Conference Realignment

[g0lftime]

I know this may come across as blasphemous among Tech fans, but sometimes, if not often, I get mad at Bobby Dodd.

I do remember some boo's (not by me) directed at Dodd in the mid 60's when he would punt on 3rd down.

 

[Vespidae]

I do remember some boo's (not by me) directed at Dodd in the mid 60's when he would punt on 3rd down.

Dodd was from the Old School of football, which played for field position.

"Punting prior to fourth down used to be a common tactic in American football in the days of the single wing and scoreless ties. Rather than risk a game-changing turnover, a team pinned deep in its own territory or facing an unlikely-to-be-converted down and distance would often punt early in a series. If the defense wasn’t expecting a punt, a quick kick over the defense would have plenty of room to bounce and roll, flipping field position."

The tactic become obsolete under modern alignments, but Dodd used to try it now and again.

 

[forensicbuzz]

It’s not a question of Atlanta. It’s a question of Nielsen-rated viewership. Tech, because of the way they have scheduled, is invisible.

This doesn't make sense to me. What about the way they have scheduled? Always one of the toughest schedules in the nation. Tech games need to be on ABC/ESPN/ESPN2 nor ACCN or ACCNX. That comes with being a better team, which we are becoming. I disagree about it not being a question of Atlanta. For the B1G it is ABSOLUTELY about Atlanta; for the SEC, it's about "Nielsen-rated" viewership, which means no ACCN/ACCNX games.

 

[Vespidae]

This doesn't make sense to me. What about the way they have scheduled? Always one of the toughest schedules in the nation. Tech games need to be on ABC/ESPN/ESPN2 nor ACCN or ACCNX. That comes with being a better team, which we are becoming. I disagree about it not being a question of Atlanta. For the B1G it is ABSOLUTELY about Atlanta; for the SEC, it's about "Nielsen-rated" viewership, which means no ACCN/ACCNX games.

Tech doesn’t play enough opponents with big fan bases to merit that. You can download the data and see for yourself. Thats why they aren’t on the major networks. When I go to the office, I can calculate it.

TCU had a great run. Same thing. Fanbase size matters.

Re Atlanta and the B1G, they have far more opportunities in the West Coast than trying to duke it out with the SEC.

 

[slugboy]

This doesn't make sense to me. What about the way they have scheduled? Always one of the toughest schedules in the nation. Tech games need to be on ABC/ESPN/ESPN2 nor ACCN or ACCNX. That comes with being a better team, which we are becoming. I disagree about it not being a question of Atlanta. For the B1G it is ABSOLUTELY about Atlanta; for the SEC, it's about "Nielsen-rated" viewership, which means no ACCN/ACCNX games.

We turned off a lot of our own fans, and haven’t added a lot of new ones yet.

We played ugly football for several years in a row. Key barely got us playoff eligible last season. Last year was our first winning season since 2018 (7-6). We eked into a watchable team last season after not being one for years.

In 2015, we were an attractive prospect, but we’ve turned ugly for most of a decade. We have some obstacles, but we also need to overcome our recent pattern of self destruction.

I’m not saying that’s enough, but wrecking both your men’s football and basketball teams for years in a row isn’t a resume builder.

 

[forensicbuzz]

Tech doesn’t play enough opponents with big fan bases to merit that. You can download the data and see for yourself. Thats why they aren’t on the major networks. When I go to the office, I can calculate it.

TCU had a great run. Same thing. Fanbase size matters.

Re Atlanta and the B1G, they have far more opportunities in the West Coast than trying to duke it out with the SEC.

If Tech wins, they will play on the major networks. GT is a known product nationally. We have had enough success (not great success, but moderate success) over the past 30 years to keep us in people's minds so that if we started winning again, we would warrant more primetime and national broadcasts (UNC, Miami, ND, uga, Colorado, VT, NC State, FSU, Louisville). I think all of those games in parenthesis could be Nielsen-rated games, regardless of fanbase size.

Re: Atlanta and the B1G, they don't have to try to duke it out with the SEC. They automatically get a revenue boost from being in the market; that is not an insignificant number.

 

[forensicbuzz]

We turned off a lot of our own fans, and haven’t added a lot of new ones yet.

We played ugly football for several years in a row. Key barely got us playoff eligible last season. Last year was our first winning season since 2018 (7-6). We eked into a watchable team last season after not being one for years.

In 2015, we were an attractive prospect, but we’ve turned ugly for most of a decade. We have some obstacles, but we also need to overcome our recent pattern of self destruction.

I’m not saying that’s enough, but wrecking both your men’s football and basketball teams for years in a row isn’t a resume builder.

See my response to @Vespidae. Did you totally skip over the sentence where I said "That comes with being a better team, which we are becoming?" If we continue on our trajectory, we will play more games on major networks, which will improve our Nielsen rating. This isn't a chicken and egg thing: If we build it, they will come.

 

[Vespidae]

If Tech wins, they will play on the major networks.

No. They won’t.

Any time Tech plays on a Nielsen network, the viewership is diluted. Any team that dilutes is basically reducing the value of the media rights.

Teams with low viewership are being relegated to non Nielsen networks for that very reason.

This isn‘t 1990 anymore. Everything is being reshaped by media demand and content programming.

Again … the goal is to create the best matchups that create the highest Nielsen viewerships. That is what drives media rights.

 

[Techster]

Look at the map below. How does FSU fit into this mess? It would be a total outlier. As to the SEC, my sources say FSU has zero chance. They are roundly despised.

View attachment 16381

Where did it make geographic sense to add UCLA or USC before they added Oregon and Washington?

The B1G's plan has been pretty evident for a while, and I remember bringing it up years ago and got a LOT of pushback from posters just like you. Here we are today, and outside of the Southeast and Southwest, the B1G's plan is slowly coming to fruition. FSU would just be part of a bloc of schools in the Southeast much as USC and UCLA were part of a bloc of schools on the West Coast.

If you want to take it further, you can predict which schools the B1G wants from the Southeast by their attempt at penetrating the Southeast: UNC, UVA, GT. Add FSU and possibly Miami to the latest expansion round, and there is your bloc of schools that fit the B1G profile.

 

[forensicbuzz]

No. They won’t.

Any time Tech plays on a Nielsen network, the viewership is diluted. Any team that dilutes is basically reducing the value of the media rights.

Teams with low viewership are being relegated to non Nielsen networks for that very reason.

This isn‘t 1990 anymore. Everything is being reshaped by media demand and content programming.

Again … the goal is to create the best matchups that create the highest Nielsen viewerships. That is what drives media rights.

This just isn't true. Tech is not diluting viewership. The numbers I've seen presented don't support that conclusion.

 

[Vespidae]

This just isn't true. Tech is not diluting viewership. The numbers I've seen presented don't support that conclusion.

They 100% support that.

 

[forensicbuzz]

No. They won’t.

Any time Tech plays on a Nielsen network, the viewership is diluted. Any team that dilutes is basically reducing the value of the media rights.

Teams with low viewership are being relegated to non Nielsen networks for that very reason.

This isn‘t 1990 anymore. Everything is being reshaped by media demand and content programming.

Again … the goal is to create the best matchups that create the highest Nielsen viewerships. That is what drives media rights.

That is true for the SEC, but not for the B1G.

 

[orientalnc]

No. They won’t.

Any time Tech plays on a Nielsen network, the viewership is diluted. Any team that dilutes is basically reducing the value of the media rights.

Teams with low viewership are being relegated to non Nielsen networks for that very reason.

This isn‘t 1990 anymore. Everything is being reshaped by media demand and content programming.

Again … the goal is to create the best matchups that create the highest Nielsen viewerships. That is what drives media rights.

The primary issue is the number of our games played on non-rated networks. ACCN, ESPN3 and ESPN+ are not rated. When we are on ABC, ESPN, or ESPN2 we get rated. But, our games are NEVER the featured games. So we are on at noon or we're playing uga or ND. We begin 2024 playing FSU on ESPN (at noon) and then three straight games on ACCN or ACCN Extra. All unrated. In many respects our average rating maybe higher than our actual viewership is in reality. The only games we have on rated networks are games against high rated teams (FSU, ND, and uga).

If we can hang on against FSU and hold serve with the next three, maybe the UL game will be more interesting to ESPN programming folks.

 

[Vespidae]

The primary issue is the number of our games played on non-rated networks. ACCN, ESPN3 and ESPN+ are not rated. When we are on ABC, ESPN, or ESPN2 we get rated. But, our games are NEVER the featured games. So we are on at noon or we're playing uga or ND. We begin 2024 playing FSU on ESPN (at noon) and then three straight games on ACCN or ACCN Extra. All unrated. In many respects our average rating maybe higher than our actual viewership is in reality. The only games we have on rated networks are games against high rated teams (FSU, ND, and uga).

If we can hang on against FSU and hold serve with the next three, maybe the UL game will be more interesting to ESPN programming folks.

I agree with you. The problem is viewership. And that’s why we don’t often get featured. Vandy has the same problem.

A 4-4 LSU team vs a 6-3 TAMU team will always out pull an 8-0 Vandy or Tech team. Market size and enthusiasm matters.

 

[apatriot1776]

How the NCAA's proposal to let the Power Four form its own governing body would change all of college sports

The NCAA is aggressively pursuing a new governance structure that would essentially split the FBS into two subdivisions

www.cbssports.com

If the ACC is part of the new governing body I'd feel a lot more safe about our future. It's more difficult to demote one of 4 power conferences than promote one into a system with 2 power conferences. Looking like it's practically a split into FCS, FBS, and FPS (football playoff subdivision)

 

[roadkill]

I agree with you. The problem is viewership. And that’s why we don’t often get featured. Vandy has the same problem.

A 4-4 LSU team vs a 6-3 TAMU team will always out pull an 8-0 Vandy or Tech team. Market size and enthusiasm matters.

TFG deserves credit for trying to rebrand GT as "Atlanta's team", which makes sense if you're trying to grow the fanbase and market size. One little problem was that people want to be associated with a winner, and we didn't deliver. Now we have to overcome several years of "ugly football" as @slugboy stated.

I still believe that we can garner some decent incremental fanbase growth if we continue to promote the team locally while sustaining 7 to 10 wins a season and frequently getting ranked. We need to be viewed as at least a competitor to some of the more elite teams, even if not elite ourselves. The only time we've been able to do that consistently (more than 2 years in a row) since the Dodd teams of the 50's was with the O'Leary run. Hopefully Key is the right coach for this.

 

[JoJaTeck]

The only time we've been able to do that consistently (more than 2 years in a row) since the Dodd teams of the 50's was with the O'Leary run. Hopefully Key is the right coach for this.

At least Key was there to see how O'Leary did it - Just need to duplicate that plan going forward..

 

[Vespidae]

At least Key was there to see how O'Leary did it - Just need to duplicate that plan going forward..

He can’t. But he doesn’t need to.

GOL had a reputation for the most requests to the Hill for special admits (no qualifying admissions). I don’t see Key doing that.

Personally, I think he’s a great choice and will figure it out.

 

[roadkill]

How the NCAA's proposal to let the Power Four form its own governing body would change all of college sports

The NCAA is aggressively pursuing a new governance structure that would essentially split the FBS into two subdivisions

www.cbssports.com

If the ACC is part of the new governing body I'd feel a lot more safe about our future. It's more difficult to demote one of 4 power conferences than promote one into a system with 2 power conferences. Looking like it's practically a split into FCS, FBS, and FPS (football playoff subdivision)

I can see the breakout of the separate governance for Power 4 football happening within the next couple of years. The ACC just needs to hold it together for that long in order to secure a seat at the table. FSU and Clemson aren't helping, though. Regardless, I believe the ACC will remain a viable conference for at least a few more years. At some point, for the highest tier of football with a separate governance organization, conferences won't matter as much.

 

[roadkill]

He can’t. But he doesn’t need to.

GOL had a reputation for the most requests to the Hill for special admits (no qualifying admissions). I don’t see Key doing that.

Personally, I think he’s a great choice and will figure it out.

I don't see Key as one who would request a ton of special admits either, but should he go that route, at least his administration appears to have his back for a change. He's made it very clear that he wants to do whatever it takes to beat the team to the east.