Expansion Talk 2021

[BurdellJacket]

Keep repeating the fallacy associated with the SEC. Just as hard for Clemson to get through the ACC schedule as Alabama to get through the SEC schedule. SEC is just hyped more.

I certainly agree with you to a large extent, forensicbuzz, but Clemson might have a bigger challenge if playing any two of Bama, UGA, LSU or TA&M every year. And if Clemson were to regularly win the East side of the SEC and have to beat Bama for the SECCC, it would be a might tougher than the ACC Coastal champ. (And don't say it! If the SEC Clemson were to get in the playoffs by virtue of the SEC getting two or three teams in, then it's all over anyway.)

 

[GTNavyNuke]

Agree completely and that was my criticism of the article too. Don’t tell me college football is going to be completely turned upside down but it will still be the same.

I also think COFH will not be long for the world if the rest of his predictions are correct.

Baseball won't change much so we are fine.

I am sure there's a snake thread somewhere, but this is not it.

Yeah, but it beats another uni thread or CPJ v Collins thread.

Besides how many teams have snakes as mascots and how many have rats? Q.E.D.

 

[Northeast Stinger]

Baseball won't change much so we are fine.


Yeah, but it beats another uni thread or CPJ v Collins thread.

Besides how many teams have snakes as mascots and how many have rats? Q.E.D.

Speaking of the Florida A&M Rattlers…and rats leaving the Big 8 sinking ship… would conferences start filling in with HBCUs?

I’m just prattling.

 

[MusicalBuzz]

Speaking of the Florida A&M Rattlers…and rats leaving the Big 8 sinking ship… would conferences start filling in with HBCUs?

I’m just prattling.

For all its sometimes feel-good story and little bit of historical relevance.. HBCU is irrelevant at any level

 

[FredJacket]

Hope this isn't a duplicate...

 

[brian22]

Smart counter move. Was the Big 12 too busy to join the party?

 

[684Bee]

Hope this isn't a duplicate...

 

[augustabuzz]

If nobody leaves the ACC then it’s not weakened, and If Clemson wins out they are in the playoffs period. Clemson is going to keep getting grade A recruits no matter what conf they are in, and money is prob not ever going to be an issue for them because they have a level of alumni donations to their program that we can only dream of.

How much did Clemson fans give in donations in the 2021 fiscal year? Tech donors gave $48 million!
AT Fund

 

[BilldGopher]

Reaching out to @BilldGopher for perspective.

What is your understanding and thoughts about B1G expansion re GT and how do you feel about concerted redemption against the 2018 debacle?

Thanks for the thought MB...

I'll be honest in that I don't spend much thought here because it's the money driving it. Last time the B1G expanded it added Rutgers and Maryland...which is starting to make sense...and most Gopher fans think Nebraska probably regrets joining the B1G. We've all pretty much accepted PSU...and that happened in the early 90s.

That offered, some Gopher fans have speculated that maybe the current buzz of a B1G, ACC, and PAC-12 alliance would lead to at least one non-conference game per season being a game with the other conferences...and vice versa. In the long run this would be good for all 3 conferences...especially for butts-in-the-seats for a non-conference game whether home or away.

I'm glad at least GT is in a pretty stable, historic conference as is the Gophers. I personally am not convinced the money model is stable long term. I'm older, have season tickets, and will watch an entire away game in real time on my Comcast-fueled TV myself. It is my understanding the younger crowd is fine with 2-3 minutes of highlights...not as interested in the in-person or live-event time commitment...that is more difficult to monetize. I guess there's China for that....

Was cruising here late on a Friday night. We open in a few weeks with tOSU. Fun, fun, fun... Billd

 

[BobintheATL99]

Really hoping there is fire to the smoke of the ACC-B10-P12 scheduling deal. That would be EXCELLENT from a media reset, competition and different teams on the field perspective.

 

[RonJohn]

How much did Clemson fans give in donations in the 2021 fiscal year? Tech donors gave $48 million!
AT Fund

The 2021 fiscal year was an anomaly. COVID caused a lot of changes. Some people converted their ticket purchase money into donations. The GTAA was actively pleading for donations to help cover the revenue gap. The tax implications were changed such that small donations could be deducted without itemizing deductions. ($300 max total I believe). For those reasons and more, GT's donations were higher than normal in that period. Hopefully TStan will be able to sustain the donation levels.

I don't know how Clemson did last year, or even what their fiscal year is. I do know that in 2019, which is the last year that the USAToday they had $44 million in contributions and GT had $13 million. This is one area the GT fans need to improve in. TStan has had some success in getting more donations from more people. As I said in the previous paragraph, hopefully he will be able to continue that success.

 

[gameface]

Did you read the article? It said the $48 mil for '21 was surpassed only by the amounts in '20 and '19.

 

[RonJohn]

Did you read the article? It said the $48 mil for '21 was surpassed only by the amounts in '20 and '19.

The USAToday reports on finances are based on reports from actual revenue. The numbers stated in the article use "gifts and commitments". The article states that 2019 "gifts and commitments" were above $48 million, but the actual documentation filed with the NCAA says that revenue from contributions to the athletic department was $13 million. There is also a $16 million in "other", which I believe includes such things as revenue from endowments. (Clemson listed $9 million) 16 plus 13 equals 29, which is less than 48. The numbers in the article add in things like multi-year pledges, and legacy gifts that people put in their wills. There is nothing wrong with touting such numbers. TStan has been doing a very good job of getting people to donate and to pledge donations. The GTAA needs to market that, and we need for it to continue. However, if you want to compare donations, you can't take actual cash donations to Clemson and compare those to actual and pledged donations to GT.

We will have to wait a couple of years for all of the athletic department filings to be completed, but I highly suspect that the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 actual donations will be higher across that time period because of the COVID impacts.

 

[TooTall]

We just raised 175 million in a few years for GT2020. I think the money is there, ADTS is finally finding it.

 

[Richard7125]

I really don’t see the value of a Pac12-BIG- ACC alliance other than being a voting block to counter the SEC making all of the decisions for college football. The teams will still play at least 2 patsies each year leaving you to schedule 2 decent teams from the other conferences - so instead of chooosing from everyone you only choose from Pac12 and BIG. What happens to Tech v UGA, Clemson v USCe. Yes, we might play some other teams we haven’t traditionally played, but I see this as a big yawn. Moreover, last year when everyone was deciding whether to play football, I hated the decisions the BIG and Pac12 made and preferred the choice of the ACC and SEC.

 

[Vespidae]

We just raised 175 million in a few years for GT2020. I think the money is there, ADTS is finally finding it.

I’m not sure money is the long-term problem. It is necessary of course, but what concerns me are the changing demographics. 33% of Tech’s enrollment are Asian and International. Of the remainder, sixty percent of those are from GA and 60% of those are men. If we assume HALF of those are interested in athletics, that’s fewer than 2,000 adds per year which probably doesn’t even replace the death rate.

Another way to look at this is Greek Life. 26% of undergrads are Greek Or about 3500. Say 25% a year replacement rate. That’s slightly less than 900 a year. Assume 60% stay in GA and 70% of those are guys. Half of those are athletic minded. That’s < 200 a year.

So create a boundary condition where the replacement rate varies between 200 and 2000. Call it 1100. THAT’S a problem.

This is why media rights are so important. Tech, like many, benefits from peddling content.

 

[yeti92]

I really don’t see the value of a Pac12-BIG- ACC alliance other than being a voting block to counter the SEC making all of the decisions for college football. The teams will still play at least 2 patsies each year leaving you to schedule 2 decent teams from the other conferences - so instead of chooosing from everyone you only choose from Pac12 and BIG. What happens to Tech v UGA, Clemson v USCe. Yes, we might play some other teams we haven’t traditionally played, but I see this as a big yawn. Moreover, last year when everyone was deciding whether to play football, I hated the decisions the BIG and Pac12 made and preferred the choice of the ACC and SEC.

An alliance between the three conferences can provide more brand power than the SEC to control decision making and rules changes so we can main control of our futures. The B1G can probably handle the SEC alone for now, but if they let the SEC pick apart the ACC like they have done to the Big12, they end up in a weakened position also. For the ACC, it may also help Notre Dame towards joining up fully if it becomes two sides.

 

[BilldGopher]

Reaching out to @BilldGopher for perspective.

What is your understanding and thoughts about B1G expansion re GT and how do you feel about concerted redemption against the 2018 debacle?

As to MusicBuzz's point on "redemption on the 2018 debacle" I think that would be great no matter how it unfolded. I sent a note to our AD to that effect prior to the 2020 season. I see benefits for Minnesota for sure. Our clubs have now at least have met on the field, Minnesota actually recruits from Georgia, and both of our valued institutions are urban campuses. A lot to highlight.

2018 in Detroit was a mixed bag for both programs. Tech was at the end of an era while the Gophers were young in a new regime. By the time we met at Ford Field things were finally clicking for the Gophers (after a very rough start and first half of the season) while Coach Paul Johnson's Tech team had reached a plateau. The Gophers built off that game going into 2019 for a very good season.

Now both programs are in a rebuild mode...the Gophers are ahead under Coach Fleck and this is really a big year for Coach Collins and your squad. Since scheduling is an over the horizon process, at best it would be 2027 or 2028 (absent inter-conference dealmaking) for anything to pop up. We did have a one-and-one with North Carolina that was supposed to happen in 2017 or 2018 that got dropped, so there is some precedent between the conferences. Maybe I'll shoot the AD a scheduling note again...

Finally, our RB in the Bowl Game was then true freshman Mo Ibrahim. He had a big day against you guys that opened up Gopher fans eyes. He is now a senior and matured into an excellent RB in the B1G, if not nationally. You'll see his name in the running game stats as the season progresses. Our formerly 400 lb. OL Daniel Faalele is back too at a trim 360 lbs. We finally have depth and experience at the OL that should make our running game hard to stop. We think our QB can be given time to make the passing game work behind these guys. Big talk for August 14 but that's why they play the games.

Lot's of passion here. Always fun to read. On second thought I'll shoot that email to the AD this morning...

Good luck. Billd.

 

[GoJacketsInRaleigh]

I hope the three conference alliance goes all in with television rights in additional to scheduling and voting, holds their own playoff separate from the SEC and includes Notre Dame. Someone is paying big for a playoff that has programs such as Clemson, FSU, Miami, Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan, Wisconsin, USC, Oregon, ND, and others too. F the SEC they can have their own little regular season and playoff amongst their 16 teams. I'm fine if the ACC-SEC rivalry games go away too if that's what it takes to equal the money payouts from media.

 

[stinger 1957]

I question how many of the non AAU schools will even be around in 10-15 years from now, no one is even talking about that, I'm one that thinks it is maybe the most important of all this in the long run. Advanced education is in for drastic change IMO and college institutions are going to drop like flies.
I'm recalling this from memory so I could be off a little, but ACC has 5 AAU schools, SEC 5, PAC12 8?, BIG 13. If I were the ACC, BIG, PAC think the alliance is a good way to test and feel it all out and also let every member see just where they are in contributing or not contributing, believe this leads to a solution in long run, helps sort it out, just my opinion and I could be wrong, have been before. In the long run I just wonder if the Clemsons, Auburns of the world are even around as colleges and Universities, just wonder. I also wonder if GT being what and where it is had a lot to do CGC wanting to come here, he's a smart guy and is seeing that things could really change in Pro and College FB going forward. I'm not sure I would want to own an NFL, or Pro BB franchise at this point. Not saying they're going "bust", but the bloom is off IMO.