Realignment Megathread (All The Moves)

[CascadeClone]

So, the PAC 12 is now just trying to be the best of the G5. Ok. That’s fine and dandy.

Thats 100% what they should be doing. Trying to be the only G5 in the left half of the country. Their main (only?) competition would be the American, in the right half.

If i was running the BrokePac, I would have just tried to bring in the whole MWC. Just w the understanding you dont get any of the forfeited goods from the conference breakup.

 

[SolterraCyclone]

Thats 100% what they should be doing. Trying to be the only G5 in the left half of the country. Their main (only?) competition would be the American, in the right half.

If i was running the BrokePac, I would have just tried to bring in the whole MWC. Just w the understanding you dont get any of the forfeited goods from the conference breakup.

I think they were trying to create the far-and-away best G6 league in the country. That would have essentially locked up that G6 playoff spot almost every year and would have been more lucrative rather than just merging with the MWC.

But unfortunately, they failed to lure the best of the AAC. So now, they are probably level with the AAC. If they can get UNLV and/or Air Force, they’re solidly ahead of the MWC. If not though, the PAC will probably still be battling with them too as well as the AAC for that playoff spot (and TV contracts).

 

[JHUNSY]

 

[CascadeClone]

I think they were trying to create the far-and-away best G6 league in the country. That would have essentially locked up that G6 playoff spot almost every year and would have been more lucrative rather than just merging with the MWC.

But unfortunately, they failed to lure the best of the AAC. So now, they are probably level with the AAC. If they can get UNLV and/or Air Force, they’re solidly ahead of the MWC. If not though, the PAC will probably still be battling with them too as well as the AAC for that playoff spot (and TV contracts).

Agree, that's what they were trying to do. But I think that was absolutely the wrong play, strategically. Just having the better teams overall wouldn't have provided enough incremental money to make the jacked up travel costs make sense. It's no wonder Memphis, Tulane, etc didn't go for it.

Maybe they could have done like a nationwide "other guys" conference merger or alliance where they have like 24-30 teams, but not have very much cross travel from east to west.

At this point, if I was running a G5 conference, I would be trying to get them all together to make our own football playoff. Take the SunBelt, MAC, CUSA, BrokePac, American, pull out your best 8 teams at end of year, and do a thing. Hell, you could TRY to keep your top rated champ in the CFP, and still do a 8 team separate playoff. Might get you $1-2M per team, which isn't insignificant for those schools.

 

[trevn]

College athletics has pretty much moved into a dystopian sci-fi drama.

 

[ripvdub]

I hope Pac takes Gonzaga before Our commissioner gets a chance to invite them here.

 

[SolterraCyclone]

Agree, that's what they were trying to do. But I think that was absolutely the wrong play, strategically. Just having the better teams overall wouldn't have provided enough incremental money to make the jacked up travel costs make sense. It's no wonder Memphis, Tulane, etc didn't go for it.

Maybe they could have done like a nationwide "other guys" conference merger or alliance where they have like 24-30 teams, but not have very much cross travel from east to west.

At this point, if I was running a G5 conference, I would be trying to get them all together to make our own football playoff. Take the SunBelt, MAC, CUSA, BrokePac, American, pull out your best 8 teams at end of year, and do a thing. Hell, you could TRY to keep your top rated champ in the CFP, and still do a 8 team separate playoff. Might get you $1-2M per team, which isn't insignificant for those schools.

I agree with your first paragraph with regards to Memphis, Tulane, UTSA, etc. But, I understand why OSU/WSU wanted to try and build the best G6. They still want a legitimate path to the playoff, and establishing the clearly best G6 was their best option (similar to the B12 trying to establish itself as the best non-P2).

If you were a Beaver/Cougar fan, that is a very bitter pill to swallow, just giving up and agreeing to the other G conferences on a G6 playoff outside of the CFP. Honestly, that would be extinction for their athletic department as they know it (and they’ve already taken huge body blows). Putting ISU in their shoes, I would want us to do everything possible before self-relegating ourselves.

 

[cyman05]

I don’t understand if the mtn west dissolves because 9 of 12 left, why didn’t the Pac12 dissolve when 10 of 12 left? Does it simply come down to bylaws? Couldn’t the 3 remaining mountain west school due to keep the fees owed to the conference?

 

[Cloneon]

I don’t understand if the mtn west dissolves because 9 of 12 left, why didn’t the Pac12 dissolve when 10 of 12 left? Does it simply come down to bylaws? Couldn’t the 3 remaining mountain west school due to keep the fees owed to the conference?

Didn't OSU/WSU win a court battle to retain Pac12 assets? And, I'd presume the parties that left had assumed (albeit incorrectly) that by not dissolving they'd get equal shares of remaining assets.

 

[cykadelic2]

I agree with your first paragraph with regards to Memphis, Tulane, UTSA, etc. But, I understand why OSU/WSU wanted to try and build the best G6. They still want a legitimate path to the playoff, and establishing the clearly best G6 was their best option (similar to the B12 trying to establish itself as the best non-P2).

If you were a Beaver/Cougar fan, that is a very bitter pill to swallow, just giving up and agreeing to the other G conferences on a G6 playoff outside of the CFP. Honestly, that would be extinction for their athletic department as they know it (and they’ve already taken huge body blows). Putting ISU in their shoes, I would want us to do everything possible before self-relegating ourselves.

ORSt and Wazzu were financially destroyed and relegated when Fox pushed Oregon and U-Dub to the B10. They have lost their clear path to the CFP via an auto bid.

The PAC should be merging with the MWC in some fashion instead of current nonsense going on.

And the PAC should have merged with the B12 when Bowlsby made the offer to do so even if Fox evenutally moves USC, UCLA, UO and U-Dub to the B10. It would have saved ORSt and Wazzu, avoided the fiasco of Calford being in the ACC, and prevented the needless promotion (and more mouths to feed) of UCF, UC and UH.

 

[ElephantPie]

I don’t understand if the mtn west dissolves because 9 of 12 left, why didn’t the Pac12 dissolve when 10 of 12 left? Does it simply come down to bylaws? Couldn’t the 3 remaining mountain west school due to keep the fees owed to the conference?

Yep, it is all about the bylaws. I remember reading that the Pac12 bylaws said something like leaving members do not get a vote so the 10 schools that were leaving didn't get a chance to vote to dissolve the conference, only WSU & OSU could do that but they didn't so they could keep Pac12 assets and such. I haven't heard what MWC bylaws say on voting rights for schools that are leaving.

 

[charlie_B]

Billable hours always win. The PAC-12 is now suing the MWC because of the poaching penalty they agreed to in the scheduling alliance contract. (I think)

Pac-12 files lawsuit against MWC over pricy 'poaching penalty'

The battle between the Mountain West and the Pac-12 is now moving into the courthouse.

sports.yahoo.com

 

[Cyclonsin]

Billable hours always win. The PAC-12 is now suing the MWC because of the poaching penalty they agreed to in the scheduling alliance contract. (I think)

Pac-12 files lawsuit against MWC over pricy 'poaching penalty'

The battle between the Mountain West and the Pac-12 is now moving into the courthouse.

sports.yahoo.com

Man, OSU and Wazzu are really leaning hard into their heel turn, huh?

 

[CyCrazy]

Man, OSU and Wazzu are really leaning hard into their heel turn, huh?

Hell why not?

 

[FerShizzle]

I don’t understand if the mtn west dissolves because 9 of 12 left, why didn’t the Pac12 dissolve when 10 of 12 left? Does it simply come down to bylaws? Couldn’t the 3 remaining mountain west school due to keep the fees owed to the conference?

The grant of rights holding them together would dissolve.

 

[Gorm]

Man, OSU and Wazzu are really leaning hard into their heel turn, huh?

What was the other option?

 

[Clonehomer]

I don’t understand if the mtn west dissolves because 9 of 12 left, why didn’t the Pac12 dissolve when 10 of 12 left? Does it simply come down to bylaws? Couldn’t the 3 remaining mountain west school due to keep the fees owed to the conference?

Because USC and UCLA (and later UW and OU) declared their new landing spot first. Once they declared they were leaving, they could no longer vote to dissolve. What is needed is enough votes to dissolve to move all at once. Then they can vote to dissolve before declaring their intention to move. The PAC never had that supermajority at one time.

This is where the ACC gets interesting though. If FSU gets a court decision to get them out, will there be enough ACC teams that will have new landing spots to get that vote to dissolve. And then the lawyers get involved and we all get to again hear the internet experts talk about tortuous interference like they spent the last 8 years in law school.

 

[cykadelic2]

Because USC and UCLA (and later UW and OU) declared their new landing spot first. Once they declared they were leaving, they could no longer vote to dissolve. What is needed is enough votes to dissolve to move all at once. Then they can vote to dissolve before declaring their intention to move. The PAC never had that supermajority at one time.

This is where the ACC gets interesting though. If FSU gets a court decision to get them out, will there be enough ACC teams that will have new landing spots to get that vote to dissolve. And then the lawyers get involved and we all get to again hear the internet experts talk about tortuous interference like they spent the last 8 years in law school.

Any court decision that will enable FSU to get out will be related to reduced exit fees, not the GOR itself. I've seen nothing that suggests that FSU has found an exit due to a fault in the GOR (which is why they are now talking settlement with a new GOR expiration date of 2030).

Since the ACC GOR mirrors the B12's, the only way the ACC dissolves is if 1) ESPN declines the 2027 ACC TV option and the GOR terminates at that time or 2) if ESPN doesn't decline the 2027 options, all existing schools must have a new landing spot to their satisfaction or else the conference stays intact in some fashion with the remaining schools.

 

[1UNI2ISU]

What was the other option?

Just joining the Mountain West who would've been more than happy to take them before all this.

 

[Al_4_State]

What was the other option?

Just join the MWC?