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REALIGNMENT MEGGGGAAAA THREAAAD

Y’all gotta remember WHO is writing the checks.

It’s ESPN and the TV networks.

You think ESPN wants to air Wake Forest vs Duke, or even Wake Forest vs Clemson? **** no. Up to them, it would be Miami vs FSU every week. Or Clemson v Notre Dame.

Great matchups make great TV, and great TV makes $$$.

THAT’s what this is all about IMO. The name of the game this realignment is cutting all the BC’s and Wakes of the world that don’t add to the college football product.

Miami will be fine. We’re too interesting to too many viewers for a network to pass on us.
 
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TimeBum said:
It seems the AAC is trying to make power moves and snag all the remaining teams in the Big12. Kudos to them for trying to punch above their weight class. A long time ago, I floated the idea that if the AAC wanted to stand out, it should try to brand itself as the most innovative and flexible conference. The conference could ink top $$$ deals with Amazon or Netflix, both of which would pay massively for exclusive streaming rights. Where the other conferences are tying themselves down with contracts to a dying medium from the 20th century (cable and broadcast TV), the AAC would set itself up for the 21st century with global presence through the biggest streaming media providers. The ACC clearly has zero clue about what is happening to CFB, whereas the AAC is trying to leverage the opportunity to massively increase its footprint. I like innovation and ambition in conference leadership (it's basically why everyone is praising Sankey and the SEC). People might laugh at the AAC now, but I suspect people are going to be surprised at how strong it will be once all the CFB realignment stuff settles down.
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This is spot on. Great post on Netflix & Amazon angle.

this is why it’s huge for ESPN to have the Disney backing. With the ESPN+ app, which BTW, is going up in price from $3.99 to $6.99 p/month, it’s the streaming angle they need.

Imagine if Miami had this foresight, a global & national college football brand to partner up with a Streaming Service and just go independent if a conference doesn’t work out, it would be massive.
 
Hold My Beer said:
Would feel better if UM administration was pro-athletics
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Yeah…. but one thing I can promise you….UM administration is definitely pro-money.

Just look at what they charge in tuition lol.

You want to get UM’s attention, promise them easy, free money…which I think a move like this would be. So for that reason alone, not athletics, I think they’ll follow the green.

My guess is if Clemson/FSU are talking to SEC, then so is Miami. And I know Blake is horrible, but this would be above his pay grade anyway.

May just be we don’t have as many leaks as the big hillbilly state schools, which is very believable to me.
 
Empirical Cane said:
Would you think like Vandy and Wake, overall as a program they are better suited for G5 or other league play?

I don't believe they have the willingness (as public "Ivy League") to endure smaller-superconference craziness.
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Competitively, I understand your point in football. Basketball program has been down for the last 4 to 5 seasons, but they draw well. They only have 6 men's sports.
 
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TimeBum said:
UVA is generally recognized as one of the best public undergrad universities in the country. It also has one of the best law schools of any public university as well.
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Anyone that doesn't know UVag is a premier academic institution (even beyond their ultra elite law school) must be living in a cave. In the interest of levity I'd also posit that you'd be hard pressed to find a larger concentration of undergraduate women with more firmly entrenched sticks up their collective asses. Joyless soul sucking ghouls destined to look and dress like Peggy Noonan by age 28.

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Here is the Texas/Oklahoma/ESPN playbook for moving from the Big XII to the SEC — one which no doubt ESPN, Florida State and Clemson (and hopefully Miami, too) will fine-tune and follow in preparation for what's next:

Per UT's site on 247 Sports:
  • UT's president met with OU's president in Fall 2020 and part of their meeting included what the future of college athletics is going to look like and if the Big 12 was the best home going forward
  • Conversations continued and the other Power Five conferences were considered (Big Ten, ACC and Pac-12) before both Texas and Oklahoma decided the SEC would be the best fit for numerous reasons: economics, recruiting, NIL maximization, better home games in football, etc.
  • UT president said he reached out to SEC commissioner Greg Sankey via a Zoom call in Spring 2021 and started a conversation about Texas possibly joining the SEC
  • UT president said he wasn’t instructed to pursue the SEC by anyone and never had any conversations with TV partner ESPN about it
Hope UM administration is getting its ducks in a row, its intermediaries in place and Blake James the heck outta the way
 
Hold My Beer said:
Here is the Texas/Oklahoma/ESPN playbook for moving from the Big XII to the SEC — one which no doubt ESPN, Florida State and Clemson (and hopefully Miami, too) will fine-tune and follow in preparation for what's next:

Per UT's site on 247 Sports:
  • UT's president met with OU's president in Fall 2020 and part of their meeting included what the future of college athletics is going to look like and if the Big 12 was the best home going forward
  • Conversations continued and the other Power Five conferences were considered (Big Ten, ACC and Pac-12) before both Texas and Oklahoma decided the SEC would be the best fit for numerous reasons: economics, recruiting, NIL maximization, better home games in football, etc.
  • Hartzell said he reached out to SEC commissioner Greg Sankey via a Zoom call in Spring 2021 and started a conversation about Texas possibly joining the SEC
  • Hartzell said he wasn’t instructed to pursue the SEC by anyone and never had any conversations with TV partner ESPN about it
Hope UM administration is getting its ducks in a row, its intermediaries in place and Blake James the heck outta the way
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Apples and oranges situations. I'm sure it's been reiterated ad nauseum here but here's the difference (again):

The ONLY way teams are going to be able to leave the ACC is to make 100% sure you kill the conference on the way out the door. Not weaken it. Not make it irrelevant to college football board posters but KILL IT DEAD. The grant of rights simply will not allow for anything else (sans a conference merger) despite people eschewing all legalities in lieu of "where there's a will there's a way" or "the SEC can swing ANYTHING!!!".

Texas and Oklahoma simply were not operating under the same restraints and even then they're still not moving until 2025.
 
Tad Footeball said:
Apples and oranges situations. I'm sure it's been reiterated ad nauseum here but here's the difference (again):

The ONLY way teams are going to be able to leave the ACC is to make 100% sure you kill the conference on the way out the door. Not weaken it. Not make it irrelevant to college football board posters but KILL IT DEAD. The grant of rights simply will not allow for anything else (sans a conference merger) despite people eschewing all legalities in lieu of "where there's a will there's a way" or "the SEC can swing ANYTHING!!!".

Texas and Oklahoma simply were not operating under the same restraints and even then they're still not moving until 2025.
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Contracts are set in stone, then things change, PR statements are made, lawyers and accountants get involved, terms and financial settlements are hammered out, parties go their separate ways — and we're reminded once again that everything has its price.

Time will tell on all of this.
 
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Tad Footeball said:
Apples and oranges situations. I'm sure it's been reiterated ad nauseum here but here's the difference (again):

The ONLY way teams are going to be able to leave the ACC is to make 100% sure you kill the conference on the way out the door. Not weaken it. Not make it irrelevant to college football board posters but KILL IT DEAD. The grant of rights simply will not allow for anything else (sans a conference merger) despite people eschewing all legalities in lieu of "where there's a will there's a way" or "the SEC can swing ANYTHING!!!".

Texas and Oklahoma simply were not operating under the same restraints and even then they're still not moving until 2025.
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For what is is worth, the talking heads are looking towards how LittleCuck12 GoR gets resolved with UT and OU desiring to depart early.

Also, SEC unless they replace the NCAA, is only going to cherry pick program adds that maintain/increase the overall member payout. They aren't going to bring on a new member who decreases the amount the members are currently receiving.

I reached out to an AD I know (not D1P5 but you've probably heard of the school) and they had a few more takes:

- IF FSU/Clemson jump ship early, or draw out a legal battle, ESPN could claim they were harmed by ACC not keeping up their end of bargain and cite renegotiation clause as ACC is weakened/disintegrates (again look to LittleCuck12)
- They had mixed emotions about Miami/USC and how truly attractive/not attractive the programs are... said same about buyers remorse with ND
 
Hold My Beer said:
Contracts are set in stone, then things change, PR statements are made, lawyers get involved, terms and financial settlements are hammered out, parties go their separate ways.
Time will tell on all of this.
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Time will tell. I'd also just caution people to not conflate football program $$$ and size with overall university $$$ and legal powers. Sure, it might appear that Clemson could tell the ACC to EAD and that they'll see everyone in court and that they'll be backed by the mighty SEC.....and then Dook's and UVag's and Bahston College's lawyers call their bluff and gladly accept that challenge.
 
Tad Footeball said:
Time will tell. I'd also just caution people to not conflate football program $$$ and size with overall university $$$ and legal powers. Sure, it might appear that Clemson could tell the ACC to EAD and that they'll see everyone in court and that they'll be backed by the mighty SEC.....and then Dook's and UVag's and Bahston College's lawyers call their bluff and gladly accept that challenge.
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I'm guessing SEC does and can employ the same number of Haaaahvvvaaaaard legal teams as anyone else.
 
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Tad Footeball said:
Apples and oranges situations. I'm sure it's been reiterated ad nauseum here but here's the difference (again):

The ONLY way teams are going to be able to leave the ACC is to make 100% sure you kill the conference on the way out the door. Not weaken it. Not make it irrelevant to college football board posters but KILL IT DEAD. The grant of rights simply will not allow for anything else (sans a conference merger) despite people eschewing all legalities in lieu of "where there's a will there's a way" or "the SEC can swing ANYTHING!!!".

Texas and Oklahoma simply were not operating under the same restraints and even then they're still not moving until 2025.
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Said earlier but you need a bloc of EIGHT teams to leave at the same time.

2 won’t work. (FSU/Clemson)

If you have eight, then you have over 50% of the votes and you can vote to dissolve the ACC and void the grant of rights contract.
 
NorthernVirginiaCane said:
Sometimes you say smart things but then you immediately ruin them. Virginia is the flagship state University in a very large wealthy state.
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I said this in the origin thread way before the conference movement stuff got out of hand. UVA is somewhere between the 3rd to 5th most desirable addition if you were going to pull from the ACC. Sleeping giant, history, good sports, AMAZING academics, flagship state school for an SEC OR BIG 10 friendly expansion, and they bring some nice TV markets with them.
 
Tad Footeball said:
Apples and oranges situations. I'm sure it's been reiterated ad nauseum here but here's the difference (again):

The ONLY way teams are going to be able to leave the ACC is to make 100% sure you kill the conference on the way out the door. Not weaken it. Not make it irrelevant to college football board posters but KILL IT DEAD. The grant of rights simply will not allow for anything else (sans a conference merger) despite people eschewing all legalities in lieu of "where there's a will there's a way" or "the SEC can swing ANYTHING!!!".

Texas and Oklahoma simply were not operating under the same restraints and even then they're still not moving until 2025.
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From what I've read, think Texas and OU will be "functional" in the SEC by 2023.
 
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RightSaidFred said:
Said earlier but you need a bloc of EIGHT teams to leave at the same time.

2 won’t work. (FSU/Clemson)

If you have eight, then you have over 50% of the votes and you can vote to dissolve the ACC and void the grant of rights contract.
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IF FSU/Clemson leave, or even cause enough trouble over leaving, ESPN might possibly void GoR* with ACC.

*By defacto devaluing it/making it worthless...
 
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Cryptical Envelopment said:
I said this in the origin thread way before the conference movement stuff got out of hand. UVA is somewhere between the 3rd to 5th most desirable addition if you were going to pull from the ACC. Sleeping giant, history, good sports, AMAZING academics, flagship state school for an SEC OR BIG 10 friendly expansion, and they bring some nice TV markets with them.
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As an add, they are similar to bringing aboard Northwestern.
 
Apologies if posted elsewhere but this always seemed more likely than the "They have the Rose Bowl history!!!!" crowd that predicted a Big Ten/Pac 12 merger.

I just play a former Big East commissioner on TV so what do I know but my guess is that if there's any major movement with us that it'll involve the Big Ten (probably w/ Notre Dame) rather than the SEC. Either a merger of the entire/most of the ACC or a dissolution of the conference with some ACC schools going to the Big Ten and a few (not us) to the SEC.

Or the Big Ten and ACC stand pat and Notre Dame chooses one.

www.espn.com

Big 12, Pac-12 discuss potential partnership

Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby is meeting with Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff on Tuesday to discuss options for a potential strategic partnership between the conferences.
www.espn.com www.espn.com
 
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