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Left Behind: A Quick Dose Of Post Big 12 Reality


LTtxfan

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I mean, there were only two P4 v. P4 matchups last week, PSU-WVU and TCU-Stanford. Better matchups and tv slots this week. 

OSU-Arky on ABC

KSU-Tulane on ESPN

Baylor-Utah on FOX

ISU-Iowa on CBS

CU-NU on NBC

Tech-WSU on FOX (late kick)

ASU v. Miss St on ESPN

The only streaming exclusive matchups this week are WVU v. Albany, AU v. NAU, and TCU v. Long Island (wtf?). SEC has two streaming exclusives this week, No. 1 UGA v. Tennessee Tech and No. 18 LSU v Nichols. Are they pressing for more ESPN+ sign ups? Those are two very highly rated programs sent to streaming.

Week 1 ratings seem kind of low overall outside of the top matchups, right? I think its odd that OU got talked into its first Friday home game ever for 1.6M? Surprised CSU @ Texas only got 1.84M on ESPN. How does SEC Network ratings do generally? Also find it odd that OU v. UH is on SEC Network. 

https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/college-football-tv-ratings/ 

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1 hour ago, statsman said:

It was late, this week, but here it is…

https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/college-football-tv-ratings/

The Thursday night NDSU-CU game was the big winner for B12 media partners, bringing ESPN almost 5 M viewers. 
 
Next was PSU @ WVU, almost 3M for Fox’ Big Noon. 
 
Next is UNM @ Arizona on Saturday, late, nearly 1M for ESPN. 
 
North Dakota @ ISU, 315K for FS1. 
 
Next, Wyoming at ASU late Saturday, 250K for FS1. 
 
UNLV @ UH, 170K for FS1. 
 
So, on a week where maybe 15 B12 teams were at home, six games were broadcast (not streamed)? Isn’t it interesting that all but ISU were teams that joined after 2012?

All B12 supporters need to be Buffalo fans, in my opinion. (You can bet the league office has noticed)

Most of the conference was playing an FCS opponent. A weeknight game against NDSU will get broadcast, but the networks aren't going to touch those games for the most part.

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1 hour ago, The Hot Dog Buffet said:

Most of the conference was playing an FCS opponent. A weeknight game against NDSU will get broadcast, but the networks aren't going to touch those games for the most part.

Sure. The ratings were dominated by P4 teams playing P4 teams. That’s what people want to watch and the networks want to broadcast. 
The old B12 IR8 schools are still working the Snyder strategy of using early non-conference games with patsies as a way to tune up your team while picking up wins. 
 
That was ok in a conference with headliners like NU, OU, Texas, TAMU; the media contract would still be good. Those teams are gone, now. 
 
Nobody is tuning into B12 games just because they’re B12 games. They need to either be against a real opponent, or on a time when there are no other viewing options. Otherwise, they’re on streaming. 

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3 minutes ago, statsman said:

Sure. The ratings were dominated by P4 teams playing P4 teams. That’s what people want to watch and the networks want to broadcast. 
The old B12 IR8 schools are still working the Snyder strategy of using early non-conference games with patsies as a way to tune up your team while picking up wins. 
 
That was ok in a conference with headliners like NU, OU, Texas, TAMU; the media contract would still be good. Those teams are gone, now. 
 
Nobody is tuning into B12 games just because they’re B12 games. They need to either be against a real opponent, or on a time when there are no other viewing options. Otherwise, they’re on streaming. 

Yeah, especially when the conference gets an auto-bid to the playoffs and it doesn't really matter if you drop a game week 1.

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Every P4 team schedules at least one patsy in the non-conference schedule. This weeks schedule in the mighty SEC includes McNeese, Tennessee Tech, Middle Tennessee , Buffalo, Nicholls, Alcorn State, and Samford. I know that UT is probably the only school that doesn't schedule FCS, but low level G5's are similarly layups most years. South Dakota State from FCS on our schedule this year is probably a tougher opponent than Tulsa will be next week. There's no need for all 3 (in your case 4) non-con games to be high level opponents. 

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7 minutes ago, 'stache said:

Every P4 team schedules at least one patsy in the non-conference schedule. This weeks schedule in the mighty SEC includes McNeese, Tennessee Tech, Middle Tennessee , Buffalo, Nicholls, Alcorn State, and Samford. I know that UT is probably the only school that doesn't schedule FCS, but low level G5's are similarly layups most years. South Dakota State from FCS on our schedule this year is probably a tougher opponent than Tulsa will be next week. There's no need for all 3 (in your case 4) non-con games to be high level opponents. 

Buffalo and MTSU are FBS schools. I wish they would ban FCS games.

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35 minutes ago, 'stache said:

Every P4 team schedules at least one patsy in the non-conference schedule. This weeks schedule in the mighty SEC includes McNeese, Tennessee Tech, Middle Tennessee , Buffalo, Nicholls, Alcorn State, and Samford. I know that UT is probably the only school that doesn't schedule FCS, but low level G5's are similarly layups most years. South Dakota State from FCS on our schedule this year is probably a tougher opponent than Tulsa will be next week. There's no need for all 3 (in your case 4) non-con games to be high level opponents. 

The B12 habit is to have that patsy in week 1. Even Texas did that, but Texas is enough of a draw that UT-Rice in week 1 is still broadcast worthy. 
 
It’s not like the B12 has more attractive slates in later weeks, because they all put their patsies in week 1. In subsequent weeks, the SEC and B1G will still have a greater number of interesting games. (I know that Iowa-ISU is more interesting to B12 fans that Texas-Michigan; the problem is that there just aren’t enough B12 fans, so it should be trying harder, not less). 

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Just now, statsman said:

The B12 habit is to have that patsy in week 1. Even Texas did that, but Texas is enough of a draw that UT-Rice in week 1 is still broadcast worthy. 
 
It’s not like the B12 has more attractive slates in later weeks, because they all put their patsies in week 1. In subsequent weeks, the SEC and B1G will still have a greater number of interesting games. (I know that Iowa-ISU is more interesting to B12 fans that Texas-Michigan; the problem is that there just aren’t enough B12 fans, so it should be trying harder, not less). 

No wai, rully?

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54 minutes ago, The Hot Dog Buffet said:

Yeah, especially when the conference gets an auto-bid to the playoffs and it doesn't really matter if you drop a game week 1.

It actually really will.  It won't get you automatically out of the playoffs, but it certainly will hurt your chances. 

OU lost 2 games and beat a top 4 team:

Screenshot_20240906_164550_Chrome.jpg.0aadb83b39f9242db581d6dfb7def180.jpg

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55 minutes ago, Valmy77 said:

It used to annoy me slightly that Iowa State always just lays down for Iowa and then would play their hearts out against us.

Glad now I can just see them being lame against Iowa and have no bitterness about it.

 Nah, fuck them and Matt Campbell. He was a bitch and talked a lot of shit. I'm fine with them being mediocre. I like Al but there are very few Big 12 teams I will be rooting for. I guess Houston when they play OU tonight. 

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https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/college-football-tv-ratings/
 
Nice week for the B12. Lot of games viewed, and on major channels, because 11 B12 teams played 10 games against P4 opponents. Four were B12 home games. I complained about B12 teams adopting the Snyder system of only scheduling patsies OOC; now, not even KSU commits to that. 

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I'm happy with where OSU-Arky ended up considering it was up against UT-Michigan. The scenario was perfect. UT with an early blowout meaning casual observers were more inclined to check the other game, the OSU-Arky game went 4+ hours including two overtimes going past the end of the UT-UM game, and it was close and exciting the second half. Impressed with the Assico and Utah-Baylor numbers too. Pretty disappointed by BYU-SMU considering they had no competition, but maybe that's just the norm for Friday nights and it still feels like a G5 matchup.

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6 minutes ago, 'stache said:

I'm happy with where OSU-Arky ended up considering it was up against UT-Michigan. The scenario was perfect. UT with an early blowout meaning casual observers were more inclined to check the other game, the OSU-Arky game went 4+ hours including two overtimes going past the end of the UT-UM game, and it was close and exciting the second half. Impressed with the Assico and Utah-Baylor numbers too. Pretty disappointed by BYU-SMU considering they had no competition, but maybe that's just the norm for Friday nights and it still feels like a G5 matchup.

Another disappointment has to be K State on ESPN main not even pulling 800k viewers in a close matchup with Tulane.

A highlight is that even though the FOX 230 game was shitty, it still pulled in 2 million viewers. I know I’m a broken record but that’s huge for the conference.

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3 hours ago, TKthunder2 said:

Another disappointment has to be K State on ESPN main not even pulling 800k viewers in a close matchup with Tulane.

A highlight is that even though the FOX 230 game was shitty, it still pulled in 2 million viewers. I know I’m a broken record but that’s huge for the conference.

To be fair, that game was third in the pecking order after UT-Mich and OSU-Arky and the latter was pretty exciting without much reason to change the channel. It raises an interesting question, how does Neilsen (or whoever does it these days) account for people who are switching back and forth between games or who have multiple tv set ups or side by side features with their tv service provider? 

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Can anyone explain what point Mac Engel is trying to make in his whiny column?

https://www.gazettextra.com/sports/national/mac-engel-tcu-vs-ucf-is-a-great-big-12-football-game-but-does-the/article_5d4c080d-3713-5d24-b90a-ea11d9d5f13d.html

Spoiler

FORT WORTH, Texas — Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark has no problem telling you he’s a great salesman, and in his role he has taken on a sale that if he can close will put him in Jerry Jones territory.

Every time Yormark speaks he minds his ABCs: “Always Be Closing.”

When the league hired Yormark as commissioner, one of the job’s unwritten assignments is to convince America that the Big 12 is an elite football league without what TCU coach Sonny Dykes calls, “The logo schools.”

With Texas and Oklahoma gone to the SEC, Yormark’s task is a solo swim across the Pacific Ocean. One of the Big 12’s challenges is to sell the reality that its marquee games are worthy of that distinction, and carry national weight. Case in point: On Saturday night, 2-0 TCU hosts 2-0 Central Florida.

Not nearly enough people know, or respect, the reality that these programs have been, and are, good. This should be a great night of college football.

“Most casual football fans probably view UCF and TCU the same way; we’re not logo schools,” Dykes said this week during his weekly press conference. “We have not always been in big conferences. The logo schools get so much attention, that’s all they talk about.

“You turn on college sports and they’re going to be talking about the same three or four programs.”

This isn’t whining. He’s not complaining. He is right.

If this development makes you upset, aim the blame at the leaders of ESPN, Fox Sports, CBS, NBC, the Big Ten and the SEC. And, let us not forget the fathers at the University of Notre Dame.

We all suspected that when the Big Ten and SEC expanded over the summer it was going to be bad, and visually this new world is playing out “worse” than we feared. The top nine teams in the latest AP Top 25 are from The BigSECTen. No. 10 is Miami of the ACC (for now).

Fourteen of the Top 25 come from The BigSECTen. For a sport that loves to celebrate its “parity” this looks more like a monopoly worthy of a potential anti-trust lawsuit.

“They’re going to be talking about the same three or four programs in October, November, December and January, whether they’re really good or not,” Dykes said. “For a long time there are certain programs in our state that people just talked about. People just assumed that they would be good because they have 50,000 students at their school.”

Hey Siri, How do you say, “Texas and Texas A&M” without saying “Texas and Texas A&M?”

Until it ends, which is not coming any time within the next three centuries, college football will forever remain run by the “blue bloods.” When the SEC and Big Ten planned to expand, both leagues wanted “power,” state schools. If they happened to win at football, great.

Alumni base, fans and TV markets are the priority, not bowl wins.

(It’s been determined that Rutgers and Maryland both lied on their resumes to score an invitation to the party. Missouri may have fudged a few of its specifics, too).

Both leagues wanted more Big vs. Big matchups so it could sell out stadiums. If you aren’t one of those schools, that’s a you problem.

This development has left the Big 12 and ACC to figure out the best way to “keep up,” and at least remain as a solid No. 3 within eyesight of The BigSECTen.

The Big 12 has five schools ranked in the Top 25, with No. 11 Utah the highest. Colorado is not one of those five.

The league’s leadership, and those who run television, can’t publicly say it but if Colorado under coach Deion Sanders was a legit team rather than a series of slick Instagram posts, it would elevate the Big 12. The Buffs are 5-9 under Deion, and lost seven of their last eight games dating back to last season.

One year into his tenure in Boulder the fears and concerns about how this gamble may go are on the fringe of becoming a reality show that will be awkward, and uncomfortable, to watch.

Meanwhile, the rest of the league league features several good programs that exist simply right under the Blue Blood cut line.

The task for the new and old Big 12 teams is the same today as it was before Texas and Oklahoma left; beat the “logo schools” and hope that, eventually, the perception changes.

Yormark’s job is to sell not to just America but the TV networks that his league can hang with The BigSECTen, and the “logo schools” that will be discussed in “October, November, December and January, whether they’re really good or not.”

©2024 Fort Worth Star-Telegram

 

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20 hours ago, Mittens said:

 

William F. Ball?  This has got to be a bit from the Onion.  Rising injured and out again?  I want to see if he can make it to 40 years old and still playing in college.  Kind of like when Kramer and the car salesman kept going on the test drive to see how far they could go before the car runs out of gas.  

One thing though, I’m impressed he hasn’t portaled at least three times since his last couple of injuries.  Maybe there is something about medical redshirting that prevents that.

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54 minutes ago, statsman said:

Can anyone explain what point Mac Engel is trying to make in his whiny column?

https://www.gazettextra.com/sports/national/mac-engel-tcu-vs-ucf-is-a-great-big-12-football-game-but-does-the/article_5d4c080d-3713-5d24-b90a-ea11d9d5f13d.html

  Reveal hidden contents

 

 

FORT WORTH, Texas — Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark has no problem telling you he’s a great salesman, and in his role he has taken on a sale that if he can close will put him in Jerry Jones territory.

Every time Yormark speaks he minds his ABCs: “Always Be Closing.”

When the league hired Yormark as commissioner, one of the job’s unwritten assignments is to convince America that the Big 12 is an elite football league without what TCU coach Sonny Dykes calls, “The logo schools.”

With Texas and Oklahoma gone to the SEC, Yormark’s task is a solo swim across the Pacific Ocean. One of the Big 12’s challenges is to sell the reality that its marquee games are worthy of that distinction, and carry national weight. Case in point: On Saturday night, 2-0 TCU hosts 2-0 Central Florida.

Not nearly enough people know, or respect, the reality that these programs have been, and are, good. This should be a great night of college football.

“Most casual football fans probably view UCF and TCU the same way; we’re not logo schools,” Dykes said this week during his weekly press conference. “We have not always been in big conferences. The logo schools get so much attention, that’s all they talk about.

“You turn on college sports and they’re going to be talking about the same three or four programs.”

This isn’t whining. He’s not complaining. He is right.

If this development makes you upset, aim the blame at the leaders of ESPN, Fox Sports, CBS, NBC, the Big Ten and the SEC. And, let us not forget the fathers at the University of Notre Dame.

We all suspected that when the Big Ten and SEC expanded over the summer it was going to be bad, and visually this new world is playing out “worse” than we feared. The top nine teams in the latest AP Top 25 are from The BigSECTen. No. 10 is Miami of the ACC (for now).

Fourteen of the Top 25 come from The BigSECTen. For a sport that loves to celebrate its “parity” this looks more like a monopoly worthy of a potential anti-trust lawsuit.

“They’re going to be talking about the same three or four programs in October, November, December and January, whether they’re really good or not,” Dykes said. “For a long time there are certain programs in our state that people just talked about. People just assumed that they would be good because they have 50,000 students at their school.”

Hey Siri, How do you say, “Texas and Texas A&M” without saying “Texas and Texas A&M?”

Until it ends, which is not coming any time within the next three centuries, college football will forever remain run by the “blue bloods.” When the SEC and Big Ten planned to expand, both leagues wanted “power,” state schools. If they happened to win at football, great.

Alumni base, fans and TV markets are the priority, not bowl wins.

(It’s been determined that Rutgers and Maryland both lied on their resumes to score an invitation to the party. Missouri may have fudged a few of its specifics, too).

Both leagues wanted more Big vs. Big matchups so it could sell out stadiums. If you aren’t one of those schools, that’s a you problem.

This development has left the Big 12 and ACC to figure out the best way to “keep up,” and at least remain as a solid No. 3 within eyesight of The BigSECTen.

The Big 12 has five schools ranked in the Top 25, with No. 11 Utah the highest. Colorado is not one of those five.

The league’s leadership, and those who run television, can’t publicly say it but if Colorado under coach Deion Sanders was a legit team rather than a series of slick Instagram posts, it would elevate the Big 12. The Buffs are 5-9 under Deion, and lost seven of their last eight games dating back to last season.

One year into his tenure in Boulder the fears and concerns about how this gamble may go are on the fringe of becoming a reality show that will be awkward, and uncomfortable, to watch.

Meanwhile, the rest of the league league features several good programs that exist simply right under the Blue Blood cut line.

The task for the new and old Big 12 teams is the same today as it was before Texas and Oklahoma left; beat the “logo schools” and hope that, eventually, the perception changes.

Yormark’s job is to sell not to just America but the TV networks that his league can hang with The BigSECTen, and the “logo schools” that will be discussed in “October, November, December and January, whether they’re really good or not.”

©2024 Fort Worth Star-Telegram

 

The popular programs are popular and he doesn’t like it. 

If Dykes’ team takes care of business, they’ll get their chance to beat logo teams. Unfortunately for them, it will be in a scenario where both teams are bringing the same heat. 

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Clearly, the best way to compare conference quality (and program quality) is head to head competition. 
It’s the best way, but not a perfect way. 
For one thing, there is the jihad factor. In 2022, for example, the three top games Texas circled were Alabama, Oklahoma and TCU (the last is my guess, due to Sark working for CDC. If you offer a different “third circle”, I won’t argue). Meanwhile, Oklahoma, OSU, TCU, TT, ISU and Baylor all Texas circled. Game results and objective measures don’t care about jihads. 
 
For another, the main source of inter-conference competition is bowl games, and the non-playoff bowl games have become pure exhibitions. That fact (I believe it is a fact) is only gradually being recognized. It was a lot of fun watching OSU edge the Aggies last December, but, with the sit outs, the lame ducks and the transfers, does it really say anything about program quality?
 
Finally, I’ll refer you to the 2022 CFP semifinal between TCU and Michigan. TCU QB Max Duggan carried the ball 15 times for 57 yards and two TDs. The running QB is college football’s cheat code. Problem is- the QB needs to be the size of VY or Cam Newton if he is going to do it two games in a row. Duggan isn’t, and his body not being right contributed to TCU’s embarrassing thrashing by UGA. 
 
The SEC has a good record in inter conference play. It has a fantastic record in CFP and BCS CG play. I suspect the expanded playoffs will see plenty of B12 and ACC teams win one game (“We’re every bit as good as you are!”) and very, very few win two in a row. 
 

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Watching the Arizona KSU B12 game, they said this was Arizona’s first game at KSU, and how it is a great place to watch football. I’m sure that’s what the Wildcat team and fans were all thinking, “This is amazing! This place is more flat than my house’s foundation! I’m so glad we’re coming here now, instead of Southern California, Northern California, and the Puget Sound. Were the coaches able to get here a couple of days early to scout recruits?”

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10 hours ago, closetojumping said:

Engel: Big 12 schools are big mad that they don't get to play the "logo schools" any more and create jihads around them. That's exactly what Texas and OU were fucking sick of, and what fans of the other schools, and even posters on this board, have tried to dismiss as Texas elitist delusion. And of course we get the whiniest bitch out there to sell it for the Big 12ers, Sonny Dykes. Watching him publicly cry about not getting the attention without Texas and OU being around is delicious.

Delicious indeed.  Love all of this point CTJ 🤘

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54 minutes ago, statsman said:

Watching the Arizona KSU B12 game, they said this was Arizona’s first game at KSU, and how it is a great place to watch football. I’m sure that’s what the Wildcat team and fans were all thinking, “This is amazing! This place is more flat than my house’s foundation! I’m so glad we’re coming here now, instead of Southern California, Northern California, and the Puget Sound. Were the coaches able to get here a couple of days early to scout recruits?”

I'll bet Collin Klein wishes he could coach KSU's QB, Johnson, instead of Weigman and aggy's merry band of misfits.

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On 9/6/2024 at 3:50 PM, JBJ said:

It actually really will.  It won't get you automatically out of the playoffs, but it certainly will hurt your chances. 

OU lost 2 games and beat a top 4 team:

Screenshot_20240906_164550_Chrome.jpg.0aadb83b39f9242db581d6dfb7def180.jpg

In that case it wouldn't matter no? They'd be the highest ranked G5 conference champion, they'd get in over OU.

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