Realignment Megathread (All The Moves)

[1SEIACLONE]

Just curious because I haven't seen the justification behind that argument.

How can the teeth of the GOR not be dead if ESPN opts out? Sure the GOR of rights is a separate legal agreement, but its about the schools handing over their media rights (the $$$) to the ACC. But if ESPN opts out, I believe that leaves $0 in the media rights piggy bank. Sure the ACC can negotiate a new deal with a streamer or linear entity in hopes the new deal is better or on-par with their current ESPN deal. But the 18 current ACC schools are ALL going to have to approve the new deal. If schools like UNC, UVA, FSU, Clemson, etc. vote down ANY new deal because they have a better offer from the Big10, SEC or even Big12, doesn't that pretty quickly lead to the dissolution of the ACC?

Looks like it takes 8 schools to vote to leave the conference and the GOR is no longer valid.

But, theoretically, the ACC would still exist as a conference. On the other hand, there could be a vote to dissolve the conference. If that passed (and, apparently, it takes only 8 votes to do this) then the conference no longer exists, so that would mean there would be no one to pay the GOR money to.

So if 8 schools are willing to leave, there would not be anything that the other schools could do to stop it from happening.

 

[exCyDing]

Just curious because I haven't seen the justification behind that argument.

How can the teeth of the GOR not be dead if ESPN opts out? Sure the GOR of rights is a separate legal agreement, but its about the schools handing over their media rights (the $$$) to the ACC. But if ESPN opts out, I believe that leaves $0 in the media rights piggy bank. Sure the ACC can negotiate a new deal with a streamer or linear entity in hopes the new deal is better or on-par with their current ESPN deal. But the 18 current ACC schools are ALL going to have to approve the new deal. If schools like UNC, UVA, FSU, Clemson, etc. vote down ANY new deal because they have a better offer from the Big10, SEC or even Big12, doesn't that pretty quickly lead to the dissolution of the ACC?

Bingo. Does it end the GOR if they don’t have a media deal? Do schools that want to leave have a conflict of interest in negotiating/accepting a new deal? Getting that all sorted would mean either heading to court or finding a solution that suits all parties.

 

[exCyDing]

Looks like it takes 8 schools to vote to leave the conference and the GOR is no longer valid.

But, theoretically, the ACC would still exist as a conference. On the other hand, there could be a vote to dissolve the conference. If that passed (and, apparently, it takes only 8 votes to do this) then the conference no longer exists, so that would mean there would be no one to pay the GOR money to.

So if 8 schools are willing to leave, there would not be anything that the other schools could do to stop it from happening.

IIRC, it requires 2/3rds so it’s 12 after expansion.

 

[MugNight]

I want to be clear. I'm not necessarily suggesting that those schools wind up in the Big 12. But I think the possibility is there to crack the door to uneven revenue sharing within conferences, which TV would love to make the norm. It's the only way they get around paying $100M to Rutgers and Vanderbilt with the system we've got. They've gotta plant a seed somewhere, and just let greed do its thing.

I’m with you in thinking unequal revenue sharing will be in play at some point. I am interested in which criteria will be used to justify it.

- Will it be merit based? The winningest teams get the most money
- Will be be viewership based? That is challenging when the larger brands get the prime time slots
- Will it be a combination of attendance, game day revenues, social media engagement?

I think it’s going to get messy, and I don’t see a 100% fair way it happens. The P2 tier of Maryland, Rutgers, Minnesota, Indiana, Illinois, Purdue, Iowa, Northwestern, Miss St, Ole Miss, Arkansas, Vanderbilt, South Carolina, Mizzou, etc might find themselves in a tight spot the next time the B1G/SEC deals are up for negotiation.

 

[1SEIACLONE]

IIRC, it requires 2/3rds so it’s 12 after expansion.

I looked last night before I posted it would take 8 schools, but truthfully, I am not sure anyone knows how many schools it will take to get rid of the GOR agreement. Have a hard time believing that either FSU or Clemson would agree to add 3 new schools if they knew that would increase the number of schools needed to get out of the deal.

 

[Havs]

Looks like it takes 8 schools to vote to leave the conference and the GOR is no longer valid.

But, theoretically, the ACC would still exist as a conference. On the other hand, there could be a vote to dissolve the conference. If that passed (and, apparently, it takes only 8 votes to do this) then the conference no longer exists, so that would mean there would be no one to pay the GOR money to.

So if 8 schools are willing to leave, there would not be anything that the other schools could do to stop it from happening.

I think they've routinely wound up at 7 members willing to do this instead of 8, and that's been their hangup here.

I assume that means: Miami, FSU, Clem, NC, Virginia, VTech, Louisville are for it and the rest are not?

 

[CascadeClone]

IIRC, it requires 2/3rds so it’s 12 after expansion.

So P2 takes 6, Big12 takes 7 (plus UConn) and you'd have enough to vote to disband.

 

[cykadelic2]

I looked last night before I posted it would take 8 schools, but truthfully, I am not sure anyone knows how many schools it will take to get rid of the GOR agreement. Have a hard time believing that either FSU or Clemson would agree to add 3 new schools if they knew that would increase the number of schools needed to get out of the deal.

The only way the ACC GOR is terminated is if ESPN declines the 2027 option.

As with the B12, an ACC member who intends to leave doesn't have a vote.

https://frankthetank.org/2022/07/22/dissolution-is-not-a-solution-to-break-a-grant-of-rights-agreement/

 

[1SEIACLONE]

The only way the ACC GOR is terminated is if ESPN declines the 2027 option.

As with the B12, an ACC member who intends to leave doesn't have a vote.

https://frankthetank.org/2022/07/22/dissolution-is-not-a-solution-to-break-a-grant-of-rights-agreement/

If ESPN pulls the plug on their media deal with the ACC a lot of teams that are now on the fence or unsure and would like to stay will be looking to move so they do not get left out. Much like happened with the P12, if Washington and Oregon would have agreed to stay, the conference could have back fielded with SD State and others to keep the league alive, once Washington and Oregon said they were leaving, schools like the Arizona schools knew the league was finished and started listening to the B12. I would guess the ACC will play out the same way, ESPN will drop the contract, the B10 and SEC will have already been in contact with the schools they want, and the rest will be hoping the B12 calls and they have a spot here.

 

[Nolaeer]

The Acc will survive. Syracuse, BC, Duke, Wake Forest, GT, SMU, stanford, and cal will backfill with Uconn, wash. state, ore. state, memphis.

 

[CYaeger]

Thank goodness

 

[MugNight]

Thank goodness

I’m glad we aren’t rushing this. I also think this whole thing was strategic… either laying ground work for a decision to come later or merely as an offensive move to unsettle the ACC

 

[KnappShack]

Thank goodness

Pause.

Not terminate.

Pause.

UConn to the Big 12 in 2028!!

 

[PickSix]

I’m glad we aren’t rushing this. I also think this whole thing was strategic… either laying ground work for a decision to come later or merely as an offensive move to unsettle the ACC

Still not sure how a Uconn flirtation would unsettle the ACC. If the ACC wanted Uconn, they could grab them at practically any point. The top leftovers in the ACC know they will have a home in the Big 12 whether Uconn gets added or not, right?

 

[RustShack]

Still not sure how a Uconn flirtation would unsettle the ACC. If the ACC wanted Uconn, they could grab them at practically any point. The top leftovers in the ACC know they will have a home in the Big 12 whether Uconn gets added or not, right?

But UCONN could take the place of A ACC school. Also takes an option for the ACC to add. PAC could have potentially survived if the Big12 didn’t add BYU and Houston first.

 

[Gorm]

The only way the ACC GOR is terminated is if ESPN declines the 2027 option.

As with the B12, an ACC member who intends to leave doesn't have a vote.

https://frankthetank.org/2022/07/22/dissolution-is-not-a-solution-to-break-a-grant-of-rights-agreement/

"Intent to leave" - Defining what this means against actions taken sounds like a court battle in itself.

 

[exCyDing]

But UCONN could take the place of A ACC school. Also takes an option for the ACC to add. PAC could have potentially survived if the Big12 didn’t add BYU and Houston first.

The B12 isn't a position where the they need to grab schools the ACC might want as backfill post-GOR.

The only thing that matters is per-school media money. Since these talks stalled, I have to assume UConn wasn't going to help the B12 out in that regard. Post-GOR, the ACC leftovers need to keep pace with the B12 or they'll very likely lose additional members to the B12. If UConn doesn't help the B12 increase their media money, how would they help the ACC?

A lot of people were floating SDSU, UNLV, Boise St and maybe some others as B12 targets to outmaneuver the PAC. Turns out that would have been completely unnecessary. Even if Houston and BYU were available, I don't think they would have moved the needle enough to land them a media deal on par with the B12 and ACC. The PAC could've have the numbers necessary, but not the dollars. The ACC likely ends up the same place, however they'll probably have enough schools left over to backfill and continue on as a relatively distant #4.

 

[1SEIACLONE]

Backfilling to add schools after others have left a conference will not matter unless the media rights are the same or higher. The B12 I believe, forced ESPN to improve their TV offer because the league could prove that ESPN had worked to move UT and OU to the SEC for their benefit, thereby breaking up the conference by offering landing spots for almost everyone even if that meant a step down in media money.

If Clemson and FSU get out of the GOR, a big if, but then how much longer is UNC, Miami, UVA and others going to stick around if they have an offer to jump to the B10 or SEC? Are the Pitts and Louisville's going to risk getting stuck in a dying conference or start listening to the B12 offer that will provide them the same or even more money than what they are getting now. No way ESPN allows the league to lose all the better teams and then pay the same amount or more to the ACC, unless the ACC can prove that ESPN was working with schools to break down the conference.

 

[Nor'MidWester]

Is it good the conference is so public with all these ideas that all seem to go nowhere? I guess it shows the conference is being proactive and is on the offensive but idk.

 

[CascadeClone]

Is it good the conference is so public with all these ideas that all seem to go nowhere? I guess it shows the conference is being proactive and is on the offensive but idk.

Do you want to be a sheep, or a shark?