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MEGA Conference Realignment and lawsuits Megathread: Stories, Tales, Lies, and Exaggerations

Rickd said:
Get your popcorn ready ... ESPN (aka SEC Media outlet) is going to HAVE TO add some quality teams to offset this move by the BIG media moguls.
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Yeah, this matches what Boar, Cribby, and others have mentioned regarding them targeting Clemson, UM, FSU, and UNC. Lock up Florida TV market, South Carolina, and North Carolina. It’s an arms race.
 
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kccanefan said:
Yeah, this matches what Boar, Cribby, and others have mentioned regarding them targeting Clemson, UM, FSU, and UNC. Lock up Florida TV market, South Carolina, and North Carolina. It’s an arms race.
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Animated GIF
 
Pod A: Miami, UF, FSU, UNC, Kentucky
Pod B: UGA, Clem, Tenn, SC, Vandy
Pod C: Bama, Aub, LSU, Miss, Miss St
Pod D: Okla, Texas, A&M, Ark, Mizzou

Each season play your pod + one other pod = 9 conf games (2024 Pod A paired with Pod B and Pod C paired with Pod D)

Two teams with the best records within each pod pairing go on to play in SEC title game (2024 Pod A/B winner v Pod C/D winner)

Rotate pods each year (Pod A v Pod B in 2024, Pod A v Pod C in 2025, Pod A v Pod D in 2026)
 
Rickd said:
Get your popcorn ready ... ESPN (aka SEC Media outlet) is going to HAVE TO add some quality teams to offset this move by the BIG media moguls.
Click to expand...
Won't happen until the details of the B1G deal are out and finalized. The SEC won't move until they know the number ESPN needs to beat. If they add teams it's to trigger the renegotiation of the current deal. ESPN will want to do that to get the SEC 3:30 game a year early. The CBS deal with the B1G has them at 3:30 starting in 2023, ESPN will want that back in a new deal. Once the B1G deal is announced pieces start moving.

One thing to consider is just how much ESPN is cannibalizing themselves first by bringing Texas to the sec (killing the Longhorn network, but I assume they wanted out) and killing their amazingly cheap 20 year deal with the ACC and the investment they've made in the ACC Network. Yes there's nothing but glorified infomercial ads but that doesn't matter the network has been getting on more and more cable systems giving ESPN more $ per subscriber to every cable package. Now that inventory moves to the SEC Network which ESPN already has.

I think to get ESPN to move quickly and let acc teams out on a sweetheart deal with the GOR (they can definitely coax the ACC into doing so if they assure the league that no one else is leaving.) Tell the ACC they can keep UNC and get a new deal focused more on basketball with football being shoulder programming. Appease tobacco road with a new deal and assurances that ESPN won't let the ACC fall apart if Miami, FSU, Clemson leave. This is why I think it's less likely UNC is in a deal no matter how much the SEC probably wants them. ESPN needs to keep tobacco road together for the sake of their ACC investment. I think the compromise is the SEC takes Georgia Tech. They keep with adding conference rivals and get back a founding member of the conference.

There are a lot of moving pieces here and it's not as simple as "ESPN has to make a move" because ESPN already has these teams under their umbrella in a sweetheart ACC deal, ESPN has to feel the pressure that B1G/Fox are about to move south.
 
AllAboutTheU13 said:
Pod A: Miami, UF, FSU, UNC, Kentucky
Pod B: UGA, Clem, Tenn, SC, Vandy
Pod C: Bama, Aub, LSU, Miss, Miss St
Pod D: Okla, Texas, A&M, Ark, Mizzou

Each season play your pod + one other pod = 9 conf games (2024 Pod A paired with Pod B and Pod C paired with Pod D)

Two teams with the best records within each pod pairing go on to play in SEC title game (2024 Pod A/B winner v Pod C/D winner)

Rotate pods each year (Pod A v Pod B in 2024, Pod A v Pod C in 2025, Pod A v Pod D in 2026)
Click to expand...
Fun to think about, but you'd have too many teams with unmanageable schedules. They'd end up 9-3 or worse and be out of playoff contention.

Be great for fans though.
 
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Jonnyblaze said:
Fun to think about, but you'd have too many teams with unmanageable schedules. They'd end up 9-3 or worse and be out of playoff contention.

Be great for fans though.
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That is going to be the reality of the new leagues. Teams are going to have records that are more like NFL records. Teams that we consider good (not great) now are going to have 7-5 types of records.
 
Jonnyblaze said:
Fun to think about, but you'd have too many teams with unmanageable schedules. They'd end up 9-3 or worse and be out of playoff contention.

Be great for fans though.
Click to expand...
That's what it's all about ... national viewership. Nobody, on a national level, wants to watch Syracuse playing Boston College, whereas a Miami vs Tennessee game would be a significant draw. Eventually combined with expanded playoff scenario.
 
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Dream School said:
Won't happen until the details of the B1G deal are out and finalized. The SEC won't move until they know the number ESPN needs to beat. If they add teams it's to trigger the renegotiation of the current deal. ESPN will want to do that to get the SEC 3:30 game a year early. The CBS deal with the B1G has them at 3:30 starting in 2023, ESPN will want that back in a new deal. Once the B1G deal is announced pieces start moving.

One thing to consider is just how much ESPN is cannibalizing themselves first by bringing Texas to the sec (killing the Longhorn network, but I assume they wanted out) and killing their amazingly cheap 20 year deal with the ACC and the investment they've made in the ACC Network. Yes there's nothing but glorified infomercial ads but that doesn't matter the network has been getting on more and more cable systems giving ESPN more $ per subscriber to every cable package. Now that inventory moves to the SEC Network which ESPN already has.

I think to get ESPN to move quickly and let acc teams out on a sweetheart deal with the GOR (they can definitely coax the ACC into doing so if they assure the league that no one else is leaving.) Tell the ACC they can keep UNC and get a new deal focused more on basketball with football being shoulder programming. Appease tobacco road with a new deal and assurances that ESPN won't let the ACC fall apart if Miami, FSU, Clemson leave. This is why I think it's less likely UNC is in a deal no matter how much the SEC probably wants them. ESPN needs to keep tobacco road together for the sake of their ACC investment. I think the compromise is the SEC takes Georgia Tech. They keep with adding conference rivals and get back a founding member of the conference.

There are a lot of moving pieces here and it's not as simple as "ESPN has to make a move" because ESPN already has these teams under their umbrella in a sweetheart ACC deal, ESPN has to feel the pressure that B1G/Fox are about to move south.
Click to expand...
And what if the Big 10 brings in UNC? Kind of throws that entire third paragraph out of the window.
 
wspcane said:
And what if the Big 10 brings in UNC? Kind of throws that entire third paragraph out of the window.
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There are many scenarios being run by the networks ... that is the only certainty at this point. As far as "keeping Tobacco Road happy" and keeping the ACC "mostly in tact" for BB by keeping UNC in the ACC .... does that really have to happen? There is already a major precedent of ND being an ACC member for BB alone, and not with football. ESPN could theoretically structure a deal taking UM, Clemson, FSU, UNC, Va Tech, and Ga Tech to the SEC for football, and still have them as ACC members for basketball.
 
Rickd said:
That's what it's all about ... national viewership. Nobody, on a national level, wants to watch Syracuse playing Boston College, whereas a Miami vs Tennessee game would be a significant draw. Eventually combined with expanded playoff scenario.
Click to expand...
I physically went to BC v Wake last year with my buddies. The best part of the game was when the stadium sang Mr. Brightside.
 
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wspcane said:
And what if the Big 10 brings in UNC? Kind of throws that entire third paragraph out of the window.
Click to expand...
Right so that third paragraph was assuming there's a new GOR to keep what's left of the conference together and avoid poaching. I think ESPN is willing to rework the deal to keep teams in the fold on one of their networks and will give a sweetheart deal to avoid UNC vs Duke to move to Fox.
 
Dream School said:
Right so that third paragraph was assuming there's a new GOR to keep what's left of the conference together and avoid poaching. I think ESPN is willing to rework the deal to keep teams in the fold on one of their networks and will give a sweetheart deal to avoid UNC vs Duke to move to Fox.
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Do you realize how much money the Big 10 and its schools are about to rake in? If ESPN is willing to give a sweetheart deal to the ACC to keep Duke/UNC basketball, then we should probably stay put. It’s not happening. Football drives dollars and if UNC gets an invite they are gone.
 
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Anyone else find all the what if conversations going on regarding this dumb? I wish the top 48ish schools would just say ***** it and form their own football league. Maybe keep the conference affiliations for other sports but for football have a league with the schools that would at least be semi-competitive. Maybe a relegation system to give everyone a chance to get in.

Just feels like everyone is over complicating this to keep the conference model alive.
 
Canesrule230 said:
Anyone else find all the what if conversations going on regarding this dumb? I wish the top 48ish schools would just say ***** it and form their own football league. Maybe keep the conference affiliations for other sports but for football have a league with the schools that would at least be semi-competitive. Maybe a relegation system to give everyone a chance to get in.

Just feels like everyone is over complicating this to keep the conference model alive.
Click to expand...
The problem isn't that people inherently want to keep the conference model alive. It's that current contracts, and the ACCs in particular, include language such as the Grant of Rights which have the sole purpose of keeping the conference alive.

That stability offers some value to all schools. Top tier schools benefit from knowing that, by being part of a power 5 conference, they'll be competing for championships. Lower tier schools receive outsized financial benefits. Mid tier schools get a steady paycheck, and a shot at glory for beating top tier schools. The ACC ****ed up (or was brilliant, depending on your perspective) in signing a 20 year deal. Now top tier schools are upset, and even mid tier schools are getting relatively screwed. The only beneficiaries are the bottom tier, and those in the mid tier who wouldn't survive realignment.

Every conference has this structure to some degree. The ACC is an extreme worst case. The B1G and SEC are best cases. Their confernece model actually serves most or all of their member institutions well.

The problem with eliminating conferences is that all the deadweight in the current model wants to keep it alive, and why wouldn't they? I'm of the opinion conferences should only exist if they benefit member institutions. Right now the one UM is in does not benefit us compared to alternatives. The only real alternative is a solid legal challenge to the grant of rights (or ACC dissolution), and joining a new conference. So that's why I'm on the SEC or B1G train. It's the only realistic alternative for us at this time.

That being said, I'd love a promotion and relegation format to College football. Have a 48 team top tier, 48 team second tier, everyone else in third tier, and 12 teams get promoted/relegated to/from tier 1 each year.
Tier 3 gets 6 spots to change with Tier 2. Create unique divisions that are regionally driven each year, allowing the sport to maintain some geographic rivalries. Bowl games to determine relegation and promotion? Why the **** not, that would be exciting as ****
 
DamnLiesAndStatistics said:
The problem isn't that people inherently want to keep the conference model alive. It's that current contracts, and the ACCs in particular, include language such as the Grant of Rights which have the sole purpose of keeping the conference alive.

That stability offers some value to all schools. Top tier schools benefit from knowing that, by being part of a power 5 conference, they'll be competing for championships. Lower tier schools receive outsized financial benefits. Mid tier schools get a steady paycheck, and a shot at glory for beating top tier schools. The ACC ****ed up (or was brilliant, depending on your perspective) in signing a 20 year deal. Now top tier schools are upset, and even mid tier schools are getting relatively screwed. The only beneficiaries are the bottom tier, and those in the mid tier who wouldn't survive realignment.

Every conference has this structure to some degree. The ACC is an extreme worst case. The B1G and SEC are best cases. Their confernece model actually serves most or all of their member institutions well.

The problem with eliminating conferences is that all the deadweight in the current model wants to keep it alive, and why wouldn't they? I'm of the opinion conferences should only exist if they benefit member institutions. Right now the one UM is in does not benefit us compared to alternatives. The only real alternative is a solid legal challenge to the grant of rights (or ACC dissolution), and joining a new conference. So that's why I'm on the SEC or B1G train. It's the only realistic alternative for us at this time.

That being said, I'd love a promotion and relegation format to College football. Have a 48 team top tier, 48 team second tier, everyone else in third tier, and 12 teams get promoted/relegated to/from tier 1 each year.
Tier 3 gets 6 spots to change with Tier 2. Create unique divisions that are regionally driven each year, allowing the sport to maintain some geographic rivalries. Bowl games to determine relegation and promotion? Why the **** not, that would be exciting as ****
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Yea I get it man. The Duke's and Vandy's of the world are being subsidized by the upper echelon teams in their perspective conferences. It just feels dumb that Vandy is going to get to dance with the big boys and essentially be pummeled while an Oklahoma State or a WVU may not even get a chance. I would much rather see teams that are actually trying to compete be in this league while the ones who are kind of just there go play at a lower level league where they can actually compete.


The P5 model "worked" because there were major schools in each conference. Now that that's not the case anymore and they're all getting consolidated why not just say ***** it to the conference model and make up a new cfb nfl version. I mean thats essentially whats happening with the SEC/B1G except there will be teams who have been good to great teams (Oklahoma State for example) who might get left out because they don't move the needle financially.
 
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