What that article is missing is any reference that anyone from the Big Ten or SEC is on board with this. Or why the Big Ten or SEC would give up money to move forward with this proposal. Kind of reads like a wish list of what mid-majors and schools afraid to be left behind want.
Conference Realignment
Big Ten won't consider programs without AAU accreditation like FSU and Clemson
The Big Ten won't consider programs without accreditation from the Association of American Universities (AAU) -- such as Clemson or FSU -- according to longtime
flywareagle.com
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
The whole thing carries a gross sheen of TV executive hucksters who don't understand or care about the sport, but I confess being a bit impressed by the elegance of what they're proposing, because it recognizes the three core truths of where we're at:
1. The "conferences" we've arrived at are an untenable abomination, purely and solely the charred battlefield remains of a cynical and senseless war for disappearing cable TV revenue, and no one in any part of the system wants to live in the world this has created.
2. The aforementioned TV war has been the destructive force at the heart of major college football since the CFA failed to get everyone on the same TV deal in the mid-80's, and the only way to stop the chaos and allow the sport to move positively forward is to agree to an armistice and pool everyone's media rights together.
3. Collectively bargaining with a player's union is the only legally viable alternative to anarchy in the relationship between schools and athletes.
The 8th division, a pro/rel "Premier League" of lesser conference schools, is a reasonably cute and clever idea. But 7 units of 10 teams each is a dog whistle to traditionalists that I hear loud and clear: putting the historic conference cores back together.
1. The original Big Ten
2. The original Pac 10
3. The pre-1991 SEC
4. The Big Eight plus Cincinnati and Louisville
5. The circa-90's ACC plus historic member South Carolina
6. The Southwest Conference minus Rice plus the Utah schools
7. The Eastern All-Sports League that never quite happened in the 70's plus Notre Dame
(ND, Penn State, Pitt, West Virginia, Syracuse, Rutgers, Boston College, Virginia Tech, UCF, Miami)
The obvious observation from there: all the playoff and pro/rel stuff from there is totally superfluous! Getting everybody into one TV deal to neutralize the constant war over money and giving everyone the matchups they want to see is the juice here.
They throw two fig leaves in that direction:
1. A lawsuit against the conferences seeking damages for NIL rights from decades past, the suggestion being the conferences as entities could be legally bankrupted
2. The all-in-one TV arrangement they propose indicates that teams won't be paid equally, and that the elite would be able to secure a bigger slice of the pie, the suggestion being that the Texas' and Ohio State's of the world would choose this path over dead husks of conferences they no longer care about, along with support from the dying and left-behind ACC and Big 12 for whom this is a lifeline to remain at the top table.
I find both of those VERY dubious, but that's the plan they're describing.
You are correct that the Big Ten, SEC and the TV networks hold 100% of the power as things stand. But these plotters are correct that those entities are holding that 100% power over a laughable travesty that isn't going to be sustainable for very long.
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Mr. Tibbs
- southeast DuPage
exactly
what isn't sustainable are the current rules with NIL & transfers
the B1G and SEC are not going to voluntarily give up millions of dollars so that NC St or Iowa St are happy
Good luck creating any sort of equilibrium from this mess!
MoCoMdIllini
- Montgomery County, Maryland
The highlighted excerpt mention 70 permanent teams that would never be in danger of relegation.
Can't Wait For Saturday | Report of super league getting everyone talking. That's good, right?
Proposals would alter college structure
Relegation makes no sense in college sports given the potential for roster churn from one year to the next.
MoCoMdIllini
- Montgomery County, Maryland
That's quite true. In the European leagues, aren't transfers from club to club highly regulated?
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
Why do you think it’s likely to change? I honestly doubt it ever will. It’s been about a brand/honoring the traditional name way more than a literally number for decades now.
Depends on whether you're a top level club or not. *coughManchesterCitycough*
College attractiveness ratings per @TJAltimore:
I would expect UIUC to do well in all categories except the most important, football.
I would expect UIUC to do well in all categories except the most important, football.
If California is so 'attractive' why did no one want them? There are some serious flaws in whatever criteria they are using.
Illinicpa14
- Chicago
Lol - and on the same level as Nebraska and Tennessee according to this…
Mr. Tibbs
- southeast DuPage
I think they are getting a huge over ranking is just due to the population of the state of Calif .
TV didn’t want them or Stanford for legit reasons that this index doesn’t show
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
That guy's "sports consulting firm" also released a study on fan base size that seemed really fishy past the obvious top 5-7 or so, and I am sure his undervaluing of Illinois there plays a part in this ranking, too. For example, in that study he had Minnesota and Maryland as having larger followings than Illinois ... and both are ahead of us here.
However, when you look at EVERY available statistic, this would be extremely unlikely. Illinois has a larger state population than both, larger enrollment than both, more living alumni than both, higher average TV ratings than both the last two years, significantly higher athletic revenue and apparel sales than both, higher average attendnace, etc. So yes, I think Illinois is significantly undervalued here.
EDIT: With that said, we NEED to keep the momentum going for football. Last year, we finally averaged 50k per game and our TV ratings were actually pretty good. The ONLY reason we all accept a school like Iowa consistently outdrawing us is because we are used to it ... it shouldn't happen. This year is essential to continue to reengage our fan base (and former fan base!) with Illini football. It's a crucial time.
However, when you look at EVERY available statistic, this would be extremely unlikely. Illinois has a larger state population than both, larger enrollment than both, more living alumni than both, higher average TV ratings than both the last two years, significantly higher athletic revenue and apparel sales than both, higher average attendnace, etc. So yes, I think Illinois is significantly undervalued here.
EDIT: With that said, we NEED to keep the momentum going for football. Last year, we finally averaged 50k per game and our TV ratings were actually pretty good. The ONLY reason we all accept a school like Iowa consistently outdrawing us is because we are used to it ... it shouldn't happen. This year is essential to continue to reengage our fan base (and former fan base!) with Illini football. It's a crucial time.
TentakilRex
- Land O Insects between Quincy-Macomb-Jacksonville
Altimore's work has been basically debunked. Remember right until the collapse of the Pac-12, he was believing that the Four Corners schools of the PAC was staying in that conference and would insult any "12anons" who disagreed with him. He is somehow in between modern day Dave Meltzer and Walter Duranty in quality of work and truthfulness....
TentakilRex
- Land O Insects between Quincy-Macomb-Jacksonville
One thing just popped my head, all of this realignment that involves demoting P5 members to G5 if not full fledged "second class citizens" does have a side effect of turning potential customers (and sometimes from decent sized pools of potential customers like Washington State fans/alums) from a Super League of CFB. I only took one econ class at U of I (and it was a Gotheil class), but it seems risky to reduce the number of potential fans, especially those from large public universities, by eliminating the number of "big time" schools even if some of them are just "enhancement talent."
Just show then the episode of Ted Lasso where Rebecca chastised all the rich jerks for trying to make a super league and pay walling it. One of my favorite scenes in the show.
I'm so glad the laundry I root for is in a stable (for the foreseeable future) conference.
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
We're momentarily rich and empowered. We're no more stable than anybody else. Chaos reigns.
Epsilon
M tipping over
- Pdx
Oh boy. Article showing ESPN as a potential power broker between ACC and SEC teams since they have the media rights to both conferences. Even if the B1G doesn’t want Clemson and FSU, not sure I like ESPN holding the keys here…
huskercorner.com
Nebraska Football, Big Ten could be left out of next realignment dance
Nebraska Football's potential new rivals shift as ESPN is rumored to be the brokers of the next round of major conference moves.
huskercorner.com
Disney destroys everything. If their track record in recent years of taking established entities is any indication, college football will become unrecognizable and actually lose money.Oh boy. Article showing ESPN as a potential power broker between ACC and SEC teams since they have the media rights to both conferences. Even if the B1G doesn’t want Clemson and FSU, not sure I like ESPN holding the keys here…
Nebraska Football, Big Ten could be left out of next realignment dance
Nebraska Football's potential new rivals shift as ESPN is rumored to be the brokers of the next round of major conference moves.
Ironic that Mickey Mouse has been, and if article is true will continue to especially be, a cause of all this Mickey Mouse conference affiliation. Affiliation that includes two schools on the Pacific Ocean playing in a conference named after the Atlantic.