Realignment Megathread (All The Moves)

[20eyes]

Caught a glimpse of Stew and Wilner's notes from a lunch meeting in which they brainstormed on the angle of their next story
- But Big 12 was only high because people in Big 12 country are dumb and didn't realize until halftime it was Baylor and Okie State and not Texas v. Oklahoma
- If huge big-time national brands Washington or Stanford had played Oregon, you're looking at tripling the viewership in that case, so just a bad break for the PAC...
- But that is if viewership matters, which it doesn't. It's all about markets, and California is a better market than Kansas
- While losing UCLA and USC hurts, this reduces the PACs in-market beach mileage by about 1/3, which should actually help viewership

I lol'd.

 

[alarson]

What about other nights? NBC could have Thursday or Friday night games.

Another point everyone keeps making is about all the B1G teams heading west for one road night games every few years. I think you're looking at it backwards. Did USC want to play all their home games at night? I wouldn't think so. Lincoln Riley was pissed about a few 11 am kicks.

They're going to love playing at 9am pacific on the road.

 

[aeroclone]

What about other nights? NBC could have Thursday or Friday night games.

Another point everyone keeps making is about all the B1G teams heading west for one road night games every few years. I think you're looking at it backwards. Did USC want to play all their home games at night? I wouldn't think so. Lincoln Riley was pissed about a few 11 am kicks.

Yeah, could get a little old as a USC or UCLA fan when all of your home games kick at 8PM.

 

[12191987]

They're going to love playing at 9am pacific on the road.

As a fan 9:00 AM kickoffs are fantastic.

No delayed gratification!

Surely there is a suitable GIF for that?

 

[Boxerdaddy]

As a fan 9:00 AM kickoffs are fantastic.

No delayed gratification!

Surely there is a suitable GIF for that?

Maybe the Cal pole vaulter?

 

[12191987]

Maybe the Cal pole vaulter?

That’s a bit tame by alarson standards.

 

[isucy86]

I mean, Warren thanked Fox alongside BTN in his press conference.

I wouldn’t think Fox has an issue with ESPN chasing BIG, making other networks spend more on the conference.
Imo ESPN likely does want a piece, and if nothing else, makes the buy-in high that more schools being added later is a more difficult sell.

ESPN not spending on BIG and USC/PAC, would mean they have some headroom to make huge moves on the rest of the board imo

It wouldn't surprise me if ESPN is going to focus on SEC and ACC. Let FOX & Friends split the Big10.

Then CBS/Paramount, NBC/Peacock, Amazon or Netflix determine if the Pac12 has a future. Based on what they are willing to pay determines if the Pac12 lives or there is a consolidation with the Big12. IMO when serious Pac12 negotiations begin- a media partner could dictate what type of Pac12/Big12 consolidation occurs.

 

[isucy86]

The projection is somewhere around $40m including CFP and Bowl money, but I'm not sure if that includes tier 3 as each school handles that individually. The projections before USCLA had the Big XII well ahead of the PAC and just ahead of the ACC for the next couple of years. The ACC is expected to get a bigger bump from an expanded CFP and nose ahead of the Big XII in the late 2020s, but not by a huge amount and probably not enough to maintain that lead when/if the Big 10 and SEC take a few of their top schools.

I thought all the Big12's tier 3 rights were switched over to ESPN+ over the last couple years. The only exceptions were LHN (ESPN) & Sooners (Bally).

 

[RustShack]

I thought all the Big12's tier 3 rights were switched over to ESPN+ over the last couple years. The only exceptions were LHN (ESPN) & Sooners (Bally).

Correct.

 

[isucy86]

I wonder if the Big 12 will keep the 11am CT championship game with BYU, or if more western schools are added.

Right now the schedule is the Pac-12 on Friday night, Big 12 in the early Saturday window, SEC in afternoon, and B1G and ACC at night.

Avoiding competition with the SEC and B1G is smart, and I have no interest in a Friday championship game. So I hope we keep our window. But it’s not a natural timing fit for the western schools.

If the Pac12 breaks apart, then I could see the Big12 moving to Friday night. I would doubt a new Big12's media partner would want MT/PT team's fans to have to watch 9a or 10a championship game.

The ACC would probably then move to Sat 11a, then SEC & Big10 at night.

 

[isucy86]

Do we really want CU? Yikes

I would say year. Denver is a good market and CU fits well in a new Big12 along with the Arizona and Utah schools.

Plus, I think CU bet on the wrong state from a recruiting standpoint when they moved to the Pac12. They did well when in the Big12 recruiting Texas and coming back to the Big12 could help recruit Texas again.

 

[cyfan92]

What about other nights? NBC could have Thursday or Friday night games.

Another point everyone keeps making is about all the B1G teams heading west for one road night games every few years. I think you're looking at it backwards. Did USC want to play all their home games at night? I wouldn't think so. Lincoln Riley was pissed about a few 11 am kicks.

I think UCLA home games will almost always be VERY late. They won't care as their athletic department has now been bailed out.

 

[ISUcyclones11]

I thought all the Big12's tier 3 rights were switched over to ESPN+ over the last couple years. The only exceptions were LHN (ESPN) & Sooners (Bally).

Yes but Sooners moved to ESPN+ recently but under a different package than the other 8 schools so they can get a higher payout.

 

[BCClone]

Yes but Sooners moved to ESPN+ recently but under a different package than the other 8 schools so they can get a higher payout.

The stupid part of that (okay you Bowlsby folks explain this one) is that all 10 teams get a cut of the ESPN + tier 3 package for the 8 teams. That is crap.

 

[isucy86]

They're going to love playing at 9am pacific on the road.

Wouldn't surprise me if UCLA & USC never play the 11am CT game slot. Fox & Friends are going to maximize their Big10 investment by putting teams were viewership will be strong.

I would also doubt we see Rutgers, Maryland play many late night Saturday games. Those games would mostly be: Nebraska, Iowa, Minn, Wisc, Ill & NW. Schools like Purdue, Indiana, etc. alumni bases in Chicago, but if they are significant they would be a better option for Saturday late night than east coast schools.

 

[heitclone]

Its hilarious these pac 12 guys are coming after the big 12. If they had the guts to go after the real bad guys, they'd have the support of most of the country. This isn't the big 12s fault. They shouldn't hate the big 12 for adapting and surviving. We're all just pawns in this ****.

 

[isucy86]

Yes but Sooners moved to ESPN+ recently but under a different package than the other 8 schools so they can get a higher payout.

I am sure they are getting a higher payment.

But their move to ESPN+ this fall stems from their previous rights holder Bally's changing their carriage model to a subscription basis ($20/mo). The Sooners weren't included in the prior ESPN+ deal with the other 8 schools, so makes sense they could strike their own deal.

That was a selling point that Big12 schools owned their own Tier3 rights. Sure it benefited Texas & OU the most, but that was the price to keep the Big12 around 10 years ago.

 

[AlaCyclone]

It's as if Warren read Mandel's column from yesterday and said, "Yeah, we'll take your valuable Pac-after-dark time slots for ourselves too." That argument was pretty weak on its face and it appears to be collapsing already. (Though this quote is going to need clarification, because surely the B1G isn't eyeing the four corners schools in the Mountain time zone.)

So who is the B1G going after in the Mountain Time Zone? Utah? Colorado? Wyoming? UTEP?

 

[JHUNSY]

So who is the B1G going after in the Mountain Time Zone? Utah? Colorado? Wyoming? UTEP?

They’re counting western Nebraska for their mountain time representation. Because I’m sure there’s a lot of viewership numbers in western Nebraska.

 

[Gunnerclone]

Oof. Stew just got murdered here.