Conference Realignment

[CEB]

PAC-12 loses autonomy status

According to this article, the PAC-12 lost its autonomy status. After a little digging, I learned that autonomy status is an official NCAA term that dates to 2014. They get to make some of their own rules around things like 4-year scholarships, etc.

Was this due to falling below the threshold for membership? I couldn’t read the article.

 

[g0lftime]

8 makes way too much sense… if they’d do it the right way.

Cats out of the bag with 12. I just can't see them reducing it to 8 even though that makes the most sense to me.

 

[forensicbuzz]

Was this due to falling below the threshold for membership? I couldn’t read the article.

I think it had to do with the schools that were in the conference. They lost their Top12 revenue teams from the conference.

 

[UgaBlows]

Math??? 2-4-8-16-32. You have to get to one of those numbers in a single elimination tournament.

This is why I went to West GA instead of Tech… just go with 32 then i reckon

 

[CEB]

I think it had to do with the schools that were in the conference. They lost their Top12 revenue teams from the conference.

I was under the impression that there was a minimum number of schools required to have a conference. There is a grace period (2-3 years?) to remedy if you fall below. I assume that’s what’s happening here but there could certainly be more to it.

 

[awbuzz]

They had a bye. That was an advantage. Winning a Conference Championship should matter more than 12 people sitting in a room deciding who is better.

Agree, winning your conference gets the "bonus" of a bye in first round or a higher seeding. Kind of like what the NFL does where? If you win your division, you get home field advantage against any team that was a wild card team, regardless of their won loss record.

 

[stinger78]

All of you wanting 8 teams in the playoffs are really secretly rooting for an SEC and Big Ten playoff. There is no way they are cutting back and including conference champions.

The best four teams should have the byes. The bracket should have been:
1 - Oregon vs 8/9 - Indiana vs Boise
4 - Penn State vs 5/12 - ND vs Clemson
3 - Texas vs 6/11 - Ohio St vs Arizona St
2 - Georgia vs 7/10 - Tennessee vs SMU

Oregon should not be penalized because Boise and Arizona State won a conference and get a bye. The conference champion should get you in the tournament. That's how basketball does it and it works just fine. You don't see the 1 and 2 lines seeded with different conference champions and it works just fine.

The other alternative is to reseed after the first round. Then we would have:
Oregon vs Arizona St
Georgia vs Boise St
Texas vs Ohio St
Penn St vs Notre Dame

This current nonsense allowed Penn State to have an easier bracket than undefeated #1 Oregon, who beat them in the Big Ten championship.

Nope. If they do it right, it’s the top 2 teams in each P4 conference. The CCG is the first round. Even Steven.

 

[GoJacketsInRaleigh]

Nope. If they do it right, it’s the top 2 teams in each P4 conference. The CCG is the first round. Even Steven.

You know it's never happening so honestly no point in discussing it. First of all, the SEC and Big Ten would never agree to it. Second, we already have 12 teams they are going to reduce the field and reduce the money.

 

[g0lftime]

So first round was played in home stadiums. Who got the money from the ticket sales and concessions? Next round at neutral sites. Who gets the gate money?

 

[Root4GT]

So first round was played in home stadiums. Who got the money from the ticket sales and concessions? Next round at neutral sites. Who gets the gate money?

Found on the Internet!

"While the higher-seeded teams in Friday’s and Saturday’s games have a home field advantage over their road opponents, they won’t cash in as much as they normally do, and visiting teams won’t be quite as unwelcome.

That’s because the CFP is organizing the games, creating some unique circumstances:

• Ticket sales revenue goes to the CFP. Schools keep parking and concessions sales.
• Opposing schools are allotted 3,500 tickets (including seats for band members), far fewer than the typical 50-50 split during conference championship and bowl games.
• Away teams have the option for a hype video during introductions.
• Home team staff will operate the P.A. system and music, but there are no sponsored elements, per CFP rules."

 

[roadkill]

Was this due to falling below the threshold for membership? I couldn’t read the article.

The article doesn't explain why, just that it was the NCAA BoD's determination. The inference is that it was related to the membership number falling below the threshold to be recognized as a conference. They allow for a two-year "grace period" for a conference that falls below this threshold to add members again, so the P12 is still technically a conference in the eyes of the NCAA.

 

[stinger78]

You know it's never happening so honestly no point in discussing it. First of all, the SEC and Big Ten would never agree to it. Second, we already have 12 teams they are going to reduce the field and reduce the money.

Money rules, common sense drools.

 

[SOWEGA Jacket]

Money rules, common sense drools.

This is one place where money and common sense are finally coming together. College football has been a rigged sport where the bowls prioritized big schools over more deserving teams. So, I will be happy when the corrupt NCAA is out of the business and the the last bowl game is played. An expanded playoff brought to us by people wanting money is fine by me. At least my team will have a chance instead of getting passed over in a beauty competition where the judge is paid for. I can’t wait for a 24 or 32 team playoff and we have meaningful football all December.

 

[stinger 1957]

I was watching a podcast discussion between Billy Bush and Tucker Carlson about network TV and it was discussed and they both seem to be in agreement that the networks were now in survival mode. Cutting contracts, salaries and other cost and that they each were trying to be the last to survive, and their thoughts were that it's just a matter of time until they're out of business. That is not me saying it, two longtime pros from the industry. This is saying to me that CFB TV as we know it will not be around in the not too distant future.

That leads me to the question of how do folks watch CFB from their living room after this happens? I'm assuming there will still be a demand for people wanting to watch CFB on a screen. What entity would step up and put on the production, how does the entity get it's revenue? Ads, viewer fees, both?

Does it effect conference realignment. Larger conferences would seem logical to me, but I'm not very knowledgeable about media stuff.

I hope this discussion has not been previously done on here because I was not going through 540+ pages to see, if so just ignore and sorry.

 

[Oldgoldandwhite]

I was watching a podcast discussion between Billy Bush and Tucker Carlson about network TV and it was discussed and they both seem to be in agreement that the networks were now in survival mode. Cutting contracts, salaries and other cost and that they each were trying to be the last to survive, and their thoughts were that it's just a matter of time until they're out of business. That is not me saying it, two longtime pros from the industry. This is saying to me that CFB TV as we know it will not be around in the not too distant future.

That leads me to the question of how do folks watch CFB from their living room after this happens? I'm assuming there will still be a demand for people wanting to watch CFB on a screen. What entity would step up and put on the production, how does the entity get it's revenue? Ads, viewer fees, both?

Does it effect conference realignment. Larger conferences would seem logical to me, but I'm not very knowledgeable about media stuff.

I hope this discussion has not been previously done on here because I was not going through 540+ pages to see, if so just ignore and sorry.

I think TV money will dry up to some extent in the future. Probably the first thing to go will be the talking heads. MSM, Sports shows, and other non essential folks. I hate being told what to think.

 

[orientalnc]

There has already been a good bit of unbundling in television, but it's important to remember that live sports is the most important content for television. In 2023, live sports accounted for 96 of the 100 most-watched shows on US television and I am pretty sure 2024 was no different. Will that be over the air (ABC, NBC, etc.) or streaming? Does ABC really care how I receive their content? If they can continue selling ad time to support their over the air programming, they will thrive. I believe there is a good argument that networks (ABC, NBC, etc.) could disappear if all sports goes to subscription streaming. But, I don't see that happening soon.

Just look at the fallout at the Washington Post. As their content creators are leaving the Post, subscribers are canceling subscriptions. The same will happen with TV. If the networks no longer have sports, people will quit watching and the advertisers will migrate to the subscription services. You have to have desirable content.

 

[stinger 1957]

I think TV money will dry up to some extent in the future. Probably the first thing to go will be the talking heads. MSM, Sports shows, and other non essential folks. I hate being told what to think.

If I heard Tucker right he says the net works are going busted and the game now is to try and be the last to survive.
He did not say this but I say maybe 1 or 2 survive for sports, that is the question I'm wondering and if not surely there will be some entity that will step up.
I have to believe there would still be a market of TV viewers out there for CFB and maybe some other college sports also. Personally I have thought for a while now that network TV was in bigtime trouble and maybe headed for the ashcan. I also think higher education is in big trouble and downsizing is coming. I believe we are headed for a very different world than what we have seen all our lives and people's interest are going to change. If I'm right then it could effect the interest in sports. All IMO of course.

The other question I have is how does this effect conference realignment? Looks to me like consolidation and downsizing means one big conference and they will need to do it in the next few years. I'm guessing the participants will for the most part (not totally) need to be in metro areas.

 

[iceeater1969]

If I heard Tucker right he says the net works are going busted and the game now is to try and be the last to survive.
He did not say this but I say maybe 1 or 2 survive for sports, that is the question I'm wondering and if not surely there will be some entity that will step up.
I have to believe there would still be a market of TV viewers out there for CFB and maybe some other college sports also. Personally I have thought for a while now that network TV was in bigtime trouble and maybe headed for the ashcan. I also think higher education is in big trouble and downsizing is coming. I believe we are headed for a very different world than what we have seen all our lives and people's interest are going to change. If I'm right then it could effect the interest in sports. All IMO of course.

The other question I have is how does this effect conference realignment? Looks to me like consolidation and downsizing means one big conference and they will need to do it in the next few years. I'm guessing the participants will for the most part (not totally) need to be in metro areas.

The believers in enforcability of bad super long term contracts are getting thier lawyer hats on and coming to say trust the justice system.

 

[stinger 1957]

The believers in enforcability of bad super long term contracts are getting thier lawyer hats on and coming to say trust the justice system.

They may need to get there sooner than later, may not be any money left if later.

 

[orientalnc]

They may need to get there sooner than later, may not be any money left if later.

Lawyers always get their cut.