Expansion Talk 2021

[Vespidae]

I get that Notre Dame is a big fish, but merging with the SEC would create a 30-team "conference" which is ridiculous.

Is it? This is no longer about student athletes ... or fans. It's about money.

 

[Vespidae]

Well maybe the question should be what happens to Notre Dame if they don't join the ACC in football. Do they pull out of the ACC totally and join the Big10? Other than Ohio St. Big10 is not exactly a rising conference. How many viewers are their in Iowa, Nebraska? Heck Michigan is a dying state. I think ND has to make a move soon because.

I think, for Notre Dame ... this is a huge pucker factor decision. If they choose wrong, they are toast.

 

[UgaBlows]

I like this idea but I would go, in order of preference/invitation:

1. Notre Dame
2. USC
3. Stanford
4a. Penn State
4b. Oregon
4c. Washington
5. WVU
6. A Texas team

4 5-Team Pods(assuming we don’t get penn st)

Pacific: SC, Stanford, Notre Dame, Oregon, Washington
Old Big East: BC, Cuse, Pitt, Miami, WVU
Bball Schools: Wake, Duke, unc, ncsu, lville
South: GT, Clemson, Fsu, Virginia, VT,

Play your pod and one other for 9 game conference schedule. Play every team every three years. Home and home every six.

I like it, but leave out WV and put ND in the old big East pod.....get UCLA instead.

 

[bobongo]

I think, for Notre Dame ... this is a huge pucker factor decision. If they choose wrong, they are toast.

I dunno. With playoff expansion, I think they're settling back a bit now. The pressure's off. They're in a sweet spot and they're going to stay there.

 

[bobongo]

Is it? This is no longer about student athletes ... or fans. It's about money.

Fans have nothing to do with money? I thought that's where the money came from.

 

[gtyj18jr]

Good grief, not teams just half way across the country, ALL the way across.

You get intriguing matchups. It’s also not like these teams will despise the travel. USC and Stanford go to Notre Dame every other year. Stanford has been to vandy, northwestern, and UCF in the last decade. USC has gone to Hawaii, Syracuse, bc, and Virginia.

 

[Coloradojacket]

Is it? This is no longer about student athletes ... or fans. It's about money.

Another curious thought money, money from whom? ESPN is struggling and while they try to get more money the big providers are losing millions of customers. Does Facebook and Twitter replace ATT? Or are the demographics of the country changing so that in 10 years the goose is dead. The NFL is already in decline and many of those contracts are in jeopardy.

Fans, I am different as I did not go to Tech, my grandfather did. My son goes to Colorado Mesa and my daughter is headed to Georgia Southern. They are both Tech fans but only because of me. I read only 20% of Tech students are from Georgia and the surrounding areas. Heck my Georgia friends barely attend those games and what always used to be a packed stadium is only at 70 to 80 percent unless it is Auburn or somebody like that.

 

[bobongo]

You get intriguing matchups. It’s also not like these teams will despise the travel. USC and Stanford go to Notre Dame every other year. Stanford has been to vandy, northwestern, and UCF in the last decade. USC has gone to Hawaii, Syracuse, bc, and Virginia.

Oh, the cross-country matchups are nice now and then, but as regulars? Too far. And Notre Dame isn't a good example because their following is all over the country. That's why they're still an independent today,

 

[Vespidae]

Fans have nothing to do with money? I thought that's where the money came from.

You're joking, right?

 

[bobongo]

You're joking, right?

Uh, no. Without fans there would be no one paying admission and no one watching on TV. Am I missing something?

 

[Vespidae]

Another curious thought money, money from whom? ESPN is struggling and while they try to get more money the big providers are losing millions of customers. Does Facebook and Twitter replace ATT? Or are the demographics of the country changing so that in 10 years the goose is dead. The NFL is already in decline and many of those contracts are in jeopardy.

Fans, I am different as I did not go to Tech, my grandfather did. My son goes to Colorado Mesa and my daughter is headed to Georgia Southern. They are both Tech fans but only because of me. I read only 20% of Tech students are from Georgia and the surrounding areas. Heck my Georgia friends barely attend those games and what always used to be a packed stadium is only at 70 to 80 percent unless it is Auburn or somebody like that.

Great question. The SEC has the most rock-solid "current" media contract. But it is all changing.

I recall TStan talking about this a few years ago. He opined that ... there *will* be a realignment and his goal was to make sure GT was on the right side of the realignment and NOT relegated to Bowling Green status.

 

[gtyj18jr]

I like it, but leave out WV and put ND in the old big East pod.....get UCLA instead.

You already get LA with SC and West Virginia fans have the perception of being a rabid fan base no matter the results. WV also enhances a ‘big East’ pod with regional rivalries fans will want to see.

Also, Notre Dame will want to play usc and Stanford every year.

 

[Vespidae]

Uh, no. Without fans there would be no one paying admission and no one watching on TV. Am I missing something?

No one cares. Attendance? ESPN doesn't care if ANYONE shows up. It's all just content now. That's why this is a mess. As far as content providers, it may as well be Gilligan's Island.

 

[bobongo]

No one cares. Attendance? ESPN doesn't care if ANYONE shows up. It's all just content now. That's why this is a mess. As far as content providers, it may as well be Gilligan's Island.

I think this is a completely short-sighted approach. If there's no one in the stands, then there aren't going to be many fans watching on TV. If the ratings are poor, revenues decline. Again, am I missing something?

 

[UgaBlows]

You already get LA with SC and West Virginia fans have the perception of being a rabid fan base no matter the results. WV also enhances a ‘big East’ pod with regional rivalries fans will want to see.

Also, Notre Dame will want to play usc and Stanford every year.

WV brings nothing in viewership or academics, i hope we never go there

 

[gtyj18jr]

Oh, the cross-country matchups are nice now and then, but as regulars? Too far. And Notre Dame isn't a good example because their following is all over the country. That's why they're still an independent today,

Depending on scheduling, the eastern teams would have to go out west 2-3 times every 3 years. For the west coast teams it would suck yes, but you do get east coast recruiting and more eyes on your team.

 

[Bennett]

Take Stanford, Oregon, USC, ND, UCLA and West VA and name the conference the American Coast Conference and be done with it. We can keep being the ACC. Just spit balling

 

[bobongo]

Depending on scheduling, the eastern teams would have to go out west 2-3 times every 3 years. For the west coast teams it would suck yes, but you do get east coast recruiting and more eyes on your team.

One thing to keep in mind is that going that far west is hard on east coast teams from a jet lag perspective. Remember when the Falcons were in the West Division with L.A. and S.F.? Didn't work out too well. It's not as hard coming east. West coast teams would have that advantage, and we would have that disadvantage.

 

[bobongo]

Take Stanford, Oregon, USC, ND, UCLA and West VA and name the conference the American Coast Conference and be done with it. We can keep being the ACC. Just spit balling

Just put everybody in the All College Conference and make one big cluster-f. It's where the money is.

 

[RonJohn]

I think this is a completely short-sighted approach. If there's no one in the stands, then there aren't going to be many fans watching on TV. If the ratings are poor, revenues decline. Again, am I missing something?

You are missing the current business model. ESPN (including SEC Network and ACC Network) gets their money mainly from TV subscribers. Viewership rating mean extremely little. Every single person with a broadcast TV cable/sat/streaming package pays for ESPN, and the great majority pay for SEC and ACC (except Comcast for ACC). It doesn't matter if you ever watch a game on SEC Network, you pay for the SEC Network. It doesn't even matter if you never watch any sport whatsoever and only watch Lifetime Movies, you still pay for SEC Network.

That is the reason that the most recent conference re-alignments stressed TV market as the reason to add a team. If a conference added a tv market like Atlanta, that is an extra $2 million per month for the conference, just from TV subscribers. That business model is changing as more people cut the cord, which they are doing in a large part due to the cost of ESPN.