The BigXII shot itself in the foot yesterday with the round-robin setup. 4 of the 5 P5 conferences have a championship game. The higher seed in each of those games got into the playoffs...whether those are the 4 top teams or not. I don't think FSU or OSU are a top 4 team...but that's for another thread.
The Big12 is going to be relying on the lower seed to win one of these championship games from her on out if they choose not to have a B12 CCG. IMO, that isn't a good way to get your conference represented in the playoffs...
The round-robin is cute...but until they expand to 8 teams. The B12 could find themselves in this situation more often than Not.
The Baylor vs KSU was the championship argument is flawed as is the B12 could have had 2 teams in the playoffs...
So....to get the B12 back to....12 teams, what two teams would you add?
Hearing rumors of a proposal to merge the Big Ten and SEC, and then add select other teams to form a 131-school ultra mega super conference. This would be subdivided into 8-12 team divisions based on regions and traditional rivalries.
Originally Posted by Rams Fan:
Arizona only has 1 title.
UConn I think has a stronger argument and probably is in the same vein as Villanova.
That's fair, but would you consider Duke a blue blood then? Their success has predominantly been with K. They had some success before him, but no titles.
Yea well, I'm not going to get into a bar fight over it. But I consider North Carolina and Kentucky much stronger claims to blue blood than Duke or UCLA.
And then if you have a more fluid definition that says well, Duke has been so dominant the last thirty years how can you not include them... Sure, that seems to be a popular definition of blue blood but in that case UCLA should still be relegated.
Now if you want to nominate coach K and John Wooden for blue blood status, I wouldn't argue against that. But a blue blood school needs to be more than one HOF coach. [Reply]
College realignment's next steps: ACC, Big 12 and Pac-12 scramble amid chaos
Pete Thamel
Originally Posted by :
The only certainty in conference realignment is uncertainty, much like the only constant in college athletics is change.
Decisions can whipsaw on the whims of a board member or a president pressured into a ready-fire-aim strategy. When diagnosing the travails of modern college sports, the fact that university decision-makers have virtually no expertise in the billion-dollar enterprise they run on the side often gets overlooked.
So to say with any certainty that the Big Ten and SEC aren't on the cusp of more imminent realignment moves would be correct for now, but that's seemingly a temporary pause. Is that pause a week? Or a year? Whatever the case, those conferences have established themselves as destinations so alluring that schools outside the "Power 2" would have to be tempted to join at a cut rate.
The only certain trigger for expansion among the Power 2 in the near term is a move by Notre Dame, which for now appears to be taking on a century-old strategy of patience. (The Fighting Irish have an ally in the SEC in any attempts by the Big Ten to box them out of the College Football Playoff. The SEC is unlikely to bless any move that prevents Notre Dame from having access to the playoff, as it would push the Irish to the Big Ten. The SEC wouldn't want to strengthen its rival league like that.)
The issue that both the Big Ten and SEC have in terms of adding additional schools is that there simply aren't any -- outside of Notre Dame -- that offer certainty of value to grow the financial pie enough to justify their slice. There are arguments for ACC schools like Clemson, North Carolina, Florida State and Miami. But there are looming legal reasons why UCLA, USC, Texas and Oklahoma are all waiting for their current TV contracts -- and congruent grants of rights -- to expire.
Any cries for Oregon and Washington in the Big Ten should be tempered by the reality that if USC and UCLA wanted them there in the first place, they'd probably be there. Those schools appear to value owning Los Angeles and the rich recruiting market much more. They have a monopoly on the West Coast. Why invite in your top competition?
For the ACC schools to bounce, there's a legal briar patch no one -- the poachers or the schools wanting to leave -- is eager to navigate. University presidents and conference commissioners are generally averse to legal issues; deposition is a dirty word in higher ed. Those factors, combined with exit fees and legal fees tied to grant of rights that could run more than $100 million, might make it so the juice of adding teams isn't worth the legal and fiscal squeeze -- at least in the short term.
So where's the next likely action amid the realignment landscape? Well, the most jockeying, consulting, back-channeling and speculation are centered around the race for No. 3.
With the Big Ten and SEC having established themselves as a Power 2, the ACC, Big 12 and Pac-12 are scrambling to attempt to solidify or build the next best league.
What's unfolding in those three leagues is the quintessential college sports scenario where members are pledging fidelity to league members on Zooms while side texting about leaving for other leagues. Commissioners are chatting about potential deals among one another and privately crunching the numbers with consultants to poach the other's members. Conference allegiance these days comes with all the romance and permanence of a Tinder swipe.
Here's a look at the options all three leagues are exploring:
Canzano: Oregon Ducks make a wish list, while Pac-12 rallies behind scenes
Ducks covet Big Ten or SEC invite
John Canzano
Originally Posted by :
The geography stinks.
The discount would be steep. But Phil Knight apparently wants the University of Oregon to be part of the Big Ten Conference.
Or even, the SEC.
Both options are currently being explored by the Ducks with Knight’s backing, per UO sources. That’s apparently one of the possible paths for Oregon. Another possible outcome would be the Ducks taking a tentpole position in a blended, ESPN-backed version of the Pac-12 and Big 12/ACC.
Arizona, ASU, Utah and Colorado were reported late last week to be leaning into a possible contingency escape to the Big 12 themselves, but I’m told by a high-ranking official at one of those universities to pump the brakes on that speculation.
“There is no meeting on the books for us with the Big 12,” the source said, “and George is kicking ass.”
George — is George Kliavkoff — the Pac-12 commissioner who was blindsided by the news last week. It was easily his worst day on the job since taking over for Larry Scott. USC and UCLA announced they will leave the Pac-12 in 2024. They’ll join the Big Ten and share in that conference’s $1 billion television deal with Fox.
Former Fox Sports Network president Bob Thompson told me last week that he estimated the Pac-12’s next media rights contract would command $500 million a year before the defection. With the Los Angeles’ television market gone, Thompson says the Pac-12’s media value is reduced to $300 million a year.
That appears to be a 40-percent wholesale discount. But it pencils out to a 28 percent reduction, per university, given that the $300 million would now be split only 10 ways ($30 million each) vs. $500 million being split 12 ways ($41.6 million each).
That kind of media math puts the Pac-12 and Kliavkoff in a tough spot. He and his team are currently exploring expansion candidates. But any potential university (Boise State, Fresno State, San Diego State, etc.) that might be added to the Pac-12 needs to bring more than $30 million in annual media revenue value (or take a steep discount) for the numbers to work.
Notre Dame, for example, works.
It’s why the Big Ten is so busy chasing the Irish.
Boise State? Probably not, unless it takes a deeply discounted cut. There are only 517,000 television homes in Idaho. Currently, Boise State is getting $4 million a year from CBS and FS1 as part of their contract with the Mountain West Conference.
“They probably deserve more than that for what they bring to the MWC,” Thompson said, “but I’d have a hard time ascribing much more than $8 million if they were to join the Pac-12.”
Meanwhile, the Pac-12 issued a statement on Tuesday morning, indicating that its board had authorized the conference to “immediately” begin negotiations for the next media rights agreement.
That caught my attention. Because it sounds like the Pac-12 already has a media partner (ESPN? Apple?) and is ready to move forward with a new plan. My hunch is the Pac-12 accelerated the negotiation because it has some specific additional conference additions (from the Big 12? ACC?) in mind. I’ll update this as it develops.
Some other stuff:
• Oregon Gov. Kate Brown may throw a wrinkle into the UO plans. There’s been some speculation that she might step in and attempt to force the Ducks to stay in lockstep with Oregon State. Some lawmakers in Washington have indicated they’d do the same on Washington State’s behalf. I think it’s unlikely that politicians would be successful in blocking potential conference moves by Oregon and Washington.
• I keep wondering how the USC/UCLA departures will affect short-term recruiting, but Oregon State doesn’t seem to be having any problems. While everyone is fretting about what is going to happen, coach Jonathan Smith landed some key wins in recruiting. In the last 10 days, Smith got commitments from two offensive lineman (Jacob Anderson and Andrew Johnson), a wide receiver (Tastean Reddicks) from Florida, and a 6-foot-3 defensive back William “The Blanket” Lee from Missouri.
• A source at UCLA told me that the discussions with the Big Ten got intense about eight weeks ago. Also, I’m told that USC and UCLA didn’t communicate with each other about their Pac-12 departures until “the 11th hour” when Bruins’ AD Martin Jarmond and Trojans’ AD Mike Bohn got on the phone together. Said one source, “I can’t believe this didn’t get leaked.”
• Along those lines, a gentle reminder to go slow with the speculation. I’m only sharing what I can confirm with multiple sources, but I’ve heard a bunch of wild, unsubstantiated things. I can tell you, the Pac-12 members are experiencing a swirl of emotions. They’re angry and feel misled by USC, in particular. Also, they’re simultaneously mourning the loss of the traditional Pac-12 while trying to be hopeful and jockey for new position. That comment, “George is kicking ass,” caught my eye. I’ll update here when I have more and today’s radio show will be all over this.
Originally Posted by :
The Big 12 is in “serious” talks with six Pac-12 members, sources told The Athletic. Those schools are Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, Oregon, Utah and Washington, sources said.
It’s unclear how long it would take for the Big 12 to secure a deal on expansion efforts. Sources expressed optimism that new Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark, hired last week, can pull it off.
Haha KU fans making fun of a Mizzou fan for trying to use a recruiting message board to persuade a 4 star recruit is hilarious when you realize their recruiting process is likely just hanging help wanted signs at the local McDonalds. [Reply]
Originally Posted by POND_OF_RED:
Haha KU fans making fun of a Mizzou fan for trying to use a recruiting message board to persuade a 4 star recruit is hilarious when you realize their recruiting process is likely just hanging help wanted signs at the local McDonalds.
Tommy, did you really watch this OL highlights 96 times like you say? [Reply]
Kansas fans can shake their heads at Kansas football while also laughing hysterically at some Missouri dude fawning over a football player.
Missouri fan can laugh at Kansas football while shaking their head at some Missouri dude writing a letter that belongs stuffed into an 8th grade girl's locker , finished with "Do you like me? Yes No Maybe".
Nobody holds any obligation to defend either thing. [Reply]
