Realignment Carousel Spins Up again (USC and UCLA to Big 10)

[Shockm]

I think a few of those they would get rid of if they could. Kicking someone out of a conference isn't easy. Those schools were in the right place at the right time before television contracts really ballooned out of control

I think that the networks are miscalculating the interest in college football (outside of certain pockets), and think it'll be as big as the NFL, and they are going to miss the mark, long term. As costs soar, more and more schools are going to drop football, and the casual fan won't become a super fan on Saturday, like the networks think they will. There will be more "eyes" on the National Championship playoffs, but fewer "eyes" will care about the smaller schools, and will pay less attention to lesser bowls in the long term until they are withering away one at a time. becoming unwilling to take their 60-0 "drubbing" the first couple of games every year.

[Stickboy46]

I think that the networks are miscalculating the interest in college football (outside of certain pockets), and think it'll be as big as the NFL, and they are going to miss the mark, long term. As costs soar, more and more schools are going to drop football, and the casual fan won't become a super fan on Saturday, like the networks think they will. There will be more "eyes" on the National Championship playoffs, but fewer "eyes" will care about the smaller schools, and will pay less attention to lesser bowls in the long term until they are withering away one at a time. becoming unwilling to take their 60-0 "drubbing" the first couple of games every year.

Agreed. This is moving more and more to a 4 conference league, which then separates for football only, which then has teams bow out because they start doing uneven revenue distribution so they can't compete. You are going to end up with a mini-NFL with the top 30ish schools and the rest of the schools fall back to the 2nd league. Hopefully the break of football only comes sooner rather than later before it buries the rest of the sports.

[Stickboy46]

Apparently SMU is offering to not get any conference distribution for 5+ years. That's an interesting tactic considering how vocal so many teams have been about wanting to leave the ACC. In 5+ years, I'd expect the ACC to potentially be in the same situation as the Pac is right now.

[TrackSuitAndTie]

[Kung Wu]

There has to be something else at play here. It's almost impossible to believe that the B1G isn't trapesing all over itself to add an academic powerhouse like Stanford, to say nothing of every other conference. Something doesn't add up.

Yeah, they should have been the first one that was pursued.

The other thing that I wonder about: Why in the hell aren't the last 4 in the PAC-12 filing massive billion dollar lawsuits for tortious interference against the other poaching conferences and schools? They stand to lose potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in the near future. I'd go scorched Earth, I think.

[Kung Wu]

Berkley is no academic slouch, either. If it were dropped into the B10, it would only academically rank behind Northwestern.

But yeah. I can't believe the B12 or B10 haven't taken Stanford. Goes to show how little academics matter anymore when it comes to NCAA conferences.

Stanford goes way beyond academics though. Their athletics are outstanding and heaped with tradition too. I guess it keeps coming back to "football is the only thing that matters". *sigh*

[Dan]

Apparently SMU is offering to not get any conference distribution for 5+ years. That's an interesting tactic considering how vocal so many teams have been about wanting to leave the ACC. In 5+ years, I'd expect the ACC to potentially be in the same situation as the Pac is right now.

By the time the 5 years run out the conference will implode

[SubGod22]

Yeah, they should have been the first one that was pursued.

The other thing that I wonder about: Why in the hell aren't the last 4 in the PAC-12 filing massive billion dollar lawsuits for tortious interference against the other poaching conferences and schools? They stand to lose potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in the near future. I'd go scorched Earth, I think.

I think that has to do with the fact that their media contract is up and so therefor they aren't guaranteed anything monetarily to use for a lawsuit. Even before the defections it looks like their best case scenario was taking a slight pay cut if they could come to an agreement on that.

So the leaving teams aren't breaching any contracts.

[Stickboy46]

I think that has to do with the fact that their media contract is up and so therefor they aren't guaranteed anything monetarily to use for a lawsuit. Even before the defections it looks like their best case scenario was taking a slight pay cut if they could come to an agreement on that.

So the leaving teams aren't breaching any contracts.

Yea, there is no grant of rights and none of the teams are leaving before the contract is up (so also means no exit fees)

[Kung Wu]

I think that has to do with the fact that their media contract is up and so therefor they aren't guaranteed anything monetarily to use for a lawsuit. Even before the defections it looks like their best case scenario was taking a slight pay cut if they could come to an agreement on that.

So the leaving teams aren't breaching any contracts.

Ahhh, okay, that makes sense then.

[MikeKennedyRulZ]

Yeah, they should have been the first one that was pursued.

The other thing that I wonder about: Why in the hell aren't the last 4 in the PAC-12 filing massive billion dollar lawsuits for tortious interference against the other poaching conferences and schools? They stand to lose potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in the near future. I'd go scorched Earth, I think.

I’ve always heard that the Big would only add Stanford if they could also get notre dame. Seems that ND is not in play.

[Shockm]

Agreed. This is moving more and more to a 4 conference league, which then separates for football only, which then has teams bow out because they start doing uneven revenue distribution so they can't compete. You are going to end up with a mini-NFL with the top 30ish schools and the rest of the schools fall back to the 2nd league. Hopefully the break of football only comes sooner rather than later before it buries the rest of the sports.

You’re partially correct imo. But college football will never compare to the NFL. I pay a little attention to 1-2 teams because I know a few players but I’ll never watch other teams a usually not that one. I’m a big football guy but I will be a casual college fan at best. I used to watch ncaa basketball tourney games when Shockers were involved but not last year. I do watch nfl.

[Atxshoxfan]

College football is not unlike college basketball or hockey or soccer. They are all regional in the amount of interest. Wichita is a bit of an outlier in that WSU doesn't have football at all. But ask Georgia, Florida ,Texas or Alabama which sport they would give up if no money was in the equation, and they would all prefer to keep football over basketball.

[Stickboy46]

You’re partially correct imo. But college football will never compare to the NFL. I pay a little attention to 1-2 teams because I know a few players but I’ll never watch other teams a usually not that one. I’m a big football guy but I will be a casual college fan at best. I used to watch ncaa basketball tourney games when Shockers were involved but not last year. I do watch nfl.

I think of it as more of like the G-League for the NFL

[Stickboy46]