Conference Realignment

[Augusta_Jacket]

2017 Alabama played Mercer and didn't play in a conference championship game. 2021 UGA played Charleston Southern and lost their conference championship game. Is a lost conference championship better than not playing in one? 2022 TCU also lost their conference championship and played Tarleton State.

Fair enough on getting money from NBC, but I'll stick by my opinion that playing a single FCS team isn't going to hurt them.

And there have been years since where teams were left out as the 5th wheel because their SoS wasn't as good as the top 4. Playing an FCS team isn't a death knell, and no one said it was, but it can come back to bite a team, especially if said team has no possible route to a CCG to add to their SoS.

 

[eetech]

Carriage fees are still a thing, and large markets like Atlanta and Miami are still a big deal.

The B1G doesn’t care about the carriage fees anymore because the B1G doesn’t own much of the Big Ten network anymore. They sold much of it to Fox.

Also, with cord cutting increasing massively, the value of carriage fees has consistently been going down.

That’s the issue with Tech turning down the B1G offer when we got it. Tech’s value for the B1G was much greater then than it is now.

Another factor to keep in mind is pure ego. I think the B1G presidents would be hesitant to extend another offer to Tech once it had already turned them down.

It’s still possible the B1G invites us, but Tech’s odds are significantly lower than the last time the B1G was looking at the ACC.

 

[GT05]

Walk away from $EC and thanks but no thanks to BIG. The TECH way

 

[stech81]

Walk away from $EC and thanks but no thanks to BIG. The TECH way

Yes, I have a bad feeling in a few years we will be like Stanford and Cal. Begging the SEC or Big 10 to take us and going to play in the Sun Belt conference.

 

[Vespidae]

Yes, I have a bad feeling in a few years we will be like Stanford and Cal. Begging the SEC or Big 10 to take us and going to play in the Sun Belt conference.

Sixteen teams account for 50% of the national CFB fanbase. The average ACC school has a fanbase of 1.5 million, Tech probably less … say 1.0 to 1.2 million. UGA is roughly 4 million.

I think you’re right. As one ESPN head said, “The era of nostalgia in CFB is over. It’s all about money now and protecting “franchises”.

Tech is driving into a perfect storm with a small fanbase and noncompetitive team. I’m hoping JB is on it.

 

[Techster]

Sixteen teams account for 50% of the national CFB fanbase. The average ACC school has a fanbase of 1.5 million, Tech probably less … say 1.0 to 1.2 million. UGA is roughly 4 million.

I think you’re right. As one ESPN head said, “The era of nostalgia in CFB is over. It’s all about money now and protecting “franchises”.

Tech is driving into a perfect storm with a small fanbase and noncompetitive team. I’m hoping JB is on it.

I wonder if Bud Peterson makes the same decision today that he did in 2012 turning down the B1G.

From what I've heard, Cabrera would leave the ACC floating in the middle of the ocean on a raft to join the B1G.

 

[cpf2001]

Unless the goal from the media companies is to have fewer games to broadcast to cut costs and improve margins - instead of trying to grow total revenue instead - I dont see the relevance of fanbase concentration. 50% of a viewing audience would be bad in the long run for everyone, even the top 16 teams. (Or 80% for the top 50 teams or whatever it might be).

Is the end game really just “managed decline”? Ride college football into the dirt and squeeze out the last pennies until it’s a purely southeastern thing?

 

[iceeater1969]

9

I wonder if Bud Peterson makes the same decision today that he did in 2012 turning down the B1G.

From what I've heard, Cabrera would leave the ACC floating in the middle of the ocean on a raft to join the B1G.

2010 and 2014 Gt went to Orange Bowl - imo, this guy was so out of depth. He was a Tech man hire who approched major problems by letting others solve them. Gt had almost zero recruiting budget and had won with a genius coach who got zero support from prez w raising money.

At Acc and orange bowl Alumni party i asked Bud was the football drawing in more donations. He smiled and said donations were very good. The acc tv money was good but alumni gtaa donations were bad.

Everyday he is in the rear view mirror is a day we are getting better.

 

[stinger 1957]

It's already too late. ACC is picking up schools (SMU, Stanford, Cal) other conferences are treating as extraneous (at least for now...I do believe Stanford ends up in the B1G eventually, and that's their preferred destination...ACC is temporary for them). Once the GOR is expired, the ACC is going to look completely different than it is today.

If they wait for it to expire the ACC will be irrelevant at that time IMO. Looks to me like it all goes dead for at least 6 mos now that the season is upon us. I sure hope so. The conferences would be foolish to carry it fwd during the season, could really hurt their images IMO. But the ACC needs to come down as scary as that is for all, to sit there is to die by a thousand cuts. CFB has a long term fan problem that they so far have no solution, they need to find fans not run them off. Also ACC fans need to wake up and face reality which is why this will be painful if they do not wake up. I believe the decision makers know the reality but because they are basically politicians they are not going to do something until the ACC fans awaken to reality which could be too late, most of the fans are not smart enough to see the hand writing.

 

[AugustaSwarm]

The fact that ATL TV viewers prefer uga (by a lot) does though. We're probably the 4th or 5th most popular college football team in the area. More ATL people cheer for other SEC schools than cheer for us. Unless we see a major shift in our fortunes, I am not sure the ATL TV market is the crown jewel for us it used to be.

Sad but true. I still believe that W's will change this and would change it quickly.

 

[Vespidae]

If they wait for it to expire the ACC will be irrelevant at that time IMO. Looks to me like it all goes dead for at least 6 mos now that the season is upon us. I sure hope so. The conferences would be foolish to carry it fwd during the season, could really hurt their images IMO. But the ACC needs to come down as scary as that is for all, to sit there is to die by a thousand cuts. CFB has a long term fan problem that they so far have no solution, they need to find fans not run them off. Also ACC fans need to wake up and face reality which is why this will be painful if they do not wake up. I believe the decision makers know the reality but because they are basically politicians they are not going to do something until the ACC fans awaken to reality which could be too late, most of the fans are not smart enough to see the hand writing.

I think Bud Peterson could look at Carnegie Mellon, MIT, CalTech and think, “Why can’t we be like them?” The GT Prez receives no compensation for how athletics does and frankly, probably would not have minded seeing it go away.

Joe Petit certainly thought so. It was only Kim King going unannounced to his office to threaten his removal that Petit finally and grudgingly paid attention.

Cabrera is the first GT prez I can recall that is actually engaged.

 

[roadkill]

I think Bud Peterson could look at Carnegie Mellon, MIT, CalTech and think, “Why can’t we be like them?” The GT Prez receives no compensation for how athletics does and frankly, probably would not have minded seeing it go away.

Joe Petit certainly thought so. It was only Kim King going unannounced to his office to threaten his removal that Petit finally and grudgingly paid attention.

Cabrera is the first GT prez I can recall that is actually engaged.

Is Cabrera the first President we've had (at least in a long time) that is an alum? If so, perhaps there is a correlation.

 

[iceeater1969]

I think Bud Peterson could look at Carnegie Mellon, MIT, CalTech and think, “Why can’t we be like them?” The GT Prez receives no compensation for how athletics does and frankly, probably would not have minded seeing it go away.

Joe Petit certainly thought so. It was only Kim King going unannounced to his office to threaten his removal that Petit finally and grudgingly paid attention.

Cabrera is the first GT prez I can recall that is actually engaged.

Was in Texas for most of the good context u add.

Gtaa has always been under the prez - TFPrez clearly was responsible to see that the athletic staff received comparable salaries and support staff.
Now we have a Angel, a RealPrez , who knows winning football will make great memories for the students - and- they will be long term donors to gt and gtaa.

TFPrez was a gt football player.

 

[Vespidae]

Was in Texas for most of the good context u add.

Gtaa has always been under the prez - TFPrez clearly was responsible to see that the athletic staff received comparable salaries and support staff.
Now we have a Angel, a RealPrez , who knows winning football will make great memories for the students - and- they will be long term donors to gt and gtaa.

TFPrez was a gt football player.

Peterson played for Kansas State. Not GT.

 

[forensicbuzz]

Is Cabrera the first President we've had (at least in a long time) that is an alum? If so, perhaps there is a correlation.

no. Clough was the first and only other alumnus president

 

[LT 1967]

If they wait for it to expire the ACC will be irrelevant at that time IMO. Looks to me like it all goes dead for at least 6 mos now that the season is upon us. I sure hope so. The conferences would be foolish to carry it fwd during the season, could really hurt their images IMO. But the ACC needs to come down as scary as that is for all, to sit there is to die by a thousand cuts. CFB has a long term fan problem that they so far have no solution, they need to find fans not run them off. Also ACC fans need to wake up and face reality which is why this will be painful if they do not wake up. I believe the decision makers know the reality but because they are basically politicians they are not going to do something until the ACC fans awaken to reality which could be too late, most of the fans are not smart enough to see the hand writing.

In the SEC, they say it "Just means more". I have always felt like "It just means Less" in the ACC. In an interview, I remember Bill Curry saying that SEC fans will not allow their team to
stay down long.

I attended 3 Alumni meetings with Peterson as our guest. He was never asked one question concerning Athletics. Since I was in attendance, I can blame myself I suppose. It seemed
almost out of place to ask anything about sports. Same with Clough when he was president. They never mentioned sports in their presentation.

The ACC is seen as the genteel conference. Also, we are just too busy with the bigger issues of Business and life to be concerned with Football.

I am sure the above is not true in many cases, but our fans do need to have higher standards, particularly in Football. And, we need to put the pressure on at the top.

 

[stech81]

. I believe the decision makers know the reality but because they are basically politicians they are not going to do something until the ACC fans awaken to reality which could be too late, most of the fans are not smart enough to see the hand writing.

And there is the problem FSU has only won 29 games in the last 5 years. and UNC and others think the SEC or Big10 want them. Fans think because of the area they are in those 2 conferences will want them.( you know like some of our fans may have worked in 2012 but not now)

 

[CEB]

Peterson played for Kansas State. Not GT.

Guessing he’s thinking the former AD was GT player... not to put words in anyone’s mouth

 

[UgaBlows]

The B1G doesn’t care about the carriage fees anymore because the B1G doesn’t own much of the Big Ten network anymore. They sold much of it to Fox.

Also, with cord cutting increasing massively, the value of carriage fees has consistently been going down.

That’s the issue with Tech turning down the B1G offer when we got it. Tech’s value for the B1G was much greater then than it is now.

Another factor to keep in mind is pure ego. I think the B1G presidents would be hesitant to extend another offer to Tech once it had already turned them down.

It’s still possible the B1G invites us, but Tech’s odds are significantly lower than the last time the B1G was looking at the ACC.

I’m sorry but Carriage fees are still worth Millions per month, to the BIG and/or Fox, does it really matter which? Fox is paying the contract, I imagine they have a pretty big input on expansion.

 

[iceeater1969]

Guessing he’s thinking the former AD was GT player... not to put words in anyone’s mouth

Sorry , wrong school fot TFPrez.
.
He was a tall guy looked great in a handshake photo.

At the parties for acc chap and orange bowl 14, my wife got to visit w his wife. Said she was really glad to be at party of regular fans

I think the current prez would give off positive vibs to the common fan.

Lets try to forget TF guys and move on. I will!