2021-22 Basketball happenings around the American Athletic!

[shock]

My thinking as well. Anyone willing to join the Big 8 right now is not attractive enough for that conference. They are in quite a pickle.

they have also defacto lost their status as a power conference.

[C0|dB|00ded]

Let me repeat : many pundits have said the current AAC is a better football conference than the B12 w/o OU and UT. If I am Cincy, Memphis, UCF or USF, I don't think it is a easy decision to make the move.

But it just isn't. It's common sense. Viewership is anywhere between 60-80% greater w/ the B12 teams w/o OU/TU.

[C0|dB|00ded]

I saw this in a media rights thread on some conference board right after the OU/TU news broke. With OSU (under the current earning structure) it’s something like 12m per school. If OSU is picked up it drops to about 7m per school. I think the AAC deal is worth 5m per school.

edit: the conference as it stands is at 37m per school. That means OU/TU are figured to generate 67% (250m) of the income (370m) if those numbers reported are correct. Based on how all this went down, I have no reason to doubt it.

I read that the B12 membership's "tier 3" revenue was near that 7M mark.

[shock]

But it just isn't. It's common sense. Viewership is anywhere between 60-80% greater w/ the B12 teams w/o OU/TU.

He said better football, not viewership. Viewership can be manipulated.

[C0|dB|00ded]

I can't imagine any program that would actually bolster the Big 8 would even consider joining. Everyone besides the Big 8 thinks they will soon fail to exist. Who would be crazy enough to do that? Am I missing something?

Every single AAC school would leave within 5 seconds to the Big 8/10/12... whatever.

[shock]

Every single AAC school would leave within 5 seconds to the Big 8/10/12... whatever.

Maybe with OSU. Maybe. They are the last quality program left.

[Shock Top]

But it just isn't. It's common sense. Viewership is anywhere between 60-80% greater w/ the B12 teams w/o OU/TU.

There are plenty of articles with data out there to refute this.

[AZ Shocker]

My thinking as well. Anyone willing to join the Big 8 right now is not attractive enough for that conference. They are in quite a pickle.

A lot of "farm", "flyover" and "religious" schools left in the 8. Not that's necessarily a bad thing but certainly a few of them or perhaps all 8 should really consider joining the American TV markets. Not the largest markets in the U.S. but better than say the Mountain West or whatever would be available with their current 8 team membership. Their hesitancy to adapt is exposing their greed...so stopping blaming ESPN for ESPN's greed commissioner. You kind of look hypocritical.

[C0|dB|00ded]

He said better football, not viewership. Viewership can be manipulated.

Oh well hell... if you're gonna qualify it like that. There's been "better" basketball for years among the mid-majors at various points of the regular season and NCAA tournament, but they don't get promoted because... they aren't a B R A N D. Part of major televised sports are actual events, and there's another part this is very contrived.

Brand name programs get maximum exposure because they're popular. And they are popular because they get maximum exposure.

[Kung Wu]

But it just isn't. It's common sense. Viewership is anywhere between 60-80% greater w/ the B12 teams w/o OU/TU.

Where are you getting that 60-80% number?

[C0|dB|00ded]

Where are you getting that 60-80% number?

Some nerd on a forum. Don't quote me.

[FlyingWheat]

But it just isn't. It's common sense. Viewership is anywhere between 60-80% greater w/ the B12 teams w/o OU/TU.

Not so sure about that: https://www.blackandgoldbanneret.com...-media-ucf-aac

[CBB_Fan]

Realistically, we are looking at a Mexican standoff. I imagine money will be the primary factor for all those involved or even potentially involved:

• the AAC and MWC teams that could move to the Big 12 (Cincinnati may appeal to the ACC as well)
• the Big 12 teams that could flee to the B1G
• WVU, who could flee to the ACC
• The rest of the Big 12, that are looking to the Pac-12
• the AAC teams that don't have prospects to jump conferences right now

It doesn't seem to make much sense for any of these parties to pull the trigger without knowing what the other parties will do. ESPN clearly wants to use some of the money it would get from clearing liabilities to get the Big 12 members to flee. The Big 12 doesn't want to cut its pie or give up on the money UT or OU will make, but everyone knows that isn't smart to be the last to leave the conference. The AAC teams would get a payout for joining the Big 12, but the Big 12 of 2025 might be a totally different beast. And it doesn't make any sense for the Pac-12 or B1G to bid against themselves and raise the price; they can afford to wait and see.

[SubGod22]

Media markets still play a part.

AAC
4 - Philadelphia
5 - Dallas-Ft. Worth
8 - Houston
13 - Tampa
17 - Orlando
36 - Cincinnati
50 - New Orleans
51 - Memphis
61 - Tulsa
70 - Wichita

There's a lot of growth potential with this lineup

Big 8
5 - DFW
26 - Pittsburgh (WVU)
34 - Kansas City
44 - Oklahoma City
68 - Des Moines-Ames
83 - Waco
142 - Topeka
145 - Lubbock

MWC
6 - San Francisco-San Jose
27 - San Diego
40 - Las Vegas
48 - Albuquerque-Sante Fe
55 - Fresno
67 - Honolulu
82 - Colorado Springs-Pueblo
101 - Boise
104 - Reno
195 - Cheyenne

These obviously aren't be all end all, but it's hard to sell if there is no market. And few of these schools truly draw a national audience on a regular basis. Some will pull more than just their market. But it's still about exposure and if ESPN continues to push the AAC it sets the conference up will for future negotiations. And if the AAC out performs the Big 8, it goes even further. The AAC is generally located in larger metro areas with more TVs and more eyeballs. .

You add WVU, KU, OSU, ISU and Baylor to get to 16 and you better both revenue generating sports and add five more top 100 markets, three of those top 50 to add to the seven already in the AAC. You got to go quite a ways west to get comparable markets for either the AAC or Big 8.

I'm obviously bored at work today and just thinking about possibilities. We have a long time to think about and wait to see what's going to happen though, so might as well have some fun.

[SubGod22]

Brand name programs get maximum exposure because they're popular. And they are popular because they get maximum exposure.

And if ESPN starts giving more of that exposure and hype to the AAC and takes some of it away from the Big 8, things can change.