Conference Realignment- Fox vs. ESPN
- Thread starter troy
- Start date
eyekwah
Well-Known Member
Interesting read with a real good slant on the money ESPN employed to save the Big 12. It reads like ESPN acted to keep Fox from having competitive games against the SEC games had the Big 12 South gone to the Pac 10. This quote really is appropriate.
"Fox always can try its hand at expansion in future years — especially around 2015-16, when the Big 12 reworks its current deals — and if that happens, ESPN must be ready to counterpunch."
Another player in the future will be NBC/Comcast and the Versus network. There are six major BCS conferences. If you can cut the number of conferences from 6 to 4 then a broadcaster can eliminate viewer competition when you broadcast games.
Right now the Big Ten is again the key to expansion. What it decides in about a year will set the stage for 2015.
"Fox always can try its hand at expansion in future years — especially around 2015-16, when the Big 12 reworks its current deals — and if that happens, ESPN must be ready to counterpunch."
Another player in the future will be NBC/Comcast and the Versus network. There are six major BCS conferences. If you can cut the number of conferences from 6 to 4 then a broadcaster can eliminate viewer competition when you broadcast games.
Right now the Big Ten is again the key to expansion. What it decides in about a year will set the stage for 2015.
troy
Well-Known Member
Do you think the Big Ten will expand to 16 teams?
eyekwah
Well-Known Member
I hope it doesn't, but I do think that it will announce two more teams next spring with competition starting in 2014. I think it was the plan all along to exceed 12, but not for the purpose of eliminating conferences. I speculate they will stop at 14 and see what the consequence are for Notre Dame before ever considering 16. I think the Pac Ten's preemptive move pushed the time table forward by one year.
I read a post on another source that the Big Ten AD's have been told not to schedule anymore out of conference games for 2012 and there after by the commissioner's office. I checked the football schedules and most Big Ten schools have one or more open dates starting in 2012. Iowa was one of the two exceptions. Most have two or more open dates.
Too many signs point to further expansion.
H8IAST8
Well-Known Member
The article mentions the new ACC deal, then in the next paragraph says basketball played no part.
All this fuss became possible because big-time college football is growing in viability and causing bidding wars for television rights. Even in a down economy, the Atlantic Coast conference got a raise from $120 million to $155 million from ESPN last month.
"This is the first time I can recall where college basketball wasn't even part of the consideration," said former Kentucky athletic director C.M. Newton about expansion. "It was strictly a television decision related to eyeballs."
However the ACC deal went from a football contract ($120 million) to a football, mens and womens basketball, and olympic sports conference championships contract ($155 million)
ESPN, ACC multi-million $ deal –updated with more details | Georgia Tech
All this fuss became possible because big-time college football is growing in viability and causing bidding wars for television rights. Even in a down economy, the Atlantic Coast conference got a raise from $120 million to $155 million from ESPN last month.
"This is the first time I can recall where college basketball wasn't even part of the consideration," said former Kentucky athletic director C.M. Newton about expansion. "It was strictly a television decision related to eyeballs."
However the ACC deal went from a football contract ($120 million) to a football, mens and womens basketball, and olympic sports conference championships contract ($155 million)
ESPN, ACC multi-million $ deal –updated with more details | Georgia Tech
H8IAST8
Well-Known Member
The article mentions the new ACC deal, then in the next paragraph says basketball played no part.
All this fuss became possible because big-time college football is growing in viability and causing bidding wars for television rights. Even in a down economy, the Atlantic Coast conference got a raise from $120 million to $155 million from ESPN last month.
"This is the first time I can recall where college basketball wasn't even part of the consideration," said former Kentucky athletic director C.M. Newton about expansion. "It was strictly a television decision related to eyeballs."
However the ACC deal went from a football contract ($120 million) to a football, mens and womens basketball, and olympic sports conference championships contract ($155 million)
http://blogs.ajc.com/georgia-tech-sports/2010/07/08/espn-acc-announcing-deal-today/
All this fuss became possible because big-time college football is growing in viability and causing bidding wars for television rights. Even in a down economy, the Atlantic Coast conference got a raise from $120 million to $155 million from ESPN last month.
"This is the first time I can recall where college basketball wasn't even part of the consideration," said former Kentucky athletic director C.M. Newton about expansion. "It was strictly a television decision related to eyeballs."
However the ACC deal went from a football contract ($120 million) to a football, mens and womens basketball, and olympic sports conference championships contract ($155 million)
http://blogs.ajc.com/georgia-tech-sports/2010/07/08/espn-acc-announcing-deal-today/
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This is why I really think the Big Ten should keep it simple on divisional setups...east vs west...knowing that it probably will change in a few years with more expansion.
If they add ND and an eastern team like Md or Rutgers, it will then be easy to put ND in the west and Md/Rutgers in the East and be very balanced with ND,Neb,Iowa,Wisc,NW in the west,and PSU,OSU,Mich in the east.
If they add ND and an eastern team like Md or Rutgers, it will then be easy to put ND in the west and Md/Rutgers in the East and be very balanced with ND,Neb,Iowa,Wisc,NW in the west,and PSU,OSU,Mich in the east.
IowaBanker
Well-Known Member
Paging Mesaclone...
eyekwah
Well-Known Member
This interview with the ex-SEC Commissioner looks like it is spot on about this topic.
College football realignment: Roy Kramer, architect of BCS and SEC expansion talks to Gene Wojciechowski - ESPN
College football realignment: Roy Kramer, architect of BCS and SEC expansion talks to Gene Wojciechowski - ESPN
