Realignment talk not going away

[Sandman 3,402]

4 hours ago, camel at sea said:

as Texans and Okies watch college football, the viewership for the new Big 12 will be pretty good

Every shit-eating ou fan I know likes to drop the old "Ah alwayz root fer OSU when they ain't playin' Oh-Yew!" any time bedlam comes up in discussion. So I guess that means we're bound for huge Neilson numbers. Or whatever they use now.

[Okie State 3,788]

Every shit-eating ou fan I know likes to drop the old "Ah alwayz root fer OSU when they ain't playin' Oh-Yew!" any time bedlam comes up in discussion. So I guess that means we're bound for huge Neilson numbers. Or whatever they use now.

And yet every single article posted online is full of unsolicited OU fans talking shit. Weird.

[CustersDoctor 584]

On 6/9/2023 at 12:53 PM, TKthunder2 said:

Which linear partner is going to carry 60% of their content?

The PAC12 has lived with a lousy linear to streaming ratio for six years. Literally a third of their content is buried on the PAC12 network. During the non conference part of the season the ratio is really bad. Last season 15 of the first 32 PAC12 games were streamed. Soooo, by staying at 10 teams, the PACX will get just enough linear coverage to have THREE games a week on linear During conference play. That gives them ratio of 3 linear to 2 streaming, when it has been 4 to 2. Surely they can get Thursday night game, a Saturday matinee, and the Saturday late night slot on linear. If they can pull this off they'll have 60% linear ratio and prolly a 6 year 1.8 billion dollar deal that pays 30mill a year per school and no expansion.

[FartingDreamer 138]

5 hours ago, tonedeaf said:

I can't figure out how anyone thinks the B12 is worth 50m per school minus TX-ou.  I don't see the value.  I don't see the conference as being all that stable.  Who are the big names? BYU, WV, UCF will be logging lots of miles.  I see lots of empty seats.   Just my thoughts.  

Tell us you are trolling without telling us you are trolling.... BYU and WVU are big names and the parity and competitiveness of this conference will draw ratings, which will generate the value needed for that level of revenue.  The Big 12 will be fine as the 3rd Power Conference (if it even comes to less then a P5).

[TKthunder2 4,980]

52 minutes ago, FartingDreamer said:

Tell us you are trolling without telling us you are trolling.... BYU and WVU are big names and the parity and competitiveness of this conference will draw ratings, which will generate the value needed for that level of revenue.  The Big 12 will be fine as the 3rd Power Conference (if it even comes to less then a P5).

If you take the new 69 P5 schools and divided them in 3rds, you have 23 big names, 23 medium names, and 23 small names.

BYU and WVU would not be classified as big names.

If you are looking at all of DI then sure, but we’re not talking about basketball, we’re talking about big time football.

I agree the Big 12 will be fine, no need to exaggerate… 

[Deej 76,566]

3 hours ago, Okie State said:

3 hours ago, Sandman said:

Every shit-eating ou fan I know likes to drop the old "Ah alwayz root fer OSU when they ain't playin' Oh-Yew!" any time bedlam comes up in discussion. So I guess that means we're bound for huge Neilson numbers. Or whatever they use now.

And yet every single article posted online is full of unsolicited OU fans talking shit. Weird.

And they are talking through that meth-induced teeth grinding. 

So annoying. 

[FartingDreamer 138]

2 hours ago, TKthunder2 said:

If you take the new 69 P5 schools and divided them in 3rds, you have 23 big names, 23 medium names, and 23 small names.

BYU and WVU would not be classified as big names.

If you are looking at all of DI then sure, but we’re not talking about basketball, we’re talking about big time football.

I agree the Big 12 will be fine, no need to exaggerate… 

With all due respect you are quite wrong about BYU and WVU.  BYU is a Top 40 brand with a built-in national base and WVU is a Teir 3 brand as well.

Edited June 11, 2023 by FartingDreamer

[Magus Ossis 2,784]

2 hours ago, TKthunder2 said:

If you take the new 69 P5 schools and divided them in 3rds, you have 23 big names, 23 medium names, and 23 small names.

BYU and WVU would not be classified as big names.

If you are looking at all of DI then sure, but we’re not talking about basketball, we’re talking about big time football.

I agree the Big 12 will be fine, no need to exaggerate… 

 

15 minutes ago, FartingDreamer said:

With all due respect you are quite wrong about BYU and WVU.  BYU is a Top 40 brand with a built-in national base and WVU is a Teir 3 brand as well.

Do you see how your rebuttal falls just short?

[FartingDreamer 138]

How?

[Hurtlocker 2,208]

4 hours ago, CustersDoctor said:

The PAC12 has lived with a lousy linear to streaming ratio for six years. Literally a third of their content is buried on the PAC12 network. During the non conference part of the season the ratio is really bad. Last season 15 of the first 32 PAC12 games were streamed. Soooo, by staying at 10 teams, the PACX will get just enough linear coverage to have THREE games a week on linear During conference play. That gives them ratio of 3 linear to 2 streaming, when it has been 4 to 2. Surely they can get Thursday night game, a Saturday matinee, and the Saturday late night slot on linear. If they can pull this off they'll have 60% linear ratio and prolly a 6 year 1.8 billion dollar deal that pays 30mill a year per school and no expansion.

Zero chance of this happening - that would be 86% of their games on linear.   The B12 could do that because they had no conference network - FS1 was basically that.   The Pac needs to feed the PACN beast, even if the beast isn't on TV anywhere.

[trza-hawk 269]

"It beats slumming in the Big 10 West"

 

[billfromlaketravis 11,359]

43 minutes ago, trza-hawk said:

"It beats slumming in the Big 10 West"

 

These people are unhinged. Their annual TV money will be around $100 million and the largest city in the state is well below 500k. 

[FartingDreamer 138]

15 hours ago, TKthunder2 said:

If you take the new 69 P5 schools and divided them in 3rds, you have 23 big names, 23 medium names, and 23 small names.

BYU and WVU would not be classified as big names.

If you are looking at all of DI then sure, but we’re not talking about basketball, we’re talking about big time football.

I agree the Big 12 will be fine, no need to exaggerate… 

Fair enough.   (Sorry, I was drunk.)

[mdmost 42,865]

1 hour ago, trza-hawk said:

"It beats slumming in the Big 10 West"

 

Ah yes, slumming in a division you've never won. 

[billfromlaketravis 11,359]

15 hours ago, TKthunder2 said:

If you take the new 69 P5 schools and divided them in 3rds, you have 23 big names, 23 medium names, and 23 small names.

BYU and WVU would not be classified as big names.

If you are looking at all of DI then sure, but we’re not talking about basketball, we’re talking about big time football.

I agree the Big 12 will be fine, no need to exaggerate… 

Are you sure it's 23 big names? 

Off the top of my head : 

West Coast - USC

Midwest - Ohio State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Nebraska 

Southwest - Texas and OU 

South - Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Auburn, Tennessee, LSU, Clemson, Florida State, Miami 

Northeast - Penn State 

[Uncle Nate 2,097]

1 hour ago, FartingDreamer said:

   (Sorry, I was drunk.)

I’ll take “Things I don’t expect to hear from a BYU fan” for $1000, Alec. 

[bullet 1,596]

https://tucson.com/sports/pac-12-hotline/pac-12-mailbag-the-importance-of-the-oregon-washington-game-colorado-smoke-and-more/article_cbe57f02-0758-11ee-9cf4-030499842075.html

Wilner not so much rainbows and unicorns:

"...Wilner: Two things can be equally true and, in the Hotline’s opinion, are equally true:

Colorado, Utah, Arizona and ASU much prefer to remain in the Pac-12.

The four schools must perform their due diligence and keep their options open in case Commissioner George Kliavkoff presents an untenable media rights deal.

We have no doubt the Buffaloes have met with Big 12 representatives. In that regard, the media narrative is more than smoke.

 

But meeting with Big 12 representatives and preferring the Big 12 are two different things. From that standpoint, much of what you hear and read is smoke.

 

 

Chancellor Phil DiStefano said earlier this spring that he was content to wait for Kliavkoff to present the schools with an offer. We have no reason to believe his view has changed.

If the offer is reasonable, the Buffaloes will remain in the conference. If not, they will leave. And that’s true for other schools, as well.

The Hotline continues to expect a reasonable offer.

That said, nothing is certain until the schools sign on the bottom line...."

[Hurtlocker 2,208]

2 hours ago, billfromlaketravis said:

These people are unhinged. Their annual TV money will be around $100 million and the largest city in the state is well below 500k. 

Third largest city in the state is Husker Stadium on game day

[FartingDreamer 138]

55 minutes ago, Uncle Nate said:

I’ll take “Things I don’t expect to hear from a BYU fan” for $1000, Alec. 

......and I'll take "Things I never thought I'd  ever say" for $500."

Edited June 11, 2023 by FartingDreamer

[Uncle Nate 2,097]

1 hour ago, bullet said:

https://tucson.com/sports/pac-12-hotline/pac-12-mailbag-the-importance-of-the-oregon-washington-game-colorado-smoke-and-more/article_cbe57f02-0758-11ee-9cf4-030499842075.html

Wilner not so much rainbows and unicorns:

"...Wilner: Two things can be equally true and, in the Hotline’s opinion, are equally true:

Colorado, Utah, Arizona and ASU much prefer to remain in the Pac-12.

The four schools must perform their due diligence and keep their options open in case Commissioner George Kliavkoff presents an untenable media rights deal.

We have no doubt the Buffaloes have met with Big 12 representatives. In that regard, the media narrative is more than smoke.

 

But meeting with Big 12 representatives and preferring the Big 12 are two different things. From that standpoint, much of what you hear and read is smoke.

 

 

Chancellor Phil DiStefano said earlier this spring that he was content to wait for Kliavkoff to present the schools with an offer. We have no reason to believe his view has changed.

If the offer is reasonable, the Buffaloes will remain in the conference. If not, they will leave. And that’s true for other schools, as well.

The Hotline continues to expect a reasonable offer.

That said, nothing is certain until the schools sign on the bottom line...."

What a putz. 
 

For months his line has been that no schools would leave the PAC 12 for the Big 12. 
 

Now it’s, well they may leave, but they don’t want to. 
 

Asshole. 

[TKthunder2 4,980]

4 hours ago, billfromlaketravis said:

Are you sure it's 23 big names? 

Off the top of my head : 

West Coast - USC

Midwest - Ohio State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Nebraska 

Southwest - Texas and OU 

South - Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Auburn, Tennessee, LSU, Clemson, Florida State, Miami 

Northeast - Penn State 

It was a generous division on my part (mostly because the math was easy) but keeping with the theme you could add a few borderline teams like Washington, Oregon, Wisconsin, Michigan State to round out the numbers.

If you divide by 4 to have big, medium large, medium small, small, you’d have around 17 in each category which would pretty much lines up with your list for the big names.

[billfromlaketravis 11,359]

4 hours ago, TKthunder2 said:

It was a generous division on my part (mostly because the math was easy) but keeping with the theme you could add a few borderline teams like Washington, Oregon, Wisconsin, Michigan State to round out the numbers.

If you divide by 4 to have big, medium large, medium small, small, you’d have around 17 in each category which would pretty much lines up with your list for the big names.

Yeah I’d be hard pressed to put any of those 4 in the blue blood category. U Dub is a damn good team and should have a pretty good look at the CFP this season. 

[Crockett 488]

9 hours ago, Uncle Nate said:

I’ll take “Things I don’t expect to hear from a BYU fan” for $1000, Alec. 

[billfromlaketravis 11,359]

3 minutes ago, Crockett said:

Miller Sharp’s confirmed. 

Serious question, if you’re a raging alcoholic like FartingDreamer do they let you in temple? Or does the Howard Hughes’s Mormon Mafia escort you out?

[FartingDreamer 138]

They wouldn't encourage you to attend the temple yet, but  rather the LDS church does have an addiction recovery program similar to the 12-step program that they would encourage you to attend first to get the addiction out of the way prior to attending the temple.

Edited June 12, 2023 by FartingDreamer

[CustersDoctor 584]

On 6/10/2023 at 11:12 PM, Hurtlocker said:

Zero chance of this happening - that would be 86% of their games on linear.   The B12 could do that because they had no conference network - FS1 was basically that.   The Pac needs to feed the PACN beast, even if the beast isn't on TV anywhere.

3 games on linear & 2 on streaming will be 60% linear vs 40% streaming.

[Hurtlocker 2,208]

1 minute ago, CustersDoctor said:

3 games on linear & 2 on streaming will be 60% linear vs 40% streaming.

They only have 45 conference games, 3 games a week for 13-15 weeks is 39-45 games.   60% linear is 27 games, which is 2/week.

 

[Earl Haffler 584]

BYU is one of the top programs in the country.  Right behind Baylor and ahead of Vandy.

Source:  WSJ  https://graphics.wsj.com/table/NCAA_2019

RANK	SCHOOL	REVENUES ($)	2018 VALUE ($)	2017 VALUE ($)
1	Texas	163,928,296	1,105,493,378	1,243,124,000
2	Ohio State	136,574,384	1,048,166,317	1,510,482,000
3	Alabama	140,831,439	1,009,903,620	930,001,000
4	Michigan	133,665,548	924,625,003	892,951,000
5	Notre Dame	118,740,294	913,401,562	856,938,000
6	Georgia	138,088,467	891,099,506	822,310,000
7	Oklahoma	126,416,865	885,558,053	1,001,967,000
8	Auburn	128,960,499	871,907,615	724,191,000
9	LSU	122,703,938	852,445,897	910,927,000
10	Tennessee	113,766,836	727,849,384	745,640,000
11	Florida	117,963,328	634,885,946	682,031,000
12	Texas A & M	101,114,415	540,883,003	522,863,000
13	Penn State	103,736,242	518,754,453	549,497,000
14	Wisconsin	88,713,614	474,552,451	439,379,000
15	Nebraska	93,990,274	471,585,561	507,679,000
16	Arkansas	99,599,352	462,727,317	456,153,000
17	South Carolina	101,297,652	460,753,199	484,757,000
18	Iowa	100,040,046	458,973,690	483,564,000
19	Washington	102,248,826	440,821,919	434,313,000
20	Michigan State	75,674,898	354,160,110	336,794,000
21	Oregon	81,953,780	348,920,032	368,529,000
22	Mississippi	78,736,032	341,560,846	330,503,000
23	Southern California	74,174,551	326,021,581	324,195,000
24	UCLA	64,845,985	302,006,607	314,436,000
25	Arizona State	70,375,000	300,826,000	315,412,000
26	Clemson	72,218,581	298,051,865	328,411,000
27	Florida State	94,597,591	289,776,745	385,339,000
28	Virginia Tech	65,851,157	278,315,358	269,883,000
29	Kansas State	68,787,446	277,146,330	277,203,000
30	Oklahoma State	63,909,363	270,953,731	285,293,000
31	Kentucky	66,574,141	270,898,513	287,589,000
32	Minnesota	73,576,081	269,798,883	260,264,000
33	Texas Tech	61,914,432	244,097,131	246,871,000
34	Stanford	68,340,862	232,872,852	225,479,000
35	Miss State	50,754,094	223,175,464	230,655,000
36	Georgia Tech	59,422,543	215,013,855	212,068,000
37	Utah	61,344,782	213,586,437	206,365,000
38	Colorado	72,425,832	208,242,792	203,533,000
39	Kansas	64,704,137	208,020,519	183,031,000
40	California Berkeley	61,566,987	198,881,848	220,017,000
41	Miami of Florida	47,820,654	193,474,341	254,502,000
42	Texas Christian	66,084,236	191,286,297	153,631,000
43	Iowa State	47,732,812	187,819,863	196,973,000
44	Indiana	61,193,975	181,988,355	178,168,000
45	Northwestern	58,545,202	179,637,659	163,315,000
46	North Carolina State	51,911,816	179,255,274	191,813,000
47	Louisville	58,011,677	175,765,264	160,899,000
48	Arizona	51,865,116	166,020,258	146,153,000
49	Illinois	52,784,303	156,797,041	143,318,000
50	North Carolina	50,024,180	155,246,919	147,179,000
51	Maryland	49,907,652	149,751,824	147,608,000
52	Wash State	51,125,157	142,466,371	142,052,000
53	Virginia	31,675,701	134,926,313	168,534,000
54	Purdue	55,132,293	134,004,805	135,021,000
55	Oregon State	48,212,470	127,555,982	144,713,000
56	Missouri	42,568,466	122,333,162	126,219,000
57	Syracuse	44,613,716	121,057,725	120,903,000
58	Pittsburgh	48,091,636	112,942,437	114,468,000
59	Baylor	50,465,954	105,708,897	103,591,000
60	BYU	32,704,695	93,302,419	98,924,000
61	Vanderbilt	36,915,107	81,494,539	73,991,000
62	Boston College	37,155,617	81,051,159	82,241,000
63	Boise State	27,172,138	78,823,574	77,981,000
64	Wake Forest	32,604,709	76,590,240	52,940,000
65	Central Florida	29,550,300	68,117,425	82,302,000
66	Duke	35,987,926	67,502,331	64,195,000
67	Rutgers	35,376,322	67,018,106	72,441,000
68	West Virginia	34,050,353	61,134,888	72,049,000
69	South Florida	24,026,107	58,188,736	70,189,000
70	Connecticut	32,695,983	56,065,312	59,776,000
71	UAB	28,840,003	49,527,523	N/A
72	Houston	22,613,559	41,385,725	41,386,000
73	Temple	25,992,000	40,668,751	40,669,000
74	Southern Methodist	21,848,464	36,047,017	36,047,000
75	Memphis	19,849,064	32,289,623	32,290,000
76	Wyoming	20,381,998	31,958,278	34,554,000
77	Cincinnati	21,140,792	30,230,291	30,230,000
78	Colorado State	20,588,154	29,387,009	30,221,000
79	East Carolina	18,270,690	28,407,940	28,408,000
80	San Diego State	19,148,065	27,715,793	27,716,000
81	Fresno State	18,658,904	26,465,123	29,325,000
82	North Texas	15,870,821	26,435,533	29,266,000
83	Hawaii	16,823,588	26,284,393	26,284,000
84	Florida International	16,435,347	23,269,107	24,145,000
85	UNLV	14,741,875	22,116,472	21,772,000
86	Ohio	14,749,167	22,081,346	22,302,000
87	Rice	15,429,983	21,452,498	21,453,000
88	Marshall	13,067,058	20,707,560	21,483,000
89	Akron	12,354,872	20,494,710	20,235,000
90	Middle Tennessee	13,572,649	19,288,110	19,322,000
91	Toledo	13,339,849	18,735,651	18,736,000
92	UTEP	12,808,393	18,701,471	19,344,000
93	Utah State	13,904,944	18,304,858	18,305,000
94	Nevada	14,023,542	17,477,801	17,478,000
95	Western Michigan	12,863,908	17,133,922	17,134,000
96	Western Kentucky	13,764,592	16,531,955	16,532,000
97	Buffalo	12,283,034	15,885,812	16,090,000
98	Northern Illinois	10,300,855	15,728,575	16,141,000
99	New Mexico	16,789,019	15,380,142	15,380,000
100	Troy	13,247,801	15,220,137	14,879,000

 

[PilotsError 2,282]

Jfc dude. 
 

 

[General Specific 3,233]

We’re laughing gif

[Vertigo 20,267]

I suppose that is better than being right in front of Baylor if you know what I mean.

[hook me 2,080]

On 6/10/2023 at 5:41 PM, camel at sea said:

OU was probably the one leading the SEC move initially.  OU's Tier 3 deal is the one that was up so they had the reason to start the rights talks.  OU was pissed at its old Tier 3 partner, FOX, over the constant 11 a.m. kickoffs.  Castiglione took a public shot at FOX when the '21 OU-NU kickoff time was announced.  OU had basically begged FOX behind the scenes not to choose that game for "Big Noon" or to kick it later, due to the alumni events associated with the 50th anniversary of the "Game of the Century."  FOX told OU to pound sand.  That was just the latest in a long list of OU grievance over that issue.  "Big Noon" did not exist when OU signed its deal with the Big 12, so the Big 12 and the media side were disingenuous when they kept slamming OU with the "you signed the deal" stuff.  I'd guess that when OU approached ESPN about Tier 3, the topic of switching leagues came up with it.  From there, OU calls UT and the two start making plans.  The SEC was the move that made the most sense, both for the recruiting benefits that would come with it, and the ease it would present for folding the LHN into the SECN.  I'm sure UT and OU both wanted to be in the room while the SEC hashed out its own NIL policy.  

OSU didn't pitch a big fit in the legislature b/c the Big 12 was given assurances by the media partners about its future pretty quickly, and before the situation could devolve in that direction.  ESPN/FOX both signed off on the 4 team expansion.  I assume that the 4 team expansion was done with some preliminary discussions over the terms of the next rights agreement, too.  

All in all, this is going to end up a great outcome for everyone.  A few Big 12 schools are going to win at a higher level than they ever have, play in better TV windows than they ever have, etc., while still making really good money.  UT and OU will be in a conference of peer athletic departments for the first time, ticket values will go up, donations will go up, etc.  

I thought the general consensus was that OU was lifting its skirt to all of the other P5 conferences & promised to bring little sister along if they needed another school to make it work but no one was interested in OU with OSU & they needed to get their hot friend UT to come with them in order to get the invite. Apparently UT preferred SEC sports over B1G academics & snow so they gave Sankey a call & said "we want to keep the RRS so OU gets to come & you have to publicly humiliate a&m if you want us" which Sankey gladly accepted.

[PilotsError 2,282]

The story that came out originally after the announcement was OU came to Texas and said "We're going to the SEC and you need to come with us."  Texas agreed and the rest is history.  

[Eugene11 375]

2 hours ago, hook me said:

I thought the general consensus was that OU was lifting its skirt to all of the other P5 conferences & promised to bring little sister along if they needed another school to make it work but no one was interested in OU with OSU & they needed to get their hot friend UT to come with them in order to get the invite. Apparently UT preferred SEC sports over B1G academics & snow so they gave Sankey a call & said "we want to keep the RRS so OU gets to come & you have to publicly humiliate a&m if you want us" which Sankey gladly accepted.

i'll be quoting this theory as the reason going forward forever and it will be truth. 

[billfromlaketravis 11,359]

Does OU have the minimum academics for the Big Ten? I always wondered why they were all SEC after the PAC 16 blew up. 

[statsman 5,425]

On 6/10/2023 at 6:41 PM, FartingDreamer said:

Tell us you are trolling without telling us you are trolling.... BYU and WVU are big names and the parity and competitiveness of this conference will draw ratings, which will generate the value needed for that level of revenue.  The Big 12 will be fine as the 3rd Power Conference (if it even comes to less then a P5).

? BYU a big name?

It appears that BYU finished ranked in the AP Top 5 twice, in its history. 
 
Really? You’re going with that, on a Texas board?

[statsman 5,425]

I was around some Sooner fans about four years ago. They were all telling me that the SEC badly wanted OU, but didn’t want Texas. The SEC fans o. The Sooner message boards told them that Texas was a bad co Terence mate, and the LHN made us poison. 
 
I wasn’t convinced- pretty sure we’d drop the LHN if it was in the way of what we wanted- but they were so sure they were right…

[Hurtlocker 2,208]

 

The latest we're hearing on Colorado, the Big 12 and all things realignment

Quote

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Colorado football program hasn't won a league title since 2001, sputtered to a 1-11 mark last season and has hibernated on the south side of mediocrity for the better part of two decades.

Despite that, Colorado has somehow managed to become the most compelling program in all of college athletics. Deion Sanders' arrival as head coach has coincided with the school positioning itself as a potential linchpin for the next round of conference realignment.

Keeping Up With Colorado has been the sport's smash hit of the offseason -- Louis Vuitton luggage coming in, waves of players heading out and school officials mulling a new conference partner. Welcome to the college football offseason in 2023 -- reality television plotlines becoming the industry's reality.

With the season's kickoff still nearly three months away, Colorado's conference affiliation has become the centerpiece of realignment speculation. Here in the dog days of June, the periscopes of paranoia from campuses and conference offices around the country are locked in on Boulder.

How will the Pac-12's impending TV deal impact Colorado and the Big 12? When will the SEC and Big Ten think about more expansion? And what's going on with the ACC? Here's a peek at some potential answers to realignment's biggest questions after talking to power brokers in all corners of the college sports industry.

What will Colorado do?

Here's the bottom line on Colorado. It has met with the Big 12. It has been in the Big 12 in a prior life, leaving after the 2010-11 season.

It remains improbable the Buffaloes leave for the Big 12 until the Pac-12 presidents get a firm sense of what their next television deal is going to look like. Colorado chancellor Phil DiStefano has said as much. However, sources told ESPN that Colorado's patience has waned, which prompted the in-person meeting with the Big 12 back in May.

Still, realignment decisions are made by university officials and boards, who are historically not as bold as Coach Prime. This is a legacy move for DiStefano and athletic director Rick George, as it impacts the whole university for the next generation. As Arizona president Bobby Robbins said in Washington, D.C., last week, Pac-12 schools are preparing to make decisions once the league delivers details on the TV contract. "I think it's going to be quick," Robbins said. "I really do."

When will those numbers come in?

The latest timeline for a deal came from Washington State president Kirk Schulz, who predicted by the end of June in a board meeting on Friday. Holding the Pac-12 to Schulz's date may be foolish, as it came in the context of him trying to get board approval for a budget, not a hard-and-fast deadline. The most realistic expectation for the Pac-12 remains later this summer.

The Pac-12 won't be blindsided if Colorado does end up leaving. It has been acknowledged around the league that the Buffaloes would be replaced by San Diego State, a quick solution that delivers a desirable market.

But it's also not as simple as plug and play, since the symbolism of Colorado leaving would likely mean more than the actual defection, leading to more departures and uncertainty.

Who else could end up jumping to the Big 12?

The prospect of Colorado leaving for the Big 12 is real enough that schools are already jockeying to see who could join them.

It is instructive that Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark denied meeting with Memphis about joining the conference but hasn't denied contact with Colorado and UConn. For now, the Memphis interest remains strongest on Memphis' side, as they are just part of the Big 12's whiteboard of potential additions.

Sources say the Big 12 has held an in-person visit with school officials at Colorado at a neutral site. And they've also had an on-campus visit to Connecticut. That UConn meeting has some predicting that if Colorado does jump to the Big 12, UConn is a top choice if none of the other Four Corner schools -- Arizona, Arizona State, Utah -- join the Buffaloes.

But there's also a notion bubbling up in the Big 12 that patience may be the most prudent option if Colorado ends up joining the league in the upcoming months. (This assumes no one else from the Pac-12 comes with them.)

The Big 12's main objective is fortifying the league with the best brands and markets to maximize revenue in the league's next television deal, which comes up after the 2030 football season. Could they see if some of the aggrieved ACC schools end up breaking away and attempt to poach some of the leftovers?

"There's a lot of unhappiness in the ACC right now," said a Big 12 source. "Why not see what happens with the Pac-12 and the ACC a little more before making any decisions?"

Every Pac-12 school with options has been exploring potential moves, as the league's protracted timeline for a TV deal has made it irresponsible for schools or their representatives not to pick up the phone and see what's out there.

If the Pac-12 numbers don't materialize by the time media days roll around in mid-July, perhaps schools will get a little more anxious. But for now, waiting and making other moves to maximize revenue -- like the recent Mexico initiative -- looks like the Big 12's short-term course of action.

Can the Pac-12 keep things together?

Yes, it can. The stakes here have been clear and haven't really changed since we visited this topic in March.

The future of the league rests on commissioner George Kliavkoff delivering a television deal and coinciding grant of rights that's flush with enough money to keep the league together. Nothing else matters.

Robbins, the University of Arizona president, said last week he's optimistic the league stays together. But call around to the traditional television partners and those in the industry who know where money flows, and there's still an aura of mystery to how the Pac-12 gets it done.

Until both the deal and grant of rights -- which ties each school's TV money to the conference for the duration of the deal -- are signed, uncertainty remains. Have-nots like Oregon State and Washington State remain hopeful. The schools with options to upgrade continue to explore them.

Robbins spoke extensively about Arizona and the other schools needing to see the numbers of the upcoming deal before any moves are made. "I've seen forecasts and projections," Robbins said. "I do think there's good data on what the Pac-12 is valued at. I've seen those numbers. If we get close to those numbers, I think we'll be fine."

Once the numbers arrive, schools still have to agree to their grant of rights for that amount and length of time. Robbins was cagey when asked about reports that the grant of rights have already been agreed to, saying essentially that the presidents need to see a deal. "Show me the data," he said. "We've got to see the data, and I think that's what everybody's waiting on. And it sounds like it's coming soon."

Per a source, the league has already decided if there's an early exit fee and what it would look like for any school attempting to leave the conference early. "It allows the league to move faster once the media partners are set to announce a deal," said a Pac-12 source of the early grant-of-rights discussions.

This shroud of uncertainty can all go away for the Pac-12 if the television deal has a numeric value and comparable reach to a deal like the Big 12's, which delivers about $31.7 million annually to each school.

Sign a comparable deal and this stretch of Pac-12 awkwardness, vulnerability and uncertainty becomes a distant memory. But no one is still quite sure where the money and exposure are coming from.

"Right now, everyone's dance card is pretty full," an industry source told ESPN this weekend.

Could North Carolina -- along with Virginia -- actually be the most intriguing ACC options in future expansion? 

When will the Big Ten or SEC be back in the realignment business?

The term Power Two is the most accurate way to describe the current college athletics landscape. As that moat increases between the Big Ten, SEC and everyone else, the plotting to get across the moat over the course of the next decade will dominate decision making.

While the Big Ten and SEC have both prided themselves on distinctly different league cultures, there's a turf war looming in the distance as big brands inevitably creep up to the Power Two: Who can land Virginia and North Carolina?

Both leagues are peering at each other from their respective league headquarters. Neither wants to be overtly destructive or accused of tortious interference. (That's legalese for prying a school out of a current contract, as the expiring deals of the Big 12 and Pac-12 allowed the marquee defections from there in recent years.)

But neither league wants to be a step behind the other. So they watch and wait.

This is what makes the prospect of landing North Carolina and Virginia integral in both leagues' down-the-road expansion plans. Outside of Notre Dame, there are no programs that will be as coveted by the SEC and Big Ten thanks to both geography and market.

To be clear, none of this is imminent. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said publicly last year that his league is happy to stay at 16 teams for now. The Big Ten has a new commissioner, Tony Petitti, and a current television deal to iron out. It's coming off league leaders shooting down a late push by Kevin Warren to bring in Oregon and Washington.

Meanwhile, all 14 ACC teams are tied to the league through a TV contract with ESPN that runs through 2036. And sources around the league are skeptical of an imminent breakaway attempt. It's just too complicated, given the legal and financial questions.

It's important to remember that expansion desirability does not directly correlate to football success, which is why there may be smoke coming out of Clemson's fans' ears reading this. Florida State and Miami, too. Think about the additions of Texas A&M and Missouri to the SEC or Rutgers and Maryland to the Big Ten, none of which has won a league football title since arriving.

North Carolina and Virginia mark a geographic, population and recruiting battleground for the SEC and Big Ten. They are desirable media markets and could help with student recruiting, as they are the No. 9 (North Carolina) and No. 12 (Virginia) most populous states in the country.

Both North Carolina and Virginia are in contiguous states for both leagues. (Notre Dame is, too, with Indiana bordering Kentucky and amid the Big Ten footprint.)

It was always theorized to be former Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany's ideal scenario to someday lure his alma mater, UNC, to the Big Ten, and that the Maryland and Rutgers move opened up the I-95 corridor to make it happen. He just ran out of time.

Will one of his successors be able to pull it off?

What can keep the ACC together long term?

An ACC source indicated this week that the best hope for the league to stay together in the long term may be some type of additional unequal revenue sharing that goes beyond the recent revenue adjustments.

The seven have-not schools in the league are facing an existential question. Do they give up more money to the league's top earners and those who draw the biggest audiences? Or do they eventually find out the value of a league with Boston College, Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Louisville, Duke, Wake Forest and Georgia Tech? It's hard to imagine it would be comparable.

Unequal revenue sharing has long been viewed as a league killer. That's why there's a damned-if-they-do, damned-if-they-don't feel in the ACC right now.

Unequal revenue sharing eventually split up the Big 12, helping send Nebraska, Missouri and Texas A&M running more than a decade ago.

On the flip side, USC and UCLA left the Pac-12 in part because the league didn't stress it as an option.

But telling schools that are already pressed financially to give up millions to their in-conference competitors is a difficult administrative pill to swallow. Of course, so is being relegated to an inferior league for less money down the road.

It's also hard to imagine the league looking similar in five years. So when does discontent lead to action?

No one knows. If the seven ACC schools that have met about alternative options -- Clemson, Florida State, Miami, Virginia, Virginia Tech, North Carolina and NC State -- leave together, they really don't have a lucrative future tied to each other.

The breakaway ACC schools would need to go to another league for a better pay day than the current one. And they'd need to cleanse themselves of legal issues relating to their departure before another league would feel good taking them.

So does that leave re-slicing the current ACC pie a better option for all?

 

[DFW Horn 6,118]

Quote

Unequal revenue sharing has long been viewed as a league killer. That's why there's a damned-if-they-do, damned-if-they-don't feel in the ACC right now.

Unequal revenue sharing eventually split up the Big 12, helping send Nebraska, Missouri and Texas A&M running more than a decade ago.

I get so tired of reading this crap when neither Corn nor aggy ever voted for equal revenue sharing. How did Mizzery vote? Not that anyone on this board cares.

Fuck Pete Thamel

[Jabberwocky 1,666]

The twitter media coverage of that WSU board meeting on Fri or Sat gave absolutely no context. Apparently, it was much worse than what was posted. This Monty Show episode lays it all out in the first 20 or 30 minutes. It was pretty bad, to say the least.

 

[Gidnik 3,251]

There is nobody on planet earth that know less about what’s going on in the pac 12 than Monty. He knows less than that wvu guy mhver3

[FartingDreamer 138]

13 hours ago, statsman said:

? BYU a big name?

It appears that BYU finished ranked in the AP Top 5 twice, in its history. 
 
Really? You’re going with that, on a Texas board?

I mean, we're not exactly a blueblood, but we put ourselves on the map by making innovative contributions to the way offense is played and are known for producing QBs, head coaches,, won a national title, a Heisman and have a built in modest-sized national fanbase.  I'd say a Top 25-40 brand name in CFB historically.

[Hurtlocker 2,208]

1 hour ago, FartingDreamer said:

I mean, we're not exactly a blueblood, but we put ourselves on the map by making innovative contributions to the way offense is played and are known for producing QBs, head coaches,, won a national title, a Heisman and have a built in modest-sized national fanbase.  I'd say a Top 25-40 brand name in CFB historically.

So...you stopped drinking?

[General Specific 3,233]

I find no support data for BYU…

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/27379180/the-50-best-college-football-programs-150-years

https://www.thedelite.com/best-college-football-programs-ranked/29/

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_NCAA_football_teams_by_wins

[Jabberwocky 1,666]

7 hours ago, Gidnik said:

There is nobody on planet earth that know less about what’s going on in the pac 12 than Monty. He knows less than that wvu guy mhver3

You can watch the video from the board meeting, dumbass.

I don't agree with a lot of his opinions and don't enjoy most of their comedic chatter, but the dude has given valid information through his prior connections with ESPN and his familiarity with West Coast schools. He also has guests once in a while that are somewhat high profile.

Edited June 13, 2023 by Jabberwocky

[Uncle Nate 2,097]

33 minutes ago, Jabberwocky said:

You can watch the video from the board meeting, dumbass.

I don't agree with a lot of his opinions and don't enjoy most of their comedic chatter, but the dude has given valid information through his prior connections with ESPN and his familiarity with West Coast schools. He also has guests once in a while that are somewhat high profile.

Yeah, nothing they said in that clip was wrong at all.  All they had to do was show the video from the board meeting and that's all you need to know.

[thunderlounge 7,757]

End of June is coming. Along with the end of the “get out of jail free” card. 
 

PAC office knows that date, what it means. Their game of checkers is to not reveal the bad deal until after, while they take the risk nobody leaves beforehand. 
 

Bold move, Cotton. 

[BurntOrange&White 39,655]

17 minutes ago, thunderlounge said:

End of June is coming. Along with the end of the “get out of jail free” card. 
 

PAC office knows that date, what it means. Their game of checkers is to not reveal the bad deal until after, while they take the risk nobody leaves beforehand. 
 

Bold move, Cotton. 

Yup, July 1 is dangerous dangerous territory for PAC.

[Hurtlocker 2,208]

1 hour ago, Uncle Nate said:

Yeah, nothing they said in that clip was wrong at all.  All they had to do was show the video from the board meeting and that's all you need to know.

And, according to Scheer from AZ, the West Coast media dudes get most of their quotes from WSU, OSU, and Pac offices.

[closetojumping 62,239]

1 hour ago, Jabberwocky said:

You can watch the video from the board meeting, dumbass.

I don't agree with a lot of his opinions and don't enjoy most of their comedic chatter, but the dude has given valid information through his prior connections with ESPN and his familiarity with West Coast schools. He also has guests once in a while that are somewhat high profile.

 

1 hour ago, Uncle Nate said:

Yeah, nothing they said in that clip was wrong at all.  All they had to do was show the video from the board meeting and that's all you need to know.

Can one of you idiots just tell the rest of us what happened on the video that we're not going to watch of Wazzou's board meeting, please?