SEC will one day poach best of ACC, Big 12 as football money gap grows

[Harry]

IRVING, Texas — The SEC should just dispense with the formalities, move forward with its master plan of world domination and go ahead and bankrupt the Big 12 and ACC by buying FSU, Clemson, Texas and Oklahoma.

One of the most powerful men in the SEC — Florida Gators athletics director Jeremy Foley — has a philosophy that he borrowed from Henry Kissinger: "Whatever must happen eventually should happen immediately."

And what will happen eventually is that football powerhouses in the Big 12 and ACC will start to lose massive ground to their rivals in the SEC and Big Ten and will have no choice but to bail and bolt.

Can't we just fast forward seven or eight years, save ourselves the controversy and consternation, and get on with the process that renowned college football analyst Charles Darwin introduced 150 years ago:

ACC commissioner John Swofford told reporters at the league's annual spring meetings that there is no news to report on the potential conference network his league has been pursuing for years. The reason there's no news is because there's no demand. As Boren pointed out, ESPN has lost millions of subscribers in recent years due to cable cord-cutters who now watch TV via online streaming. As a result, the Worldwide Leader is no mood to dump hundreds of millions of dollars into a conference network.

What this means is the SEC, Big Ten and possibly the Pac-12 (although its network isn't nearly as successful) will continue to reap additional money from their still-growing networks while the ACC and Big 12's TV money stagnates. Consequently, Big 12 and ACC coaches will soon start sounding as frustrated as the non-Power 5 coaches who currently wonder how they will be able to keep pace in the arms race that is college football.

It's like Houston coach Tom Hermann said the other day when he was talking about how the American Athletic Conference needs more TV money so its schools can build the palatial facilities and offer the cool amenities that entice the best recruits.

read more:  http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/florida-gators/os-big-12-meetings-mike-bianchi-0605-20160605-column.html

[outoftown]

No. It wont happen. The money gap is about to shrink again, as ESPN is losing subscribers and the new ways of selling TV will not bring it the same amount of $. As a consequence we have seen the peak of what TV contracts bring in, and with that, the money gap will shrink again.

[Harry]

9 minutes ago, outoftown said:

No. It wont happen. The money gap is about to shrink again, as ESPN is losing subscribers and the new ways of selling TV will not bring it the same amount of $. As a consequence we have seen the peak of what TV contracts bring in, and with that, the money gap will shrink again.

I agree but the point of the article is that the SEC is well positioned because their contract is in place for a long time for a lot of money.  Ditto Longhorn network.  There are a group of p5 teams that are making a WHOLE lot more money than the rest.  ESPN going belly up only proliferates this.  It blows my mind that basicallyy there is NO interest from ESPN for a Big 12 network now, that ship has sailed.   Rewind a couple of years ago and it was totally different.

[MeanGreenMailbox aka TFLF]

Agree that the Big 12 will go away; not so much the ACC. 

Subtract Clemson and FSU, and you still have a 12 team conference. Miami, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech...these are pretty decent football programs.  North Carolina and North Carolina State aren't terrible.  Pitt and Syracuse have some good traditional history.

I'll repeat that I think the Big 12 collapses eventually.  OU and Texas will have outs to SEC, if they so choose.  Texas can go anywhere really. 

I think the ACC would take a good look at Kansas.  For basketball and academics, it's not too far behind Duke. 

Maybe to balance out to 14 teams again, the ACC looks at Oklahoma State,

I don't see anyone else in the Big 12 being wanted/needed/thrown a lifeline by anyone else.  At that point, you are talking SWC 2.0 for the remainder.

[foutsrouts]

21 minutes ago, MeanGreenMailbox said:

Agree that the Big 12 will go away; not so much the ACC. 

Subtract Clemson and FSU, and you still have a 12 team conference. Miami, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech...these are pretty decent football programs.  North Carolina and North Carolina State aren't terrible.  Pitt and Syracuse have some good traditional history.

I'll repeat that I think the Big 12 collapses eventually.  OU and Texas will have outs to SEC, if they so choose.  Texas can go anywhere really. 

I think the ACC would take a good look at Kansas.  For basketball and academics, it's not too far behind Duke. 

Maybe to balance out to 14 teams again, the ACC looks at Oklahoma State,

I don't see anyone else in the Big 12 being wanted/needed/thrown a lifeline by anyone else.  At that point, you are talking SWC 2.0 for the remainder.

Not that I put much credence in their rankings, but US News & World Report has Kansas at 151 and Duke at 8, with Kansas having a 91% plus acceptance rate. The only reason I'm mentioning it is because I've seen Kansas academics mentioned positively in a couple of places recently, and I'm kind of wondering where all of that is coming from. I've always just thought of them as a`pretty good corn state flagship school. No argument about basketball of course.

[Army of Dad]

I don't see it. No way Florida wants FSU in conference. A&M has similar feelings towards TU-Austin, though likely pull inside the SEC.

[Harry]

53 minutes ago, Army of Dad said:

I don't see it. No way Florida wants FSU in conference. A&M has similar feelings towards TU-Austin, though likely pull inside the SEC.

Agree with you on Florida FSU but not as much on A&M and UT.  I think most A&M and UT alums would like to see them playing again.

[Army of Dad]

8 hours ago, Harry said:

Agree with you on Florida FSU but not as much on A&M and UT.  I think most A&M and UT alums would like to see them playing again.

Playing is one thing, but I'm pretty sure A&M likes the advantage of being in the SEC and wouldn't want to 'level up' their old rival.

[VideoEagle]

The whole "blocked by a single school" thing is very, very over blown. Most conferences need a vote of 2/3 or 3/4 of the present members to admit new ones. A single school can't veto a member unless then can convince other schools to vote against it. 

[MeanGreenMailbox aka TFLF]

13 hours ago, foutsrouts said:

Not that I put much credence in their rankings, but US News & World Report has Kansas at 151 and Duke at 8, with Kansas having a 91% plus acceptance rate. The only reason I'm mentioning it is because I've seen Kansas academics mentioned positively in a couple of places recently, and I'm kind of wondering where all of that is coming from. I've always just thought of them as a`pretty good corn state flagship school. No argument about basketball of course.

It's one of the 62 AAU.

[MeanGreenMailbox aka TFLF]

ACC currently has four AAU memebers:  Duke, Georgia Tech, UNC, and Pitt.  Kansas would make a nice addition to that group, competitively and academically. 

The Jayhawks simply dominate the Big 12 in basketball, and it isn't even close.  Imagine them in the same conference with UNC and Duke for hoops...and, Louisville, Syracuse, NC State, Georgia Tech, and lately, Notre Dame...crazy great basketball already in the ACC.  Throw Kansas in there and you've got pretty much every great basketball school outside of Kentucky.

Again, other than Texas and Oklahoma, Kansas is probably the other Big 12 school that lands on its feet when the conference implodes.

 

[Army of Dad]

1 hour ago, VideoEagle said:

The whole "blocked by a single school" thing is very, very over blown. Most conferences need a vote of 2/3 or 3/4 of the present members to admit new ones. A single school can't veto a member unless then can convince other schools to vote against it. 

Yeah, but you could easily see  the Gators and Aggies forming an alliance to keep out in state rivals. As one of the few schools to make money (yes, actual profit) from both football and basketball along with maybe the best AD in the country combined with such a long tenure in the SEC they can probably block anyone they want singlehandedly by being able to round up however many votes they need.

That or just tell Saban that TU-Austin is trying to change the rules for intraconfernce play and that guarantees a 'No' vote from 'bama.

[tmjerm]

Interesting

[wardly]

This could be the first step towards a Super Conference with about 48 of the top football programs in the country. SEC bottom feeders like Vanderbilt ,Arkansas, Mississippi, and Mississippi State will be left behind, plus the rest of the Big 12.

[PlummMeanGreen]

13 hours ago, wardly said:

This could be the first step towards a Super Conference with about 48 of the top football programs in the country. SEC bottom feeders like Vanderbilt ,Arkansas, Mississippi, and Mississippi State will be left behind, plus the rest of the Big 12.

Super Conference will  be poaching from whats left of the  "Mighty Big 12 Orphans Conference." 

Funny how turn about will suddenly be fair play.

[meangreen11]

Lol

[Mean Green 93-98]

On 7/22/2021 at 6:19 PM, wardly said:

 SEC bottom feeders like Vanderbilt ,Arkansas, Mississippi, and Mississippi State will be left behind

It seems to me that UT joining the SEC is a dream come true for Arkansas, even if they would never admit it.  They lost their main recruiting base when they left the SWC.  Now they likely get far better recruiting access to Texas and they now actually get to play their chief rival again and galvanize around that.  I would expect UT to the SEC to bring Arkansas back to some semblance of their glory days.

[El Paso Eagle]

1 minute ago, Mean Green 93-98 said:

It seems to me that UT joining the SEC is a dream come true for Arkansas, even if they would never admit it.  They lost their main recruiting base when they left the SWC.  Now they likely get far better recruiting access to Texas and they now actually get to play their chief rival again and galvanize around that.  I would expect UT to the SEC to bring Arkansas back to some semblance of their glory days.

One of the sites talked about the SEC going to four 4 team quads - One of the options
A&M
ARK
OU
UT

[Arkstfan]

On 6/6/2016 at 5:59 PM, outoftown said:

No. It wont happen. The money gap is about to shrink again, as ESPN is losing subscribers and the new ways of selling TV will not bring it the same amount of $. As a consequence we have seen the peak of what TV contracts bring in, and with that, the money gap will shrink again.

I don’t think so. 
 

Consider that with that trend going on right now that ESPN paid more for NHL than they made last deal with NBC AND that was only for half the linear rights but all the online out-of-market and includes ESPN doing some exclusive online only games. 
 

TNT/TBS outpaid NBC per game as well for NHL. 

[wardly]

ESPN will cut the Big 12 revenue in half and pass it on to the SEC

[El Paso Eagle]

49 minutes ago, wardly said:

ESPN will cut the Big 12 revenue in half and pass it on to the SEC

It depends on who they are able to add and who else they might lose. There could be more surprises if anyone else leaves to join the SEC. If the SEC plucked a couple of schools from the B10 or ACC they would be in the same shape as the B12

[wardly]

So if the Big Ten takes Kansas and Iowa State, the ACC takes West Virginia , that leaves the Big 12 with 5 football programs and the AAC with 11. RIP Big 12.Unless I am missing something I don't see where UNT benefits from any of this realignment.

[El Paso Eagle]

27 minutes ago, wardly said:

So if the Big Ten takes Kansas and Iowa State, the ACC takes West Virginia , that leaves the Big 12 with 5 football programs and the AAC with 11. RIP Big 12.Unless I am missing something I don't see where UNT benefits from any of this realignment.

From SI
Or Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby and AAC commish Mike Aresco meet in the Metroplex—where both leagues have their offices—and hatch a plan to combine forces. A mashup of 19 schools isn’t going to work, which could lead to some bloodletting (sleep with one eye open, East Carolina, Tulsa, Temple, Tulane). But a combination of the best of what’s left might have some viability beyond an eight-team tweener league.

[untjim1995]

On 6/6/2016 at 4:59 PM, outoftown said:

No. It wont happen. The money gap is about to shrink again, as ESPN is losing subscribers and the new ways of selling TV will not bring it the same amount of $. As a consequence we have seen the peak of what TV contracts bring in, and with that, the money gap will shrink again.

Whoops

[untjim1995]

3 hours ago, wardly said:

So if the Big Ten takes Kansas and Iowa State, the ACC takes West Virginia , that leaves the Big 12 with 5 football programs and the AAC with 11. RIP Big 12.Unless I am missing something I don't see where UNT benefits from any of this realignment.

This…if ISU gets into the B1G, I’ll be real impressed, since they already have that state sewn up for TV purposes. But if you aren’t UT, OU, and KU, the next few weeks may be very tough on your stomach as fans of the other Big XII schools.