MEGA Conference Realignment and lawsuits Megathread: Stories, Tales, Lies, and Exaggerations

Are they still making more than us and the other ACC schools?


Uhhhh...kinda yes? Definitely more than most ACC schools. Although with the "post-F$U-lawsuit" rules and our run to the CFP championship game last year, we may have out-earned everyone in 2025-2026. I guess we'll know for sure when the financial statements are released.
 
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While I'd prefer the SEC, I do think hosting teams like:
OSU, Mich, USC, Penn st, and Neb will fill seats.
My preference would be the B1G for the school overall - academic research + athletics and national footprint. The visiting teams have some good potential to fill seats as well, and some fun locations for those that travel or like a good away game now and then. (*Much of the same can be said about new teams from either conference, so not really a hill to die on team by team)
I think academics will be the main motivator. I was just thinking SEC has more marquis teams to fill the house plus regional support.
 
Northwestern, Minnesota, Purdue at minimum should be joining them in that...

They can frame it as their distribution is getting frozen at current levels (still above ACC/B12 programs they aren't even deserving of receiving more than btw)... While on next renegotiation others will get a bump.
Purdue redeems itself with its MBB program, and that is a big deal.
 
I've been intrigued by this Rutgers thing, so I googled to learn more about their budget crisis and why they are losing money. What dumb decision makers up there. They spent a ton of money to upgrade their facilities once they joined the Big 10, and started spending like they were Michigan State or Wisconsin or Iowa, but forgot that they were...Rutgers.

Rutgers is spending an average of $123M each year (and will spend over $200M this year), but only bringing in an average of $106M each year.

This article gives a really detailed breakdown of their finances. What a cluster****.

 
I'm actually partially joking, they have just recently started to receive revenue CLOSE TO, but not equal to, the other Big 10 schools. But, yes, they were "extended" at half share when they were supposed to jump to full share.

And in that time, Rutgers has amassed an F$U-like deficit. So...there's that...

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Here's an excerpt from an article 6 weeks ago talking about Maryland's situation. STILL not receiving a full share.


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This is a bit misleading (perhaps that is what you meant by 'partially joking') as yes Maryland and Rutgers still haven't received the same payouts as the Big10 schools that were there when they joined, but that is b/c they are still paying back loans/advances they took from the Big10. So they are getting the same revenue, but their net payout is less b/c of repaying the Big10. The snippet about Maryland even says this specifically.

It doesn't change their ****** financials, but I think many might read your post and assume that the Big10 is not sharing revenue with them at the same amount as other schools in the league (at least that was my first take upon reading).
 
This is a bit misleading (perhaps that is what you meant by 'partially joking') as yes Maryland and Rutgers still haven't received the same payouts as the Big10 schools that were there when they joined, but that is b/c they are still paying back loans/advances they took from the Big10. So they are getting the same revenue, but their net payout is less b/c of repaying the Big10. The snippet about Maryland even says this specifically.

It doesn't change their ****** financials, but I think many might read your post and assume that the Big10 is not sharing revenue with them at the same amount as other schools in the league (at least that was my first take upon reading).


Thank god you aren't in finance or accounting.

Noooo...loan proceeds don't count as revenue. But thanks for trying. And "advances on pay" don't count, because that just means you get less money later.

Again, BOTH Rutgers and Maryland were told they would NOT be getting full shares right when they expected to get full shares.

Please leave the discussion of business to the Business School grads.

I'll say this as simply as I possibly can. NO, the Big 10 is NOT sharing revenue with Rutgers/Maryland at the same amount as other schools in the league. That is an unassailable fact. They are about to do so soon, but have not done so for over a decade.


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While there's a part of me that can acknowledge and appreciate the logic, I also know that unequal revenue distribution is what killed the Big East.
But did the Big East collapse because the lowere tier distribution programs weren’t receiving enough or because the top tier wasn’t….

The clear thing is what alternative does Northestern and Purdue have? They have none. What they are already receiving is far more than the value they bring.
 
But did the Big East collapse because the lowere tier distribution programs weren’t receiving enough or because the top tier wasn’t….

The clear thing is what alternative does Northestern and Purdue have? They have none. What they are already receiving is far more than the value they bring.


Wellllll...

The school that was complaining the most about unequal revenue distribution in the Big East was...Miami...because in the "lean years" we made so little money that we incurred massive operating deficits.

I realize that the "Michigan is better than Northwestern" crowd has probably never worked for an entity in the sports industry. But I have. And I can tell you one simple thing, you need REVENUE CERTAINTY. Sure, it's awesome when you can EXCEED expectations (such as what Miami accomplished with the CFP championship game run), but you need absolute revenue certainty in a number of areas, including all your "contractual" arrangements (sponsorships, etc.).

It wasn't about the "top tier", because the top tier of the Big East was based solely upon year-to-year success. Thus, while Miami was arguably one of the "top tier" teams of the Big East, our payouts were feast-and-famine. Thus, a "lesser" program like Boston College (or God forbid, St. Johns) might have made more money than Miami in any given year simply by succeeding at football or basketball while Miami was on probation.

So you can crap on the "lower tier" schools all you'd like, but the reality is not whether you are "lower tier", but whether the lowest payouts are enough to pay the bills and keep the lights on.

Thus, when Miami wanted to explore ways to improve payouts in the Big East, many other schools (especially the basketball-only schools) mischaracterized our efforts out of jealousy, knowing full well there was no way to have EQUAL distributions in a league in which some schools WERE basketball-only schools.

There's no way in **** the Big 10 will ever boot Northwestern or Purdue. Now, Rutgers and Maryland are different, but I doubt that will happen either. And the "value" of Northwestern and Purdue is about much more than their football records.
 
But did the Big East collapse because the lowere tier distribution programs weren’t receiving enough or because the top tier wasn’t….

The clear thing is what alternative does Northestern and Purdue have? They have none. What they are already receiving is far more than the value they bring.
I skimmed ten pages in about five minutes, so I may have misread your post. Are you saying you see Purdue and Northwestern out of BIG? Or reduced share? I don't see either being kicked out. Especially with Northwestern. Chicago market is probably in top 2 or 3 in alumni for every BIG school (excluding west coast). BIG HQ is about ten miles from the NW campus.
 
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