Big Ten Media Rights / Conference Realignment
Ransom Stoddard
Ordained Dudeist Priest
- Bloomington, IL
Isn't ESPN already the de facto ACC Network?
Edit--I'm only thinking hoops. This is big for the ACC for football.
Deleted member 10676
D
Guest
Found this in a basketball article (which is of interest to BB recruiting -- will probably post it in the BB recruiting thread) but this bit is for here. Be interesting to see if Parrish is right when all is said and done.
http://www.cbssports.com/college-ba...acket-is-making-amateur-basketball-lucrative/
http://www.cbssports.com/college-ba...acket-is-making-amateur-basketball-lucrative/
bdutts
- Houston, Texas
You mean like BTN to Go International? I subscribe to that and can catch a few games. Worth it for me.
I would imagine so but I am not comfortable with doing what is needed to access BTNTGI here, I just want a customer oriented end product option. I am a dreamer.
bdutts
- Houston, Texas
No problems for me since I live in the UK. But yeah, your point is valid and I hope for the same thing in the future.
Joel Goodson
- respect my decision™
Waded through a bazillion posts on Frank the Tank's Slant and my thoughts on BIG expansion have changed. UT is distinct possibility now. Longhorn Network is hardly the smash they envisioned. B12 is basically a mess. Financial gap between the BIG and B12 is large and widening. UT would much prefer to be aligned with BIG academics. There seems to be a growing recognition of the positives and willingness to take the leap, accompanied by no longer needing a big list of concessions.
UT will probably get a neutral site game in Chicago or NY each season. Longhorn Network will be sunset-ed.
Clearly, OU will be invited (and join immediately) too.
ACC is on the back burner 'til at least 2030.
UT will probably get a neutral site game in Chicago or NY each season. Longhorn Network will be sunset-ed.
Clearly, OU will be invited (and join immediately) too.
ACC is on the back burner 'til at least 2030.
It is unlikely to happen (at least any time soon) imo, but football-wise Texas and Oklahoma would be the perfect additions to the Big Ten by adding two football kings and balancing the divisions.
Texas actually asked to join the Big Ten back in the 1990's when the Southwest Conference folded, but the Big Ten was not interested then.
Imagine if Big 10 officials had more foresight and added Notre Dame and/or Texas when they could have?
Joel Goodson
- respect my decision™
Revisionist history. ND never has asked to join. They've been invited numerous times. UT did not ask to join, at least as an equal member.
http://www.forums.gopherhole.com/bo...-Notre-Dame-and-Big-10-HIstorical-Perspective
I couldn't find confirmation about Texas inquiring about joining the Big 10 when the Southwest Conference collapsed, but I remember reading it in at least a couple places. Obviously, it was never an official application but rather an interest check.
Joel Goodson
- respect my decision™
Back channels? Wouldn't surprise me at all. OTOH, also wouldn't surprise me if a lot of strings were attached. UT, historically, is not an equal member (they are the sun). That appears to be changing though.
You have to remember that back when the Southwest Conference folded, Texas would have needed somewhere to land if the Big 8 hadn't agreed to merge and form the Big 12. The Big 10 would have made as much sense as the Pac-10 or the SEC at that time.
Interesting move by ACC to extend GOR for ACC channel. ESPN seems to have some politics in here as well to keep B1G from poaching ACC as they lose teams/content to FOX in B1G Tier 1 contract & Fox/BTN...so they offer up ACC channel when they seem to be backing away from further conference channels (both ACC & Big12). Be interesting to see how this plays out for ACC, I think part of the power of the BTN is the ESPN leverage the B1G has with BTN shared with Fox & why the B1G was so successful in ESPN negotiations for the 2nd half of the TV package.
Texas is definitely the team to watch in the near term. I still think that the possibility of NU, IL, PU and the like making more of primary TV package than Texas has to have the attention of Texas. Add in a weak conference and they have to be considering options in Austin.
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With the ACC'e grant of rights extension and the new ESPN package, that's pretty much foreclosed the Big 10's expansion east for the foreseeable future.
If the Big 10 were to expand west, Texas would have to be involved. No other school that direction (Oklahoma, Kansas, whomever) really makes sense unless Texas is involved.
The thing about conference expansion has been that expanding just for the sake of expanding - grabbing schools that don't really have any connection or relationship to the conference, no "institutional fit" as they say, only weakens your conference. Look to the Big East, the WAC, and the original C-USA for your examples. Those conferences didn't seem to have stability in mind with many of their expansion choices and all consequently fell to pieces.
Which brings us to the Big 12. The Big 12 won't be stronger if it turns itself into a far flung conference stretching from Connecticut to Orlando to Utah. If it wants to keep a legitimate powerhouse like Texas in the fold, it must think long term stability.
If the Big 10 were to expand west, Texas would have to be involved. No other school that direction (Oklahoma, Kansas, whomever) really makes sense unless Texas is involved.
The thing about conference expansion has been that expanding just for the sake of expanding - grabbing schools that don't really have any connection or relationship to the conference, no "institutional fit" as they say, only weakens your conference. Look to the Big East, the WAC, and the original C-USA for your examples. Those conferences didn't seem to have stability in mind with many of their expansion choices and all consequently fell to pieces.
Which brings us to the Big 12. The Big 12 won't be stronger if it turns itself into a far flung conference stretching from Connecticut to Orlando to Utah. If it wants to keep a legitimate powerhouse like Texas in the fold, it must think long term stability.
Joel Goodson
- respect my decision™
Definitely an ESPN power play WRT the ACC. Counters Fox and the BIG, both of which are getting more powerful. ESPN doesn't want the ACC's crown jewels picked off, the BIG and Fox getting even stronger and the resultant ACC relegated to the minor leagues.
UT is in play. Can't see them joining the SEC. The payout in the PAC is lame, plus the games are largely late night. The B12 is wobbly. The match is obvious. OU comes too. West becomes loaded.
As an alum living in austin, UT joining the conference would be a dream come true for me. Academically, when I was in school UT was one of the best in the country in my communication major, but the meat is engineering. Seems like they'd fit in well with some B1G schools that way.
No doubt B1G would take Texas as equal member, not convinced Texas is there though. Texas will have options, last round there were rumors they wanted to link with ND, but ND seems to have secured there independence for quite a while with GOR extension. But since ACC has already bent over backwards for ND, they would likley give Texas a similar deal, but if Big12 is about to come apart they (ACC) might be a little less motivated. If Texas is allowed to negotiate there own TV deal, they don't care so much about current PAC payout. Without bringing along there own contingent the PAC night let them write a deal. SEC and Texas are both about football in the end, yeah there is the university president's who might have a different view, but SEC will be attractive. Would be interesting if A&M tried to get on the SC, FL, GA deal to block other members of there state from getting in and add Texas to the list, don't think A&M could pull that off though.
I think the interesting move would be to take OU & see what Texas would do, without OU I'don't see the Big12 as a viable long term option for Texas ...adding the OU rivalry would also make the B1G look more attractive to Texas. Could OU leave OSU behind without some political cover, maybe not?, but it would certainly turn the heat up in Austin.
I could go along easily with UT (and or OU).... But we need to keep the door closed for the domers.... forever....
BZuppke
- Plainfield
I think it is complicated for many reasons. I don't think (maybe wrong) OU has the academics so that may be an issue for us. Unlike Rutgers and Maryland, there's no particular market that we'd want in Oklahoma. Oklahoma and OSU are tied together politically (where would OSU go?). If OSU doesn't have a landing place, I think Oklahoma politics would prevent OU from abandoning them. There's the increasingly nonsensical geography of things (look what an ill fit UWV is). Texas itself may not want to be an "equal partner" anywhere. No question Texas has it all (academics, football tradition, state rich in recruits etc.). I'm not saying any of you are wrong that it can't happen, but I think there are a lot of things that make it unlikely, and probably why it hasn't happened already.
Thank you. I read the same thing.
Generally agree with you that there are a lot of things that stand in the way & could prevent it from happening. But there are also a lot of cracks in the Big 12. I think any team not named Texas would take a B1G offer in a heartbeat barring internal politics , OK & Texas will find a landing spot, everyone else should and is scared. Even Texas/OK have room for some concern of missing the best opportunity when/if the conference crumbles.
OU academics are an issue for sure, but not sure they are that much different than NE and in the right scenario may be overcome, such as coming in with Texas.
IMO, market will become less significant and football reputation more important as cable moves to a la carte...I think Oklahoma is making is north of 30 million in TV money in Big 12, so they are finding enough following and they will draw crowds on the road, so I don't think market is an issue.
I heard rumors that OK came back to the B1G after the B1G said no to OSU/OU package in the last realignment and asked if they could get in without OSU, not sure if that is really true...but there will be politics to save OSU...but if t looks like the choice is OU going down with OSU then the conversation changes.
"Wes Durham told the Louisville Sports Live crew that there is apparently a clause in ESPN’s contract with the ACC that requires ESPN to provide $45 million dollars to the ACC if a network is not established by July 1, 2016 (this works out to an extra $3 million per ACC institution). While this is not SEC or Big Ten money, it is additional revenue. Durham told the Louisville Sports Live crew that he thought a potential ACC Channel would not be the conventional format such that “X channel” is the ACC Channel. Durham stated that he thought it would be a multiple platform channel, which would involve ESPN, Raycom, and some online distribution."
http://allsportsdiscussion.com/2016...at-network-by-july-1-2016-ht-lvillesprtslive/
Joel Goodson
- respect my decision™
If UT decides to join, the BIG will invite OU and they'll accept in a nanosecond. Yeah, their academics aren't up to snuff, but they're not a raging tire fire either. They can be brought up with time (a la Nebraska). Their market isn't much, population wise, but that's totally negated by their football standing. They are a king and their legion of fans are rabid.
The biggest problem w/OU is political. Separating from OSU is not going to be easy. The Cowboys crowd is going to kick, scream and try to stop it. But at the end of the day, I think the politicians will view having 1 school go to a premier conference, while the other is stuck in an also-ran conference is preferable to both schools being stuck in an also-ran conference.
FeelYourPaign
- So Cal
