There is no money in LAX.I’d rather see them “force” one or two (or three) of the existing ACC teams to upgrade their LAX team. ACC should absolutely own LAX.
There is no money in LAX.I’d rather see them “force” one or two (or three) of the existing ACC teams to upgrade their LAX team. ACC should absolutely own LAX.
And there never will be with that attitude.There is no money in LAX.
Assume the B1G gets UNC/UVa to get into the South. Assume the SEC takes FSU, Clemson, Ga Tech, and Louisville to pull all rivalries in house. Then they can go to 9 conference games too. 20 teams = 10 team divisions. 9 conference games. Rotating divisional membership to keep schedules fresh.The BT and SEC are both waltzing around one another trying to figure how to finalize this crap to their ultimate advantage. Meanwhile, there are people actively trying to save the ACC, though ESPN seems unconcerned to make an effort on its part.
The way I see it is that the BT MUST get into the South to ever have a real chance to equal SEC football quality top to bottom. The SEC will be hurt badly over time if the BT expands big in the South meaning a half dozen schools kind of expansion.
Then we have all the networks. More than just ESPN and Fox would love to show a bunch of Major conference football and basketball. So if there are only 2 Major conferences left, all those other networks get cut out. If just one of those other networks would become very aggressive about wanting to back the ACC, then we could see some real explosions.
Other than, I think that the BT and SEC together backed by ESPN and Fox will squeeze the ACC toward death. They intend to apply major pressure until they can make several schools jump just to avoid having to cut sports. A passive ACC will either end up as the next SWC (DEAD) or as the next Pac (permanently reduced in status). And when either happens to the ACC, the BT and SEC together will have total control. They would then be unlikely to even want to allow the Big 12 to have a slot in their playoffs.
Without or limiting the “No’s”, let’s add WVUAssume the B1G gets UNC/UVa to get into the South. Assume the SEC takes FSU, Clemson, Ga Tech, and Louisville to pull all rivalries in house. Then they can go to 9 conference games too. 20 teams = 10 team divisions. 9 conference games. Rotating divisional membership to keep schedules fresh.
I do not see either conference pushing past 20. The B1G would do it to get several brands... but I do not think EsecPN would let that happen. So 20/20 seems more likely.
That leaves the ACC with Miami, Va Tech, Pitt, Syracuse, BC, NC State, Duke, Wake Forest, SMU, Stanford, and Cal. Add UConn and we are at 12 teams. If we kept one AQ, we would be no better or worse off than during the Big East era. You could divide the conference into: Northeast: Miami, Va Tech, Pitt, Syracuse, BC, UConn and Southwest: SMU, NC State, Stanford, Cal, Duke, Wake Forest. Or, if we could snag West Virginia from the B12, with Memphis taking its place... that would be a doable swap for all... and then add UConn to the N and USF to the S to get to 14. I could live with that. All we ever want is an AQ in case it all comes together...
We would be a clear Tier 2. But we are kind of now anyway.
They'll both go past 20 eventually, most likely.I do not see either conference pushing past 20.
This is hilarious.UNC looking a greener pastures:
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North Carolina reportedly among schools with sights set on SEC
Inside Carolina shared today that North Carolina is among a group of schools "seeking a potential departure from the ACC" when the next round of conference realignment cowww.footballscoop.com
Money.This is hilarious.
Sure, go from being conference royalty to the new kid in the conference.
That's gonna go great.
Counterpoint -Money.
No one cares about anything but making more money.
College sports is so impossibly ef_f.-/ed.
It is funny that schools like UNC love to crow about the success of their athletics programs. Yet literally the only thing that matters to them is keeping up with the Jones's, athletic performance be damned.Counterpoint -
mo money mo problems
Well, they think the money will fix the problems...but the real issue is unrealistic booster expectations on winning and hiring the wrong coaches. Being a head coach at some of these schools is insanely difficult given expectations and the booster culture. Yes, you will get 10m a year for five years, but you're likely bought out after three and thrown to the curb for the next guy who has to win immediately.It is funny that schools like UNC love to crow about the success of their athletics programs. Yet literally the only thing that matters to them is keeping up with the Jones's, athletic performance be damned.
FSU will take endless seasons of 6-6 football if they can make SEC money.
The most important thing to ND is a path to the championship. As long as there are at-large bids ND will stay independent. Under the current structure (which Sankey set up to assure more than one SEC team in the playoff), they top out as the #5 seed (with a home game) which is perfectly fine with them. Unless there is a drastic change which ends at-large bids there's no need for them to join a conference.Forgive me if this is a dumb question, I’ve read into this but not enough to know as much as others because it’s a complicated mess but… is throwing the kitchen sink at ND to lock them in as a full time member, to create stability to the conference so far out of the question?
Edit: like fox and ESPN are the big players, but is there a way to rope NBC in with the ACC and ND?
Agree. That’s an huge issue as college sports becomes pro sports. Pro sports are designed to facilitate parity and even the greatest dynasties have a shelf life. The power players in college sports expect to reign over the competition like they did in the 1970s. They don’t want parity, but NIL, player payments, conference expansion, and the like are actually creating it in a non-linear way.Well, they think the money will fix the problems...but the real issue is unrealistic booster expectations on winning and hiring the wrong coaches. Being a head coach at some of these schools is insanely difficult given expectations and the booster culture. Yes, you will get 10m a year for five years, but you're likely bought out after three and thrown to the curb for the next guy who has to win immediately.
I never thought UNC had those folks on the football side but who knows.
Why do you not see either BT or SEC pushing beyond 20. For a very long time the Overton's Window on this was 12 would be the max. Then it widened to 16. Then 18, Now you say the max must be 20. WHY?Assume the B1G gets UNC/UVa to get into the South. Assume the SEC takes FSU, Clemson, Ga Tech, and Louisville to pull all rivalries in house. Then they can go to 9 conference games too. 20 teams = 10 team divisions. 9 conference games. Rotating divisional membership to keep schedules fresh.
I do not see either conference pushing past 20. The B1G would do it to get several brands... but I do not think EsecPN would let that happen. So 20/20 seems more likely.
That leaves the ACC with Miami, Va Tech, Pitt, Syracuse, BC, NC State, Duke, Wake Forest, SMU, Stanford, and Cal. Add UConn and we are at 12 teams. If we kept one AQ, we would be no better or worse off than during the Big East era. You could divide the conference into: Northeast: Miami, Va Tech, Pitt, Syracuse, BC, UConn and Southwest: SMU, NC State, Stanford, Cal, Duke, Wake Forest. Or, if we could snag West Virginia from the B12, with Memphis taking its place... that would be a doable swap for all... and then add UConn to the N and USF to the S to get to 14. I could live with that. All we ever want is an AQ in case it all comes together...
We would be a clear Tier 2. But we are kind of now anyway.
IMO the best solution would be to...
1. For the good of college sports we need FB TV contracts, M/W BBall TV contracts, and every other sport TV contracts. IMO there will eventually be challenges to player compensation and the only way to keep the money where it belongs is to separate into 3 contracts. Networks slightly lose out as they no longer bundle everything together.
2. With everything separate we can have different conferences for FB and everything else. That solves a lot of problems with these mega conferences: no regionality, lost rivalries, too much travel.
3. The B18 and SEC merge for FB, add 26 more teams (60 total now), and create their own division for FB. Everything is now under one giant FB TV contract.
4. The NCAA passes a 10 team conference max. Since the 60 team new division is a division and not a conference, that does not apply. FBS, FCS, and so on have to go down to 10 if those conferences are over.
5. The 60 FB teams are separated into 12 five team divisions based on historical conferences. So an SEC East, SEC West, Big 8, SWC, Metro, ACC, B1G East, B1G West, PAC North, PAC South, A10, Big East. That takes care of the parity issue as you can now have 12 kings at the same time.
6. The 60 FB teams are separated into 6 ten team conferences for all other sports. The SEC East/West, Big 8/SWC, Metro/ACC, B1G East/West, PAC North/South, A10/Big East.
Getting bought out after 3 is a perk.Well, they think the money will fix the problems...but the real issue is unrealistic booster expectations on winning and hiring the wrong coaches. Being a head coach at some of these schools is insanely difficult given expectations and the booster culture. Yes, you will get 10m a year for five years, but you're likely bought out after three and thrown to the curb for the next guy who has to win immediately.
I never thought UNC had those folks on the football side but who knows.
I didn't mean ever. I just meant that these things tend to go 2 at a time. The idea that the B1G is going to go from 18 to 24 overnight is more forum fodder than reality/history. How would that make more money for the B1G or strengthen any aspect of the conference?Why do you not see either BT or SEC pushing beyond 20. For a very long time the Overton's Window on this was 12 would be the max. Then it widened to 16. Then 18, Now you say the max must be 20. WHY?
The SEC and BT are in a shootout to prove who can secure top dollar pay outs forever and then go win almost all the championships in the 2 revenue sports. They only thing that will stop them from adding until they are gorged is lack of fiscal backing from networks to do so. The BT arranged to make that easy with its Fox deals with both NBC and CBS. Fox could use that to be able to show a coast to coast league of even 30 members and make big bucks.
And if the BT goes to 30 or even just 24, it will secure ND and at least 5 ACC schools. The SEC then would expand to at least 24, adding at least 7 ACC teams and perhaps KU.
Air that point those tow leagues will be between them so large that they will feel the next logical, maybe even necessary move is for them to set up as the 2 leagues in the new Top Tier of CFB.
You assume the the BT and SEC are always going to be willing to allow even 1 league that has not bettered itself from where it is now to be granted an AQ in the football playoff they will own totally. I think both BT and SE. are far too greedy for that. When they can get away with closing the playoffs they control to just their two leagues, they will do so. They will take 16 of 16 slots in the playoffs.
Insatiable greed is insatiable greed.
And then you will see them use ACC history to argue why they should also have their own closed 2 league basketball tournament. The ACC long sponsored the Dixie Classic, all 8 ACC teams and 8 non-ACC, and then also the all 8 ACC tournament championship. Both tournaments were huge in ticket sales and TV audience.
I agree that 2030/31 will be the annus horribilus. At that point, all the most highly valued ACC schools will be able to pay their way out of the ACC. Spot how are they going to be kept? What cant the ACC do to make it worth their while to remain out of SEC or BT?Once the ACC settled with Clemson and FSU, the monetary penalties to leave the ACC with your media rights were defined. In other words, the GORs are basically over. Thus, it is only a matter of time until schools try to leave with 2030/2031 being the target year to leave as the exit fee drops to $75 million. I say try because you have to have to have a better spot lined up which isn't a given. Also, look at when the conference media deals end:
Big 10: 2029/2030
Big 12: 2030/2031
SEC: 2033/2034
ACC: 2035/2036
Officially, ACC schools must give 13 months notice to leave by June 1st of the previous year. Thus no ACC school in leaving during 2025/2026.
If a school is planning to leave the ACC for the Big 10, I would think they would announce it by June 1, 2027 or 2028 to help with the media negotiation. If a school is leaving for the SEC, I would expect them to announce it by June 1, 2029, but it will become obvious they are leaving before then.
One other point. It isn't a given that we end up with a P2 as a third conference could arise by a combination of the best of the Big 12 and ACC to create a P3. How could this happen? Well, it is kind of what happened when the Big 12 was formed in 1994 with the Big 8 combining with 4 schools from the SWC. And, private equity could help fund the new conference. Remember, there was an ACC "Magnificent Seven" of UNC, FSU, Clemson, Miami, NC State, Virginia, and Virginia Tech that supposedly met to figure out a way to break the GORs.