Conference Realignment

[GoJacketsInRaleigh]

I would guess there will be divisions within the conferences where everyone plays each other.

I think we should merge into one 64 team conference with 8 team divisions. It will look like 1990 again!

 

[wesgt123]

I agree miss the old days , the way things are going I really don't think in a couple of years I will give a rat's backend about college football.
Guess we shouldn't have pissed off the SEC and said No to the Big 10 a few years ago. To be a school the has so many smart people we really do some dumb Sh*t.

Hey at least we have athletes with good grades tho right ?

 

[RamblinRed]

Thoughts on who else B10 might be interested in. I do think the qualifications of what they expect the B10 to look for in any expansion programs feel right.

Big Ten Expansion Top 5 Candidates: Possible Schools To Join USC and UCLA

Top 5 schools the Big Ten might go after now that it grabbed USC and UCLA?

sports.yahoo.com

 

[4shotB]

It’s bad when you’re one of the last kids on the playground picked for kickball but it may be worse when all the big kids go to another playground and leave the little kids behind. It seems like the latter is happening now.

That’s a good list you put together.

The way GT was/is managing this process over the years is very similar to the way I went about getting prom dates for the most part. Look, Tech, take it from me....this is not the most effective process. You end up with a killer purple tuxedo for $35 from the Men's Wearhouse (his guarantee is wrong fwiw) and "a cocktail waitress with a Dolly Parton wig" or equivalent.

 

[RamblinRed]

FWIW, there will be others on this board that feel differently, but a conference that was something like GT, Duke, UNC, UVA, Wake, Stanford, Cal, Vandy (if SEC dropped them) and especially if you could convince ND to join would be a fun conference for me. Maybe one of BC or Pitt. That would be a pretty easy conference for me to watch and enjoy. 9 or 10 teams - enough that you could play round robin.

 

[RamblinRed]

The biggest thing to remember is that even if alot of schools reach out to the B10 and the SEC, neither conference is likely to be interested in most of the schools that reach out. They can be very picky and chose just who they want.

They are only going to be interested in schools that they see as fitting and most important are additive in terms of money.
Most schools that reach out are going to come up short in one or both of those categories.

 

[brian22]

The SEC and Big 10 are closing in premier programs and TV markets. Outside of Notre Dame, the ACC has no premier program to poach; no where else to really go. The ACC is dying and anyone who thinks other programs are going to stand pat is kidding themselves.

Two places to go: SEC or Big 10. We offer very little to the SEC. As stated numerous times, they have what they need from the Georgia market.

It’s time to apply for the Big 10. This is no longer about rivalries or conferences or affiliation. This is all about money. Period. End of story. Tech fits in VERY well with the Big 10 and the Big 10 should covet Atlanta’s TV market. If we aren’t maneuvering this morning, we have the wrong leadership in place. Pack your bags, kids. The car should be warming up in the driveway.

 

[slugboy]

It’s been mentioned by others, but there are no “local TV markets” any more. Streaming and national services like ESPN matter much more.
The “Atlanta market” is not a factor. It was 20 years ago.
Eyeballs matter, but the fact a team is located anywhere doesn’t.

 

[WreckinGT]

It’s been mentioned by others, but there are no “local TV markets” any more. Streaming and national services like ESPN matter much more.
The “Atlanta market” is not a factor. It was 20 years ago.
Eyeballs matter, but the fact a team is located anywhere doesn’t.

I'm not sure I agree. That still feels like long term thinking we havent gotten to yet. The Big 10 is negotiating a 1 billion dollar plus a year package right now, primarily with Fox. I don't think that streaming is a major player in that deal.

 

[orientalnc]

To take an opposite side of the argument for a moment, lets assume the GOR is really solid and teams cannot take their TV revenue, whatever the source, with them if they leave. The conference today looks pretty good. It would be nice if ND joined as a full member, but there are lots of schools that would join as full members if the ACC remains intact. WVU and UCF would leap at a chance to join.

 

[yellajacket20]

It’s been mentioned by others, but there are no “local TV markets” any more. Streaming and national services like ESPN matter much more.
The “Atlanta market” is not a factor. It was 20 years ago.
Eyeballs matter, but the fact a team is located anywhere doesn’t.

I agree. The difference is that the games have to be played somewhere. Having Penn State, Ohio State, USC, Michigan in Atlanta to play against us would count for something. Not only does it give those fanbases a chance to watch, it gives any football fan within several hours of Atlanta a chance to get interested in BIG football, which would lead to more streaming dollars.

 

[brian22]

It’s been mentioned by others, but there are no “local TV markets” any more. Streaming and national services like ESPN matter much more.
The “Atlanta market” is not a factor. It was 20 years ago.
Eyeballs matter, but the fact a team is located anywhere doesn’t.

As long as there are blackouts in tv contracts, there are local markets.

 

[MWBATL]

I think that the money is getting so large that the GOR will not really stop the dissolution of the ACC within a very few years

 

[GT_05]

I think that the money is getting so large that the GOR will not really stop the dissolution of the ACC within a very few years

This article makes me think you’re right and it helped me understand GoR a little better.

Clemson football: Why ACC Grant of Rights might not mean as much as we think

The Clemson football program would have a major hurdle to overcome if it were to ever want to leave the ACC: The conference's Grant of Rights agreement.

rubbingtherock.com

 

[slugboy]

Here's a nice historical perspective.

I think that the money is getting so large that the GOR will not really stop the dissolution of the ACC within a very few years

But the rights are where the money comes from. That's like saying "the TV money is getting so big that the fact that we gave all the power and legal rights over our TV money to the ACC will start to matter less".

Yes, maybe the ACC falls apart, but it's not gonna be easy. And there's no easy out for us. Even for a Clemson or an FSU.

 

[bobongo]

To take an opposite side of the argument for a moment, lets assume the GOR is really solid and teams cannot take their TV revenue, whatever the source, with them if they leave. The conference today looks pretty good. It would be nice if ND joined as a full member, but there are lots of schools that would join as full members if the ACC remains intact. WVU and UCF would leap at a chance to join.

Nobody's going anywhere for a while, and that may very well turn out to be a good thing for us.
Gives us a safe harbor for a time during which we can hopefully get our house in order and increase our value as 2036 approaches.

 

[bobongo]

This article makes me think you’re right and it helped me understand GoR a little better.

Clemson football: Why ACC Grant of Rights might not mean as much as we think

The Clemson football program would have a major hurdle to overcome if it were to ever want to leave the ACC: The conference's Grant of Rights agreement.

rubbingtherock.com

As time goes on the GOR will be less and less of a tether, but we're still 14 years away from 2036. Check back in ~10 years, give or take.

 

[GT_05]

As time goes on the GOR will be less and less of a tether, but we're still 14 years away from 2036. Check back in 10 years.

I find it very difficult to believe that the ACC will look like it does now in 2036. I’m really wondering if it will even exist.

 

[slugboy]

This article makes me think you’re right and it helped me understand GoR a little better.

Clemson football: Why ACC Grant of Rights might not mean as much as we think

The Clemson football program would have a major hurdle to overcome if it were to ever want to leave the ACC: The conference's Grant of Rights agreement.

rubbingtherock.com

1. That's really just a college student throwing ideas around
2. There's a massive hole in his argument

If Clemson and Florida State both elected to leave the ACC, complete turmoil would break out within the conference. Because of the loss of two schools, ESPN would have every right to renegotiate its contractual agreement with the ACC and could, in some respects, leave the conference for dead.

The one thing we have to remember in these hypothetical renegotiations is that ESPN would hold all the cards and the ACC would have almost nothing. The conference has nearly no negotiating power when its two biggest brands are gone.

The problem with the GOR is that if FSU and Miami and Clemson "leave", they don't really leave. Their rights stay with the conference. All their home TV appearances stay with the conference. The ACC still holds all the rights. They have the cards. ESPN has the money; that's their cards. Clemson has nothing; no cards for FSU or Miami or UNC.

That's a "tell me you don't understand without just saying 'I don't understand'" article.

Bowl games would suffer. The ACC would take a post-season hit. But regular season would have the same media rights.

The way out is for a lawyer to break the contract. You've got to unravel it or get all parties to let it go.

 

[bobongo]

I find it very difficult to believe that the ACC will look like it does now in 2036. I’m really wondering if it will even exist.

I doubt it will last until 2036, but the GOR extending until then means it won't implode before 2030 at the earliest. Even in 2030 there's still 6 more years of GOR left.