Realignment Megathread (All The Moves)

[BillBrasky4Cy]

I’m a little concerned that the PAC and ACC will team up, merge, and then set their targets on the big 12. The ACC schools have to see that the SEC and Big 10 are coming for them too. And they will be damned if these truck stop schools will be the only ones left standing.

But I am not sure they can form a new conference without throwing out the old GOR and allowing those teams that want to leave for the SEC and Big 10 a chance to do so while they are unrestricted by a GOR.

If they restructure the GOR, FSU, UNC, Virginia, Miami, and Clemson are gone. Neither the PAC or ACC have any leverage right now.

 

[longdriveforsom]

Could be another hit to the PAC 12 media deal. Sounds like they want to be involved in the next cup deal as well

 

[Gunnerclone]

 

[BillBrasky4Cy]

I found this article interesting.

A couple quotes from there.

But Phillips has also touted the ACC's relatively secure position as the No. 3 league in TV revenue, which along with the conference's grant of rights deal, which extends until 2036, as a source of optimism.

Are they really third? I’ve looked and found 3 different sources that say 3 different things. One has the ACC at $17M/team, one had $23.3M/team, and one had $35-38M/ team. But it was stated they were 3rd in revenue without question by the author and commissioner in the article.

As one AD suggested, expansion could be valuable to the league simply as a means of preventing the Big 12 from growing further.
Phillips acknowledged that reality at the league's kickoff event this week.

"You have to understand what's going on across the country," Phillips told ESPN. "Maybe you preempt [another league's expansion], maybe you don't, maybe there's a first thing that has to happen before you make a move. There's a variety of ways you attack this."

It definitely looks like the ACC might make moves just to prevent the B12 from solidifying itself as a 3rd P3. That’s the first time I’ve ever heard a conference official admit that publicly.

Ultimately, I don’t think the ACC is a threat to our expansion, but something to keep an eye on. A.) they actively had a mutiny during meeting a couple months ago with 7 teams meeting to explore how to break the GOR B.) I’m not 100% sure they are actually 3rd in revenue per team C.) there aren’t any expansion candidates, except for OU and UW, that I think the ACC schools would vote to bring on D.) the GOR through 2036 is prohibitive C.) geography works against them and west coast schools

LMAO no, his comment is incredibly misleading. He's talking total conference payout and not what each schools take home is. The ACC is well behind the Big 12 and that gap is only widening.

 

[RezClone]

Couple things that helps the Big12

Being almost double the money, it would be awful hard to convince someone to take the lesser deal.

Being smack in the middle of the country, right between those 2 conferences helps the Big12. The travel costs and time would double. And they would be flying over a conference that is in much better position, and being paid much more.

Finally, they would be going to a conference where the highest value teams have been outspoken on their desire to leave as soon as possible. Meaning whenever those schools get it done, anyone going to the ACC will be right back in the same situation.

That would be like Iowa State having an invite to the B10, but deciding to go to the ACC instead.

I would think there are smarter people making these decisions than that.

All logical common sense points. Ironically, the conference of geniuses have proven themselves to be immune to common sense, if nothing else.

Don't underestimate the influence of ideology in the decision making of the Pac 12-3. IMHO, "academics", with respect to their importance to the Pac and the Big 12's lack thereof, has always been meant to be a loaded term and a nicer way of saying, "we will not be associated with those backwards hillbillies in the truck stop conference, no matter what, period."

The elitist brass know a large portion of their fan base uses those terms regularly, and they feel the same way. In that sense, Pac country is pretty unified. Arguably, it's one of the top ways, and perhaps only way, that conference is unified. After reading so many comments from their fans and piecing it together with what media and administrators have said, I get the sense that they really do view the totality of our existence in the Big 12 as something akin to a Nascar race/Trump rally/Joel Osteen worship service.

Yes, at some point the rubber meets the road financially, but I think we don't fully appreciate how high that bar is for them, and the lengths they will go in order to stay true to "academics". I really do think decision makers would seriously consider just about anything to save face on this point, in their opinion, and they would have a significant degree of public support from fans and alumni in doing so.

We can and should find this deeply offensive as ISU graduates, fans, etc.

 

[Pope]

I saw many fans from all schools feel bad. But even if not, we can be bigger "men". This mentality reminds me of mafia or gangs getting revenge. It never ends. Personally I want to live in an empathetic world, not one full of anger and revenge.

I remember thinking of the decimation of my alma mater and how it would affect so many in that town and surrounding communities. The greed of athletics is ruining the lives of so many.

Amen. Greed in general (not just greed in athletics) is ruining lives. I see so much of this in the health care field where the obsession for more and more profit is literally preventing needy people from getting live saving medical treatment.

I'll stop before I send this thread to the cave.

 

[PickSix]

If they move, ACC schools will be going to the big 2 conferences, anyway. We're not on their radar for realignment.

There will definitely be opportunities for us once the big brands leave, but it’s going to look more like Louisville/Pitt than UNC/Florida State in my opinion.

 

[BCClone]

Sorry if I missed it, but has GK decided yet if he's going shopping in the B12?

He can obviously go shopping, but it would be like me at a college bar trying to pick up women. He will be coming home alone just like I would.

 

[jcyclonee]

I agree in principle - go for scale to become "too big to fail". But I am pretty sure the TV folks won't keep up the money pro rata past 4 adds - and that's assuming OU or UW are one of the 4 adds.

Now maybe the Big12 is OK with 31.7 turning into 28.5 by adding 6 teams, but maybe not. I suppose it depends what BY thinks his endgame is once the ACC gets paoched by the B1G and SEC - whether that is next year, or 10 years from now.

I am of the belief that when the networks said to stop at 4, they weren't anticipating OU and UW would be part of the deal.

 

[jcyclonee]

He can obviously go shopping, but it would be like me at a college bar trying to pick up women. He will be coming home alone just like I would.

Unlike you (and me for that matter), he won't be getting sloshed off his butt and enjoying himself that way.

 

[Clonefan94]

If they restructure the GOR, FSU, UNC, Virginia, Miami, and Clemson are gone. Neither the PAC or ACC have any leverage right now.

Exactly. Those 5 have spots almost guaranteed where they can make a lot more money. Adding the PAC teams isn’t going to get them to $60 - 70million per team which is what they’d have to get to to keep those 5.

 

[FerShizzle]

the gap between what they are worth and what they think they are worth is laughable.

 

[cycloneML]

All logical common sense points. Ironically, the conference of geniuses have proven themselves to be immune to common sense, if nothing else.

Don't underestimate the influence of ideology in the decision making of the Pac 12-3. IMHO, "academics", with respect to their importance to the Pac and the Big 12's lack thereof, has always been meant to be a loaded term and a nicer way of saying, "we will not be associated with those backwards hillbillies in the truck stop conference, no matter what, period."

The elitist brass know a large portion of their fan base uses those terms regularly, and they feel the same way. In that sense, Pac country is pretty unified. Arguably, it's one of the top ways, and perhaps only way, that conference is unified. After reading so many comments from their fans and piecing it together with what media and administrators have said, I get the sense that they really do view the totality of our existence in the Big 12 as something akin to a Nascar race/Trump rally/Joel Osteen worship service.

Yes, at some point the rubber meets the road financially, but I think we don't fully appreciate how high that bar is for them, and the lengths they will go in order to stay true to "academics". I really do think decision makers would seriously consider just about anything to save face on this point, in their opinion, and they would have a significant degree of public support from fans and alumni in doing so.

We can and should find this deeply offensive as ISU graduates, fans, etc.

**** them

 

[CascadeClone]

All logical common sense points. Ironically, the conference of geniuses have proven themselves to be immune to common sense, if nothing else.

Don't underestimate the influence of ideology in the decision making of the Pac 12-3. IMHO, "academics", with respect to their importance to the Pac and the Big 12's lack thereof, has always been meant to be a loaded term and a nicer way of saying, "we will not be associated with those backwards hillbillies in the truck stop conference, no matter what, period."

The elitist brass know a large portion of their fan base uses those terms regularly, and they feel the same way. In that sense, Pac country is pretty unified. Arguably, it's one of the top ways, and perhaps only way, that conference is unified. After reading so many comments from their fans and piecing it together with what media and administrators have said, I get the sense that they really do view the totality of our existence in the Big 12 as something akin to a Nascar race/Trump rally/Joel Osteen worship service.

Yes, at some point the rubber meets the road financially, but I think we don't fully appreciate how high that bar is for them, and the lengths they will go in order to stay true to "academics". I really do think decision makers would seriously consider just about anything to save face on this point, in their opinion, and they would have a significant degree of public support from fans and alumni in doing so.

We can and should find this deeply offensive as ISU graduates, fans, etc.

Hey, if they want to be the West Coast version of the Ivy League, that's fine. Just the money will be Ivy League too.

The problem is that half the conference doesn't fit with that - OSU, WSU, AZ, ASU, UO. And they want/need the athletic money and exposure. UW and UU may want/need it too, even if their academics are good enough to qualify for that "Ivy League West".

 

[Daserop]

OMG this is amazing!

 

[BillBrasky4Cy]

There will definitely be opportunities for us once the big brands leave, but it’s going to look more like Louisville/Pitt than UNC/Florida State in my opinion.

If the Big 12 can grab the likes of Louisville, Pitt, VA Tech and even Syracuse we will be in GREAT shape.

 

[Cyclonepride]

If they move, ACC schools will be going to the big 2 conferences, anyway. We're not on their radar for realignment.

I think most people are assuming that there will be desirable remnants if that happens.

 

[Nor'easter]

If the Big 12 can grab the likes of Louisville, Pitt, VA Tech and even Syracuse we will be in GREAT shape.

Those teams would make for a more stable conference than Oregon/Washington, those two would always be looking to leave... But you take them if you can.

 

[CascadeClone]

LMAO no, his comment is incredibly misleading. He's talking total conference payout and not what each schools take home is. The ACC is well behind the Big 12 and that gap is only widening.

So the ACC keeps getting quoted at $17M per, but wasn't that an average over the 20 years, that started lower and went up? Didn't it start at like $10M and now it's like $30M per team? Or am I hallucinating that?

Man, I tried googling this and what a mess. They did that 20 year extension in 2016, adding the ACCN. But try finding money details on it... Also, you can get reports for distributions anywhere from $23M in 2021 (UNC site) to $38M in 2022 (NCSt fansite) to $27M (some guy's blog). And who knows if any of that includes ACCN expenses, or CFP or NCAAT payouts as well.

 

[MartyFine]