Realignment Megathread (All The Moves)

[SCNCY]

I was hoping we'd just be able to move from OuT early and put it all behind us, but if it means that FOX will be more likely to pony up for our next tv deal, than i guess I'm on board with it.

I don't think this will force FOX to pony up more money for our next TV deal. If anything, they would want us to accept less money because it would mean FOX loosing advertising money from any game that OU and Texas aren't on their network if they were to leave early.

 

[PickSix]

I don't think this will force FOX to pony up more money for our next TV deal. If anything, they would want us to accept less money because it would mean FOX loosing advertising money from any game that OU and Texas aren't on their network if they were to leave early.

Nah, there had to have been some sort of concessions from FOX to us for not negotiating an early OuT exit with ESPN/SEC. Otherwise it would have been dumb for us to give up that leverage.

 

[RustShack]

Nah, there had to have been some sort of concessions from FOX to us for not negotiating an early OuT exit with ESPN. Otherwise it would have been dumb for us to give up that leverage.

Fox is blocking it because they have a contract with the Big12, including Oklahoma and Texas. ESPN isn’t the only one who currently has rights to the Big12. Fox has no reason to let ESPN have them in the SEC early. This has nothing to do with the new deal. ESPN is the only one who would have any reason to sweeten the pot for the Big12 to get them early.

 

[Cyclonepride]

Heard an interesting angle on the KXNO (a Hawk reporter, can't remember who, Kakert?): he thought that the Big Ten might be holding the possibility of adding Oregon/Washington open as a threat against California messing with the addition of USC/UCLA (that they'd finish off the PAC 12 for good if California keeps trying to stop those acquisitions). Makes a bit of sense.

 

[20eyes]

Heard an interesting angle on the KXNO (a Hawk reporter, can't remember who, Kakert?): he thought that the Big Ten might be holding the possibility of adding Oregon/Washington open as a threat against California messing with the addition of USC/UCLA (that they'd finish off the PAC 12 for good if California keeps trying to stop those acquisitions). Makes a bit of sense.

A bit of sense...but if USC & UCLA are going to be in the B1G (and they are) then UDub is going to be in the B1G. Washington is as valuable a property as USC and checks every B1G box. Ultimately, there is no strategy here. UDub is as good as gone (probably with UO). It's all over but the crying...

 

[Cyclonepride]

A bit of sense...but if USC & UCLA are going to be in the B1G (and they are) then UDub is going to be in the B1G. Washington is as valuable a property as USC and checks every B1G box. Ultimately, there is no strategy here. UDub is as good as gone (probably with UO). It's all over but the crying...

I hope you're right. They want to go. I'm just not convinced yet that the B1G really wants them.

 

[20eyes]

I hope you're right. They want to go. I'm just not convinced yet that the B1G really wants them.

I can't imagine why not. Washington would be in the top half of the conference in academic standing and research on day one and the B1G could own the PNW.

 

[CoKane]

I can't imagine why not. Washington would be in the top half of the conference in academic standing and research on day one and the B1G could own the PNW.

There was something out there yesterday that the issue was that the current memebers don't want more yet because they think they'll get less money

 

[isucy86]

Which is not a good thing! Having the FBS exist but then deciding that half of those teams would never play meaningful football sucks and CFB is literally the only sporting league who intentionally excludes half the field from winning a title

The G5 could always create their own playoff structure like the FCS Subdivision.

In the history of G5, the Boise win over Oklahoma might be only example of a G5 victory in a upper tier bowl game.

Add to that, the top G5 programs over the last decade will soon be Big12 teams- UCF, Houston & Cincy.

IMO it's time for the 69 teams in P5 conferences to play hardball with G5 schools. When the CFB Playoff expands to 12 teams, why should G5 schools receive hundreds of millions?

If G5 wants a playoff spot, the team should be ranked in top 15. Why take a 20th ranked Coastal Carolina over a 12th ranked Iowa State?

 

[isucy86]

Fox is blocking it because they have a contract with the Big12, including Oklahoma and Texas. ESPN isn’t the only one who currently has rights to the Big12. Fox has no reason to let ESPN have them in the SEC early. This has nothing to do with the new deal. ESPN is the only one who would have any reason to sweeten the pot for the Big12 to get them early.

Dodds has issued a correction. It sounds like Fox's demand does apply to the prospective new deal. It appears Fox is trying to negotiate better terms (aka games) if Fox/ESPN share future TV deal with Big12.

 

[jbhtexas]

Dodds has issued a correction. It sounds like Fox's demand does apply to the prospective new deal. It appears Fox is trying to negotiate better terms (aka games) if Fox/ESPN share future TV deal with Big12.

All this makes it sound like there are some productive talks going on for the Big 12...none of this "millions of dollars apart" stuff that we heard during the Pac-12 negotiations. I wonder how those considering a move from the Pac-12 to the Big 12 are viewing this...

 

[2speedy1]

Those are 2 separate legal agreemts though, arent they? Couldnt they (at least in theory) renegotiate the tv deals and the GoR is unaffected? Say, if ND joined formally or something like that.

Yes and no, if anyone joins they would be added at the same rate, meaning, if they are paying teams $30M per year, they just add another $30M share to the contract for the team. If there is a team/s that is considered a significant change to the value of the conference, then it would trigger a clause that opens them to negotiate a better media deal. Word is that ND alone might not be able to do that because they already play a significant number of games in conference. It would need to be someone else of significant value.

That being said, because the GOR is separate, regardless of what happens with their media deal, anyone that joins, still has to sign on to their current GOR until it ends in the mid 2030s.

That is where teams joining or leaving are in a real pickle. I personally think the best thing the ACC can do right now is attempt to merge the entire conference with the Big 12. This would void their current contracts and give them enough content to compete for a deal at least close to the P2. But I don't think that has a huge chance of happening really. I just think that if the ACC does nothing until their current contract and GOR ends they will be so far behind everyone else it could really put their members in a bad position. The other conferences will be negotiating their 3rd contract by the time their current one is ending, and they already are at or near the bottom currently.

 

[isucy86]

All this makes it sound like there are some productive talks going on for the Big 12...none of this "millions of dollars apart" stuff that we heard during the Pac-12 negotiations. I wonder how those considering a move from the Pac-12 to the Big 12 are viewing this...

Hope so.

But could just be each party seeing where the others stand. It could give Big 12 some idea how media partners value a Big12/Pac12 merger or individual Pac12 teams.

Or what time slots ESPN & Fox have available for Big12 games. I would think ESPN would be limited in prime slots with their relationships/investments with the SEC & ACC.

 

[20eyes]

There was something out there yesterday that the issue was that the current memebers don't want more yet because they think they'll get less money

I'm sure that's a concern and maybe it'll take longer than I think but the B1G's expansion moves going back to PSU indicate that they want to be...BIG. If they're going down to MD, up to Rutgers, over to USC, it follows that they go out to Washington. There's no doubt that if the B1G university presidents were polled they'd vote unanimously to add UDub. Same for Cal & Stanford. I don't think this stops until SC/UCLA/Cal/Stanford/Udub/OU (as Udubs partner) end up in the B1G. The B1G sees the P2 future coming. They want the best academic + athletic properties available to counter-balance the SEC who simply wants the best athletic properties.

EDIT: Ironically, when this all shakes out the SEC will have more AAU institutions than whatever Pac + B12 has (if the two merge).

 

[Trice]

Here we go...

 

[MartyFine]

 

[LLCoolCY]

Guessing someone from FOX/BiG10 is getting annoyed with the UCal Regents and “leaked” this to Dodds to get resolution.

 

[BCClone]

Guessing someone from FOX/BiG10 is getting annoyed with the UCal Regents and “leaked” this to Dodds to get resolution.

This actually would probably be good for the Big 12. We could pick and choose which schools to get of the leftovers (UCLA would get an instant invite you gotta believe, and since there is no PAC, they may be allowed to leave on their own), cut the competition conference wise, and probably lower the big ten payouts a smidge because if those teams were worth the amount the big ten is supposed to get, they would already be invited.

I think the Cali folks could push the big ten on this, it is a major bluff in my opinion.

 

[Gorm]

This actually would probably be good for the Big 12. We could pick and choose which schools to get of the leftovers (UCLA would get an instant invite you gotta believe, and since there is no PAC, they may be allowed to leave on their own), cut the competition conference wise, and probably lower the big ten payouts a smidge because if those teams were worth the amount the big ten is supposed to get, they would already be invited.

I think the Cali folks could push the big ten on this, it is a major bluff in my opinion.

If the UCLA move is blocked, I think its a safe assumption that UCLA and CAL would have to move together to any other conference.

I still think UCLA will end up in the Big 10 though.

 

[JP4CY]

If UCLA is somehow blocked from this I wonder if SC can back out. If they can, the SEC is looking at all of this and would want to pounce.