Realignment Megathread (All The Moves)
- Thread starter ISUcyclones11
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The Pac get ****** by Fox, so ESPN want their turn.
ACC fans talk to me. Help me understand the allure of the University of Virginia. I've seen them frequently mentioned in B1G expansion talk and have seen it a couple times with SEC talk. I don't remember them being good at football, basketball, or being a big tv market. Why do they get mentioned so often?
Was 2019 that long ago?
Like some of these Pac schools, they have a brand people like. Whether the value matches that, is unclear. I've read some have VT being worth more to the networks, Both would get a conference in front of VA and the DC.
I do recall them winning the natty now that you mention it. :Facepalm: I think of 2019 as the year Tech was runner up, not the year Virginia won. I just have a hard time believing UVA moves the needle that much in a world where Oregon and Washington don't. UNC, Mia, FlSt, Clemson, and VT make sense to me.
I’ll take a stab. It’s a prestigious public university that fits the academic profile and catalog of sports for the B1G. It’s a Public Ivy. They have an endowment of $14.5B. I think it adds additional access to DC market, and the spread of UVA alums is all over the east coast/mid-Atlantic. UVA Alum are usually high earners.
It’s my opinion, but they really present themselves as a private institution. They call the campus the “grounds”. Students are 1st year, 2nd year, etc. UVA seems like the place to check the boxes on the B1G ego scorecard.
The state ranks 12th in population with 8.6 mil people for one, and has a significant population outside of DC in Richmond, Virginia Beach, and Norfolk.
And as far as “fit”, I’d see Virginia belonging to the Big 10 before I’d ever think that way of Maryland or especially Rutgers.
And to be specific, according to the pre-board documents Agenda. It’s about legal advice on a Pac12 Athletics Update
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DC is:
a transient market with people from everywhere,
a pro sports-first market,
a market that already has BTN, SECN, and ACCN on its cable networks.
Virginia adds less than people think and certainly not more than Oregon if even they aren’t a revenue positive addition.
I was thinking B1G network was forced on DC already through Maryland. I didn't realize Virginia itself was that populated. Academics, state population, bball won a ship, and football is just good enough. B1G doesn't seem to care if you're great at football, so it's making sense now.
Watching Pac after dark the teams remind me of the Big12 so I enjoy watching them. ACC is usually on in the morning, but the matchups generally aren't interesting so I'm watching something else. As a result, I'm less familiar with their non-powerhouse schools.
Watching Pac after dark the teams remind me of the Big12 so I enjoy watching them. ACC is usually on in the morning, but the matchups generally aren't interesting so I'm watching something else. As a result, I'm less familiar with their non-powerhouse schools.
UVA is a lot like Michigan minus the blue-blood football. Complete guess but I'd bet that a lot of students come from outside of VA (NY/NJ, just like Mich). And UVA is a lot like aTm in that they are an absolute cult. Having lived in a city with a lot of UVA grads, they like to keep to their own and think down on anyone that went to a 'lesser' school. Much like UM
How 2010 of you.
This is about pull now. It’s why I used “get in front of”. The Big may not add new BTN access but they are more prominent in a decently large population by adding UVa or VT.
UVa looms large on UNC too
Wait, are we talking about the B1G? The conference with a $100MM per school valuation that's already too high for even Oregon to be revenue positive? Virginia is not clearing that line.
People are constantly overlooking how hard it will be for any school to merit a B1G or SEC invite now that they have both massively ballooned their TV income. Many, many very good schools that are above the median school in those leagues in value will still be below the average, and thus money losers for the B1G/SEC.
Regarding the allure of some ACC schools, I think people need to remember how dense and close major cities are in the east coast. DC, Baltimore, Newark, Philadelphia, NYC, and Boston are all densely populated and accessible by train from one place to another. All of these places draw grads from B1G and ACC.
Several southern schools draw kids from the NE. In our own conference, WVU has a TON of kids from New Jersey. U of Florida attracts a lot of NE kids who want to go to school in a warm sunny place with lots to do. We joke about New York drivers in FL, but that stereotype exists for a reason. Kids with the means to go out of state tend to be well positioned to earn and have stable income. They will buy subscriptions to streaming services.
I also think all of those cities are pro sports first markets. No way is Boston College holding a candle to a Patriots game.
I’m not smart enough to know how this can be measured, but there’s a lot of sports bars that will just put a game on whether people care or not. How many people are actually watching it? Compare that to homes who are actually choosing to stream Wake v Pitt. I’d love to see the breakdown of that in these conversations.
Several southern schools draw kids from the NE. In our own conference, WVU has a TON of kids from New Jersey. U of Florida attracts a lot of NE kids who want to go to school in a warm sunny place with lots to do. We joke about New York drivers in FL, but that stereotype exists for a reason. Kids with the means to go out of state tend to be well positioned to earn and have stable income. They will buy subscriptions to streaming services.
I also think all of those cities are pro sports first markets. No way is Boston College holding a candle to a Patriots game.
I’m not smart enough to know how this can be measured, but there’s a lot of sports bars that will just put a game on whether people care or not. How many people are actually watching it? Compare that to homes who are actually choosing to stream Wake v Pitt. I’d love to see the breakdown of that in these conversations.
What the buy-in in is for one school isn’t the same for another imo. ND will finance a few, just a matter when ND pulls the trigger, and which ones the Big10 wants to sneak in with. Stanford and UVa are likely higher than Oregon in that
I’m more surprised Oregon isn’t in that group though, as adding the Pac6 west coast schools retains a lot of Rose Bowl value
Highlights from the Thamel piece:
The Pac-12/ACC "loose partnership" is expected to get revenue projections from ESPN early next week. People don't think it will be much of a bump because ESPN would not be able to charge the higher in-market rates for ACC Network in Pac-12 markets, since it's not a full merger.
The Pac-12 has convinced the corner schools to wait and see on those numbers before doing anything. If they are unimpressive, they could heat up with the Big 12. Thamel said the conversations between those schools and the Big 12 weren't as hot as had been reported.
Thamel also floats the ACC going on offense to poach schools from the Pac-12 and Big 12 (he mentions TCU and Oklahoma State). Feels unlikely to me but if the ACC keeps its top brands that would be the most $$$ place to be. Nobody knows anything.
Just hope the Pac-12/ACC $$$ figure is bad and then the corner schools might be ready to make a deal for real next week.
The Pac-12/ACC "loose partnership" is expected to get revenue projections from ESPN early next week. People don't think it will be much of a bump because ESPN would not be able to charge the higher in-market rates for ACC Network in Pac-12 markets, since it's not a full merger.
The Pac-12 has convinced the corner schools to wait and see on those numbers before doing anything. If they are unimpressive, they could heat up with the Big 12. Thamel said the conversations between those schools and the Big 12 weren't as hot as had been reported.
Thamel also floats the ACC going on offense to poach schools from the Pac-12 and Big 12 (he mentions TCU and Oklahoma State). Feels unlikely to me but if the ACC keeps its top brands that would be the most $$$ place to be. Nobody knows anything.
Just hope the Pac-12/ACC $$$ figure is bad and then the corner schools might be ready to make a deal for real next week.
