Realignment talk not going away

[TKthunder2 4992]

15 minutes ago, Doc Daneeka said:

Ok, I get what you’re saying now. I just don’t agree with it. 

I don’t think Texas should schedule FCS teams. I don’t care if other schools do. And it could probably reasonably be argued that the step down from Texas to a G5 school is equivalent to a scrub P4 team stepping down to FCS.

Regardless, who other schools schedule should be up to them and not for someone to ban. 

FBS top 25 Ranked teams versus FCS teams just this year in the 1st three weeks of the season:

Oregon played Idaho

Ole Miss played Furman

Tennessee played Chattanooga

Iowa played Illinois State

Mizzou played Murray State

LSU played Nicholls State

Miami played Florida A&M

Georgia played Tennessee Tech

Nebraska played Northern Iowa

 

This is pathetic. End of argument.

[Doc Daneeka 6769]

Just now, TKthunder2 said:

FBS top 25 Ranked teams versus FCS teams just this year in the 1st three weeks of the season:

Oregon played Idaho

Ole Miss played Furman

Tennessee played Chattanooga

Iowa played Illinois State

Mizzou played Murray State

LSU played Nicholls State

Miami played Florida A&M

Georgia played Tennessee Tech

Nebraska played Northern Iowa

 

This is pathetic. End of argument.

Apparently the schools involved in those games don’t think so. I’m thinking they should be the ones to make that call, not some outraged guy on a message board or anyone else. 

Unless that starts making a difference in playoff seeding or playoff entry and their fans are willing to buy enough tickets, there’s not much other reason to stop them. 

[TKthunder2 4992]

31 minutes ago, RoyalBevo21 said:

Would be much better if it looked like 

week 1 Rice 

week 2 Penn St 

week 3 Stanford 

week 4 Texas Tech

Yes! This would be far healthier for the sport. I’m not sure how this is even an argument.

I find it funny that on the last page huck accused me of caring about how much money Texas and the SEC make, but then doc comes in and says we need more BAD football because these schools need more than 6 home game for…money…?

 

It’s NOT healthy for the sport of college football to schedule like Ole Miss and Ohio State. Please explain how giving schools free wins so coaches can get bowl eligible to play in front of a half empty meaningless bowl game and get a bonus helps make this sport better. We’ve made fun of SEC cupcake week for YEARS, so why people are suddenly defending it? It bottles the mind.

[billfromlaketravis 11488]

I think we need a few games every year to get right and play back ups. 9 SEC game + 3 BIG games would be great for TV, but it doesn’t leave much room to rest guys that aren’t healthy. 

[TKthunder2 4992]

17 minutes ago, billfromlaketravis said:

I think we need a few games every year to get right and play back ups. 9 SEC game + 3 BIG games would be great for TV, but it doesn’t leave much room to rest guys that aren’t healthy. 

How about one G5, one Big Ten, and one ACC/B12? Which is basically what we did 2012-2018…

[billfromlaketravis 11488]

28 minutes ago, TKthunder2 said:

How about one G5, one Big Ten, and one ACC/B12? Which is basically what we did 2012-2018…

Works for me. 

[Doc Daneeka 6769]

8 hours ago, TKthunder2 said:

 

I find it funny that on the last page huck accused me of caring about how much money Texas and the SEC make, but then doc comes in and says we need more BAD football because these schools need more than 6 home game for…money…?

Maybe stop being such a disingenuous, self-righteous cunt.

What I said was, since multisyllabic — oh, sorry, long — words are confusing to you is: not your business. Don’t want FCS teams? Don’t schedule them. Don’t want too many G5 teams? Don’t schedule them. Don’t like the games? Don’t watch them.

I said fuck all — literally not one word — about how many home games. Why do you just make up shit if you’re so sure you’re right? I referred to money for the FCS (and G5) schools because they get a fat check that helps them actually field a fucking team.

Maybe your mind would be less bottled if you read what people wrote rather than nuking strawmen from orbit. 

[Hurtlocker 2212]

3 hours ago, Doc Daneeka said:

I referred to money for the FCS (and G5) schools because they get a fat check that helps them actually field a fucking team.

 

This is the part I actually detest about this the most.   The vast majority of these teams have no business being paired up on the field together.   That's not to say none, but a lot of these FCS teams don't have the depth to run with a bad A4 program, let alone a big brand or $200m SEC school.   So these FCS schools are raising cash for their athletic departments by basically tossing athletes out in front of a moving bus and collecting the insurance money.

 

Edited October 17 by Hurtlocker

[Evil Bill Obrien 3286]

3 hours ago, Doc Daneeka said:

Maybe your mind would be less bottled if you read what people wrote rather than nuking strawmen from orbit. 

[Evil Bill Obrien 3286]

4 minutes ago, Hurtlocker said:

This is the part I actually detest about this the most.   The vast majority of these teams have no business being paired up on the field together.   That's not to say none, but a lot of these FCS teams don't have the depth to run with a bad A4 program, let alone a big brand or $200m SEC school.   So these FCS schools are raising cash for their athletic departments by basically tossing athletes out in front of a moving bus and collecting the insurance money.

 

The list of top 25 teams playing FCS opponents from above has a few P4 schools playing in state FCS opponents and know that is pretty common in the south, big SEC/ACC school in the state gets roped into playing in-state FCS to cut them a check to keep their athletic department solvent. Maybe if these states just had the P4 schools share their massive wealth in other ways that don't involve tossing athletes from an FCS school out in front of a bus to keep their program afloat? Communism and nonsense I know but that would be a means to an end of the FCS games if you are going to go with player safety as the main reason against.

[TKthunder2 4992]

3 hours ago, Doc Daneeka said:

Maybe stop being such a disingenuous, self-righteous cunt.

What I said was, since multisyllabic — oh, sorry, long — words are confusing to you is: not your business. Don’t want FCS teams? Don’t schedule them. Don’t want too many G5 teams? Don’t schedule them. Don’t like the games? Don’t watch them.

I said fuck all — literally not one word — about how many home games. Why do you just make up shit if you’re so sure you’re right? I referred to money for the FCS (and G5) schools because they get a fat check that helps them actually field a fucking team.

Maybe your mind would be less bottled if you read what people wrote rather than nuking strawmen from orbit. 

First…never going stop, self righteous cunt for life bitch

Texas doesn’t schedule FCS teams. Texas previously only scheduled 1 G5 team but moved to 2 and now 3 in the last few year which I do not enjoy. I do NOT watch these crappy FCS games (no one does, numbers validate this, NDSU/CU is the exception to this rule) and few watch G5 games.

Bill Snyder and K State fucked this up. We’ve first hand with aggy bragging about their record of the last decade when they scheduled 3 easy wins to our 1.

The world is not a vacuum, if K State does this then Iowa State does it, then Iowa, then Wisconsin, and then soon all the way to Ohio State.

As long as people, recruits, sportswriters, and the committee put emphasis on records and bowls are easily accessible and coaches get bonuses for getting 6 wins it’s not going to organically stop. It would require new rules or regulations.

The SEC saw this as a problem and passed a rule that all teams must play at least one power 5 opponent each year.

[Al_4_ISU 12464]

4 minutes ago, TKthunder2 said:

First…never going stop, self righteous cunt for life bitch

Texas doesn’t schedule FCS teams. Texas previously only scheduled 1 G5 team but moved to 2 and now 3 in the last few year which I do not enjoy. I do NOT watch these crappy FCS games (no one does, numbers validate this, NDSU/CU is the exception to this rule) and few watch G5 games.

Bill Snyder and K State fucked this up. We’ve first hand with aggy bragging about their record of the last decade when they scheduled 3 easy wins to our 1.

The world is not a vacuum, if K State does this then Iowa State does it, then Iowa, then Wisconsin, and then soon all the way to Ohio State.

As long as people, recruits, sportswriters, and the committee put emphasis on records and bowls are easily accessible and coaches get bonuses for getting 6 wins it’s not going to organically stop. It would require new rules or regulations.

The SEC saw this as a problem and passed a rule that all teams must play at least one power 5 opponent each year.

How many power conference schools aren't doing this?  Any?

Also, the SEC only plays 8 conference games where the Big 10 and Big 12 play 9, so they're still mandating the same amount of major conference opponents.  Lastly, no other conferences play FCS opponents in November.

You're picking a silly hill to die on.

[TKthunder2 4992]

1 minute ago, Al_4_ISU said:

How many power conference schools aren't doing this?  Any?

Also, the SEC only plays 8 conference games where the Big 10 and Big 12 play 9, so they're still mandating the same amount of major conference opponents.  Lastly, no other conferences play FCS opponents in November.

You're picking a silly hill to die on.

Per the NCAA’s website the are 121 FBS/FCS matchups this year and this is twice the number as their were a decade ago.

I’ll die on the hill. It’s shit football, it’s shit for ticket holders, fans, TV, players, FCS teams and basically everybody except coaches who pad their win totals and bank accounts.

I don’t understand the push back.

BAD football that brings in more money = Good

GOOD football that brings in more money = Bad

and I feel the same way about the NFL (though I don’t watch that nearly as much). Preseason NFL is dumb, limiting stupid preseason games is ideal, and making fans pay for that preseason games is a ripoff.

[Al_4_ISU 12464]

13 minutes ago, TKthunder2 said:

Per the NCAA’s website the are 121 FBS/FCS matchups this year and this is twice the number as their were a decade ago.

I’ll die on the hill. It’s shit football, it’s shit for ticket holders, fans, TV, players, FCS teams and basically everybody except coaches who pad their win totals and bank accounts.

I don’t understand the push back.

BAD football that brings in more money = Good

GOOD football that brings in more money = Bad

and I feel the same way about the NFL (though I don’t watch that nearly as much). Preseason NFL is dumb, limiting stupid preseason games is ideal, and making fans pay for that preseason games is a ripoff.

Look, I’m totally on board with ending P4/FCS games, I just think you’re overblowing the prevalence and effect of this and blaming parties that are no more culpable than average.

[The Dog 44058]

 

[TKthunder2 4992]

11 minutes ago, The Dog said:

 

ABC’s deal with the SEC with Texas and Oklahoma has been a major hit for the network. They are routinely capturing 4+ million viewers across all three windows. Only OOC weeks 2&4 and aggy’s blowout of Mizzou failed to top 4 million.

Last year ABC hitting 4 million across all windows was very rare and this year it’s more common than not. On the other side, viewership on CBS is down 33% through week 7. So far only Michigan/USC in week 4 topped the SEC game from the same week last year. CBS turned down the SEC tier one rights and ended up paying MORE money to the Big Ten for an inferior product. I find that amusing.

[thunderlounge 7849]

[Vertigo 20290]

2 hours ago, TKthunder2 said:

ABC’s deal with the SEC with Texas and Oklahoma has been a major hit for the network. They are routinely capturing 4+ million viewers across all three windows. Only OOC weeks 2&4 and aggy’s blowout of Mizzou failed to top 4 million.

Last year ABC hitting 4 million across all windows was very rare and this year it’s more common than not. On the other side, viewership on CBS is down 33% through week 7. So far only Michigan/USC in week 4 topped the SEC game from the same week last year. CBS turned down the SEC tier one rights and ended up paying MORE money to the Big Ten for an inferior product. I find that amusing.

The product is better on ABC anyway. Nessler and Danielson were fine, but ABC has a better bench of broadcasting teams. 

[Hurtlocker 2212]

On 10/17/2024 at 9:25 AM, Evil Bill Obrien said:

The list of top 25 teams playing FCS opponents from above has a few P4 schools playing in state FCS opponents and know that is pretty common in the south, big SEC/ACC school in the state gets roped into playing in-state FCS to cut them a check to keep their athletic department solvent. Maybe if these states just had the P4 schools share their massive wealth in other ways that don't involve tossing athletes from an FCS school out in front of a bus to keep their program afloat? Communism and nonsense I know but that would be a means to an end of the FCS games if you are going to go with player safety as the main reason against.

[bullet 1597]

On 10/16/2024 at 1:59 AM, Horn of Gabriel said:

Fair but the point wasn't about the money, it was the fact that LHN was going to exist in a world where the PAC wanted all the tiers of rights for the unified PAC network.  The money was good enough for Texas and did end up being better than anyone thought, but it was also a poison pill to the PAC.  And just happened to be engineered by a network with a lot to lose if Texas went elsewhere.

With the two team subnetworks, the LHN was not a stumbling block.  Texas would still get the exposure they wanted.   It was never mentioned at the time.  People just started bringing it up when it became a $15 million annual network.

[bullet 1597]

On 10/16/2024 at 10:13 AM, Hurtlocker said:

This.   They're fun.    They bring no money to the school nor conference.   When ESPN looks at the SEC's schedule of games out several years to do a media deal, they're really just valuing the 8 conference games, with maybe some added bonus for the games ESPN is going to schedule SEC teams against the ACC in the opening weeks.   That means a third of the games are drastically undervalued and under monetized.    The initial way of monetizing them was conference networks, now you could trick people into paying for those games by dumping them on carriage channels.   But if you want the next big leap in money, you have to put value in that third that you put in the other two thirds.  

And its not just simple math that if you made $100m prior you make $130m now.    To Thunder's point, the T1 match ups drive most of that number.   This tide rises all boats as the T2/3 numbers inflate as well.    This is a 30-50% increase over time as match ups become more compelling and that's just media contracts.

Now, why they don't exist today is not because of the networks.  It's because of the admin and coaches.   You have competing drives for money here.   Media deals give money, but winning gives more money.   If the ACC goes to 12 P4 games, their contract will grow with ESPN, but teams like VTech will have more losses.   Tech is a good football school when it's on its game, but it's not Tennessee or Alabama or Georgia around it.    Those teams are built to play 12 and end up with 10 wins still.  Tech may go 6-6.    Wallowing in mediocrity with a higher media contract doesn't pay the same as generating lots of wins on a lower one.   The PR value alone outstrips it for a university in increased enrollment or added season ticket holders, or being on more T1 games than you are when you're losing.   That builds casual fans if you can do it over time.   So, the ADs and coaches want those free 3-4 wins, because 6 is the minimum to even be talked about, 8 gets you in the realm of mattering, and 10 wins over time and you're a media darling.

Wins matter above all else.

 

Well the primary beneficiaries are the ADs and coaches, who get to keep their jobs.

[bullet 1597]

On 10/16/2024 at 2:23 PM, The Hot Dog Buffet said:

Every P4 school tries to get 7 or 8 home games on a 12 game schedule. Having 2 nonconference games against legitimate programs every season is a nonstarter for schools that can't buy out return trips to G5 schools for that reason. 

Michigan and a few others are the only ones with 8.  Texas has the OU game, so often has only 6.

[bullet 1597]

On 10/17/2024 at 9:14 AM, Hurtlocker said:

This is the part I actually detest about this the most.   The vast majority of these teams have no business being paired up on the field together.   That's not to say none, but a lot of these FCS teams don't have the depth to run with a bad A4 program, let alone a big brand or $200m SEC school.   So these FCS schools are raising cash for their athletic departments by basically tossing athletes out in front of a moving bus and collecting the insurance money.

 

And they do get injuries. 

Its not uncommon for these games to be shortened.  Georgia played Samford a couple years back and shortened the 2nd half to 10 minute quarters.  And Samford didn't lose any other game until the FCS playoffs.  They were a good FCS team.  And probably only got scheduled because the coach was the first one to hire Kirby Smart.  But Georgia does FCS schools every year.  Of course, kickoffs are dangerous, but a Southern U. player got paralyzed in a game against UGA a dozen years or so ago.

You don't see any 6A schools scheduling 4A schools. 

[Texas Wahoo 3397]

Grand Canyon is really using that online for-profit university money to increase their athletic standing recently.  

 

 

[notre dame joe 187]

14 hours ago, Texas Wahoo said:

Grand Canyon is really using that online for-profit university money to increase their athletic standing recently.  

 

 

That would make for some fun times with ASU. 

[Texas Wahoo 3397]

 

 

[TKthunder2 4992]

Grand Canyon officially joining MWC.

https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/grand-canyon-joining-mountain-west-wont-play-in-west-coast-conference-after-accepting-invitation/amp/
 

Quote

Grand Canyon is joining the Mountain West by 2026 and spurning its previous commitment to the West Coast Conference, the university announced Friday. The move comes just months after GCU accepted an invitation from the WCC and announced it would be leaving the WAC in 2025.

Though the Mountain West announced that the move will become effective by 2026, Grand Canyon said it could join as early as 2025 "if permitted under the conference's bylaws." In its announcement of the move, Grand Canyon clarified that it will not compete in the WCC.

"In joining the Mountain West Conference, GCU has formally declined an invitation from the West Coast Conference that would have seen the Lopes become WCC members on July 1, 2025," read Grand Canyon's announcement

 

[BurntOrange&White 39934]

 

[notre dame joe 187]

On 10/25/2024 at 11:36 AM, Texas Wahoo said:

 

That's fitting as GCU stands for, Ghosted- C U. 

 

[Al_4_ISU 12464]

1 hour ago, BurntOrange&White said:

 

These types of accounts ruin social media

[notre dame joe 187]

12 hours ago, Al_4_ISU said:

These types of accounts ruin social media

I just noticed the spelling of the account.

[DFW Horn 6124]

On 11/2/2024 at 7:02 AM, BurntOrange&White said:

 

If any school has top-shelf lawyers and an IDGAF attitude, it's SMU

They are ACC members who aren't even getting a cut of TV money for how long? 7 years? Fuck 'em all...

* I just noticed the handle on that X account. Furk

Edited November 3 by DFW Horn

['stache 21817]

GCU gives me the creeps, almost as much as Liberty. For-profit college with the vast majority of its massive enrollment online. Is it the only for-profit college fielding Division 1 sports? Definitely the only in FBS, right?

[Al_4_ISU 12464]

Is Liberty a not for-profit?

['stache 21817]

15 minutes ago, Al_4_ISU said:

Is Liberty a not for-profit?

Yes but they also have over 100k online students. 
 

Edited November 4 by 'stache

[thunderlounge 7849]

[0xdeadbeef 1651]

Of all the reasons to not like a University in 2024, the fact that they offer online degrees probably shouldn't be one of them. Glass houses and all. UT only has a small number of MS degree programs online at this time, and I wouldn't ever expect Texas to offer all-online undergrad degrees, but the trend is growing, everywhere. 

 

[TrashMaster G 17558]

53 minutes ago, 0xdeadbeef said:

Of all the reasons to not like a University in 2024, the fact that they offer online degrees probably shouldn't be one of them. Glass houses and all. UT only has a small number of MS degree programs online at this time, and I wouldn't ever expect Texas to offer all-online undergrad degrees, but the trend is growing, everywhere. 

 

I'm not sure that people dislike those universities, necessarily. It's just more than a little odd to have a largely virtual university with a limited brick and mortar presence be a part of something as tradition-bound as college football.

['stache 21817]

4 hours ago, 0xdeadbeef said:

Of all the reasons to not like a University in 2024, the fact that they offer online degrees probably shouldn't be one of them. Glass houses and all. UT only has a small number of MS degree programs online at this time, and I wouldn't ever expect Texas to offer all-online undergrad degrees, but the trend is growing, everywhere. 

 

I don't care that schools offer online course, my wife has shored up some credits online from OSU. It's that they are primarily online schools, and for GCU, it's for-profit, which is just scummy af. Liberty is non profit but makes up for it with creepy evangelical crap.

[bullet 1597]

On 11/4/2024 at 6:40 PM, 'stache said:

I don't care that schools offer online course, my wife has shored up some credits online from OSU. It's that they are primarily online schools, and for GCU, it's for-profit, which is just scummy af. Liberty is non profit but makes up for it with creepy evangelical crap.

 

On 11/4/2024 at 6:40 PM, 'stache said:

I don't care that schools offer online course, my wife has shored up some credits online from OSU. It's that they are primarily online schools, and for GCU, it's for-profit, which is just scummy af. Liberty is non profit but makes up for it with creepy evangelical crap.

I'd save "creepy" for Penn St. and that guy at Michigan St.

[Francisco 2.0 32395]

Today we learned that NBC's legal counsel might not have been paying attention during their contract talks with the Big 10.  Also, NBC still has not signed their contracts:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/11/22/big-ten-football-noon-kickoffs/

 

Quote

t wasn’t even 9 on Saturday morning, but Matt Chmielewski was outside his Airbnb, a few blocks from Wrigley Field, choking down Wild Turkey from a paper cup. The folding table next to him was surrounded by friends and adorned with mimosas. Their shelf life was waning: Kickoff was two hours away.

Chmielewski had driven in from “Ichigan” — a true Buckeye won’t say his rival’s full name — for that day’s Ohio State-Northwestern game, which kicked off at 11 at the classic MLB park. To be game ready (read: a few drinks deep), he and the other scarlet-clad fans had to be up early.

“It’s a little much,” he said through a post-swig grimace.

 

Quote

Ohio State fans filled Wrigley, and their team shellacked Northwestern, 31-7, setting up a matchup against No. 5 Indiana this weekend. But to the chagrin of some fans, that game, too, will be a noon Eastern time start — the Buckeyes’ fifth straight. They play Michigan the following weekend at noon, bringing Ohio State’s number of midday kickoffs to seven this season. All the noon games are on Fox or Big Ten Network, which is controlled by Fox.

A fan standing near Chmielewski had a question: “How about a prime-time game!?” The Buckeyes have played only one at home against lowly Western Michigan.

Fans of Penn State, whose usual “white-out” game against Ohio State was played at noon, have also complained, even crowding around ESPN’s Saturday pregame show to chant expletives about the noon starts.

 

Quote

Is all of this an overreaction? Probably. Ohio State’s early-bird schedule is, in part, a quirk of this particular season. Michigan played six noon games last season. But it’s also a window into the world of big-money college football, with its silos of power, rabid fans and TV partners jostling for the best matchups. And it’s a testament to the uniqueness of the Big Ten’s TV deal, which is unlike any in the history of sports TV.

The game, branded as “Big Noon,” was conceived of in 2019, when Fox was having trouble competing with the best SEC games on Saturday afternoons and evenings. It worked: The earlier kickoffs have been hugely successful for Fox, delivering the highest-watched college football window each of the past three seasons.

 

Spoiler

With the help of those big noon ratings, the Big Ten cashed in with record-setting contracts with Fox, CBS and NBC. The seven-year deal, whose structure fully kicked in this season, will net the conference an average of more than $1 billion a year, even more than the SEC collects from ESPN ($700 million). By the end of the deal, Big Ten schools will be earning around $90 million each annually.

With 18 teams, three media companies and billions of dollars involved, the new deal makes scheduling more complicated — and scrutinized — than ever.

In the Big Ten’s old deal, Fox and ESPN split the TV package and held a draft each spring, taking turns picking the games they thought would draw the most viewers. (Technically, the networks select dates and not specific games.)

This year, the three companies drafted, placing games into their usual time slots: Fox at noon, CBS in the afternoon and NBC in prime time.

Fox owns the first three picks of the draft each year and landed the date for the Ohio-State Michigan game first. It avoided the West Coast schools — Oregon, Washington, UCLA and USC — that joined the Big Ten this season because they don’t play 9 a.m. local games. Fox has selected an Ohio State game with a top pick four times; other games have fallen to the noon slot after other networks made picks.

“Fox is going to put their best chance at a rating in that window,” said Bob Thompson, a co-founder of the Big Ten Network. “They’re doing what’s in their rights in that contract.”

The Big Ten has also never played many night games, in part because of the harsh Midwest winters, though TV partners have asked. The Big Ten Network proposed schools play in nearby domed NFL stadiums; ESPN tried, too. Both were rebuffed. (Schools had some veto rights in the previous broadcast deal for night games that varied by school and were focused on the final weeks of the season.)

Ohio State’s fans’ pleas have resonated loudly in at least one place: NBC headquarters. In the previous deal, ESPN could always air another conference or put a game in a different window, but NBC has only the Big Ten night window. The New York Post reported that Michigan and Ohio State can veto any night games after the first week of November and that Michigan will play only two night games per season. Other schools committed to different limits on prime-time games, according to people familiar with the deals.

NBC has expressed its frustrations to numerous stakeholders around the conference, according to people with knowledge of the conversations, suggesting that the network did not understand the full extent of the prime-time restrictions. The network has argued that it was informed of the full night game veto rights (and they were expanded from the Big Ten’s previous agreements) only after the term sheets for the deals were agreed to and announced, according to multiple people familiar with the deals.

According to multiple people with knowledge of the deal, the long-form contracts, theoretically with all the gory details worked out, remain unsigned today. (This is not without precedent in sports TV, but it does lend itself to more haggling among parties.)

The other defining feature of the Big Ten contract is how much control Fox has. Fox launched the Big Ten Network in partnership with the conference in 2007 and owns around two-thirds of it today. A decade later, Fox, at least partly through the Big Ten Network, purchased the rights to Big Ten football games for more than a decade. NBC and CBS are actually sublicensing their games, and Fox is collecting a percentage of the rights fees paid by those two companies. According to multiple people, CBS and NBC are paying around $350 million a year for their portions of the deal. All of which explains why Fox gets so many of those early schedule draft picks.

All of the networks declined to comment.

“We’re looking for the right balance: fan experience, TV,” Kerry Kenny, the Big Ten’s chief operating officer, said in an interview. “Sometimes you get the perfect blend. But sometimes you hope over the term of the TV contract you get it, even if it’s not as balanced for one year.”

He declined to say what night game rules exist for different Big Ten teams, adding that the conference was pleased with its relationship with all its broadcast partners.

Jerry Emig, Ohio State’s associate athletic director for communication, wrote in an email: “We’re part of the Big Ten Conference, which has a landmark television rights deal with four networks with FOX the lead network. We’re highly ranked. We win a lot of games. We get great ratings. We understand why FOX selects a lot of Buckeye weekends.” (Ohio State declined to share its night game restrictions. Former Athletic Director Gene Smith said last year he did not like to play late season night games at home.)

Yet, fans and local journalists have for weeks peppered Ohio State’s athletic department with questions about the early starts. Fans at Wrigley had a grievance for every swig: A season’s parking pass costs thousands of dollars, yet fans have gotten only one full day of tailgating. Others just wanted more variety. Some were convinced the Buckeyes’ home-field advantage has been undercut by early games, since fans are less rowdy. (The Buckeyes are 14-2 in noon homes games over the last six seasons, according to the athletic department.)

Several fans even said they had heard top recruits couldn’t attend home games because they couldn’t travel for early starts. “The takeaway is that college football fans are crazy and Ohio State is in the top 5 percent of that,” said Ramzy Nasrallah, the executive editor of Eleven Warriors, a website that covers the Buckeyes.

Head coach Ryan Day says he has other things to worry about. (Coaches, in general, tend to prefer day games because it makes travel easier.) Some players said they like the early starts. Surely there are fans who don’t want to sit in the cold in Columbus at night in November, and police officers who prefer dealing with drunk fans by daylight.

There is no doubt, however, that whenever and wherever Ohio State plays, the fans will be there.

“It’s killing my body to be drinking this early every week,” said an Ohio State student named Lauren outside Wrigley who declined to give her last name. “I’ve had an ear infection for two weeks!”

 

[Hurtlocker 2212]

6 hours ago, Francisco 2.0 said:

Today we learned that NBC's legal counsel might not have been paying attention during their contract talks with the Big 10.  Also, NBC still has not signed their contracts:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/11/22/big-ten-football-noon-kickoffs/

 

 

 

 

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With the help of those big noon ratings, the Big Ten cashed in with record-setting contracts with Fox, CBS and NBC. The seven-year deal, whose structure fully kicked in this season, will net the conference an average of more than $1 billion a year, even more than the SEC collects from ESPN ($700 million). By the end of the deal, Big Ten schools will be earning around $90 million each annually.

With 18 teams, three media companies and billions of dollars involved, the new deal makes scheduling more complicated — and scrutinized — than ever.

In the Big Ten’s old deal, Fox and ESPN split the TV package and held a draft each spring, taking turns picking the games they thought would draw the most viewers. (Technically, the networks select dates and not specific games.)

This year, the three companies drafted, placing games into their usual time slots: Fox at noon, CBS in the afternoon and NBC in prime time.

Fox owns the first three picks of the draft each year and landed the date for the Ohio-State Michigan game first. It avoided the West Coast schools — Oregon, Washington, UCLA and USC — that joined the Big Ten this season because they don’t play 9 a.m. local games. Fox has selected an Ohio State game with a top pick four times; other games have fallen to the noon slot after other networks made picks.

“Fox is going to put their best chance at a rating in that window,” said Bob Thompson, a co-founder of the Big Ten Network. “They’re doing what’s in their rights in that contract.”

The Big Ten has also never played many night games, in part because of the harsh Midwest winters, though TV partners have asked. The Big Ten Network proposed schools play in nearby domed NFL stadiums; ESPN tried, too. Both were rebuffed. (Schools had some veto rights in the previous broadcast deal for night games that varied by school and were focused on the final weeks of the season.)

Ohio State’s fans’ pleas have resonated loudly in at least one place: NBC headquarters. In the previous deal, ESPN could always air another conference or put a game in a different window, but NBC has only the Big Ten night window. The New York Post reported that Michigan and Ohio State can veto any night games after the first week of November and that Michigan will play only two night games per season. Other schools committed to different limits on prime-time games, according to people familiar with the deals.

NBC has expressed its frustrations to numerous stakeholders around the conference, according to people with knowledge of the conversations, suggesting that the network did not understand the full extent of the prime-time restrictions. The network has argued that it was informed of the full night game veto rights (and they were expanded from the Big Ten’s previous agreements) only after the term sheets for the deals were agreed to and announced, according to multiple people familiar with the deals.

According to multiple people with knowledge of the deal, the long-form contracts, theoretically with all the gory details worked out, remain unsigned today. (This is not without precedent in sports TV, but it does lend itself to more haggling among parties.)

The other defining feature of the Big Ten contract is how much control Fox has. Fox launched the Big Ten Network in partnership with the conference in 2007 and owns around two-thirds of it today. A decade later, Fox, at least partly through the Big Ten Network, purchased the rights to Big Ten football games for more than a decade. NBC and CBS are actually sublicensing their games, and Fox is collecting a percentage of the rights fees paid by those two companies. According to multiple people, CBS and NBC are paying around $350 million a year for their portions of the deal. All of which explains why Fox gets so many of those early schedule draft picks.

All of the networks declined to comment.

“We’re looking for the right balance: fan experience, TV,” Kerry Kenny, the Big Ten’s chief operating officer, said in an interview. “Sometimes you get the perfect blend. But sometimes you hope over the term of the TV contract you get it, even if it’s not as balanced for one year.”

He declined to say what night game rules exist for different Big Ten teams, adding that the conference was pleased with its relationship with all its broadcast partners.

Jerry Emig, Ohio State’s associate athletic director for communication, wrote in an email: “We’re part of the Big Ten Conference, which has a landmark television rights deal with four networks with FOX the lead network. We’re highly ranked. We win a lot of games. We get great ratings. We understand why FOX selects a lot of Buckeye weekends.” (Ohio State declined to share its night game restrictions. Former Athletic Director Gene Smith said last year he did not like to play late season night games at home.)

Yet, fans and local journalists have for weeks peppered Ohio State’s athletic department with questions about the early starts. Fans at Wrigley had a grievance for every swig: A season’s parking pass costs thousands of dollars, yet fans have gotten only one full day of tailgating. Others just wanted more variety. Some were convinced the Buckeyes’ home-field advantage has been undercut by early games, since fans are less rowdy. (The Buckeyes are 14-2 in noon homes games over the last six seasons, according to the athletic department.)

Several fans even said they had heard top recruits couldn’t attend home games because they couldn’t travel for early starts. “The takeaway is that college football fans are crazy and Ohio State is in the top 5 percent of that,” said Ramzy Nasrallah, the executive editor of Eleven Warriors, a website that covers the Buckeyes.

Head coach Ryan Day says he has other things to worry about. (Coaches, in general, tend to prefer day games because it makes travel easier.) Some players said they like the early starts. Surely there are fans who don’t want to sit in the cold in Columbus at night in November, and police officers who prefer dealing with drunk fans by daylight.

There is no doubt, however, that whenever and wherever Ohio State plays, the fans will be there.

“It’s killing my body to be drinking this early every week,” said an Ohio State student named Lauren outside Wrigley who declined to give her last name. “I’ve had an ear infection for two weeks!”

 

Been saying this for years, that noon slot is prime airtime, likely eclipsing the 3:30 slot and rivaling prime time now.   Fox brands the everloving shit out of it and it gets gigantic ratings.   Oklahoma hated that Fox did it and now the powers in the B1G do, but, unlike with the B12, FOX owns the B1G, they can't do shit.

[notre dame joe 187]

On 11/4/2024 at 8:51 AM, 'stache said:

GCU gives me the creeps, almost as much as Liberty. For-profit college with the vast majority of its massive enrollment online. Is it the only for-profit college fielding Division 1 sports? Definitely the only in FBS, right?

Are you fine with those "non-profit" schools that have multi-billion dollar endowment coffers? Don't worry about it.  That profit status is a decision made by their financial guys and GCU has changed it before. 

[Hurtlocker 2212]

Yeah no one seems upset Arizona State has a total enrollment of 182k.

[closetohumping 17442]

On 11/2/2024 at 5:02 AM, BurntOrange&White said:

 

lol the fucking nerve.  Go back to the wac

['stache 21817]

15 hours ago, Hurtlocker said:

Been saying this for years, that noon slot is prime airtime, likely eclipsing the 3:30 slot and rivaling prime time now.   Fox brands the everloving shit out of it and it gets gigantic ratings.   Oklahoma hated that Fox did it and now the powers in the B1G do, but, unlike with the B12, FOX owns the B1G, they can't do shit.

Pay us 80 billion in tv dollars but don’t dare make us play during the most lucrative tv time slot. Fuck them and fuck this whole system.