12 years ?

Agreed. The other possible factor here is that ESPN is based in CT. We've seen politics affect realignment before. There could be some tradeoff where the state of CT gives ESPN a financial incentive (preferential treatment on taxes/tax rebates/etc) in return for ESPN getting UConn into a conference with a much bigger payout and a bigger national spotlight. If athletics is the "front porch" of the university, the state could see that tradeoff as a marketing spend for their flagship school.

ASU becoming an AAU member is bad news for Eugene Community College. ASU is more attractive on many levels than the Zeros. PHX is the #11 tv market in the US and is growing faster than almost any other top 15 market, except possibly Tampa. PHX will be top 10 eventually. It dwarfs Eugene and is almost twice the size of Portland. Lots of BIG alums, midwest transplants and snowbirds in the PHX area (infinitely more than Eugene/PDX), and good recruiting in AZ. ASU generates 5x the research $$ as the Zeros. Unlike the PNW schools, ASU, like Stanford, actually would help USC and UCLA with travel, and it's an attractive place to visit for BIG schools/admin/fans. // There was no doubt the BIG would have made an exception for ND, and probably Miami also, but ND and Miami becoming AAU probably means Miami ends up in the BIG eventually. BIG adding ND, Stanford, UNC, UVA, and Miami would be 21 teams. 50/50 on whether the SEC will add FSU. BIG adding FSU would be 22 teams. At that point, they probably go to 24 and use a pod structure for scheduling. IF the BIG passes on GT and Duke and looks to add one or two teams in the West to as the final teams, ASU would be a legit candidate. There's multiple scenarios where ASU and UW (or maybe even CU, depending on how things play out over the next 5-10 years) get added over UO at that point. There's a possibility the BIG stops at 20 or 22, but I wouldn't be surprised to see a 24 team BIG with a West pod of USC, ND, UCLA and Stanford, or a West division of USC, ND, UCLA, Stanford, ASU and UW. Either way, ASU becoming AAU adds another school in the West that's more attractive than Eugene Community College.

More gold from the CU247 board. Pure delusion!🤣 https://247sports.com/college/colorado/board/104133/Contents/poll-pac-12-or-big-12-210935416/?page=1

There are three OOC games so far that are only on Peacock. East Carolina and Delaware are two of the visiting teams. The 3rd ? The BIG broadcast partners think so highly of UW that they've got UW at MSU on Peacock only. Ouch. The good news for UW is that this will give them a sneak preview of what life will be like under a deal with Apple deal if they stay in the PAC. There have been rumblings about UW being more open than people think about going B12. If UW jumped, UO and UU would be forced to follow. What's the best scenario for the B12? Add UW, UO plus 4C and stop at 18 until the ACC comes apart ? Or add those schools plus Cal and SDSU, then stop at 20 until ACC schools become avail ?

Right. I'm just amazed anyone believes it at this point. Given the PAC's inability to get an acceptable deal, Yormark made a smart deal to lock up good money and linear exposure, both of which are limited quantities. Klownkoff believed his own BS about the WAC10 being close to the BIG in value, and that delusion let the B12 jump in front of them to close their deal, which is going to cost the WAC10 schools (and Klownkoff) dearly.

The level of delusion in Boulder is incredible. There's some CU fans who think Prime is going to stay for a long time, dominate the B12, get to the playoffs regularly and use that success to jump to the BIG in 2030. And there's one PAC diehard still contending that Yormark left money on the table by agreeing to the ESPN/Fox extension. 😂😂😂 You can't make this stuff up. I'll let the posts from the CU247 board speak for themselves: https://247sports.com/college/colorado/board/104133/Contents/anyone-think-prime-is-pushing-for-b12-move-210920911/?page=1

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Phyllis and/or Tammy maybe ? I could see them lighting someone up in an elevator. They seemed to not care what anyone thought. RIP ladies- they're probably up in Heaven arguing Bama vs Auburn on a daily basis.

I honestly don't know how it works with becoming AAU, although I'm sure there's a good amount of politics and personal relationships involved. Utah fans definitely believe PAC membership is a big factor in all of it, and I feel like there may have even been quotes from their admin about how being in the PAC has helped the school overall. For whatever reasons, Utah seems to be "Ride or die-PAC to the end."

I don't know if I'd go quite that far, as aggy seems to be in a world of their own, but the fact that we're even discussing it speaks volumes. Utah fans are completely delusional, and their arrogance is hilarious- they've won back to back PAC titles in a historically weak conference, but in their eyes, it only shows how powerful the program has become. They don't seem to understand that until they can beat OSU's B-team, win a game vs a mediocre UF squad in the Swamp, or beat "3rd place in BIG" PSU in a watered-down Rose Bowl, they are nowhere near the top tier of the sport. They've beaten Mario C's overrated Ducks and a USC team that was rebuilt on the fly after nearly 15 years of neglect and incompetence (and still has an incompetent DC), but had Utah on the ropes until the QB pulled his hammy. They've accomplished nothing but moving up and improving their program in the worst "Power Conference" over the last 12 years. Kudos to Whittingham- he does a great job there, and getting them to this point is a huge accomplishment for him. But their fans act like they've been winning the BIG or SEC. // I fully expect Utah to go down with the PAC ship. Their admin's public statements have been the most aggressively pro-PAC outside of maybe WSU and the Beavs. They clearly like the "prestige" of being in the PAC. Their fans talk about how being in the PAC got them into the AAU and increased their research $ substantially. If that's how their big cigars feel also, I don't see where the impetus to move would come from. Their fans are now telling themselves how great an all-streaming media package would be. 😂 Like the Zeros from Eugene, they celebrate the idea of an easy path to the playoff, and don't seem to want any part of the B12. They also seem to think that being in the PAC gives them a way to look down on BYU. (Narrator: "It doesn't.") I think the only thing that would change UU's desire to be in the PAC would be if the other 4C schools AND the PNW schools went to the B12. At that point, there would be no value in the conference. There's not a lot of value currently, but it might be enough that UU can tell themselves they're smart to stay.

That's a good way of looking at it. The numbers do make sense, and even moreso if you factor in two more things: 1. There's a bit of a premium in the deal to grease the wheels for UT and OU to the SEC a year early. That's just smart business for everyone. 2. By paying the B12 at this rate, it becomes easy to kill the PAC by lowballing them. Schools will essentially be forced to jump. If they get CU, UA and ASU, when you combine them with BYU, you've got enough late-night games to give ESPN the "After Dark" window by only paying 3 PAC teams instead of 10.

Laughable describes it perfectly. If the PNW schools added value, the BIG wouldn't have hesitated to take them at any time over the last 11 months. The idea is so ridiculous , I wonder if this is part of the destabilization campaign to keep PAC members nervous. Most of the campaign has been directed at the 4C schools- keep them on edge with constant rumors of the PNW schools going BIG. Could this be aimed at the PNW schools ? "Keep dragging your heels on a GOR. As soon as the 4C leave, the BIG will be ready to scoop you up." The longer this plays out, the more likely the 4C schools are to jump, which in turn makes UW and UO to the B12 a possibility.

Yeah- he was a real piece of work. I was thinking about it from Phil Spector's end. It must have been immediately clear that Tina had the potential to be a true star. If I'm running the record company, I'm showcasing Tina in that promo, with much less of Ike and the Ikettes. But with Ike controlling everything, maybe Spector felt like he had to humor him. Oh well- I'm grateful for Tina and the song, and for the half of the video where we do see her.

It will always be my favorite Tina song- pure power from her. I had no idea about the Phill Spector part. Didn't realize he started going downhill that long ago. I can understand why, though. If you wrote the song and produced that record and it flopped- that would be crushing.

100% River Deep is one of the greatest pop songs ever- Tina’s voice with Phil Spector’s “Wall of Sound” production. Just incredible. Half the video inexplicably shows Ike and the backup singers, but Tina’s raw power and beauty jumps off the screen whenever they show her. RIP Anna Mae Bullock- a true icon.

That format makes it very clear. Out of 120+ FBS schools, only 30 have won at least a share of an AP or Coaches poll title. Only 20 have won multiple national titles. Only 7 have won five or more national titles: Bama, ND, USC, OU, OSU, Miami, Nebraska. // The other thing that really jumps out is what Saban has done. Bama had seven titles before he got there. If you add in the coaches poll split titles, Bama was one behind ND, tied with USC and OU at 7, and one ahead of OSU, which had 6. In 15 years, Saban has put Bama in a place where they have almost doubled their closest competitors. Incredible.

I agree. ESPN is going to want max ROI, and the SEC will want max exposure. Neither side will want SEC games on ESPN2/U. ACC/B12 will get the scraps, including the noon ABC game so that it's not wall to wall SEC on ABC. We both think the SEC will have 4 games most weeks worth a good tv slot, but how do they maximize that ? Does having SEC games on both ABC and ESPN in primetime cannibalize the audience ? That's what I was getting at in the other post- I find it really interesting to forecast how this will all play out. As part of giving the SEC more money for a 9th SEC game, does ESPN get some Thursday night games in return ? What would get a better rating ? Thursday night vs mediocre NFL game on Amazon, or Sat night ESPN vs another SEC game on ABC ? My gut feeling is that they'd be better off with a really good Thursday game than having two really good SEC games competing with each other in primetime. A Thursday night SEC game could actually do well vs the NFL, as there are a lot of SEC fans and a lot of people like me, who aren't SEC fans per se, but enjoy watching SEC games and would rather watch an SEC game than an NFL game.

Will be interesting to see how ESPN programs those slots. How many SEC games vs B12 and ACC games ? Will they put SEC in both primetime slots ? Will the ACC and B12 get one game each on ESPN/ABC every week ? I'm assuming so, but don't know the details of their deals.

I knew about the 1960 stats from some of your previous posts, but bringing it back to 1938 with only Syracuse and Army added to the list is eye-opening. In total, over the last 84 years, 77 out of the 84 national titles have been won by teams who are in the P2 or will be within 10 years (ND, FSU, Miami, Clemson). Of the other 7 titles, 5 occurred before 1985, with 1990 and 1991 being the only times in the last 38 years where schools outside the group referenced above won a National Title, and both of those occurrences were over 30 years ago.

I did. I always felt like you have to beat the best to be the best, and I grew up mostly watching SC kick various BIG teams’ asses in the Rose Bowl in the ‘70s, and then seeing Pete’s teams beat BIG and SEC teams, so it’s not like it’s intimidating to go to the BIG. IF the program is being run correctly, we can play with anyone. I wanted the PAC16 to happen because I loved the idea of playing UT and OU regularly. Once that door closed, my friends and I started talking about going BIG. We knew, as did a number of folks from Shaggy who are in this thread, that with UT and OU off the board, the PAC was going to eventually fall too far behind the SEC and BIG. There were a number of posts from various people about it in the Shaggy thread 10 or so years ago. We all knew there would eventually be too big of a revenue gap to overcome. I didn’t think it would grow as fast as it did, but it was clear where it was headed. Once UT and OU went to the SEC, in combination with the media deal projections that were coming out of Navigate, the level of urgency to make a move skyrocketed. All the USC people I know have always felt we have more in common with OSU and UM (football is the priority, National Title aspirations, epic Rose Bowl games, big dog in the conference, etc) than we do with Wazzu or the Eugene Community College Zeros. IRL, I know more UM and OSU people in LA than I do people from half the PAC. I know lots of SC, UCLA and Stanford grads, but I don’t know anyone who went to WSU, UO, Oregon St, and UW, and only a couple of people who went to UA, ASU, CU, Utah and Cal. I think Stanford is pretty much of a given to get into the BIG as ND’s partner, and once that happens, there is literally no school from the PAC that I ever care about playing again, outside of kicking any of their asses in a playoff game.