ACC Realignment.....

[44Warrior]

Here is an out of the box idea about how to strengthen the ACC in all of this conference realignment madness:

1. Get to 16 Football schools: Schools of preference: Notre Dame, Penn State, Louisville or Connecticut, obviously ND is the grand prize, Penn State would be a huge, huge get.
2. Add 4 basketball/Olympic sports only schools to the league. Georgetown, St Johns, Villanova, pick a fourth.
3. With those football and basketball teams added, now you have a mega east coast conference that would command viewers and large TV contracts.
4. Add Madison Square Garden as your conference tournament destination.
5. Add a ACC network to add revenue.

Notre Dame obviously adds immediate credibility and stability with a huge national following. Georgetown captures the DC market and is far more nationally followed basketball program than Maryland. St Johns and Connecticut help capture the NYC market. Louisville is a good nationally recognized program whose football program is improving. Villanova adds the Philly market. Penn State, in spite of its recent turmoil, adds national credibility in football and a large PA TV market throughout the state and alumni throughout the country.

Geographically this conference works and can build natural rivalries.

Getting to 16 football schools is a must: 4 divisions with 4 schools each, instead of two 8 school divisions. This is critical for scheduling flexibility, easier division cross over scheduling and especially key out of conference games which all big programs want.

Getting MSG on board is a no brainer, adding a huge TV market and easier to sell the ACC TV network to this mega population. MSG loves the old Big East conference tournament with Syracuse, Georgetown, St Johns, Villanova. Add Duke, North Carolina and other ACC schools to that mix. Wow!

If all of this is done, I think the TV revenue with this Entire east coast TV market captured from BC to Florida, our ACC conference can produce revenue for each school in comparison to the likes of the Big Ten and SEC schools.

The ACC president would need to get commitments from network TV of actual $dollars to show the Notre Dames and Penn States that this mega conference would be very lucrative. Those two schools would obviously be the hardest to sell the idea to without actual dollars in place.

The ACC needs to get proactive now before we are poached again. Hay, just my 2 cents. Think Big.

 

[Stern]

Here is an out of the box idea about how to strengthen the ACC in all of this conference realignment madness:

1. Get to 16 Football schools: Schools of preference: Notre Dame, Penn State, Louisville or Connecticut, obviously ND is the grand prize, Penn State would be a huge, huge get.
2. Add 4 basketball/Olympic sports only schools to the league. Georgetown, St Johns, Villanova, pick a fourth..

Stopped reading at #2. Did we just have this and wasn't it an unmitigated disaster. It was called the Big East the past decade or so!!


All in or All out, no B'ball only schools (minus ND)

 

[liljoe]

Stopped reading at #2. Did we just have this and wasn't it an unmitigated disaster. It was called the Big East the past decade or so!!


All in or All out, no B'ball only schools (minus ND)

Stopped there as well... The ACC basketball side of things doesn't want a diluted, overly big product.

Doing that, you'd manage to have both the football heavy schools and basketball heavy schools of the ACC pissed off.

 

[44Warrior]

Stopped reading at #2. Did we just have this and wasn't it an unmitigated disaster. It was called the Big East the past decade or so!!


All in or All out, no B'ball only schools (minus ND)

It did not work because Football is the reason for realignment. The Big East never had enough football schools. 16 football schools in the division create complete stability. The baskestball schools clearly add TV housholds. Stop being myopic and read past #2.

 

[44Warrior]

Stopped there as well... The ACC basketball side of things doesn't want a diluted, overly big product.

Doing that, you'd manage to have both the football heavy schools and basketball heavy schools of the ACC pissed off.

If the ACC doesnt do something very proactive to add stability and more $$revenue per school, the ACC will be very diluted by defections. That serves no school in the ACC well. Clearly the mega conference is the future, traditional ACC schools all realize this now with Maryland defecting and will be willing to make the necessary compromises to stay together.

 

[cuse522]

Stopped reading at #2. Did we just have this and wasn't it an unmitigated disaster. It was called the Big East the past decade or so!!


All in or All out, no B'ball only schools (minus ND)

Well, this would be a bit different because there wouldn't be any football onlies and you'd be locked in at 16 teams. I think once you're at 16 teams that are all comfortable, happy and not looking to jump ship, looking into some sort of basketball arrangement in the Northeast is fine.

Realistically, though, step one is to create and announce the launch date of the ACC Network so that you are on an even footing in the future as far as TV revenue goes. That makes you a better destination to try to land a big school or two.

Perhaps at that point, rather than adding basketball-onlies into the conference, you reach some sort of arrangement by which you agree that they'll get X games per year against ACC teams, perhaps you hold an early-season tournament at MSG and call it the ACC/?? challenge and in return they give the ACC Network some television rights.

It IS worth considering something like that to get more television sets. If the ACC Network launched tomorrow, it'd be tough to get it picked up in NYC. Ideally, you'd add UConn, not Louisville, if you knew you could get Notre Dame and it's school of choice. Then some sort of basketball arrangement gives you Syracuse, UConn and St. Johns to go after NYC.

 

[zeekay]

Basketball only schools make NO money. Have you seen the TV payout numbers for major conferences? Projected numbers for BigTen are something around ~$25 million per school from football and ~$3 million per school from basketball.

Basketball is screwed because Bowl game $$$ go directly to schools. NCAA March Madness generates hundreds of millions of dollars over all the matchups however NCAA takes 90% of that. This is the only income for NCAA itself. Basically basketball revenue from March Madness is subsidizing NCAA operations during football season. Until schools split off from NCAA and have their own tournament, basketball will never catch up.

 

[cuse522]

Basketball only schools make NO money. Have you seen the TV payout numbers for major conferences? Projected numbers for BigTen are something around ~$25 million per school from football and ~$3 million per school from basketball.

Basketball is screwed because Bowl game $$$ go directly to schools. NCAA March Madness generates hundreds of millions of dollars over all the matchups however NCAA takes 90% of that. This is the only income for NCAA itself. Basically basketball revenue from March Madness is subsidizing NCAA operations during football season. Until schools split off from NCAA and have their own tournament, basketball will never catch up.

However, once you're at 16 schools and you're looking to add television sets for your conference network, it might matter. Rutgers and Maryland weren't added because they make the B1G more money on the field - they were added because they give the B1G more cable subscribers.

Once you're at 16, and that's the key - you have to be at 16 to even think about it at all, but once you are you can consider some sort of arrangement to add television sets in big markets.

Perhaps even some sort of deal with the Big 5 in Philly, now that I think of it. I still think that the possible outcome isn't ACC membership, but a deal - we'll let you play some of our big brands if you give us some of your content for our network.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Here is an out of the box idea about how to strengthen the ACC in all of this conference realignment madness:

1. Get to 16 Football schools: Schools of preference: Notre Dame, Penn State, Louisville or Connecticut, obviously ND is the grand prize, Penn State would be a huge, huge get.
2. Add 4 basketball/Olympic sports only schools to the league. Georgetown, St Johns, Villanova, pick a fourth.
3. With those football and basketball teams added, now you have a mega east coast conference that would command viewers and large TV contracts.
4. Add Madison Square Garden as your conference tournament destination.
5. Add a ACC network to add revenue.

Notre Dame obviously adds immediate credibility and stability with a huge national following. Georgetown captures the DC market and is far more nationally followed basketball program than Maryland. St Johns and Connecticut help capture the NYC market. Louisville is a good nationally recognized program whose football program is improving. Villanova adds the Philly market. Penn State, in spite of its recent turmoil, adds national credibility in football and a large PA TV market throughout the state and alumni throughout the country.


Geographically this conference works and can build natural rivalries.

Getting to 16 football schools is a must: 4 divisions with 4 schools each, instead of two 8 school divisions. This is critical for scheduling flexibility, easier division cross over scheduling and especially key out of conference games which all big programs want.

Getting MSG on board is a no brainer, adding a huge TV market and easier to sell the ACC TV network to this mega population. MSG loves the old Big East conference tournament with Syracuse, Georgetown, St Johns, Villanova. Add Duke, North Carolina and other ACC schools to that mix. Wow!

If all of this is done, I think the TV revenue with this Entire east coast TV market captured from BC to Florida, our ACC conference can produce revenue for each school in comparison to the likes of the Big Ten and SEC schools.

The ACC president would need to get commitments from network TV of actual $dollars to show the Notre Dames and Penn States that this mega conference would be very lucrative. Those two schools would obviously be the hardest to sell the idea to without actual dollars in place.

The ACC needs to get proactive now before we are poached again. Hay, just my 2 cents. Think Big.

If you get #1, you don't need any of the rest. Why mess that up with all the complication. The Big East is done. The ACC will hold its basketball tournament at MSG on a rotating basis within 10 years.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Basketball only schools make NO money. Have you seen the TV payout numbers for major conferences? Projected numbers for BigTen are something around ~$25 million per school from football and ~$3 million per school from basketball.

Basketball is screwed because Bowl game $$$ go directly to schools. NCAA March Madness generates hundreds of millions of dollars over all the matchups however NCAA takes 90% of that. This is the only income for NCAA itself. Basically basketball revenue from March Madness is subsidizing NCAA operations during football season. Until schools split off from NCAA and have their own tournament, basketball will never catch up.

They made the mistake of having way too many available games. This diluted the eyeballs for any particular game. There IS such a thing as too much inventory. The football side better be careful of this, with talk of more and more weekday games (even Wednesdays for the lesser leagues ???). If you take it too much away from a once a week on Saturday concept, you mess up the TV numbers.

Just look at the bowls. They passed a point of oversaturation probably a decade or so ago, and now nobody watches any of the bowls until New Year's Day, and then they kind of messed up the greatest day in football, so even that has suffered.

And while I applaud your effort to keep the ancient basketball rivalries alive, if Louisville isn't a good enough academic school to get into the ACC without a real fight among the members, why do you have any hope they would give a minute of thought to St. John's?

 

[44Warrior]

If you get #1, you don't need any of the rest. Why mess that up with all the complication. The Big East is done. The ACC will hold its basketball tournament at MSG on a rotating basis within 10 years.

I agree with you IthacaMatt that 16 school football conference is very stable and should make all the schools happy. So #1 is very important. #5 is also very important, an ACC network. The Big 10 Network adds signaificant revenue to each school and its all about TV households. Thats clearly why they added Maryland (DC TV market) and Rutgers (NYC TV market). The reason to add those particular basketball schools I mentioned is to add 3 huge TV markets to sell the ACC network: NYC, Philly and DC. Without those basketball schools its much harder to get subscribers of the ACC network in those three huge TV markets.
If every Syracuse Football game is on more television sets in NYC it furthers our brand and strategy of being NY's Football School.
Getting in these markets for more ACC Network subscribers is more money $$$ for every school.
Again, I agree with you IM, getting to 16 football schools is the primary focus and I would be happy with that.

 

[normaliswear]

No no no no no no and dear GOD NO! NOOOO more basketball only schools! Only reason I can stomache ND is they may be forced to take a very valuable FBall program in later. But the hybrid conference has been tried, it has and will always fail MESERABLY!

 

[44Warrior]

No no no no no no and dear GOD NO! NOOOO more basketball only schools! Only reason I can stomache ND is they may be forced to take a very valuable FBall program in later. But the hybrid conference has been tried, it has and will always fail MESERABLY!

Hey normal, I completely understand your reluctance to a hybrid league. I want to point out a major differnce. The Big East was formed as a basketball conference with football as an afterthought. The big east tried to add football teams latter. What I am suggesting is a powerfull 16 team football school confernce with a ACC TV network that adds 3 major TV markets (NYC, Philly and DC) by picking up nation power basketball teams. Again the major difference is that this is a football dominated conference with additional $$$ revenue and huge TV markets. I am all about whatever makes the ACC the most stable. Today what makes a conference the most stable is MONEY so that other schools dont defect to a conference that can promise more money, which is currently where the ACC stands right now. Money is generated by TV markets, which the ACC does not have a good presense in those 3 huge markets on the Atlantic Coast.

 

[normaliswear]

Hey normal, I completely understand your reluctance to a hybrid league. I want to point out a major differnce. The Big East was formed as a basketball conference with football as an afterthought. The big east tried to add football teams latter. What I am suggesting is a powerfull 16 team football school confernce with a ACC TV network that adds 3 major TV markets (NYC, Philly and DC) by picking up nation power basketball teams. Again the major difference is that this is a football dominated conference with additional $$$ revenue and huge TV markets. I am all about whatever makes the ACC the most stable. Today what makes a conference the most stable is MONEY so that other schools dont defect to a conference that can promise more money, which is currently where the ACC stands right now. Money is generated by TV markets, which the ACC does not have a good presense in those 3 huge markets on the Atlantic Coast.

A conf can NEVER be stable when schools within the conf don't have the same basic self interests. Basketball only schools with voting rights on issues related to a football conf is suicide. I have serious doubts as to whether they would add any value dolaars wise anyway, but even if they did, its just a terrible idea.

 

[44Warrior]

A conf can NEVER be stable when schools within the conf don't have the same basic self interests. Basketball only schools with voting rights on issues related to a football conf is suicide. I have serious doubts as to whether they would add any value dolaars wise anyway, but even if they did, its just a terrible idea.

I respect your opinion and would love to see a stable 16 team football only ACC conference. The problem I see, as well as other national sports commentators, is that an ACC conference even with a network with the teams it currently has will never generate enough money as the Big Ten schools, SEC schools or Big 12 schools. Therefore the top football schools in the ACC are going to be looking to join a conference that pays them more. That is conference suicide! An ACC network without NYC, Philly and DC will not generate enough money. FSU, Clemson, VTech, GTech are very attractive pickups for these other conferences. The ACC will implode. Ask coach K, he knows it and made a comment on it. Notre Dame made a statement about the current unstable ACC as well. The ACC needs to do something proactively in a hurry or we had better hope the Big Ten wants us as well or we could end up in a conference with teams spread out all over the country.

 

[shantydaze]

Why is a 16 team conference any more stable than a 12 or 14 team conference?

The ACC needs to start a network. This is what would allow the ACC to compete and potentially win in a fight against the XII. Under its current arrangement, the XII can not start a viable network because Texas already has a network for its Third Tier media rights. Without Texas, a XII network will have a difficult time (1) getting on cable providers and (2) demanding a lucrative subscriber fee.

If the ACC adds UConn, it will have schools in two of the three NYC metropolitan states. Will this be enough to get on to a basic cable tier? I would hope so. Include the other states currently in the ACC footprint and we should have a relatively strong network base, without becoming a hybrid conference.