Texas/ESPN and KU talking to the Big East

[tazclone]

It's a good question.

Texas IS a national team. Just like USC, Florida, Ohio State, Michigan, etc, are. Notre Dame is Independent more out of tradition's sake than any rational reason. Until recently, no conference would allow them to keep their own TV deal. The Big 12 does now. Maybe they'd consider it now. Who knows?

Difference with Texas is if they struggle their bandwagon fans...t shirt fans... can jump ship to aTm.

If we should be worried about anyone leaving it should be aTm. They are sick of being under Texas, they have some money issues and are losing the arms race, the give any conference the state of Texas as a market, they are continually near the bottom of the Big 12 when it comes to TV revenue, they open up Texas recruiting to the conference they join, decent academics, the list goes on and on.

[SCNCY]

I have heard him say this too, and it makes a lot of sense if you subscribe to the theory that the elite teams (Texas) generate the TV Deal revenue and adding other teams just dilutes the pot. Its the same argument that almost left us searching for the next best deal - but in the 10 team Big 12 scenario - it probably helps us if it stays together. I also do not think the forced cable money on the part of the big 10 is a long term business strategy - Internet Streaming is the future and if you can afford to produce the program - then delivery will be a lot more cost effective - this is why the ability to have your own network is important. ESPN might be shaping the NCAA in the short run, but I think in 10 years we will have the option to watch what we want and when we want it on demand via our Internet Connections on our internet capable TV's. When that happens, it becomes more about how many butts in seats again like it was before all of this started.

But don't you think it's going to cost to watch those games from the internet? I'm fine with that Idea, but I would assume you would have to pay the big 10 to get that streaming video of the game and pay for that service. Essentially in this deal, you would cut the cable companies out of it and would be able to go to the big10's website and sign up for streaming video of their games.

[RustShack]

I'm confused about how we would lose Texas as a pipeline if we move to the Big East. Last time I checked TCU was still in Texas, and how do we get players from Florida and California right now among other states without playing there? If anything we would be at an advantage. We gain the ties that the other teams we will be playing with have, and we still keep some of our current ties. Our coaches aren't going to suddenly lose their friendships built in Texas.

[simply1]

It's a good question.

Texas IS a national team. Just like USC, Florida, Ohio State, Michigan, etc, are. Notre Dame is Independent more out of tradition's sake than any rational reason. Until recently, no conference would allow them to keep their own TV deal. The Big 12 does now. Maybe they'd consider it now. Who knows?

The big 12 has the whole time. There's a certain something to dictating everything on your own, and saying goodbye to the tagalongs I'd imagine as well as capitalizing fully on all revenue exclusively. You can't see any reasons at all Texas would have investigated it like they say they have, other than they aren't thinking rationally?

[justcynn]

But don't you think it's going to cost to watch those games from the internet? I'm fine with that Idea, but I would assume you would have to pay the big 10 to get that streaming video of the game and pay for that service. Essentially in this deal, you would cut the cable companies out of it and would be able to go to the big10's website and sign up for streaming video of their games.

Right, but the key there is the Big 10 currently gets money from every household in their footprint, I for one will not be willing to pay for that type of service when I can go pick what I want ala carte on the internet. Sure I will have to pay for what I want to watch - but maybe I won't choose to maintain $80 worth of cable IF I have the option to pay for what I want to see. I just don't think the Big 10 Network is going to survive based on forced per user fees, the users will have more options with more streaming.

[legi]

Right, but the key there is the Big 10 currently gets money from every household in their footprint, I for one will not be willing to pay for that type of service when I can go pick what I want ala carte on the internet. Sure I will have to pay for what I want to watch - but maybe I won't choose to maintain $80 worth of cable IF I have the option to pay for what I want to see. I just don't think the Big 10 Network is going to survive based on forced per user fees, the users will have more options with more streaming.

I will pray for what you stated.

[tazclone]

I will pray for what you stated.

It is coming. Just got a free HD upgrade from Dish and the reasoning is because some of the internet type things they want to offer going forward2-5 years down the roda. They are trying to get all the recievers on the same page. I am not a techno guy but the tech was throwing out stuff that will be pretty impressive. Heck my kids already watch shows on our TV via internet. I do that with clone zone replays

[JHudd]

The Big 12 has a bad TV deal...they have to be aggressive. Getting on ESPN would be awesome. I'm sick of every Saturday having average Big Ten and ACC games taking the 11 a.m. spots on ESPN and ESPN2. The Big Ten, ACC, SEC and Pac 10 all have ESPN slots during every Saturday, the Big 12 needs to get in on that

If the Big 12 gets in on the ESPN TV deal I could see them taking teams from the AQ conferences and having them play more week night games. Moving the smaller conference games off the main channel. There would be too many teams to play in the windows ESPN already seems to have filled up throughout their family of channels. I wouldn't mind having weeknight games but I also don't get to go to more than a couple games a year. I could see our fan base being pretty divided over a couple conference games on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, or Fridays. Even if it meant having every game on one of the many ESPN options.

[Frak]

Right, but the key there is the Big 10 currently gets money from every household in their footprint, I for one will not be willing to pay for that type of service when I can go pick what I want ala carte on the internet. Sure I will have to pay for what I want to watch - but maybe I won't choose to maintain $80 worth of cable IF I have the option to pay for what I want to see. I just don't think the Big 10 Network is going to survive based on forced per user fees, the users will have more options with more streaming.

A la carte programming via the internet is coming. And it will be the death of the Big 10 Network. That's why their conference added Nebraska. That state has a small number of cable subscribers, but offers a power team for when they negotiate with ABC/ESPN for their television contract.

[HFCS]

So let me get this straight. The people that want us to go to the Big East have these reasons:

1. Conference is weaksauce in football so we COULD be at the TOP.
?

Reasons not to:

1. $ The Big East schools make about a fourth of what we make now in our CRAPPY DEAL. Sure the Big East may get a new contract but now split that among 20+ schools...ISU cannot command a huge chunk of that change.

2. Basketball will be extremely difficult...so while you wanted an "easier" path in Football....Basketball is much tougher.

3. We lose the Texas recruiting pipeline. And say what you want about TCU..but it is not TEXAS.

Just some of my points...feel free add to them on either side. You can probably see how I lean though. But with that being said....the Big East as our fallback wouldn't be the worst possible outcome.

Big 12 is the toughest basketball conference by a mile now starting next year. A Big East basketball schedule would be easier with more gimme games. Don't get me wrong, I think the Big East talk by ISU fans is really silly. It's just reality that the Big 12 is far and away the toughest basketball conference now. Andy Katz said so the minute our 10 team round robin schedule was finalized.

1. Take a conference that was usually rated 2nd-4th already.
2. Kick out the second worse basketball team historically in any BCS conference with zero NCAA tournament wins.
3. Kick out a historically bottom ten team in any BCS conference.
4. Remaining teams all have sweet 16 runs or better since 2000.
5. 18 game meat grinder round robin conference schedule.

With Nebraska and CU gone, the Big East has a lot more gimme games like a DePaul program that has sucked for a decade now (I live near their campus and they are an afterthought). Computer rankings like Sagarin are going to have the Big 12 dominating SOS (ditto for football). Big 12 teams are going to be much higher in RPI than they are in human voter polls because our conference has no punching bags.

[CyJack13]

This what people miss out when they discuss the current Big East TV revenue. The Big East is in the process of developing their own Network and will most likely build it off the big ten channel model. That means X dollars for every household. While the football won't be as marketable as the big 10, the basketball will be worth more than any other conference. Their footprint would be the Missouri River East and Texas. It would be over half the US. The only markets it would miss out on are Denver, Salt Lake and the West Coast. They would not be able to get the same $$ per viewer but they would have 2-3 times as many viewers.
If they added the forgotten four

Having a large footprint doesn't mean anything if there's not a demand for teams within that footprint. A network for a conference whose top football teams are tcu, pitt and west virginia is not going to make much money. This network would never get placed on anything besides a premium sports tier.

[UNIGuy4Cy]

Having a large footprint doesn't mean anything if there's not a demand for teams within that footprint. A network for a conference whose top football teams are tcu, pitt and west virginia is not going to make much money. This network would never get placed on anything besides a premium sports tier.

True which is the case for 60% of the Big 10 teams, so how does the Big 10 Network make their money? By subscriptions, most of which people have no option of having or not. I have Big 10 Network, do I want it, no, do I watch it, no, but they still make money off me.

[CyJack13]

True which is the case for 60% of the Big 10 teams, so how does the Big 10 Network make their money? By subscriptions, most of which people have no option of having or not. I have Big 10 Network, do I want it, no, do I watch it, no, but they still make money off me.

The B10 is full of huge, public schools with huge fan bases that dominate the college sports scene in their area. Most of the Big East schools aren't even the most popular college team in their area. Not to mention the overall lack of interest in college sports in the northeast compared to the midwest and down south. Not showing a South Florida game in Florida, or a TCU game in Texas is not going to put pressure on a cable network to add the Big East network to their basic plan like it would if a Michigan game wasn't shown in Michigan or Penn St game not being shown in Pennsylvania.

[tazclone]

Having a large footprint doesn't mean anything if there's not a demand for teams within that footprint. A network for a conference whose top football teams are tcu, pitt and west virginia is not going to make much money. This network would never get placed on anything besides a premium sports tier.

You are completely ignoring the basketball side and the demand Big East basketball would have. You don't hink teams like KU 9if they joined), Mizzou, Iowa, Marquette, Cincy, louisville, Memphis, UConn, syracuse, Pitt, Georgetown, etc would have demand? The demand would be there for the Network. It would be at a lower cost than the big ten but it would have 3x's the population/market.

[isuno1fan]

Things most people in this thread need to accept IMO:

1.) The B12 will not add additional teams unless one of those team is Notre Dame, Arkansas, or LSU.

2.) Iowa State will never be a member of the Big East