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I posted an article earlier today claiming TCU might (though not necessarily likely) be a surprise option for the Pac, and one of the reasons given was, 'Their willingness to be flexible'. Not sure what that could mean other than from a financial standpoint, as in taking a lesser payout than the rest of the league. With the way their donors stepped up to pay for the stadium upgrades and avoid debt, I can see them being able to afford to move cheap in order to stay in a P4 conference. Earlier this week the former head of ESPN said that even after cord cutting, getting a footprint in a new state is a significant money boost for any conference with a channel. So a Texas school would be a big addition in that regard if the Pac reworks their channel. Incremental revenue to close the gap. Same for the ACC, which helps ESPN. Maybe other side benefits like recruiting. Not sure the ACC would swallow their pride like they did with Louisville and look the other way on Tech's academic standing. But TCU and Baylor, while not AAU, seem to rank pretty good. And of course Baylor would be a big basketball addition. That's another thing that the ESPN ex-boss said, that while basketball only is about 20% of the revenue is most conferences, it's closer to 35% for the ACC, and thus Kansas might make sense for them. So the ACC might have some B12 options, especially if unequal revenue sharing is considered.

I think a lot of people, especially the younger generation, are unaware of the crap WV fans used to pull in Morgantown. I remember incidents making the national news.

https://www.wxyz.com/sports/kickoff-time-tv-set-for-2021-ohio-state-michigan-game Posted at 3:24 PM, May 14, 2021 (WXYZ) -- The Big Ten has announced details for the Ohio State vs. Michigan game on Saturday, November 27. The 117th edition of the rivalry, known simply as "The Game," will kick off at Noon and be televised by FOX, which has aired the game each year since 2017.

Dusty with some passive-aggressive disapproval

And another thing, our affiliates shouldn't have any uni's that look like the Dodgers.

He hasn't been Golds so far.

That's one way to stop Straw from colliding with Altuve.

John Fogerty?

A premier league will hurt the new 'Middle Class' league of P5 leftovers + the best of G5 initially, but how much fan interest would be revived for schools that previously had almost no shot at the playoffs now regularly make it? 12 or 16 spots for about 50 schools in the NCAA Middle Class conferences. 8 to 16 spots for the 40 or so in the former G5's. Might actually increase G5 attendance and viewership. Creating 3 sets of playoffs instead of 1 should increase money to all FBS (sic) schools, even if the premier league grabs the lion's share. Those 3 playoffs replace the bowls, so ESPN still wants content.

I think it comes down to whether the B1G has the foresight to raid USC/UCLA/Oregon/Washington (and maybe 1-2 other AAU P12's) and then try to then get the best of a scared ACC to figure out how to kill the ACC GOR and split between the B1G and SEC. Do that and we end up with 2 superconferences breaking away with 40-48 schools. But even that game plan might not be enough to keep the B1G's elite from bolting to what I think is the SEC's preferred end game: A single SEC-based premier league that takes 32 schools and breaks away from everyone else. The time for the SEC to do that is in the next 2 years. Add USC, UCLA, Oregon, Washington, ASU, plus Penn St, Ohio St, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Nebraska. That leaves ND with no choice but to join, and Clemson, FSU, UNC, and UVA then do what it takes to escape the ACC GOR. New league sets their own rules. Expanded rosters, pay for players, 14 (or even 16) regular season games, and of course their own playoffs. Printing money. But of course that radical change could result in Congressional intervention. So best to not state the end game yet. But it probably only takes 2 of USC, Ohio St, Michigan, Wisconsin, or maybe Penn St applying to the SEC for the dam to break. If the B1G loses two blue bloods or one plus the primary Pac grab, they know they'll be at best relegated to a permanently lower paid distant 2nd to the SEC. Those that can get on THE gravy train quickly bail. Some of the analysts and insiders think 4x16 will be the end game (I'm very skeptical, but what do I know?) but there's an awful lot of, 'Tip of the Iceberg' comments from those actually in the industry. If 4x16 were the likely result it doesn't seem like it would provoke the concern filtering out on background from so many P4 administrators. They would all (and most of the B12 left behinds) have a place at the table in the 4x16. As to the B12 left behinds (and I hate what is happening to them, and take no joy in their angst), if 4x16 doesn't happen, perhaps the best results for them is the 32 premier league forming. That at least leaves a lot of prominent schools (albeit secondary brands) on the outside, so a good quality next level group of conferences can reorganize and continue with plenty of TV coverage of games. Back to a more traditional student-athlete experience. Still better than the G5, though pulling up some of the best G5 schools to maintain critical mass.

I'm retiring for my mental health.

"So we decided to pay for a tour to see Christmas lights...."

Pretty much the standard summary and analysis most have already read elsewhere. But noteworthy about how all seems to think UT/OU moving is just the tip of the iceberg, with big changes ahead. Also, Leinart probably should have woken up 5 minute earlier and grabbed a shower.

Probably just taking them a long time to work through their giant celebratory BOD's.

Every single Texas official basically feels like A&M has never been a bigger butt of jokes than it has this week, which has made for an enjoyable experience. "It was a cherry on top of the sundae," one official joked. "About 100 cherries." The 100 Cherry Decision

Tidbit from a story mainly about potential G5 realignment moves: https://www.extrapointsmb.com/what-im-hearing-and-reading-about-conference-realignment-from-the-aac-to-the-asun/ Got any notes on the Pac-12 or other major conferences? The only other major note that has come up in several conversations it that the Texas school that actually might have the best shot of grabbing a Pac-12 invite isn't Texas Tech, but TCU. On paper, that seems like an awkward fit, given TCU's status as a religious private school and the Pac-12 has historically been loath to engage with religious private schools as potential members, but I've told that TCU's religious affiliation is not anywhere close to what religious affiliation looks like at say, Baylor, or BYU. TCU's growth in graduate programs, their status as the only particularly urban school left in the Big 12, and their willingness to be flexible, makes them a candidate not to be completely overlooked, especially if the Pac-12 expands by more than one, and if the league is seriously willing to be less dogmatic about academics or institutional fit as they've historically been. Not saying it's going to happen (in fact, if I had to BET, I'd say the Pac-12 is much more likely to agree to a scheduling alliance with the Big Ten than it is to actually expand), but I wouldn't completely rule TCU out. My best guess, right now, is that the ACC, Pac-12 and Big Ten do not add any other teams this cycle. But of course, by typing that, it means the Pac-12 is going to announce they're going to 20 teams by Sunday night.

You should, since we aren't getting an expanded playoff unless all the conferences vote for it. And it appears that both the P12 and ACC are getting worried about the SEC and B1G possibly raiding them, and the B1G has to be wary about the SEC's intentions, too. It isn't just the P12. Jon Wilner, one of the most connected reporters in the Pac12, had a column several days ago talking about how it has long been speculated that the SEC, maybe the B1G, and ESPN could be working towards forming a premier league of maybe 30-40 something schools that would break away. Nicole Auerbach and Andy Staples have a similar article tonight (paywalled, or I'd post it) that starts out with how Sankey was pimping a book about the English premier league formation a couple of years ago. So you've got at least half the P5 schools concerned that they could soon get B12'ed, even some B1G schools. Things are unlikely to go easy peasy smooth the next few months or more.

And since nearly all of the night shift took a sick day, here's some dogs:

Some key excerpts: ...CBS Sports spoke with several high-profile administrators who will have a direct hand in the discussions. Their conclusion is that the entire proposed structure and access to the CFP must be reevaluated as a result of forthcoming conference realignment as triggered by the moves of Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC... ...The 10 FBS commissioners are due to meet with the CFP Board of Managers (conference presidents) regarding expansion in September. The goal is to summarize findings after in-depth talks with athletes, coaches and administrators on their campuses. That's the next step toward finalizing a 12-team structure... ...However, more than one Power Five source told CBS Sports that the September date could be pushed back because of the SEC's actions. Complicating matters is Bowlsby's assertion that ESPN conspired with Texas, Oklahoma and the American Athletic Conference to take down his conference in realignment... ...Per the CFP, it would take a unanimous vote of the conferences to approve playoff expansion. Could one conference refusing to play along scuttle the entire plan? "We mange (sic, lulz) by unanimous consent, but it isn't going to fall apart on that basis, I don't think," Bowlsby said. "I don't think people want to have a situation where most of the strength is in one area..." ..."It just feels uneasy relative to the 12 [teams]," Kliavkoff told CBS Sports. "I'm assuming my colleagues, nationally, this is a reason to pause on the 12. We need to pause..." ...With so much happening, more and more administrators in power are now asking: Why wouldn't the CFP wait and go on the open market to maximize the value of product after the 2025 season? That's when the current deal with ESPN ends. ESPN has exclusive negotiating rights with the CFP until then...

Tony Barnhardt also joined the usual circle jerk of unaccountable media asshats and their pet narratives.

Rumblings from the outgoing FSU president about the ACC either expanding or their possibly moving, predicts the demise of the NCAA, and thinks UT/OU is only the tip of the realignment iceberg: https://www.news-journalonline.com/story/sports/college/fsu/football/2021/07/29/florida-state-fsu-football-john-thrasher-president-university-retiring-acc-ncaa-oklahoma-texas/5415221001/

I can donate a volcano.

This is good, but still play aTm every year. Would be passing up a lot of TV revenue to not renew an annual Thanksgiving extended weekend hatefest.

Interesting interview with the previous head of ESPN, the day before the Bowlsby lawsuit. Of course the headline now is that he basically admits ESPN has been helping to orchestrate some of the realignment (4 minute and closing remarks), but there's a lot more nuggets on a variety of subjects. I was very surprised how much he seems to still think that 4x16 could be the format of superconferences (which he believes will form within the next 10 years, though still many impediments. Perhaps it is because he's a Carolina guy and wants to protect the ACC.) So that should give some hope to most of the IR8. He also brought up that getting a conference network into a new state is still significant in increasing payouts, citing Oklahoma as an example, even in the age of cord cutting. So more hope for the IR8. Might bridge a good bit of the gap for joining the Pac and ACC, if adding 2 to 4 new states. Asked about NIL and if it might increase parity, he replied, "Like so many changes, someone is always responding that, 'This change will be good for the little guys!' But it is never good for the little guys." Says basketball is about 20% of the value in most contracts, football 80%, but for the ACC that might be 35%/65%, hence Kansas might make sense for them. And the ACC has to be very careful in awarding a 15th and 16th football membership, because they want to make sure there is space for ND (once again seeming to emphasize 4x16. Not sure why he said ND has to worry about missing out in a game of musical chairs after all superconferences go to 16. Also lulz at his playoffs reference about "ND has to be taken to the slaughter now and then...") Some other comments make clear he wants the ACC to survive into a superconference. Asked if UCF (or similar) will ever make a playoff, "It's really hard, these things are like clubs, Skull and Crossbones. I don't think we'll ever see a new super power." "Texas may be the biggest brand in cfb." "The Longhorn Network was Texas' idea, not ours. But we knew that if we did a network with them they'd stay in the B12." "Joining the SEC will give UT and OU $20 more million, 30, 40, it will keep growing." 21 minutes, but worth listening. He' was one of the Godfathers.