SEC 8 team schedule vs Delaney talk of no divisions

[ssckelley]

Oklahoma is ripe for plucking, but I thought I had heard that their legislature would mandate that Oklahoma and OSU would need to be be tied in any movement because they don't want OSU to get stuck in a sinking conference. If that is the case, no way the conference allows in two schools in the same small state. I think Kansas might have a similar issue and they suck at football (the real revenue driver for the conferences), plus it's a small state. My guess is if Oklahoma gets poached, they end up in the Pac 12 or the SEC goes to 16 and brings them and Oklahoma State in. I actually think that culturally, OU and OSU would fit best in the SEC if they move.

The real shit of it is at some point football revenues are going to flat line or even decrease and then the thought of having to send the Nebraska women's volleyball team to State College is going to start to look like a real head scratcher, so my guess is at some point, we'll see a re-alignment of non-revenue sports or major scheduling changes because it makes no sense for Nebraska to ship non-revenue teams halfway across the country when they can just play Kansas, K State, ISU, Oklahoma State, etc.

I don't think Oklahoma would be a good fit for the Big Ten academically. All of the Big Ten schools are members of the AAU with the exception of Nebraska, who lost their membership after they were accepted into the Big Ten. I could be wrong but I think this still makes a difference.

Kansas would have been a good fit but, like you said, I believe state legislation prevents a conference from poaching Kansas without taking Kansas State.

 

[okeefe4prez]

I don't think Oklahoma would be a good fit for the Big Ten academically. All of the Big Ten schools are members of the AAU with the exception of Nebraska, who lost their membership after they were accepted into the Big Ten. I could be wrong but I think this still makes a difference.

Kansas would have been a good fit but, like you said, I believe state legislation prevents a conference from poaching Kansas without taking Kansas State.

The two best cultural/academic fits would probably be UVA and UNC. They would keep the conference contiguous as well. Oklahoma would be on an island. Problem is they both suck at football, but they bring good population footprints and population growth and for non-revenue sports, they would allow for a much geographically smaller travel footprint for teams in the east.

 

[ssckelley]

The two best cultural/academic fits would probably be UVA and UNC. They would keep the conference contiguous as well. Oklahoma would be on an island. Problem is they both suck at football, but they bring good population footprints and population growth and for non-revenue sports, they would allow for a much geographically smaller travel footprint for teams in the east.

What about Vanderbilt? Would Nashville add enough TV sets to justify adding them and would it be worth it for Vandy to leave the SEC? I don't think the SEC would give a crap, the Vols give them the Tennessee market for television and all the SEC cares about is football.

I never fully understood why the Big Ten rejected Missouri back in the day. They are an AAU instituion and the BTN would have picked up the St Louis and Kansas City markets. I think they would have at least broken.

 

[okeefe4prez]

What about Vanderbilt? Would Nashville add enough TV sets to justify adding them and would it be worth it for Vandy to leave the SEC? I don't think the SEC would give a crap, the Vols give them the Tennessee market for television and all the SEC cares about is football.

I never fully understood why the Big Ten rejected Missouri back in the day. They are an AAU instituion and the BTN would have picked up the St Louis and Kansas City markets. I think they would have at least broken.

Vandy would be okay, but they are basically a clone of Northwestern and we don't need another clone of Northwestern. Small fan base, not the state flagship school, subpar stadium, no history, etc. In an ideal world, Mizzou and ND should be the last 2 in to make the conference 16 teams, but I don't think the B1G can sway an SEC team into leaving at this point and I imagine ND will try to stay independent.

 

[THawk122]

The two best cultural/academic fits would probably be UVA and UNC. They would keep the conference contiguous as well. Oklahoma would be on an island. Problem is they both suck at football, but they bring good population footprints and population growth and for non-revenue sports, they would allow for a much geographically smaller travel footprint for teams in the east.

I dont think football relevance has anything to do with it, BIG added Rutgers and Maryland...

I dont see the BIG adding 2 schools from the same state, OU and OsU are probably tied together.

 

[ssckelley]

I dont think football relevance has anything to do with it, BIG added Rutgers and Maryland...

I dont see the BIG adding 2 schools from the same state, OU and OsU are probably tied together.

Rutgers and Maryland was a money move, especially Rutgers as it gave the BTN an excuse to charge the New York market a much higher rate to carry the BTN. But the Big Ten did add Nebraska, which has a very small footprint from a TV revenue perspective, but they were supposed to add football prestige to the conference.

I highly doubt the Big Ten would add a school with such low academic standards as Oklahoma. If a conference shake up ever happened again they would be better suited for the SEC.

 

[HawkeyeTech]

Realistically I look at big 10 games as the only worthwhile games on Iowa's schedule. We play two weaker non-confs games and then that P5 game against ISU which doesnt do much for me anymore.

I'd rather play the clones than Rutgers. Rutgers REALLY doesn't do much for me and never did. And Maryland isn't far behind.

 

[hawkeyebob62]

I just wonder if the "cable" model will continue to be relevant going forward. I think you bring in the best programs possible from a competitive standpoint. The real plum is Notre Dame. How can that be done? They really do belong in the Big Ten. Texas would also expand the Big Ten footprint.

I also still think that Nebraska is a sleeping giant. That entire state is 100% behind that team.

By 2025, the "cable model" is dead. In a sense, much of the "streaming model" will be, too. You'll see WAY more "ala carte" options/programming, and once Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, et. al., jump into "TV" with both feet, the one that buys ESPN will be perceived the "winner"...for a couple years. Then, the one who negotiates and builds the "super-league" will be "winner" for a couple years. Then, of course, we'll see a return to regional/local emphasis about 2030, and it'll be the 1980s again before you know it!

As much as people talk about the "integrity" and "new era" and "social justice" and "football is dangerous" crap, remember, people want to be seen as "winners" and be seen in the company of same. People slobbered after Mike Tyson for a reason. People kissed Magic Johnson's ass for a reason. People STILL want to hang out with Jim Brown for a reason.

This will be no different. @okeefe4prez and his head-of-the-line slobbering notwithstanding, don't think for a second that Jeff Bezos wouldn't get major wood getting to be pals with Nick Saban or Dabo Swinney.

 

[okeefe4prez]

You'll see WAY more "ala carte" options/programming, and once Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, et. al., jump into "TV" with both feet, the one that buys ESPN will be perceived the "winner"...for a couple years.

Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, et al, understand that intellectual property is king. And with sports, they can never own the intellectual property unless one of them chooses to buy a league or NASCAR. My guess is those a la carte options are currently in a testing phase to get people hooked. The owners of the IP rights have all the leverage and they'll play ball for now to test this stuff out, but give it a few years and anyone who wants to watch sports will find themselves only being able to procure sports bundles that aren't that much cheaper than cable. Where the cable model will break is it will bleed subscribers who don't care about sports and that will drain revenue from the big states where there are millions of grandmas with cable who never watch sports but are paying $15 in added cable charges for sports channels that are bundled into basic cable.

I hope I'm wrong, but if there's one thing I have faith in, it is that monopolists, like those who own the sports content, will do whatever is necessary to maximize profits. I mean, even the benevolent University of Iowa has been totally shameless in extorting fans out of thousands of dollars to get a couple season tickets to watch average to slightly above average Big Ten football.

 

[hawkeyebob62]

Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, et al, understand that intellectual property is king. And with sports, they can never own the intellectual property unless one of them chooses to buy a league or NASCAR. My guess is those a la carte options are currently in a testing phase to get people hooked. The owners of the IP rights have all the leverage and they'll play ball for now to test this stuff out, but give it a few years and anyone who wants to watch sports will find themselves only being able to procure sports bundles that aren't that much cheaper than cable. Where the cable model will break is it will bleed subscribers who don't care about sports and that will drain revenue from the big states where there are millions of grandmas with cable who never watch sports but are paying $15 in added cable charges for sports channels that are bundled into basic cable.

I hope I'm wrong, but if there's one thing I have faith in, it is that monopolists, like those who own the sports content, will do whatever is necessary to maximize profits. I mean, even the benevolent University of Iowa has been totally shameless in extorting fans out of thousands of dollars to get a couple season tickets to watch average to slightly above average Big Ten football.

What those companies "want" they will "buy"...legitimately or with a little "pressure".