Conference Realignment

[bobongo]

The problem with the GOR is that if FSU and Miami and Clemson "leave", they don't really leave.

Oh, they can leave - as long as they don't mind leaving their money behind for the next fourteen years.

 

[ChicagobasedJacket]

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.

Sadly you are right. It was 10 years ago when we said no to B1G.

 

[bikeseat]

If Todd Stansbury is doing anything today other than spamming the cell phone if the B10 commish he deserves to be fired.

This idea of an academic conference is silly to me. Who is going to watch Stanford line up against Duke. Nobody.

 

[GT_05]

If Todd Stansbury is doing anything today other than spamming the cell phone if the B10 commish he deserves to be fired.

This idea of an academic conference is silly to me. Who is going to watch Stanford line up against Duke. Nobody.

The “nerd conference” was intended to be a joke. What isn’t a joke is that a lot of teams on that list stand to become irrelevant if they don’t get picked up by a relevant conference. While the ACC appears to be sitting on their hands right now, the B1G and SEC are taking control of the future of college football.

 

[bobongo]

The “nerd conference” was intended to be a joke. What isn’t a joke is that a lot of teams on that list stand to become irrelevant if they don’t get picked up by a relevant conference. While the ACC appears to be sitting on their hands right now, the B1G and SEC are taking control of the future of college football.

But how to get around the "suicide pact", as slugboy so eloquently put it?

We should be thanking our lucky stars for it. Without the GOR agreement, we'd end up in the All-American Conference or something real fast. With it, we're safe for the next decade or so. Still P-5.

 

[GT_05]

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

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.

So let’s say the SEC wants Clemson and FSU in the SEC. I feel they probably have the money to give the ACC whatever they would lose on GoR, if they really want these teams. Now, the article was saying that without Clemson and FSU, the value of the ACC would go down and ESPN would probably be able to renegotiate their contracts, which would cost the ACC money. Anyway, probably not going to happen but it seems like the Wild West right now and crazy money is being thrown around.

 

[bobongo]

So let’s say the SEC wants Clemson and FSU in the SEC. I feel they probably have the money to give the ACC whatever they would lose on GoR, if they really want these teams. Now, the article was saying that without Clemson and FSU, the value of the ACC would go down and ESPN would probably be able to renegotiate their contracts, which would cost the ACC money. Anyway, probably not going to happen but it seems like the Wild West right now and crazy money is being thrown around.

How could they renegotiate the contract, since the contract would still include Clemson and FSU?

 

[GTBandit22]

The way I understand it, we are stuck with what we have, even adding ND is off the table.
If they expand, that would cause a renegotiation of the GOR, allowing teams to slip out.

I think the ACC is hoping the SEC and B1G fill up on other conferences, then they would be free to add teams and end up as the third super conference with the big12/pac cannibalizing the other leftovers, leaving 4 “super” conferences, and the loser of those two being defunct.

 

[UgaBlows]

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.

Nationwide streaming of sports as the only option for viewing is still a long way off, it will be a factor now of course and eventually take over but it’s time Is still in the future

 

[4shotB]

How could they renegotiate the contract, since the contract would still include Clemson and FSU?

Nowadays, for adults, the word contract seems to be as binding as the word commitment is to an 18 year old boy

 

[GT_05]

How could they renegotiate the contract, since the contract would still include Clemson and FSU?

I’m not an attorney and haven’t read the contract. Regardless, I go back to my original point that I do not believe the ACC will look like it does now in 2036…or even 2030. The ACC, right now, looks like a sinking ship because they appear to be doing nothing while the B1G and SEC take control. No team with a valuable brand is going to go down with a sinking ship. I guess we will have to wait and see.

 

[slugboy]

So let’s say the SEC wants Clemson and FSU in the SEC. I feel they probably have the money to give the ACC whatever they would lose on GoR, if they really want these teams. Now, the article was saying that without Clemson and FSU, the value of the ACC would go down and ESPN would probably be able to renegotiate their contracts, which would cost the ACC money. Anyway, probably not going to happen but it seems like the Wild West right now and crazy money is being thrown around.

But the $$$$ to the ACC doesn’t go down. Either they broadcast Alabama at Clemson as ACC’s game of the week or the SEC pays the ACC more than it would get for the game.
If Clemson goes to the SEC and gets more valuable matchups because of it, the ACC media rights are worth MORE, not less.

If this is about TV, no transferring ACC team brings any TV revenue to another conference. If FSU’s media rights are worth $10 million a year and the SEC would send the ACC $12 million a year to own the rights and broadcast the games, I think the ACC would take that deal. The SEC would lose out on that bargain, though.

 

[slugboy]

The way I understand it, we are stuck with what we have, even adding ND is off the table.
If they expand, that would cause a renegotiation of the GOR, allowing teams to slip out.

I think the ACC is hoping the SEC and B1G fill up on other conferences, then they would be free to add teams and end up as the third super conference with the big12/pac cannibalizing the other leftovers, leaving 4 “super” conferences, and the loser of those two being defunct.

The TV money from ESPN could get renegotiated. That’s part of the ESPN deal.

The GOR to the ACC is part of conference membership. That’s not changing. That’s a different contract. That’s part of the “we won’t lose a team like Maryland to another conference again” changes to ACC membership

Lawyers at rich member schools are going to be looking for a loophole. Maybe they find one. There were good lawyers making sure membership was iron clad post-Maryland, though.

 

[wesgt123]

If Todd Stansbury is doing anything today other than spamming the cell phone if the B10 commish he deserves to be fired.

This idea of an academic conference is silly to me. Who is going to watch Stanford line up against Duke. Nobody.

Unfortunately academics are some peoples’ crutch, lifeline, hill to die on. Whatever you wanna call it.

I agree though. “Academic conference” has to be the neediest Tech thing I’ve heard of lol

 

[orientalnc]

Unfortunately academics are some peoples’ crutch, lifeline, hill to die on. Whatever you wanna call it.

I agree though. “Academic conference” has to be the neediest Tech thing I’ve heard of lol

I think it's easy to forget why Ga Tech exists. It isn't for football.

 

[forensicbuzz]

But the $$$$ to the ACC doesn’t go down. Either they broadcast Alabama at Clemson as ACC’s game of the week or the SEC pays the ACC more than it would get for the game.
If Clemson goes to the SEC and gets more valuable matchups because of it, the ACC media rights are worth MORE, not less.

If this is about TV, no transferring ACC team brings any TV revenue to another conference. If FSU’s media rights are worth $10 million a year and the SEC would send the ACC $12 million a year to own the rights and broadcast the games, I think the ACC would take that deal. The SEC would lose out on that bargain, though.

So Clemson plays Alabama on a neutral site and the SEC pays Clemson more for the right to that game. Or Clemson plays all away games and certain away games, Clemson gets the gate. There are ways around the GoR. It just needs to be done long enough to break the back of the ACC. It's what Walmart does to small businesses every day. Take away their revenue stream and they collapse. If 4 to 5 teams did this and ESPN put pressure to renegotiate the contract without these teams, the ACC would collapse.

 

[orientalnc]

So Clemson plays Alabama on a neutral site and the SEC pays Clemson more for the right to that game. Or Clemson plays all away games and certain away games, Clemson gets the gate. There are ways around the GoR. It just needs to be done long enough to break the back of the ACC. It's what Walmart does to small businesses every day. Take away their revenue stream and they collapse. If 4 to 5 teams did this and ESPN put pressure to renegotiate the contract without these teams, the ACC would collapse.

This is not how it works. Excluding bowl games, the entire SEC/ESPN contract is divided equally among the member schools. If Clemson jumps to the SEC, the ACC would get the $54 million share that was Clemson's part of the distribution. It would not matter who was the home team.

 

[RamblinRed]

Capital Pill: ACC faces harsh new reality; where do things stand with Duke, UNC and Notre Dame? - ACCSports.com

Could Duke, North Carolina and Notre Dame leave the ACC for the Big Ten? A new round of expansion in college sports brings up tough questions

accsports.com

 

[Northeast Stinger]

I was surprised to see Kansas as an AAU member, but they were one of the first. From a rivalry standpoint I do not think UNC goes anywhere without Duke.

Why wouldn’t UNC go somewhere without Duke? Tech and uga will probably never be in the same conference again but we still maintain the rivalry.

 

[Northeast Stinger]

It will be interesting to hear the backstory of how USC and UCLA came to have mutual interests with the B1G. If it's branding, neither has had a significant football brand in a long while. The same with basketball. So, it must be about TV markets.

Is it too vague to say “regional presence?” If I’m a recruit thinking about going to school in Michigan, and I live in LA, a perfect time to make contact with team representatives is when they are in town to play UCLA. That’s just one of dozens of scenarios I see that suggest a regional presence equals $ in the long run.

Which is why SOMEBODY is going to nail down the Atlanta market sooner or later. Dear lord just don’t let the SEC plant their headquarters there.