Yep, it's not a big deal. Give a couple of nerds a spreadsheet and a few days and you can get a schedule made.
Realignment Megathread (All The Moves)
- Thread starter ISUcyclones11
- Start date
Agreed. I think a bigger concern, and it’s hard to project, is what if you (Colorado and Arizona) pass up this round to take a deal that is at best equal to the Big 12 and then somehow things happen in the next few years where the ACC does have some movement of some kind? Yes the GOR is there and that’s still a ways to go but for how fast things have moved in this sport, you never know what could happen 4 years from now.
Then you have the battle of now going up against potential ACC schools the Big 12 could add if the Clemsons, FSUs, etc. do move to the Big Ten and SEC.
It’s a gamble either way, but chances are the PAC is going to be doing this song and dance again in a few years and it’s basically inevitable teams are going to be leaving that conference sooner rather than later.
Yeah, a little. Yormark saying "like to stay at 14 even after OuT" is a way to say "there's room for 2, but not 4, so first come first serve" to add a little pressure. A little, anyway.
KidSilverhair
Well-Known Member
I’ve mentioned this before, but for 24 years (until 2004!) the entire MLB schedule was drawn up by a husband and wife team using pencil and paper. So with modern spreadsheet/scheduling tools, yeah, making up multiple potential schedules is no big deal.
Also, doesn't a computer create schedules for the NCAA tournament? So it's not like these programs aren't out there.
Add to the motivation stack. Have multiple schedules; each less desirable depending on when they move.
I get the sentiment, but there's no real reason to apply pressure publicly. A lot of fanbases seem somewhat divided on potentially moving, and applying pressure publicly just invites their outrage. The "B12 trying to kill the PAC" narrative has already been floated (disregard the only departures have been to the B10, and the PAC tried to kill the B12 at least twice in the past decade).
That said, if CO, AZ or others are seriously considering the move, I'm sure the B12 has been in communication about how long they have to reach a decision. As much as we'd all like to get it over with one way or another, there's no compelling reason they need to reach a decision other than time it takes to get everything in line for the 2024-25 year.
As much as the teams may think, the problem in the PAC isn't the money and how close they will be to the Big 12 $$. It's how close can you get WAOU to the Big 10 $$. That's what they want and that's where they want to go. Probably because the Big 12 has been dealing with this for so long, it's easy to see the writing on the wall. Look what the Big 12 did for Texas to make them happy. Even that wasn't enough and they still left. WAOU will be the downfall of the conference as everyone bends over, at cost to themselves to appease WAOU and in the end, if the Big 10 comes calling, they are leaving.
Now don't get me wrong, everyone would jump at the invite to the Big 10 and they'd be idiots not to, but it seems WAOU have been actively pursuing the invite.
But is there urgency for the Big12?
- We have a great 12 team conference with a media rights deal and GOR through 2031.
- There might be some logistics hurdles for the Big12 office, but scheduling isn't one. The Big12 didn't release its 2023 football schedule until January 31, 2023 because of the OuT exit negotiations. Plus BY can have his staff create a scheduling structure for a Big12 with 14 or 16 teams.
- I am sure they would like to know their 5 year revenue's to service debt and cover fixed costs.
- Coaches don't want to be responding to ongoing realignment chatter during their weekly press conferences
- Coaches don't want realignment creating uncertainty recruiting this fall's class.
The PAC. I'll say again that I've been a fan of that conference.
That said, those mother ******* have tried to damage the Big 12 for over a decade. An alliance turned into trying to poach Texas - OU. They did grab CU
So their hands aren't clean. But now our left for dead group of schools have active fan engagement and a media contract to reflect that.
You're right in that losing Colorado alone does not put an end to the Pac-12.
But the focus should be on what makes the Big 12 the healthiest conference possible. And when looking at it from that perspective, I think you absolutely take CU provided that FOX is on board and willing to pay a full share extra. You can always focus on finding #14 later if that's what we want.
Though taking CU alone doesn't end the PAC, I think it does give Arizona cover from possible blowback if they aren't the first to move, and that may be part of the reason they've been straddling the fence. AZ to the Big 12 does become more likely in such a scenario imo.
I agree, in the sense that I don't think Colorado does anything to add value to the Big12 alone. Arizona does I think does, so if taking Colorado guarantees Arizona then yeah take them. I think a lot of people assume Colorado is a slam dunk add just because of the old Big12 ties.
Colorado is a great add. They get back in the Big 12. There will be a great deal of interest in the renewed rivalries and return to the Big 12. The public perception is that membership in the Big 12 is better than being a member of the PAC 12. Elevates the Big 12 brand. The pressure then lies with Arizona. The PAC 12 is nothing going forward. There is a possibility they could get left out or be forced to take a reduction in conference revenue in the future. Washington and Oregon will be gone at some point.
Curious as to what you're basing value on. To me, the schools are pretty comparable. But if I really start drilling down, I'd give the edge to CU.
They've been bad in football since 2000 and historically bad recently. Their basketball team is an average P5 team. So from a talent standpoint you aren't adding valuable teams in that regard. At least with Arizona you are getting a great basketball program into the conference and the fans with it. I don't think (and I haven't looked into broadcast numbers or attendance numbers so please correct me if I'm wrong) Colorado has that same kind of support on their own.
I understand why they'd be a good add as a fan. Colorado is a fun and doable road trip, there's history going back to big 8, etc. But I don't think that translates to media value.
This.
There isn't a ton of urgency on the part of the B12 because they're not (currently) facing an existential crisis and the future looks pretty good. The fact is, adding or not adding PAC schools doesn't really change the conference's position. The B12 is still pretty solidly the #3 conference in 2024 either way. The B12 would be stronger with some combination of WAOR and the corner schools in the mix, but they're fairly well positioned for the present and future as is.
What I laugh about is the whole Pac/Big Ten bromance we had to endure for our entire lives.
The Big 12 could now take their top 6 remaining teams (only hypothetical) and still have ABSOLUTELY ZERO BLAME in destroying the Pac. This is 100% the fault of the Big Ten, Big Ten TV partners, USC and UCLA. If you have to find someone else, the Pac's own stupidity is again far more to blame than the Big 12.
The "alliance" thing is also funny but that's so recent and really meaningless beyond pointing out how galactically stupid the ACC and Pac 12 have both been. The Pac/ACC had chances to work with the Big 12 to thrive mutually. Instead the Pac flirted with raiding Big 12 several times and cozied up to their eventual bloody murderer. Morons. Feel bad for Oregon St and Washington St but who knows, maybe they went along with all this idiocy and they deserve it too.