Expansion/Realignment Talk Heating Up Again
- Thread starter KingWard
- Start date
It will all end the moment they completely remove any pretense of amateurism and make the decision that the players are employees. It’s coming….a Judge on the SC has all but invited it.
And I'm okay with that.
Outside of the US and Canada, most professional teams are sponsored by corporations.
And then real college athletics will revert to club teams, D-III, and the NAIA.
So, we all know football has been the focus of most of the expansion talks. At some point, does the SEC start shifting their strategy a little? I think there does come a point where you've expanded yourself out of contention for a NC. We've always talked about how the SEC beats each other up...it's only getting worse. NCs in the last 25 years:
Bama
UGA
UT
UTjr
OU
UF
LSU
AU
All of those programs are either currently at the top of the food chain, or have the ability to jump right back to the top. Then you have programs like USC, UK, MSU, OM, Ark that have fielded really good teams over the years, but just haven't been consistent and haven't been able to break through. Adding OU and UT are going to make it that much tougher.
That had me thinking, does the SEC look at the conference as a whole in the future? All we ever look at are football viewers. When you look at that, UNC looks like a loser. But my guess is they get more eyes during basketball season than football season...plus, there are a lot more games to televise in basketball. I would think the same would go for a program like WVU. It would be interesting to see how many total viewers (TV and streaming) the ADs as a whole attract for a full year. Maybe that was a part of the thought process for Mizzou?
I know C.R.E.A.M., but at some point I have to think being the #1 conference in all sports is something they are aspiring to be. Football? Check. Baseball? Check. Women's BBall? Check. Men's BBall? Nope.
Does BBall start to become more of a factor in the next phase?
Bama
UGA
UT
UTjr
OU
UF
LSU
AU
All of those programs are either currently at the top of the food chain, or have the ability to jump right back to the top. Then you have programs like USC, UK, MSU, OM, Ark that have fielded really good teams over the years, but just haven't been consistent and haven't been able to break through. Adding OU and UT are going to make it that much tougher.
That had me thinking, does the SEC look at the conference as a whole in the future? All we ever look at are football viewers. When you look at that, UNC looks like a loser. But my guess is they get more eyes during basketball season than football season...plus, there are a lot more games to televise in basketball. I would think the same would go for a program like WVU. It would be interesting to see how many total viewers (TV and streaming) the ADs as a whole attract for a full year. Maybe that was a part of the thought process for Mizzou?
I know C.R.E.A.M., but at some point I have to think being the #1 conference in all sports is something they are aspiring to be. Football? Check. Baseball? Check. Women's BBall? Check. Men's BBall? Nope.
Does BBall start to become more of a factor in the next phase?
Every AD whose school has a football program knows that while football is the major cash cow, it's not the be-all and end-all of varsity athletics at the school. And yes, golf should have a voice (note that I am refraining from stating how much of a voice). It Just Means More needs to mean more for all sports.
It's still a horrible idea, though, I think. Then you'll have unionization, workman's comp issues, insurance issues, discrimination issues, a plethora of headaches. It's certainly not supportable based on NIL considerations. In that case, that money doesn't even come from the schools. Why shouldn't athletes be the employees of whoever pays them money for services?
All legitimate issues and questions, but I believe it is coming. Imagine what will happen to ticket sales when your Gamecock Club membership fees are no longer 80% deductible.
Honestly believe moving the headquarters from Kansas City to Indianapolis was the beginning of all this. Remember my law professor stating that it would be the worst move the NCAA ever made. The 8th Circuit historically protected the NCAA from anti-trust suits. The 7th Circuit has not.
And now back to the original topic at hand.
A certain school from a conference that has a unreasonable exit date has. recently hired a law firm to specifically "look into the language of the contact".
Same school now rumored to have mutual interests by both sides (school, conference)
A certain school from a conference that has a unreasonable exit date has. recently hired a law firm to specifically "look into the language of the contact".
Same school now rumored to have mutual interests by both sides (school, conference)
Very astute.
There is one ACC school that one could say "all that is left is to announce they are leaving the ACC.
I'm going to have to leave it at that.
I love mayhem; I even love the anticipation of mayhem. That would be mayhem in the extreme.
I thought there were two in that boat, but I don't know what you knkw, apparently.
Umm, no.
There was never a pressing need before some very recent developments.
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Nah. They started looking at it when the SEC and B10 tv numbers started coming out. It’s been a while.
The new media rights deal for both the B1G 10 and SEC came out back in August of 2022. I don't know if that fits your criteria of "it's been a while"
https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Journal/Issues/2022/08/22/In-Depth/Media-rights-side.aspx
Actually it started in 2020 when it was announced that the ESPN Saturday 3:30 contract was going to $300M/yr from $55M/yr. That was the first major move that made everyone take notice, particularly the ACC.
If it's who I think it is.....it is a much more recent development.
There will not be a future football champion that has not been a past football champion.....
The SEC will never be less than the most football-centric conference in America. Its constituency demands it and always will. Moreover, the SEC will continue to be frontrunners in the quest for future national football championships, and for the same reason.
I agree. My opinion is at some point (and I believe we’re already there) there will be so many championship caliber teams you end up with a bunch of elite 9-3 teams missing the playoffs. Add teams like Clem and fsu only complicate that further.
I don't know how far back you're speaking of, but this casts a very very big net.
At most a spoiler, at least for the foreseeable future, and possibly forever.
9-3 has never been elite, although that has been posted by many legacy teams. Legacy teams have a way of resurfacing.
Now hold on one minute, The Crimson has less championships that Princeton and Yale.
I sense bias.
Actually, this may be a bigger domino to fall then initially suspected. SDSU staying in the MW due to 2 reasons 1) MW would not grant extension of 30 days, and 2)PAC 12 is still unable to secure a TV rights deal.
If the PAC 12 does not get a deal or they get a substandard deal, several schools will start to look for greener pastures.
Already strong rumors of Colorado and Utah flirting with B1G 12.