Press starting to sober up re: B1G recent adds

[Townie72]

The thinking press is starting to sober up after swallowing all the spin that was put out by Maryland (and Rutgers) after the B1G announcement.

In today’s Washington Post, sports columnist Tracee Hamilton says,” … But in Maryland went from a league in which it can be competitive or even dominant in a short amount of time to a league in which it might never be competitive or dominant. Terps fans may find themselves outnumbered in Byrd Stadium on Saturdays (because of the large number of Big Ten alumni in the area)"

Pretty soon even the dumbest of them will catch on to the fact that the ONLY reason Maryland left was for the B1G cash they need to balance the books given the current amount of money Maryland is spending on athletics. Maryland, unlike Rutgers, was in a stable conference.

When ND turned down the Big Ten invite several years ago, SU was mentioned as a possible alternative. The guy who had chaired the Big Ten effort to corral ND said that “Syracuse certainly fits the profile we would be interested in.”.

At first I thought it would be great for SU. But after considering it, I came to the conclusion that SU would never be able to compete with these huge schools with their huge athletic budgets. I don’t think either Rutgers or Maryland will be able to keep up either. Although these are big schools, both lack the deep roots in their states to sustain B1G athletic levels.

Big Ten football teams are built for cold weather. They grind each other down with size and muscle. Big East teams might match up occasionally in a rare OOC game or a bowl. But a steady diet of Michigan and Ohio State and Wisconsin and Penn State (once PSU regains its footing) will relegate both of these new entries to the bottom of the standings.

Both SU and Pitt, I think, can compete at the highest level in a number of sports in the ACC. That’s a good place to be.

Switching conferences because you need the money doesn’t sound like a strategy. It sounds like desperation. When you are swimming in red ink even after cutting sports and if you are stuck in an awful conference (like Rutgers), you don't give a lot of thought to the downside risk associated with joining a conference filled with schools with many times your resources.

 

[MaxwellCuse]

Rutgers will only be able to keep up if the State of New Jersey agrees to keep subsidizing RU Athletics to the tune of $25-30 million per year. If the Jersey politicians tell Rutgers to reduce the government subsidy to the same general level of Michigan ($200,000 +/-) then Rutgers will be no better off in 2015 than they are today.

Of course there is all that unrealized Tier 3 money, but from what I'm learning about that subject Rutgers will be earning far fewer additional dollars than their cheerleaders suppose.

(Source: http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/spor...ollege-athletics-finances-database/54955804/1)

 

[All4SU]

The B1G representation in the BCS standings isn't all that different from the ACC. Admittedly, both conferences are down. But they're not tearing it up either, despite those "huge athletic budgets."

 

[PhatOrange]

Agree with pretty much all of this. And athletically Syracuse is much better off in the ACC with a bunch of other private schools.

Who says Maryland will even be able to balance the books with more cash. I'm sure it'll still be mismanaged and now their football program will find it incredibly harder to compete.

Hoops might be ok on the court (big 10 weak) but you gotta wonder how (or if) the move will hurt hoops recruiting - and i don't think there is any question that the fanbase is just not going to get behind big ten basketball. will never happen.

 

[Townie72]

Rutgers will only be able to keep up if the State of New Jersey agrees to keep subsidizing RU Athletics to the tune of $25-30 million per year. If the Jersey politicians tell Rutgers to reduce the government subsidy to the same general level of Michigan ($200,000 +/-) then Rutgers will be no better off in 2015 than they are today.

Of course there is all that unrealized Tier 3 money, but from what I'm learning about that subject Rutgers will be earning far fewer additional dollars than their cheerleaders suppose.

(Source: http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/spor...ollege-athletics-finances-database/54955804/1)

Exactly, Maxwell, the first $28.5 Million of the B1G windfall Rutgers gets has to go to balance the books at their current level of spending.

Then they have to add back the teams they cut. Then they have to add teams in which the other teams compete. Then they have to improve their facilities to compete.

The bonanza some envision is going to be swallowed up by their current level of spending and the increase in the scope of the atletic department that the B1G will require.

 

[Townie72]

Agree with pretty much all of this. And athletically Syracuse is much better off in the ACC with a bunch of other private schools.

Who says Maryland will even be able to balance the books with more cash. I'm sure it'll still be mismanaged and now their football program will find it incredibly harder to compete.

Hoops might be ok on the court (big 10 weak) but you gotta wonder how (or if) the move will hurt hoops recruiting - and i don't think there is any question that the fanbase is just not going to get behind big ten basketball. will never happen.

I think basketball will suffer starting almost immediately. Living in DC, I have seen the same TV interview many times. When they interview Maryland players or signees, the first reason they give for coming to Maryland is "an opportunity to play in the ACC".

Gary Williams left the head coaching job at Ohio State to come to Maryland after the Len Bias "trainwreck" so he could coach in the ACC.

 

[longtimefan]

I think basketball will suffer starting almost immediately. Living in DC, I have seen the same TV interview many times. When they interview Maryland players or signees, the first reason they give for coming to Maryland is "an opportunity to play in the ACC".

Gary Williams left the head coaching job at Ohio State to come to Maryland after the Len Bias "trainwreck" so he could coach in the ACC.

Well, there was the intervening Bob Wade part of the train wreck, but your point is well-taken.

 

[Btstimpy]

The thinking press is starting to sober up after swallowing all the spin that was put out by Maryland (and Rutgers) after the B1G announcement.

In today’s Washington Post, sports columnist Tracee Hamilton says,” … But in Maryland went from a league in which it can be competitive or even dominant in a short amount of time to a league in which it might never be competitive or dominant. Terps fans may find themselves outnumbered in Byrd Stadium on Saturdays (because of the large number of Big Ten alumni in the area)"

Pretty soon even the dumbest of them will catch on to the fact that the ONLY reason Maryland left was for the B1G cash they need to balance the books given the current amount of money Maryland is spending on athletics. Maryland, unlike Rutgers, was in a stable conference.

When ND turned down the Big Ten invite several years ago, SU was mentioned as a possible alternative. The guy who had chaired the Big Ten effort to corral ND said that “Syracuse certainly fits the profile we would be interested in.”.

At first I thought it would be great for SU. But after considering it, I came to the conclusion that SU would never be able to compete with these huge schools with their huge athletic budgets. I don’t think either Rutgers or Maryland will be able to keep up either. Although these are big schools, both lack the deep roots in their states to sustain B1G athletic levels.

Big Ten football teams are built for cold weather. They grind each other down with size and muscle. Big East teams might match up occasionally in a rare OOC game or a bowl. But a steady diet of Michigan and Ohio State and Wisconsin and Penn State (once PSU regains its footing) will relegate both of these new entries to the bottom of the standings.

Both SU and Pitt, I think, can compete at the highest level in a number of sports in the ACC. That’s a good place to be.

Switching conferences because you need the money doesn’t sound like a strategy. It sounds like desperation. When you are swimming in red ink even after cutting sports and if you are stuck in an awful conference (like Rutgers), you don't give a lot of thought to the downside risk associated with joining a conference filled with schools with many times your resources.

As a follower of the ACC for 35 years, it's sad to see Maryland leave. They have been a contributing member, and have been successful at times in the ACC. They have also been treated well even though they might claim that they were overshadowed sometimes by the North Carolina schools.

I think in the Big Ten, the University of Maryland is viewed as nothing more than a collection of cable boxes. I think Maryland will be treated like a collection of cable boxes. Penn State complains about how they are treated in the Big Ten. It will be worse with Maryland. But it's the bed that the new President of Maryland made for them.

 

[Chip]

As I've said before, I think Syracuse, the city, has more in common with the Big 10 cities. But Syracuse, the University (including its athletics) has much more in common with the ACC.

It's the best place for us, and I'm just glad it's secure. I would have liked to play Maryland, it's local to me, I think it would have been, could have been, an interesting conference rivalry. But now that it's not possible, and Louisville is in the fold, the ACC definitely upgraded in terms of a healthy Athletic Department. They did not upgrade in the all important world today of cable TV and DMAs. But I can't help but think that's just not a sustainable reason for expansion. Especially if the DMA friendly schools you added are going to need the money more for balancing their huge deficit budgets, rather than investing and improving their programs.

Big 10 added two more Minnesotas.

 

[44PRIDE]

Let's say Maryland starts to sober up a bit. If they ask to come back to the ACC, do they get let back in?

 

[kingottoiii]

Thing is MD won't see the benefits financially for like 10 years. Who knows what the CFB looks like in 10 years. The ACC and B1G may even be close in terms of $ which would make the MD move a mess. MD won't get a full share of B1G revenue for several years plus they have to waste $50M on exit fees. So the next few years they will actually be worse off financially.

 

[44PRIDE]

The thinking press is starting to sober up after swallowing all the spin that was put out by Maryland (and Rutgers) after the B1G announcement.

In today’s Washington Post, sports columnist Tracee Hamilton says,” … But in Maryland went from a league in which it can be competitive or even dominant in a short amount of time to a league in which it might never be competitive or dominant. Terps fans may find themselves outnumbered in Byrd Stadium on Saturdays (because of the large number of Big Ten alumni in the area)"

Pretty soon even the dumbest of them will catch on to the fact that the ONLY reason Maryland left was for the B1G cash they need to balance the books given the current amount of money Maryland is spending on athletics. Maryland, unlike Rutgers, was in a stable conference.

When ND turned down the Big Ten invite several years ago, SU was mentioned as a possible alternative. The guy who had chaired the Big Ten effort to corral ND said that “Syracuse certainly fits the profile we would be interested in.”.

At first I thought it would be great for SU. But after considering it, I came to the conclusion that SU would never be able to compete with these huge schools with their huge athletic budgets. I don’t think either Rutgers or Maryland will be able to keep up either. Although these are big schools, both lack the deep roots in their states to sustain B1G athletic levels.

Big Ten football teams are built for cold weather. They grind each other down with size and muscle. Big East teams might match up occasionally in a rare OOC game or a bowl. But a steady diet of Michigan and Ohio State and Wisconsin and Penn State (once PSU regains its footing) will relegate both of these new entries to the bottom of the standings.

Both SU and Pitt, I think, can compete at the highest level in a number of sports in the ACC. That’s a good place to be.

Switching conferences because you need the money doesn’t sound like a strategy. It sounds like desperation. When you are swimming in red ink even after cutting sports and if you are stuck in an awful conference (like Rutgers), you don't give a lot of thought to the downside risk associated with joining a conference filled with schools with many times your resources.

Link to the article?

 

[PhatOrange]

As I've said before, I think Syracuse, the city, has more in common with the Big 10 cities. But Syracuse, the University (including it's athletics) has much more in common with the ACC.

^^THIS^^

 

[dcdrew]

The B1G representation in the BCS standings isn't all that different from the ACC. Admittedly, both conferences are down. But they're not tearing it up either, despite those "huge athletic budgets."

Agree. I grew up in Ohio as a big ten fan prior to attending cuse and the huge athletic budgets are more a function of the size of the university than an input to the quality of the team. Ohio State has a women's pistol shooting team. That's why they have a big budget. So much ammo.

Big Ten football is declining because only 3 schools (OSU/Mich/Neb) consistently draw players from outside the midwest. As midwest population declines, so too will the quality of their hs football. Penn, Ill, and Mich aren't producing the kind of athletes they used to. Schools like Wiscy and Mich St are always one bad coach away from sinking to the bottom.

I think Cuse stacks up well against schools like Indiana, NW, Purdue, Iowa, Minnesota. If we continue to build the program, I think we could be a perennial bowl team in the big ten. Culturally, though, the ACC is a better fit. The dome would be the smallest stadium in the B1g.

 

[FAL]

Let's say Maryland starts to sober up a bit. If they ask to come back to the ACC, do they get let back in?

How? Tell Louisville "Sorry, but we changed our minds."? They slammed the door behind them, and the automatic lock kicked in. Bye-bye Maryland.

 

[orange79]

Let's say Maryland starts to sober up a bit. If they ask to come back to the ACC, do they get let back in?

Only if they pay the double-secret newly-implemented $50M entrance fee after they pay the $50M exit fee.

 

[OrangePA]

The thinking press is starting to sober up after swallowing all the spin that was put out by Maryland (and Rutgers) after the B1G announcement.

In today’s Washington Post, sports columnist Tracee Hamilton says,” … But in Maryland went from a league in which it can be competitive or even dominant in a short amount of time to a league in which it might never be competitive or dominant. Terps fans may find themselves outnumbered in Byrd Stadium on Saturdays (because of the large number of Big Ten alumni in the area)"

Pretty soon even the dumbest of them will catch on to the fact that the ONLY reason Maryland left was for the B1G cash they need to balance the books given the current amount of money Maryland is spending on athletics. Maryland, unlike Rutgers, was in a stable conference.

When ND turned down the Big Ten invite several years ago, SU was mentioned as a possible alternative. The guy who had chaired the Big Ten effort to corral ND said that “Syracuse certainly fits the profile we would be interested in.”.

At first I thought it would be great for SU. But after considering it, I came to the conclusion that SU would never be able to compete with these huge schools with their huge athletic budgets. I don’t think either Rutgers or Maryland will be able to keep up either. Although these are big schools, both lack the deep roots in their states to sustain B1G athletic levels.

Big Ten football teams are built for cold weather. They grind each other down with size and muscle. Big East teams might match up occasionally in a rare OOC game or a bowl. But a steady diet of Michigan and Ohio State and Wisconsin and Penn State (once PSU regains its footing) will relegate both of these new entries to the bottom of the standings.

Both SU and Pitt, I think, can compete at the highest level in a number of sports in the ACC. That’s a good place to be.

Switching conferences because you need the money doesn’t sound like a strategy. It sounds like desperation. When you are swimming in red ink even after cutting sports and if you are stuck in an awful conference (like Rutgers), you don't give a lot of thought to the downside risk associated with joining a conference filled with schools with many times your resources.

Very good post Townie!

 

[OrangePA]

As I've said before, I think Syracuse, the city, has more in common with the Big 10 cities. But Syracuse, the University (including it's athletics) has much more in common with the ACC.

It's the best place for us, and I'm just glad it's secure. I would have liked to play Maryland, it's local to me, I think it would have been, could have been, an interesting conference rivalry. But now that it's not possible, and Louisville is in the fold, the ACC definitely upgraded in terms of a healthy Athletic Department. They did not upgrade in the all important world today of cable TV and DMAs. But I can't help but think that's just not a sustainable reason for expansion. Especially if the DMA friendly schools you added are going to need the money more for balancing their huge deficit budgets, rather than investing and improving their programs.

Big 10 added two more Minnesotas.

Agreed.

Maryland was a longtime opponent - we played them in 1959 and throughout the 1960s, 70s and into the 1980s.

Who could forget guys like Randy White, Mark Manges, Larry Dick and of course Boomer Esiason!

And we played them in that memorable Cherry Bowl.

I was looking forward to renewing the rivalry.

But, they made a short-term decision and they're gone - I agree that MD will find the Big Ten a tough place to compete in football. And I suspect that the women's field hockey team will find the trip to Nebraska a hoot. Finally, I suspect that most MD fans are not all that happy about this move - 0r won't be in the near future.

For me, I will say it once again - put the "ACC" logo on Ernie Davis Field - at least by the time of the Spring Game!

 

[Chip]

Let's say Maryland starts to sober up a bit. If they ask to come back to the ACC, do they get let back in?

Easy. You say, if you can convince ND to join for football all-in, then you can come back with them.

Otherwise, go f*** yourselves.

 

[Millhouse]

Thing is MD won't see the benefits financially for like 10 years. Who knows what the CFB looks like in 10 years. The ACC and B1G may even be close in terms of $ which would make the MD move a mess. MD won't get a full share of B1G revenue for several years plus they have to waste $50M on exit fees. So the next few years they will actually be worse off financially.

we don't know what the dcf model that the big 10 showed maryland looks like but we do know that the people that have been running maryland are very bad at doing valuations.