USC and UCLA to the Big Ten

[SWC75]

What's next for ACC after USC and UCLA's move to the Big Ten? It could be time for a Hail Mary

League administrators are facing an uncertain future amid more realignment, but Notre Dame saving the day is probably an even longer shot.

theathletic.com

 

[rrlbees]

Van Dyke is one of the 6 so at least we avoid him. But Cunningham, Slovis, Leary, Jurkovich, Howell, Armstrong plus O’Connell at Purdue is insane. Good thing we look very very deep in the secondary, but gotta get pressure from our DLine too

Hartman may have been one.

 

[SUFan44]

If ESPN is truly running the ship with any portion of this, having John Wildhack in his position can’t hurt.

 

[Brian Orange]

Still what sticks out to me about all this is the speed it happened. The first tweet appeared around 11 am and by 11 PM that night it was OFFICIAL as in the schools/Big Ten themselves put out official statements. It was truly a wake up in the Pac-12 and end the day in the Big Ten. Mind boggling.

 

[CousCuse]

But I don’t think there are many of those in the power 5, even the group of 5 likely break even for their limited appeal.

That's probably true, but a league with the 20 top programs wouldn't capture the interest of the country so they need another 40 or so to make it's appeal nationwide.

 

[Orangefizz]

Here is how we can survive and be in a decent place:

Big 10 and SEC each add 4 teams and stop there:

Big 10: ND, Oregon, Washington, Stanford
SEC: Clemson, FSU, Miami, NC

There just aren’t that many valuable programs for them to keep splitting the pie that much more.

That leaves 29 teams(including the new Big 12 teams). Add San Diego State to have a Southern California presence( and to make Commissioner DJ Orange cry a bit less as he pays off his daughter’s college degree for the next 8-10 years) and you form a new 30 team conference split into two 15 team divisions:

A 15 team division with the 10 remaining ACC teams plus UCF, Cincy, Oklahoma State, West Virginia and Iowa State

A 15 team division with the 7 remaining PAC 12 teams plus BYU, SDSU, Baylor, Houston TCU, KU, KSU, Texas Tech

The Big 10 and SEC could create their own football playoff but if they do that, they will probably toss away the big cash that March Madness brings. So, they throw a bone to the new 30 team conference and offer them access to a 12 team playoff, an automatic bid and then a chance at any at large bids even though strength of schedule will kill that. Yes they have to share some playoff money but not enough to hurt because they still get a phat March Madness cut.

The garbage ACC deal we are stuck with for 14 more years is gone. The 30 team league is still attractive and linear networks, their affiliated streaming services and other streaming services will compete and pay a ton of cash for rights because with the exception of the NFL, there is no content more valuable than live college football to advertisers and subscribers, therefore also to the providers. Less valuable than the Big 10 and SEC for sure, but those two leagues were going to blow us away with their new deals while we are stuck with the current one forever

Now don’t you all feel better?

Editors note: if the two Big Boys expand to 30 each, then we are screwed and will basically be MAC level.

I want the SEC to add Arizona St, Utah, Colorado, California. Gives them the Phoenix, Denver, SLC, SF markets

 

[Cusester]

I'm surprised that the Sec didn't grab USC and UCLA. Seems like a lost opportunity for them to me.

 

[djorange1989]

Hartman may have been one.

Sorry I meant Hartman not Howell!

 

[CousCuse]

I want the SEC to add Arizona St, Utah, Colorado, California. Gives them the Phoenix, Denver, SLC, SF markets

Your saying that Cal Berkeley would be part of a southern league, the SEC?

 

[Orangefizz]

Your saying that Cal Berkeley would be part of a southern league, the SEC?

Yes, anything is possible, esp if ND joins the BIG and demands Stanford as their partner

 

[CousCuse]

Yes, anything is possible, esp if ND joins the BIG and demands Stanford as their partner

I think a lot of things are possible, I don't think that's one of them. I have been wrong before, on occasion, so maybe. Kansas instead of Cal in that group I think is possible.

 

[kcsu]

Your saying that Cal Berkeley would be part of a southern league, the SEC?

Cali doesn't sweet tea, grits, or wave the confederate flag.

 

[Cuse181]

I

I think a lot of things are possible, I don't think that's one of them. I have been wrong before, on occasion, so maybe. Kansas instead of Cal in that group I think is possible.

I would agree with Kansas being regionally better, as sad as it is.

 

[CousCuse]

Cali doesn't sweet tea, grits, or wave the confederate flag.

Rural Cali does.

 

[nd1973]

Rural Cali does.

Yes, I live in the State of Jefferson according to a lot of my neighbors.

 

[CousCuse]

Yes, I live in the State of Jefferson according to a lot of my neighbors.

Tom Jefferson should have had a state named after him. Fresno is pretty "southern, all the desert area's too. Lot's of running rebels settled there and dust bowl refugees.

 

[longtimefan]

Rural Cali does.

Berkeley is not rural California.

Maybe the SEC will target Fresno St.

 

[TheCusian]

They don't want to pay premium prices for mediocre content that has few fans.

You’re not describing the ACC.

Sigh

 

[kcsu]

Berkeley is not rural California.

Maybe the SEC will target Fresno St.

When Mississippi State travels to Berkeley. Cal will need to print two versions of the game program. One with words and one with pictures.

 

[WoadBlue]

That's probably true, but a league with the 20 top programs wouldn't capture the interest of the country so they need another 40 or so to make it's appeal nationwide.

For football, if the SEC and BT both expand to 32, they'll be able to have monopoly over Major College football.

 

[WickedOrange]

For football, if the SEC and BT both expand to 32, they'll be able to have monopoly over Major College football.

They don't need 32. If they both go to 20 they will have crushed the PAC and ACC and most likely have ND on board. That's a duopoly that will suck up north of 80% of all college TV money.

The remaining teams will schedule B10 and SEC teams because they will need the payday.

 

[CousCuse]

They don't need 32. If they both go to 20 they will have crushed the PAC and ACC and most likely have ND on board. That's a duopoly that will suck up north of 80% of all college TV money.

The remaining teams will schedule B10 and SEC teams because they will need the payday.

40 isn't enough because it would leave 80 teams who could put together a very compelling system that would be supported by 80 fanbases in every corner of the country and could be more popular than their leagues.

 

[Scotch]

40 isn't enough because it would leave 80 teams who could put together a very compelling system that would be supported by 80 fanbases in every corner of the country and could be more popular than their leagues.

If you think the league with the bottom 80 would be more popular than the top 40 you are beyond help.

 

[CousCuse]

If you think the league with the bottom 80 would be more popular than the top 40 you are beyond help.

Fans are still going to follow their college team, are Syracuse fans going to start being PSU or Notre Dame fans if they aren't in the "big leagues"? I don't think so. 80 teams would have a strong presence everywhere, it would have a significant hold on a large demographic. The big leagues need to marginalize that by absorbing enough teams.

 

[anomander]

So basically what I gather is our ship (the old Big East) was taking on water so we bailed to a life boat (the ACC). But now we are adrift in the middle of the pacific and the life bat is sinking. Does that sum it up?

We picked the losing horse

Right now the GOR is hurting us. At least if it was expiring we could potentially be picked up by the B10 in one of the next rounds of expansion. Now we’re just ’d