Realignment Megathread (All The Moves)

[HFCS]

If you want Pittsburgh to join the Big 12, we better get a great TV contract next round. I think we'll need to be clearly ahead of the remaining teams in revenue for them to jump. While we Big12 fans don't care about academics, the PAC just showed me that some schools absolutely do care. Here is what we will be competing with:

3 – Stanford
10 – Duke
18 – Notre Dame (All sports, but football)
20 – Cal, Berkley
25 – Virginia
29 – Wake Forest
36 – Boston College
44 – Georgia Tech
55 – Miami
62 – Syracuse
62 – Pittsburgh
62 – Virginia Tech
72 – NC State
72 – SMU

I even removed UNC and Florida State assuming they'd be gone. I believe many of these presidents would backfill with Rice and Tulane at the cost of revenue too, if they feel they need to. Louisville is our target (like colorado/arizona) and hope someone follows.

I’m not sure we’d be above current acc/nd special agreement, but not because of cal/stan/SMU.

After the top 4 to top 8 teams bolt I have to think big 12 would be significantly more valuable for media, but also significantly better at football. In hoops even full strength now we’re talking about the best vs worst major conference. Cal and stanford are gonna struggle to ever crack 100 net ranking with these road trips given how horrible they have been.

 

[Scruff]

I’m not sure we’d be above current acc/nd special agreement, but not because of cal/stan/SMU.

After the top 4 to top 8 teams bolt I have to think big 12 would be significantly more valuable for media, but also significantly better at football. In hoops even full strength now we’re talking about the best vs worst major conference. Cal and stanford are gonna struggle to ever crack 100 net ranking with these road trips given how horrible they have been.

I agree. We are clearly better at basketball if they don't lose schools. We are deeper in football if they don't lose schools. If they do lose schools, I think we are clearly better in both of those categories. In 2036, we should be ahead in revenue if 4-8 teams leave, but will it be enough to matter? The PAC was a different story because they didn't have enough schools to keep their conference together. We won't bring anyone kicking and screaming like we just did with ASU/Utah. These teams will have to believe we are the better home. TV dollars are the only thing I see making that case. Here's to Yormark building our brand!

 

[1UNI2ISU]

Oregon State and Washington State - welcome to the MWC!

At least they're going to get a several million dollar parting gift in the form of all the NCAA Tournament Units they now only have to split two ways.

 

[cyclonenum1]

Some interesting comments on SMU. I have a connection and some familiarity with the school. Pre-death penalty (which was a travesty IMO) they were “The U” before Miami. I believe they are ready, willing, and able to do what is necessary to be competitive in the new NIL world. Being in a top tier conference will be a bonus. Do not underestimate the potential for NIL to dramatically change the hierarchy of what programs are “power” programs.

 

[BMWallace]

Some interesting comments on SMU. I have a connection and some familiarity with the school. Pre-death penalty (which was a travesty IMO) they were “The U” before Miami. I believe they are ready, willing, and able to do what is necessary to be competitive in the new NIL world. Being in a top tier conference will be a bonus. Do not underestimate the potential for NIL to dramatically change the hierarchy of what programs are “power” programs.

SMU apparently has enough booster support to forgo any conference payout for years. They just wanted access to a power conference, and now they have it.

 

[LLCoolCY]

Lines are being drawn and blatantly not hiding future intentions still. Anyone thinking adding would satisfy FSU/Clemson for a while is mistaken.

 

[CydeofFries]

I think of the Big12 is smart they use this as an opportunity to find a 3rd partner for their media rights. ESPN just got that much more inventory for themselves that they can use instead of the Big12, which they only have partial ownership of.

 

[cykadelic2]

Some interesting comments on SMU. I have a connection and some familiarity with the school. Pre-death penalty (which was a travesty IMO) they were “The U” before Miami. I believe they are ready, willing, and able to do what is necessary to be competitive in the new NIL world. Being in a top tier conference will be a bonus. Do not underestimate the potential for NIL to dramatically change the hierarchy of what programs are “power” programs.

Yeah, as long as NIL is primarily pay-for-play recruiting inducements instead of what it was intended to be, that will help SMU. But if Federal legislation of NIL happens and it is trending there, then SMU is hosed. History has strongly suggested schools in conferences with reduced revenue shares have not fared well at all. Rutgers, Nebraska and Maryland are all examples of that. Oregon and Washington will find that out as well in the B10 for the rest of this decade and Calford/SMU will discover that as well in the ACC. In SMU's case with zero revenue shares, their odds of any success are even more reduced.

 

[isucy86]

So it will be interesting how this impacts CFP payout structure. And decision on CFP media partners.

A big part of the ACC deal for Cal, Stanford & SMU is the $20M+ CFP money they each stand to earn as being part of Power Conference. Would be curious if Big10 & SEC push to make CFP money payout similar to hoops where some or all is based on number of conference teams in CFP.

It's also interesting how ESPN has solidified it's position as the money behind the Power Conferences beyond the SEC & Big10. It now has 18 ACC and 16 Big12 teams under contract.

 

[heitclone]

NC State must not have been hearing good things about where they might land.

 

[Cloneon]

It's beyond stupid and ESPN. Fox and P5 Presidents/ADs should all be embarrassed that this is what all unfolded.

Networks ended up with more mouths to feed and essentially destroyed two athletic departments in the process assuming ORSt and Wazzu don't end up in the B12.

You got a conference (B12) needlessly adding 4 G5 schools because another conference (PAC) refused to merge when the offer was made to them.

You got another conference (B10) acting as a puppet for Fox jumping two time zones to expand with two schools with one of them having to divert their payout shares to another school that didn't get an invite. They later add two more schools from the same time zone at non-competitive half shares for the duration of their new TV deal.

Then you have another conference (ACC) jump time zones to add 3 schools at less at reduced or no shares just so a network can fill some After Dark programming slot and supposedly to protect themselves from future attrition in the next decade.

And then you have the SEC who at least expanded with schools contiguous or in their existing footprint but still refuse to play 9 conference games and could end up destroying more ADs with their own expansion motives.

What an effin disaster.

UNLESS, the strategy is to DEvalue the ACC, thus making the higher properties more easily digestible next time around. The B12 is not immune to this strategy either. Heck, behind the scenes, neither is the B1G or the SEC as there might be some backroom talk about starting an elite conference. All the contracts come due close enough to each other for this to be conceivable.

 

[Cloneon]

Pitt is our best realistic fit that gets no big ten or SEC interest.

They’d want less tv money to play in an empty stadium at Stan/Cal or more TV money to play sold out games with rival WVU 80 miles down the road?

Not when WVU can continue to schedule Penn St. That said, the new scheduling is going to be a doozy.

 

[Gorm]

NC State must not have been hearing good things about where they might land.

I have heard that the state of North Carolina considers the two schools tied to the hip somehow. Perhaps even legally. - I'd love to know more about what is going on in there in that case.

 

[Gunnerclone]

I’m not sure we’d be above current acc/nd special agreement, but not because of cal/stan/SMU.

After the top 4 to top 8 teams bolt I have to think big 12 would be significantly more valuable for media, but also significantly better at football. In hoops even full strength now we’re talking about the best vs worst major conference. Cal and stanford are gonna struggle to ever crack 100 net ranking with these road trips given how horrible they have been.

This is the first realignment move that I’m buying in to the “this is going to make recruiting really tough for FB and MBB” takes. Partly because of what it is and then partly because Cal and Stanford are already so bad in those sports.

 

[iahawks]

Man has this all of this really gotten out of hand. I wish we could just go back to how it was in the 80s. Bring back the SWAC and keep the rest of the conferences how they were in the 80s.

I feel these are all very shortsighted moves to grab as much money as they possibly can while no care given about the future of collegiate sports.

 

[Gonzo]

If your “conference” includes Boston, Miami, Berkeley, and Palo Alto, you don’t actually have a conference.

If your “conference” includes Seattle, Eugene, Piscataway, and College Park, you don’t actually have a conference.

Having members in Orlando, Morgantown, Salt Lake City, and Tempe is pushing it, too.

I hate that greed and TV money are driving the bus. It’s tearing apart everything that’s great about college football.

It's equally ridiculous.

 

[Clonehomer]

This is the first realignment move that I’m buying in to the “this is going to make recruiting really tough for FB and MBB” takes. Partly because of what it is and then partly because Cal and Stanford are already so bad in those sports.

Agreed. Stanford just made it very hard to recruit for their Olympic sports that they hold so dear. Wonder how they are taking this news?

I always thought these two were best suited to join a conference for football only and then join the WCC for all other sports. I would have thought the ACC would be open to such an agreement as the goal was to add more voting members for their football contract.

 

[isucy86]

If you want Pittsburgh to join the Big 12, we better get a great TV contract next round. I think we'll need to be clearly ahead of the remaining teams in revenue for them to jump. While we Big12 fans don't care about academics, the PAC just showed me that some schools absolutely do care. Here is what we will be competing with:

3 – Stanford
10 – Duke
18 – Notre Dame (All sports, but football)
20 – Cal, Berkley
25 – Virginia
29 – Wake Forest
36 – Boston College
44 – Georgia Tech
55 – Miami
62 – Syracuse
62 – Pittsburgh
62 – Virginia Tech
72 – NC State
72 – SMU

I even removed UNC and Florida State assuming they'd be gone. I believe many of these presidents would backfill with Rice and Tulane at the cost of revenue too, if they feel they need to. #182 Louisville is our target (like colorado/arizona) and hope someone follows.

For reference:

https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities?_sort=rank&_sortDirection=asc

If academic ratings mattered the Pac12 would still be around.

But the adds are a smart move by ACC to keep a place at Power Conference table even if they lose FSU, Clemson, UNC in the next 3-5 years.

But the Big12 will never be able to offer ACC schools "exit fee" type money. Even when the Big12 re-ups its media deal in 2031. So the ACC lives through 2036.

 

[Dr.bannedman]

Man has this all of this really gotten out of hand. I wish we could just go back to how it was in the 80s. Bring back the SWAC and keep the rest of the conferences how they were in the 80s.

I feel these are all very shortsighted moves to grab as much money as they possibly can while no care given about the future of collegiate sports.

just wait until the first inner conference cuts start happening. you can come to the big12 MAYBE

 

[Scruff]

Oregon State and Wazzu to merge with the MWC...