Why would ESPN let Fox have schools they have locked up in an iron clad agreement which they control at a bargain price, to bet on a possible future outcome that they will not have control of and is just speculation?
Realignment Megathread (All The Moves)
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Why would ESPN let Fox have schools they have locked up in an iron clad agreement which they control at a bargain price, to bet on a possible future outcome that they will not have control of and is just speculation?
This will be the last step, when the Alabama's and Ohio St. of the world will be telling the weaker conference schools, "we are not funding you any longer, and are out of here."
24 to 32 teams will reform a new league and it will be minor league NFL style of play.
This is when it gets interesting for teams that are decent but not great, like Oky. State, do they want to try and compete week in and week out with the LSU, UT and others schools that have the money and recruiting base to play football at this level.
The problem with this theory is the level of cooperation between 3 conferences, 2 media partners and 14 schools would be astronomical. To get to that level would be like putting a man on Jupiter, Meaning once you got there you have to land on a ball of gas.
That level of cooperation is unlikely. Without some major pitfalls and issues.
No one is saying members on either side would not want to do something, but there is so many obstacles that they have to avoid that it is going to be very difficult for it to happen.
In the end if enough teams manage to find a landing spot, (I don't believe it has to be all 14) to dissolve the conference, there still will probably be some legal challenges, by some of the schools. I just have a hard time believing all will find a landing spot, and all will be satisfied with their landing spot.
It will be similar to OSU and WSU being left out of the Pac schools. Their are going to be a few left out of the ACC.
And a theory that everyone is just going to come to the table and work out a deal that everyone is happy with is just a fantasy.
Agree. Realignment decisions aren't about the on field product. It's about a schools value to the TV Network or Platform. So the line could blur more than ever between low-end P5 and top tier G5.
A school like SDSU might have more value to a Big12 TV partner than Oregon State, Wash State, Pittsburg or Syracuse.
A lot of us are expressing interest as fans or some other bias. But for networks it's about eyeballs watching games.
I have seen where they say the GoR takes a Unanimous vote to change. But, to dissolve the conference it takes less. Like a majority or super majority. So if they dissolve the conference all contracts are gone. That is why people say they can get by with breaking it by less than Unanimous.
Still dont know now realistic that is.
What are the bylaws around disbanding the conference? If that happens, the GOR is voided.
I had read that it only took a simple majority to dissolve the conference, ie 8. If the conference dissolves, does anyone have standing to enforce the GoR? Might depend on exactly how the language is written up in the contract. Which I have not, and will not, read.
I just spent a week writing up a lease contract at work...Starting to dig into contractual details on a sports site... I maybe should be reconsidering my life choices.
The house of cards will have collapsed long before this happens.
1. Somebody still has to lose, and some of those premiere 24 schools are going to be unsatisfied with being perennial losers, even if they’re paid bank.
2. ESPN and FOX are going to realize just how much they’ve overestimated how much of a “national product” college football really isn’t as they push more and more of the schools they don’t want to broadcast out of the picture. Even some of the talking heads on ESPN (despite their employer largely being responsible for this) are starting to ask the question if this is a healthy direction for college sports. There are even some predictions that in 20 years college football may have gone the way of boxing and horse racing in America (this was openly discussed on PTI yesterday).
Maybe it is voided. Depends on how the GoR is constructed. It may be specifically addressed in the contract, or it may not, one way or the other. Someone should get a copy and read it. Someone else, I mean.
I don't think it's necessary for Fox or ESPN to work together. That might just create more legal issues.
Let free market forces dictate where schools end up. ESPN & Fox will have their respective values on UNC, Duke, FSU, Miami, UVA, etc. Let the Big10 & SEC make their pitches and let schools decide.
Just like recruiting HS athletes these days
Each of the B1G and SEC moves are meant to box out the other thus I don't see them breaking together soon. The comments by Warren and Sankey's comments at their media days were mild shots at the other. Eventually they may agree to form one P1 conference but I am skeptical. The are two different type of school personalities that won't let 1 "win" and have control.
Notable since The SEC had been pretty aligned with the Big 12 (challenge) prior to the OUT blow and the Big 10 prior to the UCLA/USC blow (alliance). One of the reasons I am abit weary of the Warrens recent pro Yormak Big12 comments. We know both are really out for their best interest and will "help" the conference today and hurt them tomorrow.
The B1G and SEC won’t make more if they break away. Especially if they kick out teams and only bring the elites. They might make bank the first contract, but it will fail just like any other NFL minor league. If there’s only 32 or whatever “schools”, over half won’t have winning records. Their own fans still start to care less and less. All the schools left behind will be the new college football with their own 16 team playoff.
No, the media rights are a conference asset that would be liquidated somehow during wind-down of the conference.
Sure, someone has to lose each game, but every fan base is thinking "it's going to be the other guy, not us, because of ____________".
The weaker schools in the conference will either allow this to happen or switch the model to uneven split of revenue for the schools. So Ohio State gets $130 million of the new TV package and Rutgers you now get $70 million.
What choice do these schools really have, to either not give up the money or drop down a classification and receive even less money.
Their isn’t going to be uneven revenue sharing. That would never pass. I get you lived in an uneven revenue sharing world so it’s much more on the minds of Big12 people but neither the big ten or sec will make that catastrophic mistake.
Not in the current setup at least...but as we know things are changing!
Generally it is around 75% to dissolve (using big 12 as the standard). Thing is, if a team/s are considered disinterested (have broke the rules or talked to other conferences) they can have their votes pulled. So instead of 8 of 10 in the big 12, you need 6 of 8. Have two more announce they are leaving and it goes to 5 of 6.