Realignment Megathread (All The Moves)
- Thread starter ISUcyclones11
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TT is really the only one that has a pulse outside UT and aTm, but comparing the numbers TT has tiny support compared to those 2.
The problem is West Texas is basically a unpopulated desert, when compared to the Eastern side of the state.
Paying those schools in the P2 kills the ACC, thereby freeing up a lot of playoff money and a berth(s). And in the case of Clemson/FSU, due to the ACC getting more than the Big 12 because of those schools previous CFP success, the P2 already got the extra money line-itemed to pay for those schools movement
It also would remove the ACC vote against P2 interest
ESPN can pay for 17 schools at $30 to $40 million in ACC, or pay 4 of those schools to be in SEC, with 8 or fewer other ACC schools in Big 12 at $20 million…net savings to ESPN
And that’s before the implications adding to the SEC would have on the coming fight over the college basketball postseason.
Iowa State needs to do everything they can to be one of the Big XII Power Programs. Tieing for the Regular Season Championship and making the Big XII CCG was an excellent start. Beating Miami (Fla.) in the Pop-Tarts Bowl to finish (11-3) and highly ranked would be nice Power move too. Let's Go State!
The "caring" factor you refer is directly tied to the in-state alumni bases and TT and OU are in a tier behind UT and aggy and that tier is significant so your hot take of no one caring in TX beyond UT and aggy is way off base. Both OU and TT have significant alum/fan bases in DFW especially.
Obviously the private schools (BU, TCU and SMU) don't have the alumni numbers and historical success of UT and OU to pull in big time TV numbers even when they are CFP quality (e.g. 2024 SMU). But all 3 have the financial resources and committed alums to be successful.
Houston is another matter. Their enrollment is far higher than the in state privates but as a commuter school, the vast majority of their alums don't give a flip about UH athletics and they will never be a big TV draw regardless of how good they are. It was and always will be a mistake to have expanded with them when only UC and BYU were necessary.
With cinci you run into the same Texas issue though, no one in the state cares they are all OSU fans if they care about college football. Cinci does have a small dedicated basketball fan base though.
Thing is no one really cares about killing the ACC and the ACC has voted against its self by voting no for 2 autobids so the vote is a non factor these days.
With the awful showings of the ACC they will lose all benefit or the doubt next year, damage is already done even though Tenn also got its ass kicked.
If the ACC were to fall UNC still gets the big ten invite but I’m not sure who would come with. When in doubt you always want the states flagship school with the deep pockets. Especially if in the near future we’re going to see more and more direct payments
B12 had to add at least two when OUT left (and still don't why four were needlessly added instead).
BYU was a no brainer and UC was a better alternative than UH and UCF given UC's proximity to WV and being less "commuter" than UH and UCF.
They had no idea the PAC was going to explode when they added the four and you had to have four to get to 12 as a hedge against future departures plus more inventory for TV rights negotiations.
Hindsight says you only take two but that wasn't the reality at the time. Bowlsby absolutely did the right thing.
The positives for UCF and UH are that the schools are invested to improve their athletics. I don’t know if they’ll get there, but they will keep trying. Give me a school like that over an academic school with athletics secondary any day.
Yep totally get that, I still had Memphis over UC Andy he commuter schools but yormark has yet to make a mistake so gotta give him the benefit of the doubt
You don’t take Houston and the PAC 12 grabs them up in a heartbeat along with SDSU to save the Pac 12. I also didn’t really care for the add but it was the right move
They should have known that as soon as the SEC added OUT, there was a chance that the PAC was also liable to lose schools.
But it seems like they didn’t, given some Big 12 schools attempted to leave for PAC
I mean, did they really think that USC would stay in PAC because they added some second rate Texas schools and Ok St? Thank goodness the USC president shut that down
Regardless, given their viewpoint at the time, adding the four schools wasn’t flawed. IMO, for the same reason they didn’t see the PAC vulnerabilities, they thought additional Big 12 departures were more likely. In other words, they viewed realignment more as the Big 12 being weak issue than industry wide stratification that was actually occurring
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That is assuming the valuable schools of PAC wanted to save the PAC, which wasn’t true. But I agree that was the thought behind adding Houston
More inventory was dilutive for the remaining 8. They got by with 10 for several years and there was little to suggest that they couldn't continue with 10 especially after the R8 committed to sticking together.
You really think it’s about killing the ACC?
It’s not about killing the ACC, it’s about the fact doing so would expand the SEC footprint, and make them and ESPN more money.
You mean the ACC voted against the P2 getting more auto bids. Aka, against the P2. Sankey, the SEC, and ESPN also remember the ACC voting against expansion in 2021/22.
Without ACC, there is another at-large available.
I’d bet UNC goes to the SEC, but disagreement in how the ACC gets split up is likely the biggest obstacle to it ending early. ESPN needs it to be suitable, otherwise it doesn’t occur until closer to 2030
Increased inventory made up for losing the marquee properties.
There's no way that media partners end up paying the same price for the same number of games when those don't include Texas, oh and Oklahoma.
Bringing those 4 in gave Yormark the solid base that he had to grow from. Plus, they all add something.
