Realignment talk not going away

[DFW Horn 6123]

11 minutes ago, LTbear said:

This man REALLY doesn't like South Carolina.

Maybe he's never been to Myrtle Beach?

[DFW Horn 6123]

25 minutes ago, BevoSwag said:

So if the B1G has negotiated a huge payout per school, equally, including USC and UCLA, how would adding four more to dilute the pot of gold be received by the old members?

Maybe they've negotiated escalators contingent on adding ND plus whoever is deemed acceptable from the PAC?

[mdmost 43001]

17 minutes ago, LTbear said:

This man REALLY doesn't like South Carolina.

He really hates Cock. 

[utee94 15820]

6 minutes ago, mdmost said:

He really hates Cock. 

 

[billfromlaketravis 11466]

11 hours ago, TKthunder2 said:

By all time wins:

Tier 1: Blue bloods and almost blue bloods

B1G: (5) Michigan, Ohio St, Nebraska, Penn St, USC

SEC: (6) Alabama, Texas, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Georgia, LSU

Tier 2: Solid middle

B1G: (4) Wisconsin, Michigan St, Minnesota, Iowa

SEC: (5) Auburn, aggy, Florida, Arkansas, Missouri

Tier 3: hopefully they have stuff other than football…

B1G: (6) Maryland, Rutgers, Purdue, UCLA, Illinois, Indiana

SEC: (4) Ole Miss, Kentucky, South Carolina, Mississippi St

Smart private schools:

B1G: (1) Northwestern

SEC: (1) Vanderbilt

 

Not perfect, I’d probably drop Nebraska/Tennessee/Missouri down a level and bump Florida/OleMiss/UCLA up a level but for the most part it illustrates my point.  The SEC has far better football and the “dregs” are far better than the Big Ten.  If anyone disagrees please show your work, I’m curious on how anyone could justify otherwise.

Let's be honest. A national audience wants to watch Bama and Ohio State. Maybe if Texas gets good again, that changes. Other than that, they're looking for the best game available. 

It's a pretty regional sport that FOX/CBS/NBC is betting is the NFL 1B. I'd suggest the networks build up college football fantasy sports somehow. Gambling and fantasy football is a big chunk of the NFL's ratings success. 

[TKthunder2 4991]

1 hour ago, billfromlaketravis said:

Let's be honest. A national audience wants to watch Bama and Ohio State. Maybe if Texas gets good again, that changes. Other than that, they're looking for the best game available.

I think your view is a little too narrow. OU, Michigan, Texas, and Notre Dame draw even during down years. Michigan played Rutgers two years go as the Big Noon showcase for fuck’s sake, and Texas has played feckless Kansas on an ABC national broadcast.

Ohio State has been good, but they have good games outside of just Michigan.  They play Penn St and Michigan St annually and rotate Nebraska, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Minnesota on their schedule regularly.

The reason Texas and USC haven’t been ratings monsters is that they’ve underperformed for a decade plus, and their competition hasn’t helped.  Swap UT’s big games of the year from Iowa St, Baylor, and Oklahoma State to Georgia, aggy, and LSU add our national appeal will increase.

[billfromlaketravis 11466]

25 minutes ago, TKthunder2 said:

I think your view is a little too narrow. OU, Michigan, Texas, and Notre Dame draw even during down years. Michigan played Rutgers two years go as the Big Noon showcase for fuck’s sake, and Texas has played feckless Kansas on an ABC national broadcast.

Ohio State has been good, but they have good games outside of just Michigan.  They play Penn St and Michigan St annually and rotate Nebraska, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Minnesota on their schedule regularly.

The reason Texas and USC haven’t been ratings monsters is that they’ve underperformed for a decade plus, and their competition hasn’t helped.  Swap UT’s big games of the year from Iowa St, Baylor, and Oklahoma State to Georgia, aggy, and LSU add our national appeal will increase.

Agreed. 

[bullet 1596]

9 hours ago, hawkfan said:

Yeah, the obvious difference being that USC/UCLA are coming in the year a new TV contract starts and that contract is being negotiated on the open market with knowledge of their membership.  Once the new deal was negotiated, they got the full share just like everyone else.

That wasn't the case for any of Rutgers, Nebraska, or Maryland.  And if any of them want to complain, I'm sure the conference would let them leave.  Especially Rutgers, I'm sure the B1G front office would like a do over on that one anyway.

No.  They love getting full fees on BTN in NY and NJ.  And they love going there so Michigan, Ohio St., etc.. can connect with their rich NY alums.  Plus, its an easy win most times.

And RU and MD came in just 3 years before the new deal.  Nebraska added a full share just from allowing the Big 10 to play a ccg, let alone all the rest.

[bullet 1596]

6 hours ago, Francisco 2.0 said:

LA Times published a piece on the dude from Minnesota (Flugaur).  

 

https://www.latimes.com/sports/usc/story/2022-08-19/greg-flugaur-minnesota-fan-broke-usc-move-big-ten

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Reveal hidden contents

Flugaur (pronounced FLOOG-AHR), thanks to BTM, had earned cachet among Minnesota fans as a mostly reliable source of information, even though he was just a guy who used to work in the printing business and had never been a sports reporter. But news about USC and the larger tectonics moving beneath college sports? That seemed a bit far-fetched.

Later that evening around 1 a.m. as March turned to April, BTM called Flugaur again. BTM told Flugaur he was now being followed by a Big Ten official.

On April 1, Flugaur, feeling invigorated yet cautious, tweeted that he would not be revealing more until April 2.

“I do not want to confuse anybody of tweets of USC/Big Ten with April Fools day. Eventually [soon] this story will be picked up by big media.”

On April 2, Flugaur continued, “I’m a nobody. So why would the Big Ten offices care about any of my tweets? They don’t. Except they want to make sure there is not a real leak inside of their offices. … But there is a story [USC] brewing. Let’s see where it goes.”

On April 4, Flugaur released a two-minute video on Twitter to further explain his tweets. The camera was closely cropped on his face as he spoke with conviction.

“The USC called the Big Ten,” he said, pausing for effect.

“How do I know this? Everybody who knows me knows that I am a nobody. But everybody who knows me knows that I’m a nobody who knows a somebody, and that somebody has been breaking stuff since 2014.

“The USC, University of Southern California, is in the process of making sure that the stratification that has been happening at the top level of college sports, that USC remains on the top of that line. … Part of that process is calling the Big Ten, and they did that a while ago. We just learned about it Thursday night. … But USC called. They called alone, and this is where we are today. … Take care.”

With that, Flugaur signed off. As the world now knows, the guy was right about his most important point. USC was watching the Big Ten, indeed. But one of his other predictions did not hold true at all:

His news would not be picked up by any media.

Three months after Flugaur received that call from BTM about the call, USC and UCLA announced they were leaving the Pac-12 for the Big Ten, stunning the nation. And one-and-a-half months after that, on Thursday morning, The Los Angeles Times reported the Big Ten signed a media rights deal that will approach an unprecedented $8 billion over seven years. The two events are fully related, and a “nobody” from Minnesota signaled the match was coming before anyone else.

Why Greg Flugaur? Well, only BTM knows.

“I’ve tried to think to myself, who could Big Ten Man possibly be, and why Greg?” says Ryan Burns, who runs GopherIllustrated.com. “I don’t know if they’re childhood friends. I don’t know if it’s a neighbor. I just find it fascinating that, of all people, these two guys are intertwined and have done some things together. To break a coaching search is one thing. To do the whole USC and UCLA thing … BTM must really have a sense of humor.”

Flugaur grew up in Minnesota loving the Golden Gophers and following college sports closely. He was born deaf and had to take speech therapy throughout his entire adolescence. His childhood was difficult, and his affinity for college sports helped lift him through some hard times.

“I love the history of it,” Flugaur says. “There’s a passion involved that isn’t with the NFL. One example is, in college football, when the home team wins the game and they’re a big underdog, the fans rush the field. You don’t see that in the NFL. It just doesn’t mean as much. This sport runs deep with its fans.”

Ironically, after everything he went through to hear and speak, Flugaur would major in speech communications at nearby St. Cloud State University. Twenty years ago, he married his wife, Mireya. About seven years ago, his parents moved in, becoming Flugaur’s top priority.

It was around that time that Big Ten Man started reaching out to him with info. As the holidays approached in 2016, Minnesota had finished with an 8-4 record — a mark to be celebrated most seasons for the Gophers — under first-year coach Tracy Claeys. But BTM let Flugaur know that plans were in motion to fire Claeys, and it was expected to occur 212 hours from when they first spoke. BTM also said that Western Michigan’s hot young coach, PJ Fleck, would be the top target.

Flugaur went to Burns’ message board and posted. Given the successful season, many questioned the veracity. A 140-page thread unfurled. The Gophers traveled to San Diego and beat Washington State in the Holiday Bowl to finish 9-4. At 212 hours after Flugaur’s post, even he began to get a little nervous.

But, around hour 216, the news came down officially. Claeys was out.

A few days later, Minnesota hired Fleck. BTM, and Flugaur in turn, were proven right in legendary fashion.

“He took my entire site for a wild ride in those 48 hours between Tracy Claeys and PJ Fleck, and he nailed it,” Burns says.

Flugaur is the first to admit that he and BTM are not always right. He tried his hand at some smaller assistant coach hires back in the early days, and some of them went haywire. But there are some loftier areas where Flugaur’s intel should raise antennas, according to Burns, and conference realignment is apparently one of them.

“BTM sits on a certain perch in which he knows what big-money boosters want to have happen,” Flugaur explains. “I call that the money perch. Before, if you wanted to get a good taste of what was going to happen, you would talk to an administrator. But now administrators aren’t really making those big decisions. It’s the money.”

Through Flugaur’s voice, the money talks.

“I have made it known that most of the time there’s a motivation behind what I’m writing,” Flugaur says. “In fact, when I did those short videos about USC, there was a definite motivation. They call it a ‘soft push.’ ”

Flugaur’s “I am a nobody” video about USC calling the Big Ten came off more like a hard shove at Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren, who roiled stakeholders across the conference footprint when the league canceled the 2020 season because of the pandemic before later reversing course with an abridged schedule under immense pressure to play on.

In the video, Flugaur plainly states that “Kevin Warren has to act” on USC. It was BTM’s desire that Flugaur deliver that personal message above all.

“BTM described that the leak came from Los Angeles,” Flugaur says. “A big money booster in L.A. sent word to a big money booster in Big Ten country. Big Ten money people were still hurting from the pandemic and also weren’t sold on Warren. They wanted to make sure the Big Ten knew the opportunity had arisen to expand to Los Angeles. The big boosters in the Big Ten were very excited.”

Throughout the spring, Flugaur continued priming USC to the Big Ten pump. But, aside from some other schools’ message boards and Reddit pages — and that Big Ten official, of course — few seemed to notice.

On June 19 — 11 days before USC and UCLA made their move official — Flugaur tweeted, almost quietly:

“Sensitive time for Kevin Warren and Big Ten.”

June 30 was a fun day to be Greg Flugaur. USC was now officially on its way to the Big Ten (BTM’s intel did not rope in UCLA’s involvement).

Flugaur reposted his April 4 video, saying, “I’ve lost a few pounds since this video. OK … maybe I haven’t.” He topped off the joke with an emoji of a beer mug.

One USC fan tweeted, “People asked me today if I was surprised being an SC guy. I told each person no and the reason is because I started following a writer named Greg Flugaur months ago who was talking about it in detail back then. Kudos to you!! You deserve all the credit for breaking this 1st!”

In another tweet, Flugaur said:

“Big Ten Network just said no one saw this coming.

By the next day, July 1, BTM had called Flugaur again with fresh info.

“USC is recruiting Notre Dame into Big Ten,” Flugaur tweeted, quoting BTM directly. “They are active. USC has been active for months. Aggressive. USC’s Athletic Director knew his school’s value and knew its leverage points and brought it and still is bringing it.

“Notre Dame’s Board of Trustees is the next piece. Notre Dame’s Athletic Director has kept them informed for the last few months. Not starting from scratch. Boosters are engaged and will green light move to Big Ten if called upon.

“NIL is the hammer. Big brands want to play against big brands more often and if they can’t they still want to play in biggest markets. Big Ten markets buy products and services of its advertisers. LA markets will increase wealth all around Big Ten.”

Amid the BTM barrage, Flugaur tweeted a photo of a golden statue of Mother Mary and said, “Kevin Warren to Mary …” with a link to a YouTube video of a Guns N’ Roses song called “Patience.”

The Big Ten announced its massive new media rights package Thursday without Notre Dame being a part of it. Flugaur remains adamant the Fighting Irish will lose much of their leverage to chart the future course of the Big Ten if they don’t act within the next year as scheduling formats are set by the 16 league members.

One may wonder, though: Is that actually true, or just what Big Ten Man wants to be true?

“I can assure you,” Burns says, “if Greg is talking about things, it’s because somebody wants him to be talking about it.”

Says Flugaur, who now has more than 7,200 Twitter followers (300 more than this professional scribe), “Now, is it unethical for me? I don’t know. Not to get political, but Fox News and MSNBC, they just tend to report whatever makes their audience get revved up. They pick and choose. And of course I’m doing the same thing. I’m getting out the information that certain people want out. So there’s a filter before I get it. So that’s kind of unethical, but I’m not a reporter. Like, I’m a nobody.”

Flugaur’s most intense critic is another random Twitter account that has gained traction putting out realignment information in the year since Texas and Oklahoma left the Big 12 for the Southeastern Conference. The college football fan behind the account, @Genetics56, prefers to remain anonymous. He has a source that works within a Big Ten athletic department and has reported information about the future of college sports when deemed appropriate.

The man behind the account views Flugaur and BTM as “not reliable information, and playing to the emotions of fanbases to create a following is wrong in my view.”

The @Genetics56 account tweets so often about all things realignment that it makes you question how he has time for his day job as a software salesman who happens to have some Big Ten athletic departments as clients. He does not hide that he is rooting for more realignment at the top of the sport.

“When I was growing up you, had Colorado visiting Michigan for a nonconference game,” he wrote in a Twitter direct message interview. “Miami traveled all the way to Madison, Wisconsin. As the years passed, those type of nonconference games became fewer and fewer and scheduling became about ‘buying wins.’ There’s a reason why attendance and viewership as a whole has decreased over the years. Therefore, fast-forwarding to today, consolidation of the biggest university names for college football is the only path forward that I see where we can regain the big matchups of yesteryear.”

Consolidation also means the loss of tradition. The Big 12 and now the Pac-12 are dealing with that painful reality, and Flugaur has had to be the bearer of bad news for countless fan bases who are in danger of being left out of the Big Ten and SEC endgame.

“I honestly think this thing isn’t over yet,” Flugaur says. “There’s still so much pressure to consolidate, for the bad of it, and for the good of it. However you want to phrase it, there’s still that pressure, that proxy war between ESPN and Fox, and the Big Ten presidents want Notre Dame, they want Stanford, and we think that’s going to happen.”

Flugaur has no plans to slow down now, as long as BTM wants to keep him informed. Last week, he started his own YouTube channel, where he posts episodes of “CFB: Peek Around The Corner with Greg Flugaur” nearly every day.

His first 30-minute episode — titled “CFB has changed forever!” — has been viewed more than 2,000 times.

“ok so who is BTM?” commented one viewer.

The mystery of how some guy from Minnesota broke the story of USC’s Big Ten interest is growing right along with Flugaur’s audience.

“It’s a great story to tell,” Burns says. “I continue to say, ‘Why Greg Flugaur and not [the Athletic’s] Bruce Feldman, or [ESPN’s] Pete Thamel?’ Or, if this BTM guy is a big Minnesota fan, it’s very easy to get in contact with me. So why Greg Flugaur? I have no idea, but I know that man loves to be along for the ride.”

 

 

So Flugaur takes care of his elderly parents, living in their basement?

[bullet 1596]

3 hours ago, billfromlaketravis said:

Let's be honest. A national audience wants to watch Bama and Ohio State. Maybe if Texas gets good again, that changes. Other than that, they're looking for the best game available. 

It's a pretty regional sport that FOX/CBS/NBC is betting is the NFL 1B. I'd suggest the networks build up college football fantasy sports somehow. Gambling and fantasy football is a big chunk of the NFL's ratings success. 

Its unreal how many people follow the NFL closely because of gambling or fantasy football.

[Trojan Man 429]

6 hours ago, BevoSwag said:

So if the B1G has negotiated a huge payout per school, equally, including USC and UCLA, how would adding four more to dilute the pot of gold be received by the old members?

If I had to guess Notre Dame gets a full share no matter when they join and anyone else from the Pac gets a partial share for the duration of the contract that was just signed.  If Stanford, Cal, Oregon, Washington etc were worth enough to increase the size of the Big 10's pie upon expansion to 18/20/22/24 teams the Pac wouldn't be getting dogshit TV offers and facing extinction.  The only exception might be Stanford.  If they're the final piece of the puzzle for the Big 10 to land its Irish white whale they could start at a full share too.

I can't believe Maryland and Rutgers have the nerve to bitch about not being treated as favorably as USC and UCLA.  Those are the two luckiest athletic departments in the country.  They need to thank whatever deities they believe in they have a spot in a super conference.  Their value falls by the day because cable subscriber numbers are only going down, and once we reach the final point of everyone streaming directly from the source their value is zero.  Warren should tell them the only concession they'll get is a waiver of exit fees if they think they can do better elsewhere.

[WhatTheBuck 28779]

19 hours ago, bullet said:

Nebraska had to pay nearly $60 million in entrance fees.  Maryland was much bigger.  Rutgers was huge.  There were a couple of years where they were getting $43 million less than the full members.  Nebraska would have been, with Tier 3 (assuming $5-$7 million similar to OU), probably $70-80 million better if they simply stayed in the Big 12 until 2017.  They would still be $30-$50 million behind even with full membership for the last 5 years.

Next time one of those Big 10 people talks about how equal the Big 10 is,....

What are you talking about? There are no entrance fees to join the B1G. Are you talking about the fact that those teams didn’t get a full share of tv revenue right off the bat? If you think that’s an “entrance fee” then every team in the Big 12 not named Texas is paying an annual membership fee in order to be part of that conference. The B1G shares revenue equally but I don’t see the problem with a ramp-up for several years before a new member is fully vested.

Nebraska had to pay more than $9 Million to leave the Big 12. They made $14 Million during their first season in the B1G, the high end of what they were supposed to make during their last season in the Big 12, and that amount went up every year after that  until 2017 when they received a full share. They’ve been making $50+ Million a year since and that figure is about to take another big jump. They’re in a stable conference that is expanding. Ask them if they regret their decision to join.

Same with Rutgers and Maryland whose athletic departments were in a mess when they joined. They took out loans against future revenues to shore up the red ink. For Rutgers it means they won’t draw a full share until 2027. I don’t know if anything will happen to change that timeline but I know they’d be in a much worse place if they hadn’t joined.

[bullet 1596]

9 minutes ago, WhatTheBuck said:

What are you talking about? There are no entrance fees to join the B1G. Are you talking about the fact that those teams didn’t get a full share of tv revenue right off the bat? If you think that’s an “entrance fee” then every team in the Big 12 not named Texas is paying an annual membership fee in order to be part of that conference. The B1G shares revenue equally but I don’t see the problem with a ramp-up for several years before a new member is fully vested.

Nebraska had to pay more than $9 Million to leave the Big 12. They made $14 Million during their first season in the B1G, the high end of what they were supposed to make during their last season in the Big 12, and that amount went up every year after that  until 2017 when they received a full share. They’ve been making $50+ Million a year since and that figure is about to take another big jump. They’re in a stable conference that is expanding. Ask them if they regret their decision to join.

Same with Rutgers and Maryland whose athletic departments were in a mess when they joined. They took out loans against future revenues to shore up the red ink. For Rutgers it means they won’t draw a full share until 2027. I don’t know if anything will happen to change that timeline but I know they’d be in a much worse place if they hadn’t joined.

Some pretty serious BS there.  Guessing you must be another Big 10 fan defending the hypocrisy.

USC and UCLA come in at a full share.  Texas A&M and Missouri came in at a full share to the SEC.

	Nebraska	Full B10	Cumulative
11-12	14	24.6	-10.6
12-13	15.4	25.9	-21.1
13-14	16.9	28	-32.2
14-15	18.7	32	-45.5
15-16	22	34.8	-58.3
16-17	36.3	36.3	-58.3
17-18	54	54	-58.3
18-19	55.6	55.6	-58.3
19-20	54.3	54.3	-58.3
20-21	44.2	44.2	-58.3

	Nebraska	Big 12	Assumed Tier 3	Cumulative
exit fee		9.2		-9.2
11-12	14	19	5	-19.2
12-13	15.4	22	5	-30.8
13-14	16.9	23	5	-41.9
14-15	18.7	25.6	5	-53.8
15-16	22	30.4	5	-67.2
16-17	36.3	34.8	5	-70.7
17-18	54	35.1	5	-56.8
18-19	55.6	38.8	5	-45
19-20	54.3	37.7	5	-33.4
20-21	44.2	34.5	5	-28.7

 

 

[bullet 1596]

Don't have the numbers for Maryland and Rutgers every year, but:

2014-15 Full 32 million, Maryland 24.5 (better than UNL), Rutgers 10

2017-18 Full 54 million, Maryland 26.1, Rutgers 11.7

[bullet 1596]

TCU and WVU had a 4 year buy-in, 50%, 67%, 87%.  From 2012-3 to 2014-5, they got $22 million less than the full members.

If the Big 10 takes further Pac members, I suspect they will get the Maryland treatment.

[WhatTheBuck 28779]

15 hours ago, hawkfan said:

Especially Rutgers, I'm sure the B1G front office would like a do over on that one anyway.

No they wouldn’t. Try thinking like a commissioner or an AD, not as a fan.

I get pretty tired of fans bitching that it was a bad idea to add Rutgers because they’re not very good at football. Well, they had a better record than Nebraska last year. They beat Michigan in their first year in the conference. (I also think it’s kind of cool that their addition makes Michigan the second oldest team in the league but that’s the partisan in me talking.) When it comes to the product on the field, I don’t think it’s fair to expect too much too soon. Let’s see where they are after they’ve been in the conference for 20 years. There’s talent in New Jersey and New York. Penn State, OSU, and Michigan have recruited great players from there. If Rutgers can convince some of that talent to stay closer to home, they could be a lot more competitive. Building a program takes time.

But there’s another reason Rutgers and Maryland were added beyond the expanded tv markets. There was a real concern that PSU might leave to join/form an eastern conference. They’ve been clamoring for rivals on the east coast since JoePa was there. That’s real too. I get it. “Fuck JoePa! Fuck Penn State!” But think like a businessman. You’ve got to think in terms of future generations, not just recent history. Penn State is a name brand, top 10 in all time winning percentage, with a huge fanbase. They’re a valuable commodity. Losing them would be a very bad thing for the conference.

Also, the B1G is more than just an athletic conference and Rutgers fits in academically.

[Sandbagging Steve 982]

5 minutes ago, bullet said:

TCU and WVU had a 4 year buy-in, 50%, 67%, 87%.  From 2012-3 to 2014-5, they got $22 million less than the full members.

If the Big 10 takes further Pac members, I suspect they will get the Maryland treatment.

Perhaps, but I think there may have been some biased reporting on the value of Washington/Oregon in that report last month.

There's over 4 million in the Seattle metro alone and over 7 million in the state of Washington. Oregon isn't as big a market, but still much larger than the average Power 5 program. How much is the increase per B1G subscriber? If it's $1, that's $84,000,000 per year for the state of Washington; or $48,000,000 per year for the Seattle metro. Is it $0.50 per subscriber? Still a lot of money. And that's just for the B1GN and doesn't include Tier 1 or Tier 2 rights. 

Add in the fact that the B1G will need to increase conference games played or add really competitive helmet schools (and maybe both) in order to make sure the 3 broadcasters have plenty of valued inventory on a weekly basis. Washington/Oregon/Notre Dame/USC vs. tOSU/Penn State/Michigan/Wisconsin/Iowa/Michigan St starts to make a lot more sense for the money being paid by each of the three broadcasters. Sometimes more inventory is better. It's not only better for the B1GN but it adds more competitive Tier 1/Tier 2 games that are increasingly valuable to the networks and that's why their all 3 willing to pay the B1G such huge sums of money.

It's just a matter of time IMO.

They may have to take somewhat of a hit, but I don't think it will be anywhere as large as Rutgers/Maryland.

[Sandbagging Steve 982]

53 minutes ago, WhatTheBuck said:

What are you talking about? There are no entrance fees to join the B1G. Are you talking about the fact that those teams didn’t get a full share of tv revenue right off the bat? If you think that’s an “entrance fee” then every team in the Big 12 not named Texas is paying an annual membership fee in order to be part of that conference. The B1G shares revenue equally but I don’t see the problem with a ramp-up for several years before a new member is fully vested.

Nebraska had to pay more than $9 Million to leave the Big 12. They made $14 Million during their first season in the B1G, the high end of what they were supposed to make during their last season in the Big 12, and that amount went up every year after that  until 2017 when they received a full share. They’ve been making $50+ Million a year since and that figure is about to take another big jump. They’re in a stable conference that is expanding. Ask them if they regret their decision to join.

Same with Rutgers and Maryland whose athletic departments were in a mess when they joined. They took out loans against future revenues to shore up the red ink. For Rutgers it means they won’t draw a full share until 2027. I don’t know if anything will happen to change that timeline but I know they’d be in a much worse place if they hadn’t joined.

You can call it whatever you want to call it; they haven't been getting anywhere near equal revenue. B1G just renames things to fit their narrative.

[bullet 1596]

"“...I think being more national means who we strategically align with,” Yormark told the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. “Potential scheduling partnerships with other conferences, looking at some of our tentpole events and saying, do we do something more creatively with them from a location point of view? I think there’s lots of things we can do, and I’m exploring every and all option right now.”

 

 

Yormark was then asked about his “open for business” comments at Big 12 Media Days and how those were received.

“It’s been received, I think, in a very positive way,” Yormark said. “‘Open for business’ doesn’t mean just expansion, where I think some people read into it that it was very much focused on expansion. That’s not necessarily the case. When I say ‘open for business’, it means that this conference is no longer going to be stagnant. We’re going to be very proactive. We’re going to explore and identify any and all opportunities that create value in every respect. Is expansion a part of ‘open for business’? A hundred percent. But it’s only a small piece.”

Finally, when asked what his ideal number of members for the Big 12 was, Yormark danced around the question a bit but held strong on his “additive” view of expansion.

 

 

“I haven’t really looked at that the numbers,” Yormark said. “As I said during media day, it can’t be dilutive. It needs to be additive, and it comes down to making sure that we’re identifying the right strategic partners from a school perspective, and those that bring value to our conference. We’ll be at 12 in a couple of years when you add the four [Brigham Young, Central Florida, Cincinnati and Houston] and Texas and Oklahoma leave. If it’s 16 or 20 I can’t tell you, but we just have to make sure that whatever number it is, it’s all about the value equation...."”

Yormack interviewed in Lubbock:  https://www.heartlandcollegesports.com/2022/08/19/new-big-12-commissioner-brett-yormark-confirms-expansion-is-part-of-his-plans/

[hawkfan 60]

11 hours ago, WhatTheBuck said:

No they wouldn’t. Try thinking like a commissioner or an AD, not as a fan.

I get pretty tired of fans bitching that it was a bad idea to add Rutgers because they’re not very good at football. Well, they had a better record than Nebraska last year. They beat Michigan in their first year in the conference. (I also think it’s kind of cool that their addition makes Michigan the second oldest team in the league but that’s the partisan in me talking.) When it comes to the product on the field, I don’t think it’s fair to expect too much too soon. Let’s see where they are after they’ve been in the conference for 20 years. There’s talent in New Jersey and New York. Penn State, OSU, and Michigan have recruited great players from there. If Rutgers can convince some of that talent to stay closer to home, they could be a lot more competitive. Building a program takes time.

But there’s another reason Rutgers and Maryland were added beyond the expanded tv markets. There was a real concern that PSU might leave to join/form an eastern conference. They’ve been clamoring for rivals on the east coast since JoePa was there. That’s real too. I get it. “Fuck JoePa! Fuck Penn State!” But think like a businessman. You’ve got to think in terms of future generations, not just recent history. Penn State is a name brand, top 10 in all time winning percentage, with a huge fanbase. They’re a valuable commodity. Losing them would be a very bad thing for the conference.

Also, the B1G is more than just an athletic conference and Rutgers fits in academically.

TV subscribers aren't going to be as relevant moving forward as content that produces ratings, that much seems very clear.  The B1G has large enough alumni bases in NYC without Rutgers, Rutgers might have pushed that over the finish line for the BTN 6 years ago, but in the current media climate, I don't believe they have the same value they had 6-7 years ago.

You have to remember that the final B1G pry only has 20-24 spots in it, I'm not prioritizing Rutgers over any of the following:

Oregon

Washington

Stanford

North Carolina

Virginia

Georgia Tech

Miami

Florida State

Notre Dame

That's easily 9 schools who would offer more athletically than Rutgers, with probably only 8 spots left (if we assume the B1G/SEC end up taking what they want from the ACC).  Academically, all of the above are a similar add to Rutgers with the exception of Miami, FSU, and ND.

EDIT: And all the ACC schools above would end up protecting PSU, I know that's hindsight, but again, that's why I'm sure in hindsight they aren't thrilled about Rutgers.

Edited August 21, 2022 by hawkfan

[hawkfan 60]

Speaking of the ACC falling apart:

https://www.si.com/college/fsu/football/fsu-president-says-seminoles-will-be-very-aggressive-in-conference-realignment

 

[utee94 15820]

Sure but the problem is, the B1G already added Rutgers.  You're not going to kick them out.  You're stuck with them.

[hawkfan 60]

Never claimed they'd be kicked out, and they're value is definitely not zero.

But they're fucking idiots if they're complaining about the financing mechanism of their entry.

[Hurtlocker 2212]

Having three time zones, having a year longer to figure it out, and the Big Ten's desire to destabilize the Pac 12 are putting the Big 12 in a much better spot than the Pac right now.  My guess:

• All talk of B1G expansion is focused on ND, funded by NBC and pushed by USC, aiming for 2025.
• Unwilling to give up a lifeline, Oregon/Washington/Stanford/Cal want special out clauses with Pac 12
• Four corners say, "Fuck off" and join the Big 12 in 2024, prior to Big 12 media deal.  
• Big Ten gobbles up whatever of the four it wants with ND and, if any are not taken, they join the Big 12.   These additions are paid for via a bump for the NBC prime (due to west coast ND away games) and ESPN picking up the Pac primetime package of new inventory, aka Pac12 after dark, with Big Ten Teams playing the West Coast, at the 10pm est/7pm pst slot.
• ND pays $50m to get their Olympic sports back, which all move to the Peacock.
• Oregon State and Washington State are MWC bound
• Big 12 and Big Ten work an OOC scheduling agreement with Fox/CBS, ACC/SEC follow suit with ABC
• Playoff is rebuilt after P4 breakaway with 16 teams, 4 auto and 12 at-large.   Three stadiums in footprint (two for first round, 1 for quarters) per each conference, Semi/championship bid out like today.   Money split: 60% evenly between all 4, 40% split based on participation.

Estimated per team after its all said and done:

• B1G = $90-105m
• SEC = $85-100m
• Big 12/ACC = $65-75m

[billfromlaketravis 11466]

Good, good. 
 

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/34430807/sec-leaning-nine-game-conference-schedule-which-not-only-adds-value-tv-protects-season-ticket-sales

[WhatTheBuck 28779]

12 hours ago, Sandbagging Steve said:

You can call it whatever you want to call it; they haven't been getting anywhere near equal revenue. B1G just renames things to fit their narrative.

Are you daft? Nebraska is getting a full share. They have been since 2017 as dictated by the terms of the agreement when they joined. Rutgers and Maryland aren’t yet nor are they supposed to be according to the agreement and because they took an advance up front. You can spin it however you want but it doesn’t make your spin accurate, meaningful, or relevant in any way. Suggesting that Nebraska isn’t getting a full share isn’t spin. It’s just plain false.

Like I said, I don’t know how this new tv deal will affect things. But since Rutgers and Maryland, and the markets they.bring with them, were part of the negotiations, I think it’s only fair that their path to becoming fully vested should see some acceleration accordingly. No one is trying to screw anyone and no one is getting screwed despite what you might wish to believe. 

[DFW Horn 6123]

1 hour ago, billfromlaketravis said:

Good, good. 

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/34430807/sec-leaning-nine-game-conference-schedule-which-not-only-adds-value-tv-protects-season-ticket-sales

Reads like ESPN is eager to have UT and OU in the fold by 2024 at the latest. Next year will be a clusterfuck with the 4 Big 12 newbies.

Quote

Oklahoma and Texas are set to join the SEC in 2025 and possibly a year earlier.

 

[thunderlounge 7825]

2 hours ago, utee94 said:

Sure but the problem is, the B1G already added Rutgers.  You're not going to kick them out.  You're stuck with them.

The b1g, and sec for that matter, are only stuck with such teams until the new league goes together. 
 

That’s when the less desirables get relegated.
 

Gotta think past b1g/sec to see the overall world. 

[Francisco 2.0 32389]

1 hour ago, DFW Horn said:

Reads like ESPN is eager to have UT and OU in the fold by 2024 at the latest. Next year will be a clusterfuck with the 4 Big 12 newbies.

 

 

Just a hunch, but I suspect this might be the last year for OU and Texas in the Big 12.  I know both schools and the conference have stated they would remain in for the duration, but consider the possibilities:

-ESPN buys out the CBS package early, so they get all SEC games to themselves

-The Big 12 really doesn't want a season or two of scheduling limbo, and neither does those two (hello Texas at Houston, or Oklahoma at UCF); by the two leaving early, that sets up a clean slate scheduling wise, whatever formula they use

-ESPN makes the Big 12 whole come rights renewal time in regards to letting the two leave gracefully, without a huge buyout/GOR waiver/something palatable to all sides.

 

 

Edited August 21, 2022 by Francisco 2.0

[billfromlaketravis 11466]

Every Big Ten television model bakes in Rutgers carrying the New Jersey/NYC markets, and Maryland carrying DC. They’re not getting kicked out. The Big Ten doesn’t get the media deal they just signed without them. 
 

Vandy is a charter member of the SEC and they’re located in a major US city. 
 

This talk about premier league relegation in college football is regarded. 

[billfromlaketravis 11466]

2 minutes ago, Francisco 2.0 said:

 

Just a hunch, but I suspect this might be the last year for OU and Texas in the Big 12.  I know both schools and the conference have stated they would remain in for the duration, but consider the possibilities:

-ESPN buys out the CBS package, so they get all SEC games to themselves

-The Big 12 really doesn't want a season or two of scheduling limbo, and neither does those two (hello Texas at Houston, or Oklahoma at UCF); by the two leaving early, that sets up a clean slate scheduling wise, whatever formula they use

-ESPN makes the Big 12 whole come rights renewal time in regards to letting the two leave gracefully, without a huge buyout/GOR waiver/something palatable to all sides.

 

 

Sounds great, but everything is contingent on ESPN doing us a favor when they might not be motivated to do so. 

[Francisco 2.0 32389]

1 minute ago, billfromlaketravis said:

Sounds great, but everything is contingent on ESPN doing us a favor when they might not be motivated to do so. 

Oh, I agree.  But what better way for ESPN to undercut whatever the B1G/Fox has done by getting those two into the SEC earlier than expected.

The sooner that OU/TX ends up in the SEC, the less likely either of those are going to be broadcast on a Fox channel.  As long as either of them are in the Big 12, then Fox is going to get the chance to broadcast and advertise for future SEC teams.  

Imagine the handwringing in the ESPN offices if by 2024 both of the programs are undefeated and ranked in the top 5 the second week of October....and the game is on Fox.  

[billfromlaketravis 11466]

Just now, Francisco 2.0 said:

Oh, I agree.  But what better way for ESPN to undercut whatever the B1G/Fox has done by getting those two into the SEC earlier than expected.

The sooner that OU/TX ends up in the SEC, the less likely either of those are going to be broadcast on a Fox channel.  As long as either of them are in the Big 12, then Fox is going to get the chance to broadcast and advertise for future SEC teams.  

Imagine the handwringing in the ESPN offices if by 2024 both of the programs are undefeated and ranked in the top 5 the second week of October....and the game is on Fox.  

Yeah, ESPN is probably annoyed Bama-Texas is on Fox this year. Pretty decent chance Texas-Bama is on CBS next year. I’m not sure annoyance is enough for the Mouse to get us out early. 

[thunderlounge 7825]

4 minutes ago, Francisco 2.0 said:

Imagine the handwringing in the ESPN offices if by 2024 both of the programs are undefeated and ranked in the top 5 the second week of October....and the game is on Fox.  

Shit. More like neck wringing. 

[DukDukGru 48]

On 8/19/2022 at 7:02 PM, utee94 said:

I mean, you can certainly think that. But it doesn't make it true or make anyone else believe it.  If Texas A&M and Arkansas weren't longtime rivals, they'd just be more shitty dregs.  Do you think Alabama gets excited about playing either one of them?

The new SEC has Alabama, Georgia, Florida, OU, and LSU.  The new B1G has Ohio State, Michigan, USC, and Penn State. 

Outside of that, I think of all of the other teams in both conferences as middlin' to negligible.  Auburn and Tennessee are roughly the same as Wisconsin and Nebraska.  And I don't give even one half of a rat's ass about Ole Miss, Miss State,   Missouri, South Carolina, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, or South Carolina.

I think that Alabama will be excited to play A&M this year after Jimbo and Nick's offseason media drama.

[camel at sea 589]

4 hours ago, Hurtlocker said:

Having three time zones, having a year longer to figure it out, and the Big Ten's desire to destabilize the Pac 12 are putting the Big 12 in a much better spot than the Pac right now.  My guess:

• All talk of B1G expansion is focused on ND, funded by NBC and pushed by USC, aiming for 2025.
• Unwilling to give up a lifeline, Oregon/Washington/Stanford/Cal want special out clauses with Pac 12
• Four corners say, "Fuck off" and join the Big 12 in 2024, prior to Big 12 media deal.  
• Big Ten gobbles up whatever of the four it wants with ND and, if any are not taken, they join the Big 12.  

I wonder what, if anything, that Disney might be able to offer the Irish to keep them under their own umbrella.  The Big Ten deal will be tough to pass up.

I also wonder what NBC does if the Irish join the Big Ten.  Would they want a Saturday double-header?  Those reports of wanting "shoulder programming" for an independent Notre Dame doesn't preclude a desire for shoulder programming for a Big Ten game of the week.

 

[Not a Sock 2313]

In the big picture, what happens if the carriers start hacking away at networks? If in 10 years Comcast, Spectrum, Directv etc, say 70 percent of our subscribers only watch Fox News, sitcom reruns on TBS and murder mysteries on oxygen so we are going to start dropping expensive sports packages like BTN, ACCN, SECN, or even bigger they drop things like FS1, CBSSN, ESPN 3/U and still charge $75/month?  With the mentality of "Whatever small amount of subscribers we lose will be made up with the increase in margin." This seems like it would be a major blow to these media deals, and would be a massive shotgun blast in the stomach to the Big 10. 

Edited August 21, 2022 by Not a Sock

[Francisco 2.0 32389]

8 minutes ago, Not a Sock said:

In the big picture, what happens if the carriers start hacking away at networks? If in 10 years Comcast, Spectrum, Directv etc, say 70 percent of our subscribers only watch Fox News, sitcom reruns on TBS and murder mysteries on oxygen so we are going to start dropping expensive sports packages like BTN, ACCN, SECN, or even bigger they drop things like FS1, CBSSN, ESPN 3/U and still charge $75/month?  With the mentality of "Whatever small amount of subscribers we lose will be made up with the increase in margin." This seems like it would be a major blow to these media deals, and would be a massive shotgun blast in the stomach to the Big 10. 

Live sports is the one thing that is DVR proof; that's what the worth is, no matter what happens with cable or whatever.  People want to view sports; live.  So, advertisers will continue to pay, networks will continue to pay, and the Earth will keep spinning.

The distribution methods may change, but the end result (a product that people want to watch live, with carve outs for advertisers to hawk their wares) remains the same.  

[TKthunder2 4991]

6 hours ago, billfromlaketravis said:

Good, good. 
 

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/34430807/sec-leaning-nine-game-conference-schedule-which-not-only-adds-value-tv-protects-season-ticket-sales

Start with rivalry weekend and work backwards.

 

Rivalry weekend

Oklahoma/Mizzou (could sub in Okie St/Kansas if they can make that work)

Texas/TAMU

LSU/Arkansas

OleMiss/MIssissippi St

Alabama/Auburn

Tennessee/Vandy

Kentucky/Louisville

South Carolina/Clemson

Florida/Florida St

Georgia/Georgia Tech

 

Other important rivalries:

Texas/Oklahoma

Alabama/Tennessee

Georgia/Florida

Georgia/Auburn

(note: people are wanting to re-establish Florida/Auburn but that was already broken up and Auburn’s rivalries would be ridiculous with Bama/UGA/UF.  They’ll play every other year in this new configuration so that should be good enough)

 

Alabama: Auburn, Tennessee, Mississippi St

Arkansas: LSU, Texas, TAMU

Auburn: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi St

Florida: Georgia, South Carolina, Oklahoma

Georgia: Florida, Auburn, South Carolina

Kentucky: Vandy, Tennessee, Mizzou

LSU: Arkansas, TAMU, Ole Miss 

Oklahoma: Texas, Mizzou, Florida

Ole Miss: Mississippi St, LSU, Vandy

Mizzou: Oklahoma, Kentucky, South Carolina

Mississippi St: Ole Miss, Alabama, Auburn

South Carolina: Florida, Georgia, Mizzou

Tennessee: Vandy, Alabama, Kentucky 

Texas: Oklahoma, TAMU, Arkansas

Texas A&M: Texas, LSU, Arkansas

Vandy: Tennessee, Kentucky, Ole Miss

 

East team stay with the East teams, West teams with the West. Bullshit forced rivalries like South Carolina/aggy and Florida/LSU are replaced by new bullshit rivalries like Florida/Oklahoma and South Carolina/Mizzou but it won’t matter as much since they’ll play everyone more often.

[billfromlaketravis 11466]

9 minutes ago, TKthunder2 said:

Start with rivalry weekend and work backwards.

 

Rivalry weekend

Oklahoma/Mizzou (could sub in Okie St/Kansas if they can make that work)

Texas/TAMU

LSU/Arkansas

OleMiss/MIssissippi St

Alabama/Auburn

Tennessee/Vandy

Kentucky/Louisville

South Carolina/Clemson

Florida/Florida St

Georgia/Georgia Tech

 

Other important rivalries:

Texas/Oklahoma

Alabama/Tennessee

Georgia/Florida

Georgia/Auburn

(note: people are wanting to re-establish Florida/Auburn but that was already broken up and Auburn’s rivalries would be ridiculous with Bama/UGA/UF.  They’ll play every other year in this new configuration so that should be good enough)

 

Alabama: Auburn, Tennessee, Mississippi St

Arkansas: LSU, Texas, TAMU

Auburn: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi St

Florida: Georgia, South Carolina, Oklahoma

Georgia: Florida, Auburn, South Carolina

Kentucky: Vandy, Tennessee, Mizzou

LSU: Arkansas, TAMU, Ole Miss 

Oklahoma: Texas, Mizzou, Florida

Ole Miss: Mississippi St, LSU, Vandy

Mizzou: Oklahoma, Kentucky, South Carolina

Mississippi St: Ole Miss, Alabama, Auburn

South Carolina: Florida, Georgia, Mizzou

Tennessee: Vandy, Alabama, Kentucky 

Texas: Oklahoma, TAMU, Arkansas

Texas A&M: Texas, LSU, Arkansas

Vandy: Tennessee, Kentucky, Ole Miss

 

East team stay with the East teams, West teams with the West. Bullshit forced rivalries like South Carolina/aggy and Florida/LSU are replaced by new bullshit rivalries like Florida/Oklahoma and South Carolina/Mizzou but it won’t matter as much since they’ll play everyone more often.

I want piggy, aggy, and OU every year. If we play every other conference member every other year, it’ll work out. 
 

LSU isn’t our rival. It’s probably better for TV, but not better for the fans. So it’ll probably be LSU. 

Edited August 21, 2022 by billfromlaketravis

[Not a Sock 2313]

17 minutes ago, Francisco 2.0 said:

Live sports is the one thing that is DVR proof; that's what the worth is, no matter what happens with cable or whatever.  People want to view sports; live.  So, advertisers will continue to pay, networks will continue to pay, and the Earth will keep spinning.

The distribution methods may change, but the end result (a product that people want to watch live, with carve outs for advertisers to hawk their wares) remains the same.  

That doesn't really address my question, a huge amount of the value of these media deals is specifically because they can charge people who aren't actually watching. The BTN gets to charge 1 dollar to 20 million households for Rutgers vs Maryland even if only 300k actually ever tune in. So my question is if that model dies and is then purely then streaming advertising value of your product. What then?

Edited August 21, 2022 by Not a Sock

[billfromlaketravis 11466]

Aggy’s 3 permanent rivals will be interesting. I’m guessing they duck Bama. Probably Texas, LSU and Jesus, who knows? They’ve quieted down on keeping South Carolina on the annual schedule. 

[Francisco 2.0 32389]

10 minutes ago, Not a Sock said:

That doesn't really address my question, a huge amount of the value of these media deals is specifically because they can charge people who aren't actually watching. The BTN gets to charge 1 dollar to 20 million households for Rutgers vs Maryland even if only 300k actually ever tune in. So my question is if the model dies and purely an streaming advertising value of your product. What then?

 

Well, sort of.  Today, using the BTN as an example cable companies pay the carriage fee, then pass it off onto the customers. So, what if that goes away?

BTN goes to strictly streaming at $20 per month, and odds are they have already calculated just how much they can get by with charging and keep roughly the same amount of viewers.  Plus, BTN could start to move some product over to their streaming solution that to boost viewership (who is going to televise all the B1G basketball now that ESPN isn't going to do it in the future) that you can only see by subscribing.  Yes, it sucks, but folks much smarter than I have pondered this at the conference, the various networks and media properties, etc.  Again, sports has advertisers willing to pay, because it is live content.  Now, are they willing to pay for Rutgers-Maryland in basketball? 

Fox, CBS and NBC are not cable networks, so...those are going to be continued to be carried by traditional cable outlets and whatnot.  The real worry is ESPN, considering what the carriage fee is for the bundle of ESPN channels ($15 a month or so? if I remember correctly).  There's always the threat of some cable outfit dropping ESPN, but it has never happened, as far as I know.  Again, ESPN has live sports, and spots for the cable carriers to sell advertising as well.

 

 

Edited August 21, 2022 by Francisco 2.0

[bullet 1596]

4 hours ago, Francisco 2.0 said:

 

Just a hunch, but I suspect this might be the last year for OU and Texas in the Big 12.  I know both schools and the conference have stated they would remain in for the duration, but consider the possibilities:

-ESPN buys out the CBS package early, so they get all SEC games to themselves

-The Big 12 really doesn't want a season or two of scheduling limbo, and neither does those two (hello Texas at Houston, or Oklahoma at UCF); by the two leaving early, that sets up a clean slate scheduling wise, whatever formula they use

-ESPN makes the Big 12 whole come rights renewal time in regards to letting the two leave gracefully, without a huge buyout/GOR waiver/something palatable to all sides.

 

 

CBS isn't giving up the SEC.  They negotiated with the Big 10 to only take 7 games in 2023 instead of 14.  That still changes in 2024.  That's when the most likely move to the SEC is.

[bullet 1596]

24 minutes ago, TKthunder2 said:

Start with rivalry weekend and work backwards.

 

Rivalry weekend

Oklahoma/Mizzou (could sub in Okie St/Kansas if they can make that work)

Texas/TAMU

LSU/Arkansas

OleMiss/MIssissippi St

Alabama/Auburn

Tennessee/Vandy

Kentucky/Louisville

South Carolina/Clemson

Florida/Florida St

Georgia/Georgia Tech

 

Other important rivalries:

Texas/Oklahoma

Alabama/Tennessee

Georgia/Florida

Georgia/Auburn

(note: people are wanting to re-establish Florida/Auburn but that was already broken up and Auburn’s rivalries would be ridiculous with Bama/UGA/UF.  They’ll play every other year in this new configuration so that should be good enough)

 

Alabama: Auburn, Tennessee, Mississippi St

Arkansas: LSU, Texas, TAMU

Auburn: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi St

Florida: Georgia, South Carolina, Oklahoma

Georgia: Florida, Auburn, South Carolina

Kentucky: Vandy, Tennessee, Mizzou

LSU: Arkansas, TAMU, Ole Miss 

Oklahoma: Texas, Mizzou, Florida

Ole Miss: Mississippi St, LSU, Vandy

Mizzou: Oklahoma, Kentucky, South Carolina

Mississippi St: Ole Miss, Alabama, Auburn

South Carolina: Florida, Georgia, Mizzou

Tennessee: Vandy, Alabama, Kentucky 

Texas: Oklahoma, TAMU, Arkansas

Texas A&M: Texas, LSU, Arkansas

Vandy: Tennessee, Kentucky, Ole Miss

 

East team stay with the East teams, West teams with the West. Bullshit forced rivalries like South Carolina/aggy and Florida/LSU are replaced by new bullshit rivalries like Florida/Oklahoma and South Carolina/Mizzou but it won’t matter as much since they’ll play everyone more often.

Looks like a pretty good effort.  Those latter two are the only ones that aren't important.  UK-South Carolina, LSU-Florida and Arkansas-Mizzou or Arkansas-OU might make more sense, but you are left with Missouri and/or Oklahoma still needing games, so you would have to mess with the rest of the schedules.  Mizzou always causes problems.

[bullet 1596]

Maybe simply OU-Arkansas and LSU-Florida replacing OU-Florida and Arkansas-LSU.  You're still left with Mizzou-S. Carolina.

[DFW Horn 6123]

51 minutes ago, bullet said:

Mizzou always causes problems.

Mizzery - Arky makes sense from an Ozark, hillbilly POV. Fuck 'em both

[Not a Sock 2313]

1 hour ago, Francisco 2.0 said:

 

Well, sort of.  Today, using the BTN as an example cable companies pay the carriage fee, then pass it off onto the customers. So, what if that goes away?

BTN goes to strictly streaming at $20 per month, and odds are they have already calculated just how much they can get by with charging and keep roughly the same amount of viewers.  Plus, BTN could start to move some product over to their streaming solution that to boost viewership (who is going to televise all the B1G basketball now that ESPN isn't going to do it in the future) that you can only see by subscribing.  Yes, it sucks, but folks much smarter than I have pondered this at the conference, the various networks and media properties, etc.  Again, sports has advertisers willing to pay, because it is live content.  Now, are they willing to pay for Rutgers-Maryland in basketball? 

Fox, CBS and NBC are not cable networks, so...those are going to be continued to be carried by traditional cable outlets and whatnot.  The real worry is ESPN, considering what the carriage fee is for the bundle of ESPN channels ($15 a month or so? if I remember correctly).  There's always the threat of some cable outfit dropping ESPN, but it has never happened, as far as I know.  Again, ESPN has live sports, and spots for the cable carriers to sell advertising as well.

 

 

  If you lose all the auxiliary channels and carrier fees that seems like a huge danger to the Big 10 with them have half of the conference filled with dead weight, then can't you run into the issue of you having too much inventory? OSU vs UM or USC vs PSU is going to be worth it's weight in gold, but what the hell do you with UCLA vs Purdue or Rutgers vs Illinois? Stick them on a subscription BTN streaming app? They are going to get a fraction of a fraction of people to sign up in comparison to being able to force it on everyone in LA, NY, NOVA.

[TKthunder2 4991]

1 hour ago, bullet said:

Maybe simply OU-Arkansas and LSU-Florida replacing OU-Florida and Arkansas-LSU.  You're still left with Mizzou-S. Carolina.

True, but then who do they all play on Thanksgiving weekend?  Arkansas/LSU was their rivalry pairing.  Everyone else will be taken with in state rivalries except LSU/Arkansas/Oklahoma/Mizzou, so either they get paired up or they have a late season bye/OOC game which would suck strategically.

40 minutes ago, DFW Horn said:

Mizzery - Arky makes sense from an Ozark, hillbilly POV. Fuck 'em both

Arkansas would host and travel to one of their 4 closest geographic games Oklahoma, Mizzou, Vandy, and Ole Miss each year plus play their Thanksgiving boot rivalry with LSU and their two historic SWC foes.

Mizzou is basically in the same boat.  Rivalry with Oklahoma and Kentucky for historical/geographical reasons and have Arkansas/Vandy and the Texas schools (which is important to them) on rotation.

[Francisco 2.0 32389]

46 minutes ago, Not a Sock said:

  If you lose all the auxiliary channels and carrier fees that seems like a huge danger to the Big 10 with them have half of the conference filled with dead weight, then can't you run into the issue of you having too much inventory? OSU vs UM or USC vs PSU is going to be worth it's weight in gold, but what the hell do you with UCLA vs Purdue or Rutgers vs Illinois? Stick them on a subscription BTN streaming app? They are going to get a fraction of a fraction of people to sign up in comparison to being able to force it on everyone in LA, NY, NOVA.

 

Believe me, I get where you are coming from.  I'm just of the opinion that the folks at Fox, NBC and CBS have figured this out backwards and forwards, even taking into account such boat anchors as Rutgers, and see this as as a money making proposition for themselves as much as for the conference and the member schools.

The networks can always raise advertising rates, and know they will get it, because live sports.