forums

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

AuoraCane said:
Why would BIG bring in Notre Dame without football? ACC made that mistake and look where it has gotten them. The BIG teams hate Notre Dame more than we do. They only bring in ND if makes financial sense to them.
Click to expand...


I think you are completely missing the point. Or a couple of points.

First, there is still value to having ND for basketball, etc. Second, there is a strong likelihood (particularly if other conferences disappear) that IF IF IF Notre Dame joined a conference IN THE FUTURE, that it would likely be the same conference where there other sports are. Which is exactly the deal the ACC made.

Finally, you overlook the fact that the Big 10 TV deal is SOOOOOO good that it may obliterate any number that Notre Dame can assemble on its own. We have all heard the MYTH about how much better off Notre Dame is on their own...but that was under a contract negotiated previously, and before all of these changes have been made to both the playoff AND the TV landscapes.

The bottom line is that NBC is highly unlikely to pay Notre Dame nearly as much for 7 games per year (because NBC can ONLY have football, since the ACC has all other sports) as the Big 10 or SEC could pay for full conference membership. NBC just shut down their cable sports channel. What makes ANYONE think that NBC has a serious commitment to airing college football games?

Come on now. Where do you get this bull**** about "The Big 10 teams hate Notre Dame more than we do"? WHO ******* CARES? This isn't about making lifelong pen pals, this is about serious ******* money. And the Big 10 would sell part of its soul to get Notre Dame.

The Big 10 wishlist (offer list) is, in order:

1. Notre Dame
2. UNC
3. Miami
4. UVa


1685122710551.png
 
Advertisement
Rickd said:
I'm counting ND in the seven programs that, as I understand it, currently do have a potential landing spot:

-UNC ... Big 10 or SEC
-UVA ... Big 10 or SEC
-UM ... Big 10
-ND ... Big 10
-FSU ... SEC
-Clemson ... SEC
-Louisville ... Big 12 (apparently received an invite last week)

So in my mind the question is which other ACC program would be a viable pick for either the Big 10 or SEC and what kind of timetable are the AD's actually working on? Seems before ANY decisions can be made by other AD's the UNC and UVA AD's need to make a decision on where they want to take their programs. If the Big 10 can get confirmations from UNC, UVA, UM and ND then it would seem that the SEC MIGHT consider Va Tech and NC State. I would imagine that Radakovich and the Clemson / FSU AD's are pushing those two programs to make their decisions so the landscape becomes clearer. Once that is done ... say 4 programs to the Big 10 and 4 to the SEC ... and their doors are shut for further expansion (at least for now) then programs like Pitt might look seriously at the Big 12 as the ACC implodes.
Click to expand...


Yes, but VaTech is in the Magnificent Seven. So you have 7 votes PLUS Notre Dame.

Elite Eight.
 
Rickd said:
Issue at the moment is that we need to move on from the speculation that they would take them to the position of actually having an offer. Seems like UNC / UVA have to make their decisions so both conferences can finalize their targets and then those prime programs not going to the BIG / Sec can strike deals with the BIG 12. "Get er done".
Click to expand...
They can't and won't have a formal offer until the process of leaving the ACC has begun, dissolving it or they have a viable path out of their GOR. All they'll have until then is an informal handshake/verbal agreement through back channels.
 
Advertisement
TheOriginalCane said:
Yes, but VaTech is in the Magnificent Seven. So you have 7 votes PLUS Notre Dame.

Elite Eight.
Click to expand...
My understanding from what you had posted on TOS was that Va Tech didn't have a firm invite yet regardless of the "magnificent seven" interested in leaving. The 6 currently having firm invites to the Big10 and SEC being UNC, UVA, ND, Miami, Clemson, FSU and apparently Louisville with an invite to the Big 12. If Va Tech does have a legit invite from the SEC then we do have eight and it is just up to UNC and UVA to make a decision and then the AD's can take action.
 
Yoyo82 said:
They can't and won't have a formal offer until the process of leaving the ACC has begun, dissolving it or they have a viable path out of their GOR. All they'll have until then is an informal handshake/verbal agreement through back channels.
Click to expand...
Of course ... that is the process ... back channel and determine interest. Possibly even get a more formal "letter of intent". But the first thing that needs to be done to get the process moving to the next step is for UNC and UVA to make their decision ... Big 10 or SEC. Once that decision is make and "informal agreements" are made the other conference can move forward with "informal agreements" to other programs, i.e. Va Tech to the SEC if UNC and UVA select the Big 10. If we already have 6 + Louisville to the Big 12 ... we just need one more program to support the dissolution vote. NC State to the SEC anyone?
 
Rickd said:
My understanding from what you had posted on TOS was that Va Tech didn't have a firm invite yet regardless of the "magnificent seven" interested in leaving. The 6 currently having firm invites to the Big10 and SEC being UNC, UVA, ND, Miami, Clemson, FSU and apparently Louisville with an invite to the Big 12. If Va Tech does have a legit invite from the SEC then we do have eight and it is just up to UNC and UVA to make a decision and then the AD's can take action.
Click to expand...


Fair enough. I think VaTech is in "position 5" with the SEC, assuming the SEC could land its Top 4 (UNC, Clemson, F$U, UVa). If UNC and/or UVa go Big 10, I am almost certain that Tennessee AT LEAST (and likely others) would lobby to add VaTech. I don't know that VaTech would interest the Big 10, and I **** well know the Big 12 would snap them up.

I think people wrongly analyze SEC expansion as "take a dominant football school that will bring $80 million of its own value to the table", when the reality is that the SEC really really really REALLY loves state flagship schools. For every Texas and Oklahoma, the SEC also tolerates the Mizzous and Kentuckys and Ole Misses and South Carolinas and Arkansaseseses of the world.

And the SEC STILLLLL makes money hand-over-fist, even with those craptastic flagship football schools.

The Confederacy will rise again. All the SEC needs is UNC and UVa. Or maybe NC State and VaTech. One way or another, it's going to happen.
 
Advertisement
Rickd said:
The media agreement and GOR is renegotiated with any addition to the ACC.
Click to expand...

So if I understand what you are saying - all it would take is adding one team (any team, really) and the GOR has to be re-opened for negotiation. If the acc can't reach new terms with espn, then the deal is off and the acc teams could potentially get back the media rights (which then means schools can vote to disband the acc and join other conferences) . Is that accurate?
 
Wario Cristobum said:
So if I understand what you are saying - all it would take is adding one team (any team, really) and the GOR has to be re-opened for negotiation. If the acc can't reach new terms with espn, then the deal is off and the acc teams could potentially get back the media rights (which then means schools can vote to disband the acc and join other conferences) . Is that accurate?
Click to expand...
The new GOR is a 30 page document from what I hear - major increase from the initial 4 page document. So I doubt it is that simple. What appears to BE the simple approach is getting at least 8 ACC members in agreement to dissolve the ACC - then vote and dissolve the conference. No conference = no GOR in effect.
 
Rickd said:
The new GOR is a 30 page document from what I hear - major increase from the initial 4 page document. So I doubt it is that simple. What appears to BE the simple approach is getting at least 8 ACC members in agreement to dissolve the ACC - then vote and dissolve the conference. No conference = no GOR in effect.
Click to expand...

Again, I think that the relatively novel legal question is this.

Is there even a GOR if there is no conference? I understand why the Big 12 GOR is "ironclad"...there STILL IS an actual Big 12 conference.

It's time to head for the great unknown.

Time to figure out how worthless a GOR is for a conference that no longer exists.
 
TheOriginalCane said:
Again, I think that the relatively novel legal question is this.

Is there even a GOR if there is no conference? I understand why the Big 12 GOR is "ironclad"...there STILL IS an actual Big 12 conference.

It's time to head for the great unknown.

Time to figure out how worthless a GOR is for a conference that no longer exists.
Click to expand...

Abso-*******-lutely…
 
Advertisement
One thing I've wondered about is why it is so difficult to get a copy of the current GOR, especially since it involves so many publicly funded universities. I don't see why the contract would have FOIA protection. The taxpayers have an interest in knowing how much money the universities are gaining (or losing) through the media rights deals.
 
Ispyin said:
There’s a big assumption on here -and I’ve bought into it too - that it’s only takes a simple majority of the teams to dissolve the conference. I have not actually seen anyone link to the actual conference bylaws that state that I feel like it’s become one of those self-fulfilling prophecy things, and when I tried to research and find it, I could not. And for whatever it’s worth when I asked chat GPT to research it, it came back saying it required 3/4 of the members, but couldn’t provide actual text or link either.

i’m not saying it’s wrong because it’s been quoted several times in a lot of reports but I don’t know that the bylaws are actually on the website to have somebody fact check it
Click to expand...
Here ya go

 
TheOriginalCane said:
Again, I think that the relatively novel legal question is this.

Is there even a GOR if there is no conference? I understand why the Big 12 GOR is "ironclad"...there STILL IS an actual Big 12 conference.

It's time to head for the great unknown.

Time to figure out how worthless a GOR is for a conference that no longer exists.
Click to expand...
That is the issue 100%. The GOR is between the universities and the ACC. However where I believe ESPN is basing the threat of litigation is that the CONFERENCE, which received "irrevocable rights" in their GOR with the universities, passed on those rights in an "irrevocable" form to ESPN for the period up to the end of the contract term 2036. Contracts are based on wording / details. One would have to have the contract to see how it is written.
 
Advertisement
Notre Dame has an issue with football and their upcoming renegotiation with nbc or anyone for that matter.

their home schedule as currently constituted is not worth the number they want let alone what the big ten can offer. The market no longer is there for the premium they likely want to jump to in a new deal. If it’s money or even 75% of what the big ten is going to offer, they arent going to get there.

they will have to decide this time how much money are they willing to sacrifice to stay fully independent
 
Ispyin said:
Notre Dame has an issue with football and their upcoming renegotiation with nbc or anyone for that matter.

their home schedule as currently constituted is not worth the number they want let alone what the big ten can offer. The market no longer is there for the premium they likely want to jump to in a new deal. If it’s money or even 75% of what the big ten is going to offer, they arent going to get there.

they will have to decide this time how much money are they willing to sacrifice to stay fully independent
Click to expand...
Well reports are they're currently getting like $25M/yr from NBC, which is >$75M/yr less than they'd be worth to the SEC/B10 when those new deals kick in. Now will NBC pay them more than like $50M/yr? maybe not. It's better for NBC and the like to have ND in the B10 where they'll have them for 9+ games a year at least. Now ND can afford to eat it if they want, they're really not feeling any pressure I'd bet.

But they also get a vote in the ACC/GOR situation. So imo we're at 8 (>50%) right now if ND voted with us as long as B12 will take 2 schools - which seems like a no brainer.
 
ghost2 said:
I realize football $$ is king but you don't think Duke bball alone might give the B10 pause? Especially if/when they take UNC? Academically Duke seems like a natural fit.
Click to expand...
No. Not even close.

By way of comparison in 2022 Duke basketball had roughly $33M in revenue .... Iowa football had $82M and Michigan football had $126M.
 
Wario Cristobum said:
One thing I've wondered about is why it is so difficult to get a copy of the current GOR, especially since it involves so many publicly funded universities. I don't see why the contract would have FOIA protection. The taxpayers have an interest in knowing how much money the universities are gaining (or losing) through the media rights deals.
Click to expand...
There could be a competition issue of some sort that shields the schools or someone. The schools can argue some loss of competitiveness if the terms are exposed and that it would hurt their revenues. I can’t say exactly without reading what’s hidden. Lol
 
Advertisement
Back
Top