B1G about to have a "surprise" expansion.
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I find the panic surrounding what the Pac 12 and the Big XII should still do to play in the superconference sweepstakes a little late in the game.
I can't envision ANY scenario where either of these conferences can somehow pull a rabbit out of their hats when both of them had their two biggest dawgs taken away from them.
On a number of fan boards, I hear breathless comments about, if their conference "were to do this and that, THEY'D become one of three superconferences." Fat chance.
Why would the B1G or the SEC want to share their future mega-TV revenues with another inferior conference? They don't need the Pac 12, Big XII, or the ACC at this point. If they want to diversity their soon-to-be-announced new CFB alliance, they'll simply choose to expand -- and will have dozens of eager candidates hoping to receive a treasured invite. When all is said and done, there will be a few more SEC and B1G invites (Notre Dame and Clemson for sure) but the music for this round of musicial chairs will eventually stop with a whole bunch of programs left still standing.
I think Dieter from Sprockets (SNL) said it best: "Their agony is gorgeous!"
I'm finding a lot of the articles -- like the one RED ED linked above -- are sports writers playing to their bases. It's in their self-interest to keep stoking hope. The whole notion of "Hold on now, let's not panic until Notre Dame makes its decision and then all the other pieces will fall into place for reallignment" is naive and utterly ridiculous.
Notre Dame's TV contract is currently for $15M a year. For all the hoopla surrounding the Irish having Their Own National TV Network, their annual take IS CHICKEN FEED in comparison to Nebraska's. It is speculated that if Notre Dame were to join the B1G, their annual TV revenue (along with Nebraska and every other B1G program) would jump to well north of $100M a year. I. kid. you. not.
I believe if the pressure is put on them not making the CFB more and more as an Independent, they'll more like be forced to join a conference. As you said the guaranteed money is a no brainer for ND over what they current;y have at $15 mill.I find it a bit amusing that some pundits are talking about Notre Dame's 'BIG decision.' Hmmm...do they stay independent and stay with their own NBC TV contract worth $15M annually? ....or do they join the B1G and likely make $95M to $100M annually? SUCH a tough call, right guys?
The reality is that ND's cachet is such that they're guaranteed a spot in either the B1G or the SEC. But given the Irish's rivalry with USC and their long history playing B1G teams like Michigan, Michigan St., Purdue -- and yes, Nebraska, the direction they'll end up going is obvious.
The question isn't IF they join but WHEN they'll announce it. I'm guessing the school's lawyers need time to figure out how they extract themselves from the ACC at the lowest possible expense.
A quote from the article that Red Storm Rising linked:
Don't you love the 'holier-than-thou' attitude about the 'evils of money' coming from a college football coach making a seven-figure annual salary??!?
It's always been about the money and I am not talking just college football.
Yep, the guy making $7.5 million a year on a perpetual 5 year contract who gets a $1,000,000 retention bonus every year and a $125,000 escalator per year.A quote from the article that Red Storm Rising linked:
Don't you love the 'holier-than-thou' attitude about the 'evils of money' coming from a college football coach making a seven-figure annual salary??!?
Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy gets salary boost to $7.5 million.
But he's about the players and fans.
Notre Dame could join the ACC permanently in all sports - they play 4 or 5 ACC teams per year in football per their current "deal" with the ACC. I'm not sure even with Notre Dame that the ACC could get the TV contract and other monies that the Big 10 and SEC will make so those schools I'm sure are reaching out to the SEC and Big 10. They would be smart to at least ask.
The remaining Pac 12 and Big 12 schools could merge but again, I don't think they are going to get the money that the SEC and Big 10 conferences are getting. Oregon could try to flex its Nike power and money but short of Nike saying they won't provide anything to the Big 10 or SEC(which would never happen) the Pac/Big 12 don't have much left to keep things together. There is no one left in the Big 12 that anyone is going to go after unless someone is going to go after KU for basketball.
I still think we end up with 4 big conferences for the next couple of years. Then it will basically be mini conferences with the Big 10 and SEC and then that will implode because keeping everyone together isn't going to be sustainable with all the egos. By that time the NCAA won't be around, for at least football and maybe basketball. So who knows.
ACC, Big XII, and Pac 10 will have the unteneable position of needing to form a coast to coast third super conference. Then we can have the top teams in the B1G, SEC, and them join Alabama for the annual appoint-the-SEC the national champion in football circus.
Thanks for sharing this, RED ED (you've share some very interesting ones here lately. Much Appreciated.)
Wow. I was shocked to see this attack on the B1G coming from a Penn State sports scribe. Anybody wonder what this guy thinks of our B1G Commissioner?
I continue to be surprised at how many sports writers and pundits are aghast that the B1G and the SEC are raiding other conferences!!! OH THE HORROR!!! Last I check, once-upon-a-time, the Pac 12 and the Big XII -- and the ACC too for that matter -- did their own raiding. Nobody here should be surprised that the latest chess piece moves make it increasingly clear the break-up of the NCAA is inevitable.
Will it all blow up, as this author predicts/hopes? Who knows. But as a Nebraska fan, I'm VERY RELIEVED we already have our seatbelts fastened and our tray tables in their upright position inside our B1G jumbo jet as it taxis for take off along beside the SEC's airliner.
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I'm not too surprised he said what he said. There will be a push back and people - fans - will get tired of it. But what do they do? Stop going? The only way it affects anything is if TV sets get turned off.Thanks for sharing this, RED ED (you've share some very interesting ones here lately. Much Appreciated.)
Wow. I was shocked to see this attack on the B1G coming from a Penn State sports scribe. Anybody wonder what this guy thinks of our B1G Commissioner?
I continue to be surprised at how many sports writers and pundits are aghast that the B1G and the SEC are raiding other conferences!!! OH THE HORROR!!! Last I check, once-upon-a-time, the Pac 12 and the Big XII -- and the ACC too for that matter -- did their own raiding. Nobody here should be surprised that the latest chess piece moves make it increasingly clear the break-up of the NCAA is inevitable.
Will it all blow up, as this author predicts/hopes? Who knows. But as a Nebraska fan, I'm VERY RELIEVED we already have our seatbelts fastened and our tray tables in their upright position inside our B1G jumbo jet as it taxis for take off along beside the SEC's airliner.
Is Kevin Warren and the Big 10 powers that be better than the NCAA's leadership? Do you really want to be in a superconference conglomerate that is run by Kevin Warren and whoever Texas puts in charge in a few years? Or whoever ESPN says runs the show?
I can't wait to see all the fighting when there are 20 teams in each conference. And if there are more west coast teams added, you know where Nebraska is going to be headed half the season. So much for those day trips to games.
Doc, I like your comparison to commercial airliners and the B1G and SEC. However, as you know, airline flights today are very inconsistent, delays, flight cancellations, shortage of pilots. I hope and pray all these mergers will succeed and take flight and not be left stranded while being stuck at a bar in the airport terminal.Thanks for sharing this, RED ED (you've share some very interesting ones here lately. Much Appreciated.)
Wow. I was shocked to see this attack on the B1G coming from a Penn State sports scribe. Anybody wonder what this guy thinks of our B1G Commissioner?
I continue to be surprised at how many sports writers and pundits are aghast that the B1G and the SEC are raiding other conferences!!! OH THE HORROR!!! Last I check, once-upon-a-time, the Pac 12 and the Big XII -- and the ACC too for that matter -- did their own raiding. Nobody here should be surprised that the latest chess piece moves make it increasingly clear the break-up of the NCAA is inevitable.
Will it all blow up, as this author predicts/hopes? Who knows. But as a Nebraska fan, I'm VERY RELIEVED we already have our seatbelts fastened and our tray tables in their upright position inside our B1G jumbo jet as it taxis for take off along beside the SEC's airliner.
