Williams & Blum Wednesday: Preseason poll, realignment speculation, and The Tornado Game
- Thread starter Aiden Wyatt
- Start date
$MU isn't a big football brand.
They just have some majorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr cash behind them.
They just have some majorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr cash behind them.
I'm sure Yormark is fully aware that Football rules the TV contracts but doesn't see a way now to improve the B12 football brand above the Big 10 and SEC in ESPN/FOX's eyes.
B12 is the basketball conference and I assume he feels undervalued and worth more than it is currently getting. Pumping up the B12 Basketball as a valued asset in negotiations will hopefully make it the 3rd best conference and media contracts to reflect that. I think that is why he has floated the idea of splitting the contracts up too. Maximize the Brand the B12 has basketball.
The estimated breakdown across the sport is the typical media value is 75/25 to 80/20 football / basketball.
I could imagine the big 12 is on the higher range for basketball, maybe as much as 30% or more of the media value.
Football is clearly the driver, but in the Big 12 basketball is a significant factor. And if Yormark sees the Big 12s value shirting more toward BBall, you can see why it’s a big focus. It might be a throw-in with marginal value in the SEC, but that’s not the case in the Big 12.
I don't get the recent SMU love, if they were desirable, why didn't the Big12 take them last time? Because the are in the ACC now? The ACC only took them because they were free.
I think there's a small but not insignificant chance that some of the top teams get left out of the other two conferences: FSU, Clemson, UNC, Virginia, Miami, with Notre Dame being a wild card.
If none of the above schools are left, for me, it's this tiered order:
VTech, NCST
Pitt, Louisville
Duke, Cal, Stanford
Syracuse, BC
GT
WF, SMU
I could see a more likely scenario where Miami gets left out, then for me it'd be: Miami, VT, NCST, Pitt.
I think there's a small but not insignificant chance that some of the top teams get left out of the other two conferences: FSU, Clemson, UNC, Virginia, Miami, with Notre Dame being a wild card.
If none of the above schools are left, for me, it's this tiered order:
VTech, NCST
Pitt, Louisville
Duke, Cal, Stanford
Syracuse, BC
GT
WF, SMU
I could see a more likely scenario where Miami gets left out, then for me it'd be: Miami, VT, NCST, Pitt.
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Not sure how SMU is an obvious choice. I would put them near the bottom of ACC schools the Big12 should be interested.
The Big12 already has TCU in Dallas area and other Texas schools in TT, Baylor and Houston.
Part of any Big12 expansion should prioritize schools in new TV markets.
Better as a fit or just more realistic?
I'd guess Syracuse and UConn are good for eyeballs with their location alone even if not big fanbases.
There's been a media obsession with SMU for a long time for some reason.
The sports media has always painted SMU as this poor school that was only down for so long because they got hit by the death penalty...ignoring that maybe if they hadn't been cheating their asses off they would not have been as good in the first place and the death penalty just restored the natural order
I wasn't old enough to remember the SWC, so I read up on it after watching the SMU 30 for 30.
Reality is most of those small privates in the SWC didn't stand a chance with the next round of realignment. UT and A&M were so far ahead of the rest in terms of money and fan support.
Pretty spot on but I think Louisville definitely more desirable than Pitt. I would say Louisville, Duke, then maybe Pitt
VT and NC state
Miami, Pitt, Louisville
Duke
rest, just say no.
The backyard brawl is a huge TV rating game, even now with wvu and pitt both down. That gives value to pitt, the rivalry games. VT is also a rival as is Notre Dame.
NC State and VT both bring in schools with huge fanbases, and big new states. they are clearly at the top, and id be shocked if the SEC doesnt take them over FSU and clemson.
Miami, Pitt, Louisville
Duke
rest, just say no.
The backyard brawl is a huge TV rating game, even now with wvu and pitt both down. That gives value to pitt, the rivalry games. VT is also a rival as is Notre Dame.
NC State and VT both bring in schools with huge fanbases, and big new states. they are clearly at the top, and id be shocked if the SEC doesnt take them over FSU and clemson.
Like others have said, the Backyard Brawl with WVU, pushes them up the list for me.
Just leaving this here.
Sources: UConn, Big 12 in serious negotiations about Huskies joining as newest expansion member
In the latest version of the deal, UConn would join the conference as a member in all sports except football starting, at latest, in 2026.
sports.yahoo.com
"In all sports except for football." Why would they bother with anything other than Basketball? If they are already splitting off football, why not split the non-revenue sports into local conferences and save a boat load on travel?Just leaving this here.
Sources: UConn, Big 12 in serious negotiations about Huskies joining as newest expansion member
In the latest version of the deal, UConn would join the conference as a member in all sports except football starting, at latest, in 2026.
Also, not sure I'm a fan of basketball only schools. With the new player payment cap, basketball only schools will funnel close to 100% of their funds to just their basketball team, creating a pay disparity in the conference. Obviously UConn, for now at least, has a football team, but I cannot imagine that it would receive anything close to the funding % that other B12 teams will get. My preference would be to keep a conference that's all on an even playing field when it comes to funding of football/basketball, even if that means less revenue overall.
I did read the article. Are you referencing the, "Contingent upon the school meeting certain investment thresholds in the sport, UConn football would join the Big 12 in 2031" line? If so, so what? That isn't any guarantee that they would fund their football department to that level in order to ensure that clause. Nor is it any guarantee they would provide reasonable pay to their football players if they do join at that time.
Obviously we don't have all the facts and clearly it's still in negotiations, with nothing agreed to. Regardless, the vibe I'm getting from this, is the commissioner is driving the bottom line revenue wise, without a clear and focused long term vision of the conference's survival and success. He's done an amazing job to date, keeping the Big 12 relevant, but Yormark is clearly driven by the bottom line, and that isn't always congruent with success.
