ACC, PAC-12, and BIG alliance / conference realignment

[IthacaMatt]

Only two of this season's first 13 bowl games haven't topped one million viewers

Every December, some college football fans mumble the same sort of statement: there are too many damn bowl games. This year, there were 44 (!) bowl games on the slate, including the FCS Celebration Bowl and the College Football Playoff National Championship. One of those games, yesterday’s...

awfulannouncing.com

1 million viewers is less than nearly all the late night talk shows draw, except these aren't on at 11 at night; they are during the day frequently on weekends or the holidays, or are prime time games at night.

 

[SU94]

1 million viewers is less than nearly all the late night talk shows draw, except these aren't on at 11 at night; they are during the day frequently on weekends or the holidays, or are prime time games at night.

The Military Bowl is not competing against night-time talk shows. Neither is ESPN. And definitely not at 2:30 pm ET on Tuesday, Dec. 27.

Many of these bowl ratings are 4-5x what ESPN gets during their morning programming. First Take, for instance, set records with 400,000+ viewers in November. That should give you a glimpse of why they value these bowl games.

And you are right, prime time bowl games do even better.

College Football Postseason Drawing Big Ratings For ESPN

"ESPN PR tweeted on Tuesday that the viewership is up 31% over the opening weekend of bowl season from 2019, with the games averaging 1.8 million viewers."

www.barrettsportsmedia.com

College football's lesser bowls post viewer gain

Viewership for college football's lesser bowls improved over last year's reduced slate, though remained below the levels of two years ago.

www.sportsmediawatch.com

ESPN’s Can’t-Miss Mornings: Get Up Sets All-Time Viewership Record; First Take Sees Most-Watched Month Since Jan. 2020

ESPN’s signature morning shows Get Up, with Mike Greenberg, and First Take, with Stephen A. Smith and Molly Qerim Rose, continue to lead the network to morning success with significant year-over-year growth in Nov., including Get Up’s most-watched month on record, according to Nielsen.

espnpressroom.com

 

[SU68]

Bowls mean nothing anymore. Nobody watches. Ratings are awful.

Bowl games are for the local chamber of commerce and tourism board. The media make money from the advertising and the conferences make money from the games. "Nuff said.

 

[Atlcuse44]

OK, that's fair, but when they don't have enough bowl-eligible teams to qualify without choosing teams with 6-6 or even 5-7 records, that's too many bowls. They are supposed to represent a reward for a "successful" season, right?

I agree. While I wouldn't complain about a 6-6 Syracuse team making a bowl, the 6 win (sometimes 5) minimum rewards mediocrity. I would push the minimum up to 7 wins, if that means less bowls, so be it. Yes, it's football but how many people want to watch 6-6 Tulsa play 6-6 Old Dominion in the Myrtle Beach bowl?

 

[HRE Otto IV]

I agree. While I wouldn't complain about a 6-6 Syracuse team making a bowl, the 6 win (sometimes 5) minimum rewards mediocrity. I would push the minimum up to 7 wins, if that means less bowls, so be it. Yes, it's football but how many people want to watch 6-6 Tulsa play 6-6 Old Dominion in the Myrtle Beach bowl?

Bowls are an exhibitions, the P5 should abolish the 6 win requirement. Then the alliance can cut off the SEC. Teams get pooled into Bowl levels.

Top 2 non playoff teams (this year Pitt, Wake, Ohio State, Michigan State, Utah, Oregon)
Rose- B1G #1 vs P12 #1
Orange- ACC #1 vs B1G #2
Fiesta- ACC #2 vs P12 #2

Teams 3-6 (WSU, ASU, UCLA, Oregon State, Iowa, Minny, Wiscy, Purdue, NC State, Clemson, Miami, ND)
Citrus- ACC vs B1G
Vegas- B1G vs P12
Pinstripe- ACC vs B1G
Alamo- B1G vs P12
Holliday- ACC vs P12
LA- ACC vs P12

Teams 7-10 (VA Tech, Louisville, FSU, UVA, PSU, Illinois, RU, Nebraska, Cal, USC, Washington, Colorado)
San Fran- B1G vs P12
Mayo- ACC vs B1G
CheezIt- ACC vs P12
Quicklane- B1G vs P12
Fenway- ACC vs B1G
Sun- ACC vs P12

Teams Remaining (UNC, SU, GA Tech, BC, Duke, Northwestern, Indiana, Stanford, Arizona)
Independence
New Orleans
Gasparilla
First Responder
Military

 

[Hoo's That]

Bowl games are for the local chamber of commerce and tourism board. The media make money from the advertising and the conferences make money from the games. "Nuff said.

Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Hold those calls ladies and gentlemen we already have a winner!

 

[IthacaMatt]

The Military Bowl is not competing against night-time talk shows. Neither is ESPN. And definitely not at 2:30 pm ET on Tuesday, Dec. 27.

Many of these bowl ratings are 4-5x what ESPN gets during their morning programming. First Take, for instance, set records with 400,000+ viewers in November. That should give you a glimpse of why they value these bowl games.

And you are right, prime time bowl games do even better.

College Football Postseason Drawing Big Ratings For ESPN

"ESPN PR tweeted on Tuesday that the viewership is up 31% over the opening weekend of bowl season from 2019, with the games averaging 1.8 million viewers."

www.barrettsportsmedia.com

College football's lesser bowls post viewer gain

Viewership for college football's lesser bowls improved over last year's reduced slate, though remained below the levels of two years ago.

www.sportsmediawatch.com

ESPN’s Can’t-Miss Mornings: Get Up Sets All-Time Viewership Record; First Take Sees Most-Watched Month Since Jan. 2020

ESPN’s signature morning shows Get Up, with Mike Greenberg, and First Take, with Stephen A. Smith and Molly Qerim Rose, continue to lead the network to morning success with significant year-over-year growth in Nov., including Get Up’s most-watched month on record, according to Nielsen.

espnpressroom.com

That's terrific!

Participation trophies for everyone!

 

[CousCuse]

That's terrific!

Participation trophies for everyone!

Do you live in the USA?

 

[Chris02M]

at this point every p 5 team and possibly g 5 should be bowling regardless of record

 

[storange]

I agree. While I wouldn't complain about a 6-6 Syracuse team making a bowl, the 6 win (sometimes 5) minimum rewards mediocrity. I would push the minimum up to 7 wins, if that means less bowls, so be it. Yes, it's football but how many people want to watch 6-6 Tulsa play 6-6 Old Dominion in the Myrtle Beach bowl?

People in Tulsa and Norfolk

 

[CousCuse]

People in Tulsa and Norfolk

And college football junkies everywhere.

 

[UpstateSM]

We aren't even playing the same sport haha

 

[TheCusian]

We aren't even playing the same sport haha

I’m beginning not to care. The more they take care of themselves without caring about the sport as a whole, the more it will suffer.

 

[WoadBlue]

I’m beginning not to care. The more they take care of themselves without caring about the sport as a whole, the more it will suffer.

It's not just the SEC. The BT started that mad rush by controlling the one TV deal for all of D1 football. It did so to the advantage of the BT - surprise, surprise. Then ND did so by getting its own deal. The SEC was late to the game of whoring big time. But it is now the most successful because it produces the best product, hands down.

 

[baggerbob]

It's not just the SEC. The BT started that mad rush by controlling the one TV deal for all of D1 football. It did so to the advantage of the BT - surprise, surprise. Then ND did so by getting its own deal. The SEC was late to the game of whoring big time. But it is now the most successful because it produces the best product, hands down.

That is the reason I believe that everyone in the ACC should play an early season game every year against an SEC opponent.
Preseason every year the SEC gets 7 or 8 teams in the top 25.
Then even if a team is bad they get credit for beating a top 25 team.
The loser doesn't drop much because they
lost to a top 25 team. It would help the ACC in perception if they started to win these games.
It would also help the ACC in recruiting, every team in the ACC could say we are playing whatever the SEC team is this year.
"To be the best you have to beat the best". Ric Flair.

 

[Chris02M]

It's not just the SEC. The BT started that mad rush by controlling the one TV deal for all of D1 football. It did so to the advantage of the BT - surprise, surprise. Then ND did so by getting its own deal. The SEC was late to the game of whoring big time. But it is now the most successful because it produces the best product, hands down.

guessing when the acc number comes out we will be between 35 and 40

 

[Moontan]

That is the reason I believe that everyone in the ACC should play an early season game every year against an SEC opponent.
Preseason every year the SEC gets 7 or 8 teams in the top 25.
Then even if a team is bad they get credit for beating a top 25 team.
The loser doesn't drop much because they
lost to a top 25 team. It would help the ACC in perception if they started to win these games.
It would also help the ACC in recruiting, every team in the ACC could say we are playing whatever the SEC team is this year.
"To be the best you have to beat the best". Ric Flair.

We've got 2025 covered.

SU vs Tennessee at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
I'll be there!!

 

[storange]

We aren't even playing the same sport haha

If you listened to Sankeys comments last summer after the Sooners/Longhorns poaching, the SEC is just getting started.

 

[CuseLegacy]

 

[hoopsupstate]

If you listened to Sankeys comments last summer after the Sooners/Longhorns poaching, the SEC is just getting started.

They will have two more mouths to feed.

 

[WoadBlue]

That is the reason I believe that everyone in the ACC should play an early season game every year against an SEC opponent.
Preseason every year the SEC gets 7 or 8 teams in the top 25.
Then even if a team is bad they get credit for beating a top 25 team.
The loser doesn't drop much because they
lost to a top 25 team. It would help the ACC in perception if they started to win these games.
It would also help the ACC in recruiting, every team in the ACC could say we are playing whatever the SEC team is this year.
"To be the best you have to beat the best". Ric Flair.

I agree with the premise. But SEC teams have a long history of preferring weak OOC schedules, while asserting that it all balances because SEC league play is so difficult. So I think the only way to pull off anything like that would be ESPN strong arming the SEC.

 

[WoadBlue]

They will have two more mouths to feed.

Texas is already the richest athletics department in the country. OU was easily the 2nd richest in the Big 12. The SEC will get richer from adding that pair.

 

[TheCusian]

Think it would be funny if the SEC started paying players and then some giant company or big player (like Premiere league with bizzillionaires) bought up a team or league and played kingmaker. The door they want to open is a tad pandora-ish

 

[CuseLegacy]

 

[baggerbob]

I agree with the premise. But SEC teams have a long history of preferring weak OOC schedules, while asserting that it all balances because SEC league play is so difficult. So I think the only way to pull off anything like that would be ESPN strong arming the SEC.

It would be to ESPN's benefit to make it happen. Made for tv games that they have rights to, add in Notre Dame, every other year.