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Message: [QUOTE="HtownOrange, post: 4748205, member: 622"] You accused me of creating a new argument in the post I responded to. No matter, I didn’t. Regarding the schools who want to leave, it is immaterial who leaves, the principles remain the same. You state I am assuming hostility. Who wants any teams to leave, beyond the two or three that may presently have a landing spot? None of the remaining schools want anyone to leave. That creates hostility. And they remain in power, not the schools with wandering eyes. There has been zero comments or statements from ACC schools regarding a consensus to part ways, let alone to d so amicably. You are assuming facts not in evidence. Can it happen, yes, I already alluded to a future where things can be resolved, but at this juncture, there remains no incentive to accommodate FSU and/or anyone leaving. Everyone knows FSU and Clemson lack the financials to leave anytime soon. Everyone knows UNC lacks the will to write the check. Both points have been previously stated. You are intermingling points regarding the exit fees and TV rights/payouts. The exit fee is just that, the cost of getting out. You point out the Big12’s 99 year agreement, but there is no exchange of promises, just we will stay together for 99 years and if someone wants out this is the exit fee. The ACC knew they needed an increased fee to garner further rights negotiations, Maryland jumped before the increase, they understood this point and knew they were more likely committed to the exit fee than not. The major difference is that the ACC established the current exit fee for the purpose of attracting a partner for the network, the ACCN. The Big12 had no such purpose, plus 99 years is questionably long. Regarding the TV rights, you undervalue the TV rights at $25MM. The value is what ESPN pays annually, even the guarantee is much higher than you posit, thus the numbers don’t work out correctly. The need to buy back rights at $50MM was a ballpark figure averaged over the next 12 years. Compared to UT and OU, they needed to pay to get out the one year early, otherwise they could not go anywhere. The Big12 exit fee was more of a one-sided promise and lacked substance of a contract; juxtapose the ACC purpose of opening negotiations for a network (this is oversimplified), this makes the ACC’s exit fee much stronger than the Big12’s. Regarding the buyback, the Big12’s TV rights at the time of negotiations were around $200MM annually, or $20MM, probably a little higher because contracts escalate over time, but not too much. Even their new deal is only valued around $30MM/team (granted, if UT and OU were involved it would be much higher). With a questionable exit fee and low valued rights, OU and UT still paid $50MM each, per announced $100MM exit deal. Or a factor of 2.1X Rights and a token amount for the exit fee. Recall that initially, the Big12 was going to make both wait out the GOR, they only negotiated a deal when it was to their advantage. Regardless, it took a lot of time to bargain away one year. What is lacking in your calculations is a desire by the remaining ACC teams to actually agree to anything. Further, you assume ESPN wants to pay a couple teams more in the SEC, that makes no sense because 1) ESPN has to pay more! 2) it destroys the ACC and the ACCN. ESPN and the ACC have vested interest in continuing to make money. ESPN has no interest in destroying a major property. 3) If the door is opened to teams leaving, the door is opened to Fox grabbing schools, too. 4) schools with wandering eyes either lack the resources to make the move (yes, FSU’ offer of $300 MM was an insult to everyone and they didn’t even have that available). 5) Plus many more reasons we don’t know about But ACC members and ESPN do. i have consistently held that a deal my arise down the road but a deal now is a fool’s errand. The current ACC teams are on the rise, overall. FSU and Clemson drive ratings the most. The ACC remains seriously undervalued. ESPN has look-ins to adjust the ACC’s payouts. The ACC covers the most densely populated and projected to grow territory. The GOR is solid. If it was easy to break the agreement, it would have been done before now. At this juncture, the ACC has no incentive to work with FSU or any other school wishing to jump. What remains is to ponder why you want FSU and others to jump? As an Orange fan, there is no benefit to the ACC at this time, why make a bad deal now? [/QUOTE]

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