OT: Texas and Conferences
I'M NOT SAYING ANY OF THIS IS TRUE. That being said, High Ranking Anonymous Sources in various athletic departments are saying this... I wonder if it's the same High ranking Anonymous Source just playing tricks on the media...
Texas announcing Pac-10 as early as tomorrow
and just for some giggles...
This conference expansion stuff is funny...
Well to be fair the Baylor guy never says he thinks they'll go the Big10. He just says positive things about his school and they want to keep their options open. He doesn't reject the idea of going B10, but he doesn't say they're going after B10 membership. Baylor sounds like they realize their best hope is to keep the rest of the B12 together and redo the TV deals.
If I Was Delany, I'd release an anonymous comment about how the Big 10 liked only have 11 teams, so we were going to kick Sparty out. Then I'd go make some popcorn and watch East Lansing burn.
hilarious. I do have to say though, sitting and watching the rioters in EL is a better use of 3 hours than watching Avatar.
And with the Izzo's possible departure they're already ready to go off.
Unless Delaney wants to try to force ND out of the bush by trying to break up the Big East or ND finally comes to its senses and just joins the Big Ten, its possible this may sit for a while. Doesn't seem to be any rush for anyone to pick up the Big 12 leftovers.
ESPN ticker:The lead is reporting both.
Joe Schad is repoting both storys along with Texas A&M to SEC.
I guess there covering all their bases so they can't be wrong. From the same people who brought us "Les Miles to Michigan"
Also breaking on the ticker Brett Beliema is lobbying to have WIS-NEB end of year game.
... Delaney picked off the best team in the Big 12 save for Texas. And the more I hear about Texas, I 'm starting to think they would be too high maintenance and not worth it. If the reports about the Big 12 staying together with some new TV deal are true, you can bet Texas will have extracted their pound of flesh and priority rights and revenues...
Also, since the Pac-10 really made the first move on the Big 12 with Colorado, Delaney doesn't appear like he and the Big Ten moved first.
It's not worth a gratuitous shot at the Big East just to make ND squirm any more than it is all ready. In fact, I'm starting to wonder whether ND really is necessary or helpful for the Big Ten.
No, the Big Ten has equality, academics and demographics going for it. Plus it's own network! I like the new status quo for now.
The bottom line: this conference carousel is going to last longer than one weekend.
In my opinion, the endgame starts when the ACC acts. The only direction the ACC can/will go is north to raid and finish off the Big East. Then it'll be put up or shut up time for the Big Ten to go after the NYC market or lose SU, Pitt, and UConn to the ACC (my understanding is that the ACC has no interest in Rutgers). And for Notre Dame to either commit to the Big Ten or remain independent with no more Big East.
I'd say the AAC definitely plays a roll, but the PAC10/Texas thing also plays a roll.
PAC10 is sitting at 11 and they have three options:
1. Stay at 11, celebrate getting the Denver TV market, work to start up a TV network. Settle the conference via round robin play.
2. Go to 12 and get a conference championship game. Utah keeps getting mentioned as a possible 12.
3. PAC-16.
With Option 3, the Big12 implodes and odds are the SEC and Big10 both feel pressure to expand, leading to raids on the ACC, Big East and remains of the Big 12.
I think with Options 1 or 2, The Big10 sits at 12 teams, gets our championship game going and works to make the BTN payout get bigger and bigger every year. Then when Notre Dame's NBC contract expires, we can dangle a massive revenue payout in front of them and try to lure them in as #13, along with some East Coast team to make it an even 14 and a foothold on a NYC or DC TV market.
Completely agree with you. If option 3, I don't see the value of adding only one NYC-area team, even if it's SU as someone who looks at the world through orange-colored glasses. If the Big Ten for some odd reason takes Rutgers, the ACC is going to go after NYC like woah (SU and UConn, who both have larger fanbases in NYC) and the Big Ten basically just made a wasted pick.
ND is a national draw, and advertising revenue is likely to increase for the BTN with ND in the league. The question, though, is whether revenue will be a wash overall? Most of the "big games" with ND, (U-M, USC, etc.) are already televised on ABC/ESPN (for ND away games) or NBC (for ND home games).
It would be interesting to see the business cases that ND and the B10 are studying. Most of the arguments I've heard and read regarding B10 expansion favor new television markets for BTN. Bringing ND into the fold doesn't expand the BTN footprint, so how are they determining the expected revenue increase with ND? Just advertising?
Notre Dame does help us in terms of getting "critical mass" in a number of cities. Right now for example the BTN is available in NYC, but not on the basic package. This is because a lot of Big10 alums live and work in NYC. If we add in Notre Dame, all their alums in the big cities become potential customers of the BTN. Either they'll buy a higher package, so the BTN gets more revenue or enough alums of various Big10 schools will pressure Comcast to putting BTN on basic. The alumni bases of Michigan, PSU, tOSU, and ND might be enough pull to get the BTN on basic in areas where it currently isn't.
I wouldn't be surprised if adding ND got us more eyes in NYC than adding Rutgers would. I'm from a Catholic family and ND is typically adopted by a lot of Catholics as their school. My father for example went to WMU, but if you went into his basement you'd swear he held multiple degrees from ND.
I wonder if the Big10 can throw together a proposal with ABC to try to entice ND to join. I would think if they could put a solid number over ND's head, they would at least think about jumping for it. But, with everything so speculative, they probably haven't been able to give it much thought.
...allows them to make the argument to the major cable providers that the BTN should be considered a national network vice a regional network. Nebraska's national brand would assist this argument.
If the cable companies buy the argument, the $0.88 in the footprint and the $0.10 out of footprint subscriber fee arrangement goes away and voila, instand oodles of cash. Maybe they negotiate down to $0.50 per subscriber or lower, but if they are able to swing this, the extra revenue that would come from outside of the current conference footprint would be massive.
I've always thought that this is the end game the conference is shooting for. Such an arrangement would allow them to expand to 14 or 16 teams through schools that have been dismissed as not bringing a significant TV market (Pitt for example).
The Big 12 may end up with 10 teams
&
The Big Ten may end up with 12 teams......
FML
Just reported that there(Texas) in negotiations to keep Big 12 together but keeping the biggest chunk of cash for themselves. Greedy Fucks(Texas) if you ask me...Yeah I know no one is asking me but it looks like the kind of stuff that got the Big 12 in this mess the first time.
Edit: added who I was talking about. Texas
They're going to get a weird combo of teams to get to 12. Winner? Texas. No problem having only 10 teams in the Big 12. They're changing the name to the Big Texas shortly. They got what they want. The complete and utter bending over of the rest of the conference. And they couldn't have gotten that without getting Nebraska out (and probably Colorado too...they probably have a little dignity left).
Big Ten wins in that they got the best possible school in the country that was going anywhere. ND wasn't going until they were forced as the 16 team of the imploded new mega world; and as said, Texas got what they really wanted. Their own conference, just like back in the SWC days.
Michigan gains a good rival, and loses the easiest f'ing schedule in a decade when 2011 gets blown up.
Missouri...wow, they'll have fun at future meetings, no?
Texas just freed up $17 million. Who knows how much they'll lose in TV contract though?
I said before I thought that they wouldn't go anywhere and would just add two mid majors. Now, I think they'll just go back to a round robin and make save the money.
Part of the latest "rumor" (the FWIW YMMV variety) is that it includes a new tv deal, where the majority of money goes to the two Texas schools. So, it may not be so great for the rest of the conference, but for Texas it's a cash cow. Or steer. Longhorn??
In the terms of your excellent sig - they're getting remarried to their baby's daddy, AND still collecting alimony.
Texas has castrated the other schools in the Big 12.
Texas would be great, but i am not willing to give them a special exemption to come. If that is the case, have fun in the Pac 10, playing at 10 PM on Saturday night.
I am still surprised they are going to go to the Pac 10. I simply don't see the added benefit for them. They would be better off as an independent.
I don't see UT being "greedy" in any of this. They're without a doubt one of the biggest draws/brands in the country...shouldn't that be rewarded?
I think the Pac 10 is a pretty decent place for UT to land, especially if they can retain the rights to start their own network and bring a bunch of ex-B12 teams. In that scenario, they might play one or two 10 pm EST/9 pm CST games a year - which isn't really a bad thing. I mean, god forbid that you're on in the the Nation's largest geographic television market (Southern California) during prime time.
I'm beyond confused about what their going to end up doing but I guess we will find out something concrete this week. Love all the speculation going on right now though.
I specifically remember you commenting on how you were tired of all the speculation about a week ago.
sure she's hot, but she's forcing you to find dates with her other 3 sisters that are not as hot, is demanding a really expensive dinner, and wants you to allow her to go on dates with guys from their partnered fraternity during official Greek Date Nights since you're not in the Greek system. Don't worry, they won't do anything, its just a sorority requirement.
Pass.
At some point, the Texas(or ND)-is-like-this-type-of-girl thing will die a death of one thousand redundant cuts. That being said, it's kinda fun to do with Rutgers (who is the drunk fat girl throwing up on herself as she tries to open mouth kiss whatever guy in the bar has low enough standards and some breath mints).
Rutgers is the annoying girl with the voice like a vuvuzela...