ACC needs to act

[normaliswear]

This past week the Big 12 increased its grant of rights term to 13 years, meaning any school leaving the conference leaves its TV rights behind for 13 years. The value of those rights is far beyond any exit fee and instantly solidified what was still a very unstable conference. The ACC must act quickly to do the same thing or risk being picked apart. Rumors already are out there about FSU and Clem moving to the Big 12. Now that the Big 12 is stable don't dismiss this. The FSU fan base at least is very unhappy about what they percieve to be basketball-centric moves. A stable Big 12 with OU, Texas, FSU, Clem, OSU wouldn't quite be on par with SEC on the field but would probably be about equal to the Big 10 for 2nd, and more importantly, be a big money maker. Not to mention if the Big 12 can't be split up because of the money it would cost a school to leave, if the SEC and Big 10 decide to expand it leaves the ACC as the only viable conf to pick apart. Worst of the worst case scenerio, FSU, LVille, Miami and Clem to Big 12, VTech and NCST to SEC, Pitt, Rutgers, GTech, and Maryland to Big 10. Not that I'd expect that by any means, just thats the result of every worst case happening. That would leave just 6 ACC teams, including us, in very much the same survival boat we left the BE to avoid.

 

[dasher]

No ACC team is going to the Big 12

 

[normaliswear]

No ACC team is going to the Big 12

Don't just assume that. FSU isn't an original ACC school. They're surrounded by SEC schools rolling in money. If the Big 12 offers them more money, more stability, and a more football based conference (from their point of view), they could very well jump.

 

[HOFCeluck]

Agreed. The ACC should definitely act off message board rumors.

 

[normaliswear]

Agreed. The ACC should definitely act off message board rumors.

You're right Commisioner Marinatto, because schools NEVER get upset with the basketball and football oriented schools in a conference and decide to leave when offered more money and stability elsewhere. Are we really so stupid as to trash the shortsighteness of Marinatto and not learn ANTHING from the Big East experience? Especially when the point of the thread is to get the ACC to adopt a grant of rights sysem for leaving the conference which has exactly what as a downside?

 

[dasher]

The Big 12 has one foot on the banana peel right now. It is hardly stable.

 

[Noexcuse]

You're right Commisioner Marinatto, because schools NEVER get upset with the basketball and football oriented schools in a conference and decide to leave when offered more money and stability elsewhere. Are we really so stupid as to trash the shortsighteness of Marinatto and not learn ANTHING from the Big East experience? Especially when the point of the thread is to get the ACC to adopt a grant of rights sysem for leaving the conference which has exactly what as a downside?

Thing is you don't know what is going on behind the scenes. Everybody in the ACC office didn't just take off on a golfing holiday until July, 2013 when SU and Pitt enter the fold.

 

[PoppyHart]

If and when FSU and Clemson bolt, I think the ACC will be the worst of the football conferences, and possibly by a a wide margin. This also assumes Boise doesn't back out of the BE and Lou/Cincy remain.

 

[normaliswear]

The Big 12 has one foot on the banana peel right now. It is hardly stable.

Wow, a lot of people just stopped paying attention once we got into the ACC. The Big 12 is no longer unstable. Lets do some over simplified math. GOR means a school would leave all TV revenue with the conf for now 13 years after leaving (I believe the B1G is 20 years), lets conservatively estimate thats half of athletic income, so about $10mill per year, or $130 million dollars, plus the exit fee. So if a school made an extra $5 mill each year after that by switching confs, it would only take them roughly 43 years to break even. Nobody is leaving the Big 12 and theres a chance if the ACC doesnt follow suit with a GOR the Big 12, B1G, or SEC or all could start raiding the ACC.

 

[normaliswear]

Thing is you don't know what is going on behind the scenes. Everybody in the ACC office didn't just take off on a golfing holiday until July, 2013 when SU and Pitt enter the fold.

True, hopefully they're taking the preventative measures the BE never did. I think a lot of people here just assumed when we got into the ACC we didnt have to think about realignment ever again.

 

[AlaskaSU]

This past week the Big 12 increased its grant of rights term to 13 years, meaning any school leaving the conference leaves its TV rights behind for 13 years. The value of those rights is far beyond any exit fee and instantly solidified what was still a very unstable conference. The ACC must act quickly to do the same thing or risk being picked apart. Rumors already are out there about FSU and Clem moving to the Big 12. Now that the Big 12 is stable don't dismiss this. The FSU fan base at least is very unhappy about what they percieve to be basketball-centric moves. A stable Big 12 with OU, Texas, FSU, Clem, OSU wouldn't quite be on par with SEC on the field but would probably be about equal to the Big 10 for 2nd, and more importantly, be a big money maker. Not to mention if the Big 12 can't be split up because of the money it would cost a school to leave, if the SEC and Big 10 decide to expand it leaves the ACC as the only viable conf to pick apart. Worst of the worst case scenerio, FSU, LVille, Miami and Clem to Big 12, VTech and NCST to SEC, Pitt, Rutgers, GTech, and Maryland to Big 10. Not that I'd expect that by any means, just thats the result of every worst case happening. That would leave just 6 ACC teams, including us, in very much the same survival boat we left the BE to avoid.

What does this mean? "This past week the Big 12 increased its grant of rights term to 13 years, meaning any school leaving the conference leaves its TV rights behind for 13 years." When a team leaves it obviously has no claim on revenues from the old league. Is the intent to make the team that leaves pay its share of what would have been future revenue over the next 13 years. No team would ever agree to incorporate such an amendment into its league. Schools want some flexibility.

 

[normaliswear]

What does this mean? "This past week the Big 12 increased its grant of rights term to 13 years, meaning any school leaving the conference leaves its TV rights behind for 13 years." When a team leaves it obviously has no claim on revenues from the old league. Is the intent to make the team that leaves pay its share of what would have been future revenue over the next 13 years. No team would ever agree to incorporate such an amendment into its league. Schools want some flexibility.

No it means TV right for their own games remain with the conference. IE Texas leaves the Big 12, then all TV revenue for Longhorn games go to the Big 12 for 13 years. Drastic yes, but dont say teams wont do it, the B1G and Big 12 already have, and its a heck of a way to ensure league stability.

 

[kingtidge]

Wow, a lot of people just stopped paying attention once we got into the ACC. The Big 12 is no longer unstable. Lets do some over simplified math. GOR means a school would leave all TV revenue with the conf for now 13 years after leaving (I believe the B1G is 20 years), lets conservatively estimate thats half of athletic income, so about $10mill per year, or $130 million dollars, plus the exit fee. So if a school made an extra $5 mill each year after that by switching confs, it would only take them roughly 43 years to break even. Nobody is leaving the Big 12 and theres a chance if the ACC doesnt follow suit with a GOR the Big 12, B1G, or SEC or all could start raiding the ACC.

I don't think people stopped paying attention... just many aren't bringing their "Big-East-is-worst-run-AQ-league-in-the-country" paranoia with them to the ACC...

We need to loosen up on the mantra of "if possible, the league will screw us..." We're moving to a much better run conference specifically because that is not the mantra...

 

[normaliswear]

I don't think people stopped paying attention... just many aren't bringing their "Big-East-is-worst-run-AQ-league-in-the-country" paranoia with them to the ACC...

We need to loosen up on the mantra of "if possible, the league will screw us..." We're moving to a much better run conference specifically because that is not the mantra...

I agree that I have a lot more faith that the ACC will take proactive steps to prevent the conference from being exposed. That does mean however, that steps ARE necessary. My feeling is the easiest and by far most effective step would be for the ACC to adopt its own GOR.

 

[HOFCeluck]

Doesn't that have to be approved by the member schools anyway?

FSU and CU would be making a big mistake joining the B12. But that's OK, because it's never going to happen.

 

[normaliswear]

Doesn't that have to be approved by the member schools anyway?

FSU and CU would be making a big mistake joining the B12. But that's OK, because it's never going to happen.

Im not sure whether a GOR has to be approved by a unanimous vote, which would be difficult only if CU and FSU were seriously considering the Big 12 or a majority vote or what exactly. But I think we're looking to much here at whether the Big 12 is going to raid the AC and missing the larger danger. If the Big 12 can no longer be raided becaue of their GOR, then the SEC and B1G may come knocking on the ACC's door when they decide to expand and noone disputes the real chance of AC accepting those invitations. For a while its been assumed that if those conferences plus the Pac 12 expanded it would be mostly to feed on the Big 12's corpse with the ACC at wors suffering a couple quickly healed scratches. However, if the Big 12 is too costly to raid the SEC and B1G would likely turn to the ACC for as many as 6 new members with the Big 12 hlping to finish it off. Not the most likely scenerio granted, but not impossible either and given the consequences if it did happen, something I'd like to see headed off before it ever gets a sniff of happening.

 

[rrlbees]

I agree that I have a lot more faith that the ACC will take proactive steps to prevent the conference from being exposed. That does mean however, that steps ARE necessary. My feeling is the easiest and by far most effective step would be for the ACC to adopt its own GOR.

I agree with your points and that people stopped paying attention. See linked article from today. But one caveat is that the B12 GOR is not cast in concrete yet (but looks like it will be adopted). What the GOR does is not guarantee to keep a Texas in the B12 but it goes a long long ways to assuring it. My only question on the GOR is does it cover all tiers of TV money?

GOR

 

[normaliswear]

Doesn't that have to be approved by the member schools anyway?

FSU and CU would be making a big mistake joining the B12. But that's OK, because it's never going to happen.

Im not sure whether a GOR has to be approved by a unanimous vote, which would be difficult only if CU and FSU were seriously considering the Big 12 or a majority vote or what exactly. But I think we're looking to much here at whether the Big 12 is going to raid the AC and missing the larger danger. If the Big 12 can no longer be raided becaue of their GOR, then the SEC and B1G may come knocking on the ACC's door when they decide to expand and noone disputes the real chance of AC accepting those invitations. For a while its been assumed that if those conferences plus the Pac 12 expanded it would be mostly to feed on the Big 12's corpse with the ACC at wors suffering a couple quickly healed scratches. However, if the Big 12 is too costly to raid the SEC and B1G would likely turn to the ACC for as many as 6 new members with the Big 12 hlping to finish it off. Not the most likely scenerio granted, but not impossible either and given the consequences if it did happen, something I'd like to see headed off before it ever gets a sniff of happening.

I agree with your points and that people stopped paying attention. See linked article from today. But one caveat is that the B12 GOR is not cast in concrete yet (but looks like it will be adopted). What the GOR does is not guarantee to keep a Texas in the B12 but it goes a long long ways to assuring it. My only question on the GOR is does it cover all tiers of TV money?

GOR

Yea I'm pretty sure the Big 12's is either done or assumed to be a done deal while a couple T's get crossed. You're right, nothing, even a GOR is 100% unbreakable, but its as close as you can get and instantly makes the Big 12 more difficult to raid than the ACC by a long shot. I believe the Big 12 GOR does cover all tiers, although I wouldnt say thats gospel. I'm sure you could write one to accomidate the situation of the ACC as opposed to one size fits all.

 

[Madbiker]

What you are missing here is that the Big 12 agreed to expand their GOR to 13 years contingent on signing a new TV contract with ESPN/Fox for tier 1 and 2 rights that guarantees each of the current 10 member schools a payout of $20 million per year for a 13 year term. The expanded GOR matches the term of the media deal. Schools agree to sign a GOR because they are happy with their media money and general conference relationships. There is no way the ACC could "force" FSU and Clemson or anyone else to sign a GOR now if their media contract is far below the rate of certain other conferences. If Swofford can get the ESPN contract to near the level of the Big12 payout, then maybe the members would be happy and agree to a GOR. But they will have to be happy with their media contract FIRST.

On another front, I don't think FSU or Clemson is going anywhere. Having researched lots of SC media and newspaper columns, while Clemson would like the ACC to be more football first, the majority opinion is that they are basicaly happy in the ACC and will not leave. Georgia Tech would not be caught dead with the academically inferior Big 12, Miami isn't going anywhere. FSU would leave for the money but only if some of their ACC southern brethren went with them and none of the others are leaving so neither is FSU.

 

[normaliswear]

What you are missing here is that the Big 12 agreed to expand their GOR to 13 years contingent on signing a new TV contract with ESPN/Fox for tier 1 and 2 rights that guarantees each of the current 10 member schools a payout of $20 million per year for a 13 year term. The expanded GOR matches the term of the media deal. Schools agree to sign a GOR because they are happy with their media money and general conference relationships. There is no way the ACC could "force" FSU and Clemson or anyone else to sign a GOR now if their media contract is far below the rate of certain other conferences. If Swofford can get the ESPN contract to near the level of the Big12 payout, then maybe the members would be happy and agree to a GOR. But they will have to be happy with their media contract FIRST.

On another front, I don't think FSU or Clemson is going anywhere. Having researched lots of SC media and newspaper columns, while Clemson would like the ACC to be more football first, the majority opinion is that they are basicaly happy in the ACC and will not leave. Georgia Tech would not be caught dead with the academically inferior Big 12, Miami isn't going anywhere. FSU would leave for the money but only if some of their ACC southern brethren went with them and none of the others are leaving so neither is FSU.

True, but I'm kind of running on the assumption that we're fairly close to a renegotiated deal that would be in that area but still slightly below, 18 mill per team is the figure I've heard. Whenever its done we need to get a GOR as part of it so we're not perpetually looking over our shoulders whether theres anything to CU and FSU to the Big 12 or not.

 

[baggerbob]

When Texas and Oklahoma sign their rights away for 13 yrs in blood, then you can at least believe they will stay in the Big 12 for awhile. All this stuff about rights for 13 years comes mostly from West Virginia boards. When the presidents of Texas and Oklahoma say they have signed the papers then it will possibly be believable. I'd still want to see the signed, and notorized document with signatures verified by my lawyer, before i would accept their word. Even then if in their best interests they would breach the contract.

 

[pfister1]

When Texas and Oklahoma sign their rights away for 13 yrs in blood, then you can at least believe they will stay in the Big 12 for awhile. All this stuff about rights for 13 years comes mostly from West Virginia boards. When the presidents of Texas and Oklahoma say they have signed the papers then it will possibly be believable. I'd still want to see the signed, and notorized document with signatures verified by my lawyer, before i would accept their word. Even then if in their best interests they would breach the contract.

I am somewhat skeptical of this too. Texas wouldn't go in on an even basis, I find it hard to believe that they are willing to tie up their television rights for 13 years. I assume this would effectively preclude them from doing any sort of Longhorn Television Network. 13 years is a long time.

 

[rrlbees]

When Texas and Oklahoma sign their rights away for 13 yrs in blood, then you can at least believe they will stay in the Big 12 for awhile. All this stuff about rights for 13 years comes mostly from West Virginia boards. When the presidents of Texas and Oklahoma say they have signed the papers then it will possibly be believable. I'd still want to see the signed, and notorized document with signatures verified by my lawyer, before i would accept their word. Even then if in their best interests they would breach the contract.

Not saying it is cast in concrete but the article I linked was cbs not a WVU message board.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2

 

[normaliswear]

http://campuscorner.kansascity.com/node/2633 This one is the Kansas City Star that says the grant of rights for 13 years has been agreed to with just deals being ironed out.

 

[HOFCeluck]

All of the moves thusfar on the big stage have involved schools either going to academically superior conferences or at least staying at the same tier.

I have zero concern that FSU or emson are going to the Big 12.