Rumors: Florida St trying to join the Big Ten within the month
I looked everywhere and didn't see this posted yet. Lots of rumors that Florida St is looking to join the Big 10 within the next month. Appears to be just rumors at this point... but often when there's smoke, there's fire. I guess they are (rightfully) angry about being left out of the CFP and perhaps they feel being in the ACC was part of the reason?
December 11th, 2023 at 11:05 AM ^
wait until they find out how the B1G treats their premier football program
December 11th, 2023 at 12:01 PM ^
Hey maybe adding a few other major programs that have also had an NCAA infraction over time (FSU, USC, UCLA...) will mean this league is less run by OSU and the little 10 who let them call the shots
December 11th, 2023 at 11:07 AM ^
Thinking about this from the B1G end. Pettiti would have a lot vested in getting this done a "see what I can do" that might save his job.
December 11th, 2023 at 12:08 PM ^
Might save his job? Does he not have the vast majority of the conference on his side already?
December 11th, 2023 at 12:28 PM ^
A very M-centric view. TP isn't in danger of losing his job. All the schools but 1 love him.
December 11th, 2023 at 11:08 AM ^
They've been trying to join the Big Ten since USC and UCLA joined..
December 11th, 2023 at 11:09 AM ^
Lots of schools are "trying" to improve the conference they play in. That doesn't necessarily mean there's mutual interest, or if there is, that any movement is imminent.
If conference leadership had any sense (and that's debatable as to whether they do), we'd try out the 18-team version of the B1G for a few years before expanding further. It's yet to be seen whether the new B1G is a good thing or not.
December 11th, 2023 at 11:54 AM ^
Just waiting for the 6 team 7-2 record pile up for the conference championship that goes to total point differential of common opponents tie-breaker or whatever.
While it's understandable why the league got rid of divisions (you should actually, you know, play the other teams in your conference occasionally), it's going to create some bizarro outcomes.
December 11th, 2023 at 12:10 PM ^
It's a fair point unless you see this as an arms war and FSU not getting a B1G bid turns into them getting an SEC bid. Until someone defers from the SEC to B1G or vice versa, there are only so many powers left.
December 11th, 2023 at 11:16 AM ^
Just wait until the conference goes on a witch hunt after their head coach.
December 11th, 2023 at 11:18 AM ^
Another where there's smoke there must be fire canard. I can't imagine the B10 would reciprocate the "interest".
December 11th, 2023 at 11:19 AM ^
I certainly think it would be a positive move for FSU. ACC was I'm sure part of the equation with being left out, but losing your star player (QB nonetheless) was impactful. If they were in the BIG and this happened would it have resulted in the same results? FSU feels like it fits SEC better than the BIG. But I do think from the BIG standpoint having an anchor in the recruiting hotbed of Florida wouldn't be a bad move either. It will be interesting to watch this play out and see if such a move is made.
December 11th, 2023 at 11:22 AM ^
Need an even number and a natural rival. Is Miami (YTM) coming too?
December 11th, 2023 at 11:24 AM ^
Let’s add FSU and another team… and, you could speculate that ND would be another.
Then we’d have .. the B1G2 (or B2G) … a twenty team conference. Let’s create two divisions - with a nine game conference schedule - and no crossovers. It would be just like two ten team conferences smashed together.
December 11th, 2023 at 11:28 AM ^
I've been saying this for years to anyone who would list. Eventually just make a 24 team conference (leave out Indiana, Rutgers, Minnesota, etc), two divisions, and each team plays an 11 game schedule against the division members. Championship at the end if you want. Then go to the playoffs.
December 11th, 2023 at 11:38 AM ^
Big Tens.
December 11th, 2023 at 11:25 AM ^
My 4 from the ACC would be: FSU, Virginia, BC and UNC.
The temptations of GTech for a bit of the Atlanta market and Louisville for the proximity to Churchill Downs is very compelling as well.
December 11th, 2023 at 12:25 PM ^
The interest in BC amazes me. When was the last time BC was good in ... anything other than hockey?
If regional cable markets no longer matter, and they don't, BC is clearly more appealing than only Wake Forest. You can make a case for BC over Syracuse. But that's about it in terms of drawing eyeballs from current ACC teams. About the only people a BC addition should be appealing for is Michigan fans who live in Boston, just to have the occasional game close to home.
December 11th, 2023 at 12:53 PM ^
Boston College might be the last team in the ACC that ever gets an invite to either the B1G or the SEC. They bring absolutely nothing of value to the table except for a great hockey program. Last I checked, that moves the needle exactly nowhere.
If I'm BC, I know that when this GOR deal is up in 2037, I'm going to be left sitting at the kid's table. No one's asking me to dance, So I'm riding this gravy train as long as I possibly can, and I am blocking FSU's and Clemson's attempts to leave the conference early in any and every way that I can, because that will cripple my bottom line even earlier.
At least Georgia Tech offers direct access into recruiting arguably the most densely talent-rich state in the country. Unless you're Don Brown, MA is completely devoid of any meaningful football talent.
December 11th, 2023 at 11:34 AM ^
The Super League cometh!
Yes, in the short term you give up being the ACC powerhouse that can guarantee a playoff spot by being one of the top-6 ranked conference winners. But the Super League of College Football is Thanos-snap inevitable, except in this reality he keeps the stones. Might as well make the jump now and give some more strength to the non-SEC conference, especially the one that seems to be able to negotiate far better TV deals.
December 11th, 2023 at 11:35 AM ^
I'd love to see them play in the north in the winter. But I'd also totally be willing to travel to Florida for a Michigan road game.
December 11th, 2023 at 11:35 AM ^
Look at who the SEC and B1G have joining next year. Now compare that to what the ACC is adding. I'm no lawyer, but I would think that FSU could make an argument that the overall ACC product has been devalued by their expansion. Two mostly unwatchable California schools plus SMU is worse than even the Big 12's expansion.
December 11th, 2023 at 11:36 AM ^
So academics really don't matter anymore if that happens. I mean, I don't care, I guess. I think the schools are giving up on the idea that the conferences are for anything other than sports and more specifically football.
Anyway, with FSU and the Pac 4, let's form a new coalition and screw over the coaches from MSU, OSU, PSU, Rutgers, etc.
December 11th, 2023 at 11:50 AM ^
FSU currently has better academics than several Big Ten schools. The only thing that keeps them out of the AAU is some shared facilities with FAMU.
December 11th, 2023 at 1:34 PM ^
FSU is ranked 53rd nationally by US News, which is a tie with Minnesota and good for 9th best in the current Big Ten. Worse schools are: Michigan State (60th), Penn State (60th), Indiana (73rd), Iowa (93rd), and Nebraska (159th).
Though FSU is not an AAU school.
December 11th, 2023 at 11:36 AM ^
Not a bad idea. The Big-10 has more room to grow. If we add a 19th team, then let's go for 20.
December 11th, 2023 at 11:39 AM ^
Are they taking our spot?
December 11th, 2023 at 11:46 AM ^
No.
There's already too many teams in the Big Ten.
December 11th, 2023 at 11:48 AM ^
I've thought this likely for some time, makes more sense to me than the sec.
December 11th, 2023 at 11:53 AM ^
How will they get out of Grant of Rights which lasts till 2036? ESPN won't release them to rival network until some one pays them dearly.
December 11th, 2023 at 11:56 AM ^
If we could just add FSU, Miami, ND & UNC and kick out Rutger & NW I would be thrilled at our conference
December 11th, 2023 at 12:00 PM ^
There's a ton of logistics that need to get sorted out.
- Can FSU get out of their GOR? Who's paying that penalty?
- is Fox going to pro rata the TV agreement? They did not for Washington/Oregon who agreed to take less money for the duration of the current deal
- Does FSU add value to balance the amount of their share of revenue?
- Does FSU bring ND? Because other schools like Virginia/Miami will not add anything in the eyes of the networks.
Personally, I doubt this happens during the current TV deal, but we shall see.
December 11th, 2023 at 12:06 PM ^
If you watched any of the B1G West this year, and managed to not to do so without drinking bleach or pouring it over your eyes, you’d probably agree that FSU would be more deserving of revenue than the garbage that division has been putting on TV for years now.
December 11th, 2023 at 12:15 PM ^
What I think has nothing to do with what the networks think.
the B1G west was a loss leader for them, which they ate in order to secure Michigan/OSU/PSU.
Whether they ante up more money for new additions is the questions. They only partially kicked in money for Oregon/Washington.
I'm pointing out what needs to get sorted out, not assuming you can push chess pieces all over the board without understanding what has to happen for it to actually work in the real world
December 11th, 2023 at 12:01 PM ^
We are trending towards 2 conferences with essentially no ties to geography or historical precedents.
It’s been a gradual shift, from BCS to 4 team playoff to now a 12 team. The sport has gone full semi-pro and the players need be compensated accordingly as Harbaugh is pushing for.
Like it or not, CFB is dead…Long live CFB!
Time to make the B1G and the and SEC the AFC and NFC and divi teams up into divisions that make geographical sense and travel somewhat less burdensome.
I’m just really happy that UM won the last 3 against OSU, 3 of the most significant and meaningful (both ranked in the top 5) in the history of a rivalry that will never hold the same importance going forward.
December 11th, 2023 at 12:10 PM ^
The irony is that the SEC has maintained its Southern character by adding teams that are at least Southern-adjacent and culturally influenced by the South in Missouri, Texas A&M, Texas and Oklahoma.
And I think it's this big Southern block of football strength which has really forced the hand of the other conferences. And the Big Ten with the sheer numbers of fans and alumni of the big Midwestern state universities behind it, basically emerged as the victorious major "Rest of the Country" conference.
The West and East Coasts just don't have the college football popularity, and the interior West and Plains just don't have the numbers in terms of population.
December 11th, 2023 at 12:02 PM ^
It probably hurt their chances to actually make the playoffs if they come to the B1G. Right now they'd be, what, the 4/5th best team in the new league with UW, Oregon, and UW being up there with UM, OSU, and PSU. But if they stick in the ACC they just have to beat out Clemson for the conference crown most years and then they're assured a spot in the playoff.
December 11th, 2023 at 6:23 PM ^
No, seriously no.
Look at what just happened. The ACC is already considered a second class league. Next year and beyond, the gulf widens.
while a 12 team playoff probably means that undefeated gets them in, I suspect that next year a 2 loss season in the Big 10 or SEC will be preferred over a 1 loss ACC team at the margins.
Look at Michigans schedule vs FSUs next year… Michigan plays 5 top schools. FSU plays ND and Florida, plus ACC teams .
I don’t think this gets better for them staying in the ACC.
December 11th, 2023 at 12:08 PM ^
Does this hurt the B1G? Because if it doesn’t hurt the B1G and their twat Tony, then I’m against it.
December 11th, 2023 at 12:19 PM ^
Just merge the B1G/SEC/ACC’s best schools into a 30 team CFB Premiere League, then:
- Pyramid System
- Install 3 tiers of regulation below this league. Initially organize the tiers based on average team records over the last decade.
- Yes, that means a blue blood like Nebraska might be booted down to tier 3-4 to start, but situations would sort themselves out pretty fast in the first 2-3 years.
- Similarly, you'd have a school like Marshall or App State in the Premiere League to start, but they would probably be relegated down a peg or so within the first few seasons.
- Install 3 tiers of regulation below this league. Initially organize the tiers based on average team records over the last decade.
- Scheduling & Tie-Breakers
- Each team plays 1 member from each division instead of the typical 3 game OOC schedule. Every team gets 2 protected rivals as well - who they play regardless of what level in the relegation pyramid they are in.
- Remove the polls/committees from consideration. Rankings are solely determined by W/L and pre-determined tie-breakers similar to the NFL.
- Promotion & Relegation, And Postseason Bowls
- Have the top 6 and bottom 6 in each tier get promoted or relegated.
- With those top 6 teams, have a 6-team playoff in each level.
- Make the locations of these games correspond with the bowl games to make the post-season meaningful again.
- TV Contracts
- Create a revenue-sharing model that has some percentage of the new College Football Premiere League’s insane media deal (which would be much larger than the B1G/SEC media deals combined) be split among the lower divisions to help them due to their smaller TV deals.
- On that note, have each division get its own TV contract/negotiation. For a crazy example, something like:
- Tier 1: $2-3B/yr. With ESPN/ABC
- $67-100M/school
- Tier 2: $500M/yr. With FOX
- $17M/school
- Tier 3: $200M/yr. With CBS/Paramount+
- $6.6M/school
- Tier 4: $100M/yr. With NBC/Peacock
- $3.3M/school
- Tier 1: $2-3B/yr. With ESPN/ABC
- On that note, have each division get its own TV contract/negotiation. For a crazy example, something like:
- Create a revenue-sharing model that has some percentage of the new College Football Premiere League’s insane media deal (which would be much larger than the B1G/SEC media deals combined) be split among the lower divisions to help them due to their smaller TV deals.
I say this jokingly, but it actually sounds much more appealing than whatever the fuck is happening with super conferences that don’t make sense and the increasing lameness of the sport.
December 11th, 2023 at 6:12 PM ^
I actually think this is far better than the reality we are looking at.
December 11th, 2023 at 12:25 PM ^
For the life of me, I don't see how having a 20-team league bodes well for the 75 percent of the league that now has basically zero shot of every making the conference finals. Their long odds just keep getting longer.
December 11th, 2023 at 12:26 PM ^
They're just trying to duck Stanford and Cal
December 11th, 2023 at 12:35 PM ^
I don't know precisely how the game selection process works for the networks, but at this point there seems to be plenty of inventory for the top 2-3 games each week. It is not clear to me how much is being added when you consider next year will have Michigan, OSU, PSU, USC, Oregon, Washington, and whoever else is good in a particular year, plus rivalries. There is likely good inventory with lots of good games and ranked teams etc. already. I understand FOX was willing to pony up a bit more for the Pacific Northwest schools, but at some point there has to be a ceiling. Plus, UO and UW are on reduced distributions for years.
Also, FSU isn't an AAU member, and it is a long long long way from Seattle and Eugene. Nor does it have an obvious pair to bring with it, as USC and UCLA and UO and UW did.
Maybe it all works out, but there has to be a natural ceiling with the finances, academics, and geographic footprint of the conference. I wouldn't put my money on FSU as a Big Ten member (unlike UNC).
December 11th, 2023 at 12:36 PM ^
It was my understanding that FSU's and Clemson's lawyers have been scouring over that GOR contract and found no reasonable way out of it, short of seven other ACC schools coming together and saying they all wanted out, which will likely not happen. Schools like BC, Wake, Syracuse, Pitt, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech....its very likely that when this GOR deal comes to an end, the ACC will end as well, and they'll all be left with no place to go, so they might as well ride this thing out as long as they can.
If they do find a way to get out, I wonder if this forces ND's hand. Clemson would be the only team from the ACC that they could put on the schedule that would carry any oomph to it at that point. Do they stay with their five games per year agreement, join the B1G, or just say "to heck with it, we're going fully back to independent, we'll get enough schools who want to play us."
December 11th, 2023 at 12:48 PM ^
How about we trade Rutgers and Maryland for FSU?
December 11th, 2023 at 12:59 PM ^
I'm surprised people in here are surprised. Yes, a move to the B1G absolutely helps them in every way- financial, competitive, and stability. FSU doesn't see themselves as a school that needs to play a schedule full of Wake Forests and Syracuses to be nationally relevant, nor should they. If they were in the B1G this year, they aren't in this situation one way or the other. And that's way better than the unanswered questions of a spurned undefeated team.
December 11th, 2023 at 1:29 PM ^
FSU, ND, UNC, Va
December 11th, 2023 at 1:40 PM ^
UNC and Duke kind of feel like they'd be a package deal. I know they can still play each other in basketball fairly easily (although for scheduling purposes they may lose the opportunity to play each other at the end of the season), but those schools are so intertwined with one another that I feel like one wouldn't go anywhere without the other.
December 11th, 2023 at 2:11 PM ^
I can understand FSU's feelings about the money and the NC playoff snub. I have no idea what adding them does for the Big Ten.
I'm still so disgusted by what the Big Ten did to Michigan, I'd be happy if we blew off the Big Ten and went independent, or joined the Pac Two, if need be.
If the reported story of Big Ten interest in FSU is a thing, I wonder if FSU isn't just blowing smoke up the B1Gs skirt to generate some SEC interest, because that's really their most sensible choice.