Realignment talk not going away

[bullet 1596]

For those who didn't notice BOW's thread.

[bullet 1596]

https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2024/02/06/espn-fox-and-warner-bros-discovery-to-launch-joint-sports-streaming-platform-this-year.html

 

This will have a significant impact.  

"Walt Disney's ESPN, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery plan to launch a joint sports streaming service this fall, giving consumers a new way to access marquee live sports for the first time, the companies said Tuesday....

 

From Disney, that includes ESPN and its sister networks, such as ESPN2, ESPNU, SECN, ACCN, ESPNEWS, as well as the ABC broadcast network. Warner Bros. Discovery's networks that showcase sports are TNT, TBS and TruTV. Fox will include the Fox broadcast station along with FS1, FS2 and BTN...."

[thunderlounge 7642]

[billfromlaketravis 11291]

1 hour ago, bullet said:

https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2024/02/06/espn-fox-and-warner-bros-discovery-to-launch-joint-sports-streaming-platform-this-year.html

 

This will have a significant impact.  

"Walt Disney's ESPN, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery plan to launch a joint sports streaming service this fall, giving consumers a new way to access marquee live sports for the first time, the companies said Tuesday....

 

From Disney, that includes ESPN and its sister networks, such as ESPN2, ESPNU, SECN, ACCN, ESPNEWS, as well as the ABC broadcast network. Warner Bros. Discovery's networks that showcase sports are TNT, TBS and TruTV. Fox will include the Fox broadcast station along with FS1, FS2 and BTN...."

For once, well played by Zaslav. He undercut ESPN and FOX by offering B/R Sports for free for 4 months and then $10 a month. While leaking to everyone in Hollywood that ESPN’s streaming only service would cost $40+. 
 

He parlayed the NBA, MLB, and the opening weekend of March Madness into a seat at the big boy’s table.

Edited February 7 by billfromlaketravis

[thunderlounge 7642]

[USC_TMB 405]

Holy crap… we all knew that the ncaa’s demise, the forming of a Super Conference/“alliance”, and the reconfiguration of sports broadcasting was coming… at some point down line. The speed of all this happening is mind-boggling. Obviously all of this has been in the works for years, just waiting for the first domino to fall, but damn. This went from zero-to-100 like a rocket.

[gatormarc 904]

https://www.tampabay.com/sports/2024/02/06/florida-state-private-equity-fsu-football-conference-realignment-acc/?fsu

Inside Project Osceola: Florida State sports’ 9-figure private equity plan
An ACC exit by 2026? Naming rights to Doak? They’re all mentioned in the 2,500 pages of records we received.

Spoiler

By Matt Baker
Published Yesterday

The first known mention of the two-word phrase that could revolutionize Florida State sports sits on the top of the third page of a cash projections spreadsheet from September 2022.

Project Osceola.

The name is a nod to the Seminoles’ spear-planting symbol. The project is a potential nine-figure private equity investment into FSU sports that could accelerate conference realignment and touch everything from the Tampa Bay Lightning to Minor League Baseball.

After the sports business website Sportico first reported FSU’s private equity talks in August, the Tampa Bay Times requested public records from the Seminoles. The Times received more than 2,500 pages last week.

The resulting picture is riddled with redactions and tantalizingly incomplete. Some of the most interesting tidbits are only semi-related — like a potential date for FSU to leave the ACC and a naming sponsor for Doak Campbell Stadium. It’s possible nothing ever materializes beyond due-diligence checklists and presentations labeled “strictly private and confidential.”

But the emails, PDFs and spreadsheets still provide the deepest, albeit preliminary, glimpse of the complex legal theories, detailed financial discussions and groundbreaking possibilities of Project Osceola.

The best explanation comes in a September 2022 email from Ken Artin, a public finance attorney at the firm Bryant Miller Olive. State agencies, he wrote, generally can’t become a “joint venture partner, equity partner and anything that looks like that” with a for-profit company. But there’s a workaround, which he called a “super license agreement.”

FSU can move its intellectual property (like logos and names) to a new university entity. That new entity could license the intellectual property to someone else (a private-equity firm). The firm would then try to profit off that licensed material by using it better, more efficiently or in new ways.

Within six months, that proposed non-profit entity had a name: FSU NewCo. The specific intellectual property available from FSU NewCo is redacted.

The companies involved

In August 2022, FSU and J.P. Morgan signed a non-disclosure agreement to work on a deal with outside investors. At least two private-equity firms were interested.

One was Arctos, whose sports portfolio includes a share of the Lightning and Red Sox. The other was Sixth Street, which has a stake in the San Antonio Spurs and the sports entertainment company Legends Hospitality.

FSU signed an exclusivity deal with Sixth Street over the summer.

Financial terms

In November 2022, at least two scenarios had $250 million in private equity.

A second set of figures comes from an “ACC Upside” model in January 2023. It lists a $75 million initial investment plus a $50 million “follow-up equity investment” four years later. By 2032, it projects FSU’s 2032 cash flow to be $197 million — $46 million more than the “No Investment” scenario.

An email from an attorney at Davis Polk & Wardwell outlines FSU’s proposals in June: $25 million upfront, another $125 million under redacted circumstances plus up to $200 million in future debt “without consent and without additional limitations.”

Beyond the cash injection, FSU’s goals (as laid out in an October 2022 presentation) included maximizing revenue opportunities to stay nationally competitive, modernizing management structure, ensuring flexibility in any deal and conducting the process in a way that protects FSU “from negative reaction from important constituents.”

How FSU would use the money

It’s unclear. Arctos and Sixth Street both wanted “a more concrete answer” in March.

As FSU considered $250 million scenarios, athletic director Michael Alford and a school financial administrator, Michael Williams, wanted the money upfront for capital projects. J.P. Morgan’s Todd L. Smith responded that FSU “will ‘owe’ investors a return on that,” so “collecting it all up front if we don’t have immediate need or use will ‘cost’ something.”

Paying off debt would make it easier to divvy up revenue between investors and FSU, according to discussion materials from September 2022. FSU has since approved $265 million in additional debt to renovate Doak Campbell Stadium.

Additional operating expenses were also mentioned, and a June discussion included an initial purchase and “General Basket” of money FSU could use on anything.

Could private equity fund FSU’s ACC exit?

FSU redacted or withheld records as the school and conference litigate the Seminoles’ potential half-billion-dollar exit from the league. But FSU’s ACC future pops out of bars of black; one review featured a “General Basket” and unexplained “Conference Basket.”

One of the “next steps” listed in October 2022: “Determine use of proceeds, especially in a ‘no realignment’ scenario.” By January 2023, there was a “Leave ACC” budget model. Its commentary is partially redacted, but conference payouts spike from $43 million in 2025 to $96.4 million the next year.

Football ticket revenue for home games jumps, too. Its 2026 projections are $18.6 million — $3.2 million more than the “Base Case” — in part because of “post-ACC-exit ticket prices in-line with peers.”

Sixth Street’s due diligence tracker had a March request for conference payout details in the “base case and conference change case.”

Naming rights to Doak

Projections for 2026 include naming rights to FSU’s football home, formally called Bobby Bowden Field at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. FSU’s Year 1 revenue ranges from $1.5 million to $5 million, depending on the document and its assumptions. Sponsorship for the basketball arena, the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center, adds another $800,000-$2.6 million.

USF (Yuengling Center), Florida (Exactech Arena) and UCF (FBC Mortgage Stadium) are among the state teams with corporate names on their buildings. Last season, Georgia Tech tacked on Hyundai Field to the name of its century-old Bobby Dodd Stadium.

Multiple budgets add a concert series at Doak (four shows with 50,000 spectators each, according to an August model). FSU eventually expects these two revenue streams to top $10 million per year.

Minor League Baseball in Tallahassee?

That’s a possibility, according to a 10-year projection the sports consulting firm Navigate presented in 2022. The document lists a $75 million expense for FSU in the 2027 fiscal year for a new baseball stadium; the Seminoles’ Dick Howser Stadium is four decades old. FSU’s baseball revenue nearly doubles to $2.75 million.

A new revenue source also appears in ’27: “Minor League Baseball Team.” It initially adds a combined $4.1 million in tickets, sponsorship/licensing and facilities. The idea is cited in at least one other document but never detailed.

Multiple documents cite $8 million in name, image and likeness (NIL) contributions for the ’24 fiscal year. One scenario ups that figure by 2-3% each year. In another, donations spike to $11.1 million in ‘25 and $13.6 million by ‘32.

These numbers are notable because they’re an official snapshot in a murky marketplace filled with unverifiable, third-party claims. They’re also relevant to Project Osceola; Sixth Street asked about FSU’s NIL partnerships and “plan moving forward” in July.

 

[BurntOrange&White 38890]

1 hour ago, gatormarc said:

https://www.tampabay.com/sports/2024/02/06/florida-state-private-equity-fsu-football-conference-realignment-acc/?fsu

Inside Project Osceola: Florida State sports’ 9-figure private equity plan
An ACC exit by 2026? Naming rights to Doak? They’re all mentioned in the 2,500 pages of records we received.

  Reveal hidden contents

By Matt Baker
Published Yesterday

The first known mention of the two-word phrase that could revolutionize Florida State sports sits on the top of the third page of a cash projections spreadsheet from September 2022.

Project Osceola.

The name is a nod to the Seminoles’ spear-planting symbol. The project is a potential nine-figure private equity investment into FSU sports that could accelerate conference realignment and touch everything from the Tampa Bay Lightning to Minor League Baseball.

After the sports business website Sportico first reported FSU’s private equity talks in August, the Tampa Bay Times requested public records from the Seminoles. The Times received more than 2,500 pages last week.

The resulting picture is riddled with redactions and tantalizingly incomplete. Some of the most interesting tidbits are only semi-related — like a potential date for FSU to leave the ACC and a naming sponsor for Doak Campbell Stadium. It’s possible nothing ever materializes beyond due-diligence checklists and presentations labeled “strictly private and confidential.”

But the emails, PDFs and spreadsheets still provide the deepest, albeit preliminary, glimpse of the complex legal theories, detailed financial discussions and groundbreaking possibilities of Project Osceola.

The best explanation comes in a September 2022 email from Ken Artin, a public finance attorney at the firm Bryant Miller Olive. State agencies, he wrote, generally can’t become a “joint venture partner, equity partner and anything that looks like that” with a for-profit company. But there’s a workaround, which he called a “super license agreement.”

FSU can move its intellectual property (like logos and names) to a new university entity. That new entity could license the intellectual property to someone else (a private-equity firm). The firm would then try to profit off that licensed material by using it better, more efficiently or in new ways.

Within six months, that proposed non-profit entity had a name: FSU NewCo. The specific intellectual property available from FSU NewCo is redacted.

The companies involved

In August 2022, FSU and J.P. Morgan signed a non-disclosure agreement to work on a deal with outside investors. At least two private-equity firms were interested.

One was Arctos, whose sports portfolio includes a share of the Lightning and Red Sox. The other was Sixth Street, which has a stake in the San Antonio Spurs and the sports entertainment company Legends Hospitality.

FSU signed an exclusivity deal with Sixth Street over the summer.

Financial terms

In November 2022, at least two scenarios had $250 million in private equity.

A second set of figures comes from an “ACC Upside” model in January 2023. It lists a $75 million initial investment plus a $50 million “follow-up equity investment” four years later. By 2032, it projects FSU’s 2032 cash flow to be $197 million — $46 million more than the “No Investment” scenario.

An email from an attorney at Davis Polk & Wardwell outlines FSU’s proposals in June: $25 million upfront, another $125 million under redacted circumstances plus up to $200 million in future debt “without consent and without additional limitations.”

Beyond the cash injection, FSU’s goals (as laid out in an October 2022 presentation) included maximizing revenue opportunities to stay nationally competitive, modernizing management structure, ensuring flexibility in any deal and conducting the process in a way that protects FSU “from negative reaction from important constituents.”

How FSU would use the money

It’s unclear. Arctos and Sixth Street both wanted “a more concrete answer” in March.

As FSU considered $250 million scenarios, athletic director Michael Alford and a school financial administrator, Michael Williams, wanted the money upfront for capital projects. J.P. Morgan’s Todd L. Smith responded that FSU “will ‘owe’ investors a return on that,” so “collecting it all up front if we don’t have immediate need or use will ‘cost’ something.”

Paying off debt would make it easier to divvy up revenue between investors and FSU, according to discussion materials from September 2022. FSU has since approved $265 million in additional debt to renovate Doak Campbell Stadium.

Additional operating expenses were also mentioned, and a June discussion included an initial purchase and “General Basket” of money FSU could use on anything.

Could private equity fund FSU’s ACC exit?

FSU redacted or withheld records as the school and conference litigate the Seminoles’ potential half-billion-dollar exit from the league. But FSU’s ACC future pops out of bars of black; one review featured a “General Basket” and unexplained “Conference Basket.”

One of the “next steps” listed in October 2022: “Determine use of proceeds, especially in a ‘no realignment’ scenario.” By January 2023, there was a “Leave ACC” budget model. Its commentary is partially redacted, but conference payouts spike from $43 million in 2025 to $96.4 million the next year.

Football ticket revenue for home games jumps, too. Its 2026 projections are $18.6 million — $3.2 million more than the “Base Case” — in part because of “post-ACC-exit ticket prices in-line with peers.”

Sixth Street’s due diligence tracker had a March request for conference payout details in the “base case and conference change case.”

Naming rights to Doak

Projections for 2026 include naming rights to FSU’s football home, formally called Bobby Bowden Field at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. FSU’s Year 1 revenue ranges from $1.5 million to $5 million, depending on the document and its assumptions. Sponsorship for the basketball arena, the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center, adds another $800,000-$2.6 million.

USF (Yuengling Center), Florida (Exactech Arena) and UCF (FBC Mortgage Stadium) are among the state teams with corporate names on their buildings. Last season, Georgia Tech tacked on Hyundai Field to the name of its century-old Bobby Dodd Stadium.

Multiple budgets add a concert series at Doak (four shows with 50,000 spectators each, according to an August model). FSU eventually expects these two revenue streams to top $10 million per year.

Minor League Baseball in Tallahassee?

That’s a possibility, according to a 10-year projection the sports consulting firm Navigate presented in 2022. The document lists a $75 million expense for FSU in the 2027 fiscal year for a new baseball stadium; the Seminoles’ Dick Howser Stadium is four decades old. FSU’s baseball revenue nearly doubles to $2.75 million.

A new revenue source also appears in ’27: “Minor League Baseball Team.” It initially adds a combined $4.1 million in tickets, sponsorship/licensing and facilities. The idea is cited in at least one other document but never detailed.

Multiple documents cite $8 million in name, image and likeness (NIL) contributions for the ’24 fiscal year. One scenario ups that figure by 2-3% each year. In another, donations spike to $11.1 million in ‘25 and $13.6 million by ‘32.

These numbers are notable because they’re an official snapshot in a murky marketplace filled with unverifiable, third-party claims. They’re also relevant to Project Osceola; Sixth Street asked about FSU’s NIL partnerships and “plan moving forward” in July.

 

TL;DR? Selling out to Saudis to fund? 

[bullet 1596]

2 hours ago, USC_TMB said:

Holy crap… we all knew that the ncaa’s demise, the forming of a Super Conference/“alliance”, and the reconfiguration of sports broadcasting was coming… at some point down line. The speed of all this happening is mind-boggling. Obviously all of this has been in the works for years, just waiting for the first domino to fall, but damn. This went from zero-to-100 like a rocket.

https://www.foxsports.com/stories/college-football/heres-what-college-football-will-look-like-in-2026

Somebody on another board found this article from 2016.  This guy predicted the drivers (TV contracts, paying players, content instead of coverage) and the time frame.  Called the expansion of the playoff.  It could have been written today.  There isn't the 24 team super league he predicts, but people are thinking about it.

 

"...The next window for mass shuffling will start around 2023, when all five* power conferences’ primary rights deals come up within a three-year span. (The Big Ten has not yet formalized its forthcoming TV deals, but reports indicate they will be for six years, ending in 2023. The SEC’s contract with CBS expires in 2024, but its ESPN/SEC Network deal is in place through 2034.) Perhaps more important, the College Football Playoff's 12-year contract ends with the 2025 season. As I’m about to outline, the next big realignment shift will go hand in hand with the evolution of the playoff.

Only two years into the four-team system, you can already see what direction the sport is headed. The playoff race now dwarfs all other aspects of the season, including the other bowl games...."

 

[bullet 1596]

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/39520319/college-football-playoff-board-managers-expected-vote-5-plus-7-format

WSU/OSU seem to be coming to some sense on 5-7.  If they try to burn down the next two years to get a guarantee later, they are likely on nobody's list for expansion (or scheduling other than in-state schools).

 

""...For our two schools in the Pac-12 as it's currently configured, there is no question that five-seven, with seven at-larges, is better than six at-larges," Schulz said. "That's part of the discussion we're having within the conference footprint -- or the two schools -- is that very point. There's no question our football coaches are going to want to compete for one of those seven slots, and seven is going to be better than six."

Schulz said he views the revenue distribution as a separate conversation from the 5+7 model, and he's not trying to use one to influence the other.

"We've got to be a good colleague in the college football world," he said. "We asked for the opportunity to have a hearing on [revenue distribution], that was granted. We have to be really careful about saying, 'If you don't give us exactly what we've asked for, we're going to hold up some other things.' The decision has to be one made by us and Oregon State and we're still going through that decision-making process leading up to that meeting next week. There's no assumption to be made that we have to get X to get Y, either way....""

 

[Dnaguy 11599]

12 hours ago, bullet said:

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/39520319/college-football-playoff-board-managers-expected-vote-5-plus-7-format

WSU/OSU seem to be coming to some sense on 5-7.  If they try to burn down the next two years to get a guarantee later, they are likely on nobody's list for expansion (or scheduling other than in-state schools).

 

""...For our two schools in the Pac-12 as it's currently configured, there is no question that five-seven, with seven at-larges, is better than six at-larges," Schulz said. "That's part of the discussion we're having within the conference footprint -- or the two schools -- is that very point. There's no question our football coaches are going to want to compete for one of those seven slots, and seven is going to be better than six."

Schulz said he views the revenue distribution as a separate conversation from the 5+7 model, and he's not trying to use one to influence the other.

"We've got to be a good colleague in the college football world," he said. "We asked for the opportunity to have a hearing on [revenue distribution], that was granted. We have to be really careful about saying, 'If you don't give us exactly what we've asked for, we're going to hold up some other things.' The decision has to be one made by us and Oregon State and we're still going through that decision-making process leading up to that meeting next week. There's no assumption to be made that we have to get X to get Y, either way....""

 

Am I dumb for being of the opinion this is fucking stupid on their part?

 

This means they have better access?! Are you kidding? They aren’t going to sniff the playoffs in the next two years.
 

They have one chip. They need to use that shit to get in a current power conference or hold pat. Your institutions cannot survive without creating another power conference (making the MWC the PAC. 2.0 and have the other conf recognize it as such) or getting into the Big12 or ACC. This shit is existential for them.

 

Not a perfect analogy here but it’s like The titanic is sinking, they’re still on the ship, and they’re using the time to agree with those being lowered in life boats on what the orchestra should play next.

 

['stache 21591]

He's definitely right that 5+7 gives them better access. The rule already exists that a 2-team conference doesn't qualify for an automatic bid, so 6+6 just guarantees another G5 champ gets an auto bid and takes away a spot for ORST or WSU to make it as an at large (which would probably require an undefeated season but is access nonetheless). They've only really asked for time to determine what's best for them for now, most likely whether full membership in the MWC is better or worse for them at this time. I think they are probably right to not join and hope they can get into the Big 12 in the next round of realignment (I'd be all for it but only if we can shed the east coast teams to the ACC). The article says what they really want is for a CFP payment equal to the lowest P5 member, and agreeing to 5-7 helps with their relationships. The vote for 5-7 doesn't have to be unanimous, does it? It's gonna pass either way, so voting no doesn't really give them any leverage. It might also tick off one of the conferences they want to make, so I don't see any advantage to voting no. They asked for time to figure things out, which they got, and they've decided on independence for a year with a MWC scheduling agreement, so at this point they might as well go along with the vote. I would hope they have an agreement in place for their CFP payment, but voting no doesn't help them get there, it can only hurt. Maybe I'm missing something, but that's how it reads to me.  

[Mitch Cumsteen 18413]

15 minutes ago, 'stache said:

 The article says what they really want is for a CFP payment equal to the lowest P5 member, and agreeing to 5-7 helps with their relationships. The vote for 5-7 doesn't have to be unanimous, does it? 

I believe the voting does have to be unanimous. That's exactly the issue.  That's what the holdup was on expanding the playoff to begin with -- the Pac, ACC and Big 12 thought they would flex their muscles on realignment and all it did was bite them in the ass. WSU and OSU can talk about having access, but this is straight up about the money. They are going to take their payoff and vote accordingly.

[Al_4_ISU 12376]

6 minutes ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

I believe the voting does have to be unanimous. That's exactly the issue.  That's what the holdup was on expanding the playoff to begin with -- the Pac, ACC and Big 12 thought they would flex their muscles on realignment and all it did was bite them in the ass. WSU and OSU can talk about having access, but this is straight up about the money. They are going to take their payoff and vote accordingly.

I'm pretty sure the ACC and Big 12 were fine with the 5/7 model and it was the Pac holding things up.

[TKthunder2 4959]

OSU/WSU get CFP money for 2 more years. They have the ability to block the 5+7 move but it hurts them and spurs their relationship with the rest.

The only reason they are waiting to join/merge with the MWC is that they make MORE money doing this 2 team conference on their own. Their TV deal expired but some of their other deals (like bowls/sponsorships) go for 2 more years.

They are paying the MWC to join their TV deal for football and for games because it’s makes them more money than just joining outright. Otherwise the likely merger would already be done.

[Mitch Cumsteen 18413]

51 minutes ago, Al_4_ISU said:

I'm pretty sure the ACC and Big 12 were fine with the 5/7 model and it was the Pac holding things up.

That sounds about right. I couldn't remember exactly. The Pac shooting themselves in the dick and hastening their own demise by cockblocking their own teams from making the playoffs was certainly on brand.

[Al_4_ISU 12376]

20 minutes ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

That sounds about right. I couldn't remember exactly. The Pac shooting themselves in the dick and hastening their own demise by cockblocking their own teams from making the playoffs was certainly on brand.

Yormark catches a lot of shit here, but it seems pretty clear to me that he understands the best option for the Big 12 is to work on being #3 and keeping a spot in the mix.  He's not pretending that the Big 12 is on the same footing as the SEC and Big 10.  No one in the Big 12 is laboring under that delusion from what I can see.

The Pac 12 thought they were, and that's what ultimately doomed them.  

[jTower 211]

3 hours ago, TKthunder2 said:

OSU/WSU get CFP money for 2 more years. They have the ability to block the 5+7 move but it hurts them and spurs their relationship with the rest.

The only reason they are waiting to join/merge with the MWC is that they make MORE money doing this 2 team conference on their own. Their TV deal expired but some of their other deals (like bowls/sponsorships) go for 2 more years.

They are paying the MWC to join their TV deal for football and for games because it’s makes them more money than just joining outright. Otherwise the likely merger would already be done.

Weren’t they also waiting until the departing 10 were gone before they made any changes?  I believe it avoided the departing schools from grabbing a share or blocking any deals. 
 

Changing the CFP mid-contract does require a unanimous vote. 

[TKthunder2 4959]

3 hours ago, jTower said:

Weren’t they also waiting until the departing 10 were gone before they made any changes?  I believe it avoided the departing schools from grabbing a share or blocking any deals. 
 

Changing the CFP mid-contract does require a unanimous vote. 

They settled out of court but yes waiting makes those dealings far less complicated. Ultimately they could have brought in the entire MWC but that would have cost them some portion of money they are saving by waiting. If merging with the MAC would have made them more money it would have already been worked out.

[bullet 1596]

https://sports.yahoo.com/with-college-sports-at-key-juncture-what-does-the-future-of-the-ncaa-tournament-and-cfp-look-like-164559682.html?guccounter=1

Good article by Dellenger talking to the P commissioners and Aresco about changes.   Pettiti is privately talking about 14 and 16 team playoff models.  Sankey wants more money.  And realigning the whole NCAA is in the air.

 

 

 

[TKthunder2 4959]

UMass joining the MAC as a full member. No longer going to be a fb independent.

[Sbbruin 21588]

 

[Deej 76219]

aggy is such a scared little bitch. 

[SimkinsMan 4255]

Although there is zero credibility to that report, I think we would all dearly love it to be true. 

[thunderlounge 7642]

4 minutes ago, SimkinsMan said:

Although there is zero credibility to that report, I think we would all dearly love it to be true. 

I agree on credibility, but this also is not the first time it’s been mentioned in the past month or so. Granted it may have been through the same source.

 

They’d get recruits that aren’t getting love from the top half of the SEC, but don’t want b12 either.

NU 2.0

Edited February 27 by thunderlounge

['stache 21591]

14 hours ago, TKthunder2 said:

UMass joining the MAC as a full member. No longer going to be a fb independent.

Is there a reason UConn isn't MAC for football only? 

[Saint Austin 737]

Just now, 'stache said:

Is there a reason UConn isn't MAC for football only? 

Because the MAC sucks and provides less exposure than an independent schedule would? I'm sure they'd take being in the American for football-only, but I don't think that offer has ever been extended.

[Al_4_ISU 12376]

Obligatory "it's Swaim".

['stache 21591]

1 minute ago, Al_4_ISU said:

Obligatory "it's Swaim".

Goddamnit, I didn't even notice that part. Sorry @Sbbruin I have to neg any post that relates to Greg Swaim as a matter of principal. I've been very clear about this over the years. 

[Al_4_ISU 12376]

21 minutes ago, thunderlounge said:

I agree on credibility, but this also is not the first time it’s been mentioned in the past month or so. Granted it may have been through the same source.

 

They’d get recruits that aren’t getting love from the top half of the SEC, but don’t want b12 either.

NU 2.0

It would be kind of hilarious for the Big 10 to announce another alliance with a conference and then undercut them.

And if anyone (who actually brings value) would leave the SEC for the Big 10 it's Aggy.  Mizzou would too, but that isn't happening.  Of course now that the SEC has Texas they might not even care if Aggy did leave.

Edited February 27 by Al_4_ISU

[thunderlounge 7642]

26 minutes ago, Al_4_ISU said:

Of course now that the SEC has Texas they might not even care if Aggy did leave.

Bingo!

[bullet 1596]

15 hours ago, TKthunder2 said:

UMass joining the MAC as a full member. No longer going to be a fb independent.

A lot of people were expecting them to be #12 in CUSA instead of #13 in the MAC.

Delaware announced they were joining CUSA in late November.  Sure that's somewhere on this thread.

With the Atlantic 10 becoming a 1 or 2 bid league, I guess UMass decided it wasn't worth staying for basketball:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/other/sources-umass-set-to-become-13th-member-of-mac-for-25-26-season/ar-BB1iVNwr

[Texas Wahoo 3378]

53 minutes ago, 'stache said:

Is there a reason UConn isn't MAC for football only? 

I think the reason is that the MAC has moved away from having football only members.  UMass was the last football-only member and left in 2015 when given the choice of becoming a full member or leaving.  My guess is that UConn football is not valuable enough for them to want to change that.

[bullet 1596]

53 minutes ago, Saint Austin said:

Because the MAC sucks and provides less exposure than an independent schedule would? I'm sure they'd take being in the American for football-only, but I don't think that offer has ever been extended.

Its possible.  Its getting harder to schedule as an Indy.  They've only got 3 or 4 P4 schools on their schedule now.

WKU was interested a year ago, but couldn't find a partner then.

[Scholz 11896]

1 hour ago, Deej said:

aggy is such a scared little bitch. 

Facts.

And why wouldn't any big conference want aggy?  They're zero threat to win anything and they serve up Texas recruits.  There is no other athletic dept in the country even remotely close to doing less with more.  2nd place isn't even in the same time zone.

[Al_4_ISU 12376]

11 minutes ago, Scholz said:

Facts.

And why wouldn't any big conference want aggy?  They're zero threat to win anything and they serve up Texas recruits.  There is no other athletic dept in the country even remotely close to doing less with more.  2nd place isn't even in the same time zone.

And they have a shit load of fans to drive up ratings.

Plus, they're just a blast to hate on.  If Aggy wanted to rejoin the Big 12 I'd love it.  They'd be convinced they'd go undefeated every year and then punk UT in the playoffs, and they'd end up going 8-4 every fucking year just like they do now because it's what they do.

Edited February 27 by Al_4_ISU

[Scholz 11896]

3 minutes ago, Al_4_ISU said:

And they have a shit load of fans to drive up ratings.

Plus, they're just a blast to hate on.  If Aggy wanted to rejoin the Big 12 I'd love it.  They'd be convinced they'd go undefeated every other and then punk UT in the playoffs, and they'd end up going 8-4 every fucking year just like they do now because it's what they do.

More fucking facts.

[notre dame joe 171]

On 2/26/2024 at 9:16 PM, TKthunder2 said:

UMass joining the MAC as a full member. No longer going to be a fb independent.

that's how we broke a 2 week gap in CR thread?

[LTbear 4082]

18 hours ago, Al_4_ISU said:

And they have a shit load of fans to drive up ratings.

Plus, they're just a blast to hate on.  If Aggy wanted to rejoin the Big 12 I'd love it.  They'd be convinced they'd go undefeated every year and then punk UT in the playoffs, and they'd end up going 8-4 every fucking year just like they do now because it's what they do.

Pure truth 

[bullet 1596]

18 hours ago, notre dame joe said:

that's how we broke a 2 week gap in CR thread?

The P4 are catching their breath, trying to figure out how to avoid a 2 billion dollar lawsuit and generate 1.3 billion in a 12 or 14!? team playoff:

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/39619331/sources-14-team-college-football-playoff-momentum

[Texas Wahoo 3378]

 

 

[hook me 2039]

On 2/27/2024 at 12:14 PM, SimkinsMan said:

Although there is zero credibility to that report, I think we would all dearly love it to be true. 

[gatormarc 904]

On 2/27/2024 at 1:18 PM, thunderlounge said:

I agree on credibility, but this also is not the first time it’s been mentioned in the past month or so. Granted it may have been through the same source.

 

They’d get recruits that aren’t getting love from the top half of the SEC, but don’t want b12 either.

NU 2.0

Yes. It was Swaim both times. Not even sure if this is an additional claim by him or if this other Twitter account just brought it back from the dead 6 weeks later for clicks. 

[thunderlounge 7642]

Well that’s disappointing. 

[bullet 1596]

https://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/39625514/wsu-president-urges-member-schools-reform-not-replace-ncaa

https://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/39625392/new-pac-12-commissioner-teresa-gould-considering-all-options

2nd article-new Pac 12 president considering ALL options.  Sounds like OSU/WSU are still hoping to get invited somewhere in the next two years.  Haven't had formal discussions on absorbing MWC.  Talking to people about TV deal for the two.

1st article follows on the ESPN site.  Talks about NCAA reform, but there is an interesting quote near the bottom.

 

"...New Pac-12 commissioner Teresa Gould, who now represents the conference on the CFP management committee, said the commissioners are "aligned" in their desire to develop a plan that has "adaptability."

"I think none of us would have ever anticipated the amount of change that is going on right now," she said in her introductory press conference. "Yesterday looks different than today. And who knows what the headline is going to be tomorrow. So our job collectively as the leadership of the CFP is to make sure that whatever plan it is that we have a plan that is adaptable and nimble to the changing times that we're in. And that is one of the conversations that I want to make sure we continue to have in that room....""

[AeroHorn 734]

On 2/27/2024 at 11:49 AM, Al_4_ISU said:

And they have a shit load of fans to drive up ratings.

Plus, they're just a blast to hate on.  If Aggy wanted to rejoin the Big 12 I'd love it.  They'd be convinced they'd go undefeated every year and then punk UT in the playoffs, and they'd end up going 8-4 every fucking year just like they do now because it's what they do.

If I were Yormack, I would play into the aggy psyche to get them into Big12. All he has to do is praise them, call them champions, and practice their traditions (humping and other degenerate acts) a couple of times. Tell them that they don’t need SEC money but a stage to showcase their championship pedigree without the nefarious UT scheming to keep them down. Seal the deal with a few gentlemanly handshakes regarding premium level membership and aggy would trip over themselves in making ingratiating videos to their former and since new conference mates. 

[Al_4_ISU 12376]

3 minutes ago, AeroHorn said:

If I were Yormack, I would play into the aggy psyche to get them into Big12. All he has to do is praise them, call them champions, and practice their traditions (humping and other degenerate acts) a couple of times. Tell them that they don’t need SEC money but a stage to showcase their championship pedigree without the nefarious UT scheming to keep them down. Seal the deal with a few gentlemanly handshakes regarding premium level membership and aggy would trip over themselves in making ingratiating videos to their former and since new conference mates. 

I don’t think this is all that implausible.

It would be the most hilarious shit ever too.

Edited February 29 by Al_4_ISU

[Big Frog II 511]

1 hour ago, AeroHorn said:

If I were Yormack, I would play into the aggy psyche to get them into Big12. All he has to do is praise them, call them champions, and practice their traditions (humping and other degenerate acts) a couple of times. Tell them that they don’t need SEC money but a stage to showcase their championship pedigree without the nefarious UT scheming to keep them down. Seal the deal with a few gentlemanly handshakes regarding premium level membership and aggy would trip over themselves in making ingratiating videos to their former and since new conference mates. 

We really don't want them.  We only want schools that can compete for championships in something other than meat judging.

['stache 21591]

15 hours ago, AeroHorn said:

If I were Yormack, I would play into the aggy psyche to get them into Big12. All he has to do is praise them, call them champions, and practice their traditions (humping and other degenerate acts) a couple of times. Tell them that they don’t need SEC money but a stage to showcase their championship pedigree without the nefarious UT scheming to keep them down. Seal the deal with a few gentlemanly handshakes regarding premium level membership and aggy would trip over themselves in making ingratiating videos to their former and since new conference mates. 

[thunderlounge 7642]

Or wait now, hear me out…. 
 

 

 

yes.