Cost of Getting out of BE prior to 27 months

[arbitragegls]

Would appreciate help on this if you know anything...or if this sounds totally off base.

Friend of mine at UWV...yes I do have friends who are alumns...just indicated that the BE is wanting upwards of $20 million to let them out early if they choose to leave.

Have anyone of you followed this since Sunday where the BE supposedly indicated we could leave prior to the 27 months but no dollars were mentioned over the $5,000,000 previously noted.

Thank you for your comments.

 

[BlackKnight76]

I don't think the Big East can just make stuff up as they go along...

 

[Guinness]

Saw something about that HERE:

And in Charleston a team of another WVU lawyers and accounts are currently negotiating with the Big East Conference to exit that league and begin SEC play in 2012. The price will be steep. The Big East wants 150% of revenues paid to WVU in 2010 and 2011 plus the $5 million exit fee. That’s somewhere in the neighborhood of $21-$25 million dollars. Greater than the exit fee the ACC hopes keeps its league intact.

 

[SouthCampusHero]

Well, I guess the original contract stipulates that we have to wait 27 months and pay $5M. Fine. If we want to leave earlier, they hold all the chips and can come up with whatever figure/formula they want. The only problem I have with them raising the exit fee to leave early is that it was decided upon by members of the conference at a meeting both SU and Pitt were not invited to. If stipulations are being made to the original contract, then Pitt and SU should have a vote because they we are still members, technically. Then again, I read that there was language in the original contract that mentioned that 'sitting duck' members are stripped of their voting power. Either way, if the vote required a simple majority, our votes would not have mattered anyway.

 

[AZOrange]

Well, I guess the original contract stipulates that we have to wait 27 months and pay $5M. Fine. If we want to leave earlier, they hold all the chips and can come up with whatever figure/formula they want. The only problem I have with them raising the exit fee to leave early is that it was decided upon by members of the conference at a meeting both SU and Pitt were not invited to. If stipulations are being made to the original contract, then Pitt and SU should have a vote because they we are still members, technically. Then again, I read that there was language in the original contract that mentioned that 'sitting duck' members are stripped of their voting power. Either way, if the vote required a simple majority, our votes would not have mattered anyway.

At the end of the day the league has about as much power as a lame duck president. League doesnt want Cuse/Pitt around any longer either...

 

[jordoo]

We won't have to pay a new exit penalty, we will go by the one in place when we notified the BE that we were leaving. Still we are tied to the 27montha and as SouthCampusHer noted the BE can negotiate this however they want. In truth I think it will hurt them more than us the longer we are in the BE, and we will probably see some sort of game of chicken with them finally flinching and giving both SU and PITT a fairly easy out.

I doubt they will be able to pass a large increase in buy out and time frame. None of the fball schools would vote yes to that no matter what they are saying publically. Once they see who the BE is serious about adding they will be even more motivated to get out. If its a simple majority vote then they could be in some trouble because its to ND's benefit to keep the BE together and they could be the deciding vote especially if TCU doesn't get a vote yet.

 

[arbitragegls]

what happened with the post that Sunday they were not holding us to the 27 months...there was no comment on dollars increasing

 

[Knicks411]

If i was the BE i would try and get some extra money out of us. Why shouldn't they?

 

[Moontan]

Something between $5-$10M doesn't seem unreasonable.

Once the BE finds replacements it will get done.

Imagine a 20+ team basketball conference. Imagine the next 3 football and basketball championships being won by departing schools. The NNBE doesn't want any of that.

 

[EastCoast2]

Something between $5-$10M doesn't seem unreasonable.

Once the BE finds replacements it will get done.

Imagine a 20+ team basketball conference. Imagine the next 3 football and basketball championships being won by departing schools. The NNBE doesn't want any of that.

I'd love to see SU win the BE reg season and BE tourney even more now

 

[Dick_in_MI]

I don't think the Big East can just make stuff up as they go along...

They sure can

 

[Dick_in_MI]

Something between $5-$10M doesn't seem unreasonable.

Once the BE finds replacements it will get done.

Imagine a 20+ team basketball conference. Imagine the next 3 football and basketball championships being won by departing schools. The NNBE doesn't want any of that.

Agreed. Both sides hold SOME cards, but both want this over ASAP. The BE won't let SU/Pitt out until they have replacements and they'll try and hold us up for a few more $$$. I wouldn't be surprised if $7M was the magic number after they have replacements but who knows.

 

[TexanMark]

Me thinks the Diamond Ferri game should be worth at least 1 Million Dollars

 

[baggerbob]

The big key is the big east tournament in the garden when miami, virginia tech and BC left they were not big east powers. with Pitt and Syracuse they don't want 2 years free advertising for the ACC which is what will happen if they hold us to 27 months. When i said not powers i meant in basketball.

 

[pfister1]

We won't have to pay a new exit penalty, we will go by the one in place when we notified the BE that we were leaving. Still we are tied to the 27montha and as SouthCampusHer noted the BE can negotiate this however they want. In truth I think it will hurt them more than us the longer we are in the BE, and we will probably see some sort of game of chicken with them finally flinching and giving both SU and PITT a fairly easy out.

I doubt they will be able to pass a large increase in buy out and time frame. None of the fball schools would vote yes to that no matter what they are saying publically. Once they see who the BE is serious about adding they will be even more motivated to get out. If its a simple majority vote then they could be in some trouble because its to ND's benefit to keep the BE together and they could be the deciding vote especially if TCU doesn't get a vote yet.

I agree. If we want the certainty of knowing today that we will be out for next season than we are likely going to have to pay a pretty penny. If we wait a bit and allow the dust to settle the Big East is going to want us out so that they can get on with "rebuilding"/destroying the conference.

 

[ACCBballFan]

Maybe it was just heat of the moment but that TCU coach surely did not seem anxious to do anything more to help SMU.

http://espn.go.com/dallas/ncf/story...u-horned-frogs-not-helping-smu-mustangs-again

What Mizzou decides affects whether B12 looks for as few as one to get to 10, or as many as 4 to get to 12.

Curators unanimous that MO should explore all its options. That clearly includes SEC and may be a done deal as some were saying, once the Curators give the go ahead, that they now have given to at least "explore".

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/s...-tigers-curators-vote-consider-leaving-big-12

Missouri may opt to stay in B12 but only without the granting of rights for 6 years it would seem, but might also awaken B1G (personal opinion on latter). The B1G lost out on Pitt and MD to East that would have appeased PSU, and now would lose out on MO to west, all 3 AAU schools which is a very finite number.

Katz says lead candidates are BYU, TCU, Louisville and West VA which would get BE football down to Rutgers, UCONN, Cincy and USF, and escalate Notre Dame's need to decide how much longer independence is feasible.

So there may not be anybody but the Bball only schools left to collect any additional BE exit fees that are all negotiable in lieu of 27 months.

Missouri Chancellor Deaton resigned as head of B12 due to obvious conflict of interest but so far remains on B12 expansion committee.

No timeframe specified in link.

 

[SkanSU]

Mizzou voted yesterday to start looking for greener pastures ... very likely SEC bound with A&M ... bringing SEC to 14 and Big (Small) 12 to 8 ... which it was at one time ... the Big 8 ... but not the same schools. This may be good or bad for WVU. Big 12 is self-destructing. Will SEC want to stay at 14 for a while or be the first to move into super-Conference status with 16. Who else would they pick up ... for sure they would seem to want a football power (money) and I don't think Louisville fits that bill.

 

[ACCBballFan]

Mizzou voted yesterday to start looking for greener pastures ... very likely SEC bound with A&M ... bringing SEC to 14 and Big (Small) 12 to 8 ... which it was at one time ... the Big 8 ... but not the same schools. This may be good or bad for WVU. Big 12 is self-destructing. Will SEC want to stay at 14 for a while or be the first to move into super-Conference status with 16. Who else would they pick up ... for sure they would seem to want a football power (money) and I don't think Louisville fits that bill.

Without Mizzou, there are barely enough teams left in B12 and BE to even merge the two into one super-conference.

If B12 strips out UL, TCU and WV, then the B12/BE might as well be the first to "super" by annexing USF, Cincy, Rutgers and UCONN with a buyout that has teeth similar to the 6 year grant of rights B12 was discussing.

Then the SEC could cherry pick its 15-16 and let the B1G, P12 and ACC battle it out for which two are more super, or all dilute all 3 a little as B12/BE merger would be doing to get to five 16-team super conferences.

That's why I have a hunch B1G may still try and compete with SEC and B12 for Missouri who is good not great in both sports, and has the academci and AAU profile B1G requires. The problem would be whether they can keep the KU-MO rivalry in tact without KU/K-State being a package deal (deal killer).

Like ACC, B1G would not go beyond 14 until fate of Notre Dame is finalized.

 

[SkanSU]

Actually from what I have been reading taking Mizzou into the SEC improves that conference academically along with picking up St. Louis market. I am not sure what the SEC gains out of picking up Louisville, tho. Having all the Kentucky teams in a conference? I agree that both the ACC and B1G will wait for Notre Dame. But if WVU does end up in the SEC (and their board is all abuzz about hearing in the next day or two. I guess the SEC commish and AD's meet tonight) that would almost surely begin to force ND's hand as the BE continues to disintegrate as well as the Big12 (8). I very much doubt that OU, TU,OK St. would be on board for a merger with the Big East. What would there be to gain? An extremely mediocre football conference? Nope ... don't think so. With Mizzou going I hope that will force TU's hand and get on the revenue sharing band wagon reopening their bid for the PAC12. This is always IMO

 

[SBU72]

I'd love to see SU win the BE reg season and BE tourney even more now

One "fair" way would be to make SU and Pitt pay for the cost of teams to exit other conferences to join the BE in addition to the exit fee in the BE contract. As that goes, make them both pay the total cost, so the BE ends up a little richer. This may allow the BE to broaded their search because it doesn't hinder other school from leaving other conferences.

 

[ACCBballFan]

B12 already has #1 Oklahoma, #7 Okie St, #10 Texas, #21 K-State plus Baylor honorary #27 with 90 votes and Texas Tech right behind with 68 votes.

Adding #19 West VA plus honorary #28 USF who still get 49 votes after Pitt humbled them, would give them 7 of the top 28 ranked teams, not counting TCU who was ranked until the SMU upset.

B12 ranked teams is second only to SEC who with A&M has 7 of the top 25.

B10 has 5 in top 25 plus #30 Penn State. Iowa and Ohio State also got some votes.

ACC has 4, plus Putt and UNC got votes, won't count Spurrier's customary Duke vote.

P12 has 3 plus #31 Washington with 30 votes.

I realize the counter argument is that is they played better teams, their rankings would fall but same may be true for any teams not in top 12 or so.

So B12/BE combined not all that mediocre in football power rankings, though some of those BE TV markets are dilutive UL (300K), Cincy (323K), TCU (371K) relative to Texas 2.25 million viewers and Oklahomas 1.2 million.

West VA 959 K and Rutgers at 938K are larger markets than Texas Tech 912 K , KU 768K or Okie St @ 719K. UCONN at 619 K and USF at 521 K are larger markets than K-State 428K and Baylor 210K, and sandwich Iowa State's 535K.

If there are hard feelings between the Oklahoma teams and Texas, SEC could go for the kill with OU and Okie State as 15-16 after A&M-Missouri 13-14. Then B12 with or without BE would be mediocre leaving Texas Tech at 912 K the second biggest B12 market after Texas, smaller than WV or Rutgers, after then losing 4 of its top 5 markets the past two years counting Nebraska, A&M, Oklahoma and Missouri, not to mention mid sized Okie St.

One way or another though in order to get to 12, B12 will have to absorb some smaller markets, and mights as well go for new ones that have ranked football teams, after first finding some way to retain Missouri 1.085 million TV share and entree to the STL-KC areas from grasp of SEC or the sleeper B1G.

 

[ACCBballFan]

One "fair" way would be to make SU and Pitt pay for the cost of teams to exit other conferences to join the BE in addition to the exit fee in the BE contract. As that goes, make them both pay the total cost, so the BE ends up a little richer. This may allow the BE to broaded their search because it doesn't hinder other school from leaving other conferences.

Nothing "fair" about punishing the achievers for incompetence of the BE.

If you are Syracuse or Pitt who already have a secure future, why throw good $$ after bad in a BE that may be imploding and has no leverage.

If others join Cuse and Pitt on the BE exit ramps, as UCONN wants to do and TCU, UL and WV are rumored, not enough votes for BE to impose anything other than farewell cards, or revert to lawsuits.

In that scenario even the BE Bball only schools may be looking to head for greener pastures.

The BE could stil survive short term if no one else leaves. So if anything those stiffer penalties would apply to next set of defectors.

Best hope for BE is that Missouri decides to stay put, B12 adds BYU to stay at 10, and SEC stays at 13 or looks somewhere besides WV. I too doubt UL to SEC would happen.

I can't believe how volatile these realignments are and how one team can swing the balance so rapidly and so severly.

 

[dollarbill44]

All we have to do is sit tight and the 27 months will go away at some point over the next 6 months, imo. No need to rush it, but I expect to be playing in the BE next year only. The BE will either dissolve or will add new members that will precipitate an early release.