Big10 - Pac12 - ACC Merger

[cykadelic2]

I hate this just as much as any of us. But here is what I have been trying to say on here for weeks (From Adam Rittenberg, ESPN):

“Joining@ESPNRadio now to discuss potential ACC-B1G-Pac12 alliance. Updated news story here. Am told still in early stages but would be alternative to create stability without adding new members.”

Key here: “without adding new members”.

Then why in the heck is the ACC involved then?

The ACC is hogtied to ESPN through 2036 with a substandard contract. The only way they get that contract upgraded is via expansion. Their motives with the Alliance are rather clear. It may create an avenue to expansion for them with Notre Dame and perhaps West Virginia as well. Any ESPN writers' take on this stuff needs to be taken with an extreme grain of salt.

The primary purpose of this Alliance is not for "scheduling purposes". From the B10's and P12"s perspective, this Alliance was created to preclude ESPN from getting full control of an expanded CFP and thus increase the value of bids for regular season content from Fox and other potential bidders like CBS, NBC, Amazon and Apple who all have streaming platforms that are in need of original new content like live sports. And the quest for content on those platforms may facilitate expansion funding for the B10 and P12, especially if those bidders also have partial rights to the expanded CFP.

 

[cyfanatic]

I guess that's where I'm sitting on this. When I see "ACC/Big 10/Pac 12 alliance" without the Big 12 included, I see that as the Big 12 is as good as carved up at this point, and that to me means ISU has a place in this as a member of one of these conferences, likely either with the Big 10 or Pac 12. And I'm totally fine with that. I'm not one of those that is stuck on the sanctity of the Big 12 or pining for the old days of the Big 8 (in fact I was still a Hawkeye fan back then). All I care about is the future relevance of ISU, and if that's as a member of the Big 10 or Pac 12, or hell, as a member of the ACC, more power to us.

I would be thrilled to be a part of any of those 3 at this point...you are more optimistic than I am at this point...glad you feel that way! I guess I am in that doomsday scenario right now...I hope I am very wrong!

 

[Pope]

Most likely outcome is the school itself will have to subsidize the athletics department. That is very bad. Every coach and resource we have is to support a P5 program. No coach is going to want to stay. Our ability to recruit will be shattered. The writing is clearly on the wall.

Good God. I am so sick of your nightmare scenarios for Iowa State. We get it...you think (and I wonder if you also hope) that this is the end for Iowa State. How many times do you have to repeat it?

The reality is you don't know squat. The only ones who know are the presidents, and they're obviously not ready to talk. Everything else is speculation, including the crap you're posting. So please, for the love of God, shut the **** up.

 

[SEIOWA CLONE]

Maybe I am being naïve here, but to me the Pac 12 has to expand or its going to be left in the dust of the other three conferences. They are the smallest conference in terms of size and have the worst TV and attendance of the remaining P4 conferences.
By just picking up 4 to 6 schools from the Big 12 they can move into the Central Time zone with their product and increase fan support for their league.
By taking ISU, KSU, OSU and TT, they would have a nice 4 team pod, that supports football and minimizes travel for the West coast teams to only one or two games a year.
Making such a move may then spur the Big 10 to also expand and the ACC to grab WV to fill out their conference.

No way do I see the Big 12 expanding and growing with the likes of Cincinnati, Houston, BYU or the Florida schools. If the league is forced to do that, we will nothing but a dead man walking going forward. Waiting for the day when the other P4 conference do expand if ever, and then we go through all of this again.

Better for all of us to get a seat at the table now, then bring more competition into the process down the road a decade from now.

 

[cyclone1209]

It looks like the Cyclones' attendance compared very favorably with the other power conference teams' attendances as a whole. (OU's (83,256) and Texas' (96,314) attendance numbers were significantly better, but even with them leaving our conference, ISU still compares well).

Here are the Big 8's attendance numbers:
Baylor- 45,517
Iowa State- 59,794
Kansas- 33,873
Kansas State- 48,818
Oklahoma State- 55,434
TCU- 42,896
Texas Tech- 53,428
West Virginia- 55,907

The conference did better than the Pac 12 and about the same as the ACC. Compared to the Big 10, our conference had lower attendance, but most of our conference is in the range of their lower half. And while the SEC has even better attendance than the Big 10, the Big 8's average of about 49,400 is about the same as the bottom 6 of the SEC (48,000).

All in all, the Big 8's fan bases are in the mix amongst the power conferences.

These reported attendance numbers always make me chuckle, notably:
Kansas = 33,000
Stanford = also about 33,000 posted above

Now for those schools, divide by 3 - then you have the real number.

 

[HawaiiClone]

These reported attendance numbers always make me chuckle, notably:
Kansas = 33,000
Stanford = also about 33,000 posted above

Now for those schools, divide by 3 - then you have the real number.

I suppose any discrepancies will be noted by AD's, presidents and conference commissioners who do their research...

...Even though the actual crowds aren't that big, the money that is collected with "tickets sold" is a plus though (unless there are a substantial number of tix that aren't actually sold).

 

[cyatheart]

I don’t know, this new “news” doesn’t really move the needle for me in either direction. It’s interesting to me that so many of you are in an absolute **** storm panic about it.

agree, seems like a non event..the story said nothing other than everyone is talking…of course they are

 

[NWICY]

I skipped to page 7. I don't believe I missed anything.

 

[JM4CY]

I skipped to page 7. I don't believe I missed anything.

You didn’t. However, I find myself never so well versed in college football attendance trends at universities across the country as am now after the last several weeks.

 

[NWICY]

You didn’t. However, I find myself never so well versed in college football attendance trends at universities across the country as am now after the last several weeks.

I've learned we are pretty darn good on ticket sales and TV views, so I think in the end we'll be ok. Where that is and when it is decided I have no idea.

 

[CyCrazy]

Good God. I am so sick of your nightmare scenarios for Iowa State. We get it...you think (and I wonder if you also hope) that this is the end for Iowa State. How many times do you have to repeat it?

The reality is you don't know squat. The only ones who know are the president's, and they're obviously not ready to talk. Everything else is speculation, including the crap you're posting. So please, for the love of God, shut the **** up.

He is a moron, and I doubt a Cyclone fan.

 

[Big Daddy Kang]

I presume that this is really about which conference gets ISU, right?

 

[isucy86]

Maybe I am being naïve here, but to me the Pac 12 has to expand or its going to be left in the dust of the other three conferences. They are the smallest conference in terms of size and have the worst TV and attendance of the remaining P4 conferences.
By just picking up 4 to 6 schools from the Big 12 they can move into the Central Time zone with their product and increase fan support for their league.
By taking ISU, KSU, OSU and TT, they would have a nice 4 team pod, that supports football and minimizes travel for the West coast teams to only one or two games a year.
Making such a move may then spur the Big 10 to also expand and the ACC to grab WV to fill out their conference.

No way do I see the Big 12 expanding and growing with the likes of Cincinnati, Houston, BYU or the Florida schools. If the league is forced to do that, we will nothing but a dead man walking going forward. Waiting for the day when the other P4 conference do expand if ever, and then we go through all of this again.

Better for all of us to get a seat at the table now, then bring more competition into the process down the road a decade from now.

I agree that a New Big8/AAC merger is not going to happen. If anything happens it would be the New Big8 plus 2 or 3 teams from the AAC. More teams means less money per school.

Also, I don't think the AAC schools are a great fit for ISU. Personally, I would rather have ISU look West vs. East, Just think larger State schools like Colorado State, San Diego State, etc. are a better fit. Plus add in BYU. Would love to add UNLV, but their football program has been a disaster.

 

[Tornado man]

Good God. I am so sick of your nightmare scenarios for Iowa State. We get it...you think (and I wonder if you also hope) that this is the end for Iowa State. How many times do you have to repeat it?

The reality is you don't know squat. The only ones who know are the president's, and they're obviously not ready to talk. Everything else is speculation, including the crap you're posting. So please, for the love of God, shut the **** up.

Oh gee, another tough-talking, frustrated control freak who, instead of just disagreeing and stating reasons why, has the apparent interest and concern in who should post and who should not, and in deciding for himself who is really a "fan" or not.
All, of course, behind the safety and anonymity of the keyboard. Pathetic.

 

[ribsnwhiskey]

Oh gee, another tough-talking, frustrated control freak who, instead of just disagreeing and stating reasons why, has the apparent interest and concern in who should post and who should not, and in deciding for himself who is really a "fan" or not.
All, of course, behind the safety and anonymity of the keyboard. Pathetic.

LOL

 

[CyCrazy]

Oh gee, another tough-talking, frustrated control freak who, instead of just disagreeing and stating reasons why, has the apparent interest and concern in who should post and who should not, and in deciding for himself who is really a "fan" or not.
All, of course, behind the safety and anonymity of the keyboard. Pathetic.

Thats rich coming from you.

 

[cyclonemagic]

Here is an interesting article on the P5 college team TV viewers. The analysis is for 2015 – 2019.

Which college football programs bring in the most TV viewers?

ISU and TCU are specifically mentioned in the article. The TV rankings of the P5 programs along with the teams that could be added to the Big 12 are included. It's a little disappointing to see ISU ranked at #44. OSU (#19), TCU (#24), Baylor (#35), and TX Tech (#37) are ranked higher than ISU. Those teams probably benefit from the Texas market. It will be interesting to see what happens without TX and OU. West Virginia (#30) is also ranked higher than ISU. They would be a good fit in the ACC. Kansas State is at #51 while Kansas is very close to the bottom of the list at #70).

Possible B12 additions include BYU (#46), Houston (#50), UCF (#58), Memphis (#59), Boise State (#62), Cincinnati (#64), USF (#66), and SMU (#73 - last on list). Iowa land Nebraska look good at #21 and #22, respectively. Former Big 12 Colorado is about where you would expect at #56. It is surprising that Missouri is ranked at #55. Rutgers is at #72 which is discouraging to see on behalf of ISU which fits the Big 10 better.

 

[Pope]

Oh gee, another tough-talking, frustrated control freak who, instead of just disagreeing and stating reasons why, has the apparent interest and concern in who should post and who should not, and in deciding for himself who is really a "fan" or not.
All, of course, behind the safety and anonymity of the keyboard. Pathetic.

Not saying whether he should post or not. Just saying that his horse is dead and it's time to stop beating it. There are only so many ways he can keep saying Iowa State is doomed, and I believe he's exhausted them all. Judging by the reactions of others, I'm definitely not the only one who feels this way.

 

[hiltonisheaven]

Here is an interesting article on the P5 college team TV viewers. The analysis is for 2015 – 2019.

Which college football programs bring in the most TV viewers?

ISU and TCU are specifically mentioned in the article. The TV rankings of the P5 programs along with the teams that could be added to the Big 12 are included. It's a little disappointing to see ISU ranked at #44. OSU (#19), TCU (#24), Baylor (#35), and TX Tech (#37) are ranked higher than ISU. Those teams probably benefit from the Texas market. It will be interesting to see what happens without TX and OU. West Virginia (#30) is also ranked higher than ISU. They would be a good fit in the ACC. Kansas State is at #51 while Kansas is very close to the bottom of the list at #70).

Possible B12 additions include BYU (#46), Houston (#50), UCF (#58), Memphis (#59), Boise State (#62), Cincinnati (#64), USF (#66), and SMU (#73 - last on list). Iowa land Nebraska look good at #21 and #22, respectively. Former Big 12 Colorado is about where you would expect at #56. It is surprising that Missouri is ranked at #55. Rutgers is at #72 which is discouraging to see on behalf of ISU which fits the Big 10 better.

I imagine ISU would be trending higher on the list as our team has improved.

 

[SEIOWA CLONE]

Here is an interesting article on the P5 college team TV viewers. The analysis is for 2015 – 2019.

Which college football programs bring in the most TV viewers?

ISU and TCU are specifically mentioned in the article. The TV rankings of the P5 programs along with the teams that could be added to the Big 12 are included. It's a little disappointing to see ISU ranked at #44. OSU (#19), TCU (#24), Baylor (#35), and TX Tech (#37) are ranked higher than ISU. Those teams probably benefit from the Texas market. It will be interesting to see what happens without TX and OU. West Virginia (#30) is also ranked higher than ISU. They would be a good fit in the ACC. Kansas State is at #51 while Kansas is very close to the bottom of the list at #70).

Possible B12 additions include BYU (#46), Houston (#50), UCF (#58), Memphis (#59), Boise State (#62), Cincinnati (#64), USF (#66), and SMU (#73 - last on list). Iowa land Nebraska look good at #21 and #22, respectively. Former Big 12 Colorado is about where you would expect at #56. It is surprising that Missouri is ranked at #55. Rutgers is at #72 which is discouraging to see on behalf of ISU which fits the Big 10 better.

The guy went back to 2015-2019 to get his data and then did not include 2020 because he said Covic messed up with the data. It wouldn't mess with the ISU data much as we played a full conference schedule.
His first article deals with ranking teams by the value of the school, again using the same time span covered.

ISU was an after thought in 2015, it would be interesting to see his data from 2017 going forward on both the TV side and the value side. I would suspect that ISU has made a great leap in both areas while schools like TT and Baylor have dropped a bunch.
His data also would have included an Iowa team that in 2015 was undefeated during the regular season, and would therefore have included a 13th data point with the championship game.

Up date the data and if it shows ISU at #44 then I will believe it.