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

[RightSaidFred]

By default Northwestern (B1G) , will be in there, and at some point I believe Stanford will be a part of P2 as well. (both private)

And Vanderbildt (SEC). Really the point was, though, there’s only one football power that’s a private school in the SEC footprint, and we’re it. Unless you consider Miami on the level of Georgia Tech and Tulane, which I don’t believe anyone does.

So in other words, saying the SEC won’t take a private school when only one real option exists in their footprint (us) isn’t evidence of very much

 

[cway313]

You can make your point without all that South stereotyping political bull**** you interject into your post most the time. The SEC tried to invite us before and we turned them down. All that ******* nonsense you spewed at the end has nothing to do with it. Do better. Has more to do with our small alumni base/fan support, non traditional SEC game atmosphere with no on campus stadium, and recruiting.

I'm still waiting for your other predictions in this thread to come true.

 

[TheOriginalCane]

You know we’re good. And one thing I like about you is that, unlike 90% of the people on this board, your mind is capable of understanding nuance in an argument. Keep in mind, then, that all I really said was that I was surprised people have COMPLETELY discounted the SEC (not you, but people in general).

You might also acknowledge that it BENEFITS Miami to have options or the perception of options. You can negotiate a better salary if you claim to have two job offers, even if you only really intend to accept one.

Also, I don’t doubt your sources but I can say that I did hear from the UM side nearly 5 years ago that we were talking with the SEC. And I also know (and this is probably public knowledge) that we were talking regularly with Mike Slive, who worked at UM, for quite a while so the ties are there.

If I were UM, I would absolutely leverage Donna Shalala to help get us a Big Ten offer. I would, at the same time, be working the SEC in the same way. (Slive is dead but you get the picture). Yes they do prefer FSU and always have, and yes UF might object (though I think this is overstated on fan boards), but we would be a valuable asset to either P2 conference and I contend that it would be a poor negotiating tactic to put all of our eggs in one basket.

Maybe I’m just getting old but the reason I can’t discount the SEC is I know we’ve been flirting with them for decades.

The next time someone from an SEC school tells you we’re not a fit, ask them if Nick Saban is a “fit” in the SEC. Then ask them why he chose to move to Jupiter Island, Florida. That will shut them up,

Everything you say in that post is true. Literally everything.

We have spoken with the SEC in the past. I think the additions of Texas/Oklahoma have continued to skew the SEC even further (if that is possible) into "state flagship university" territory, which sucks for us.

Donna is definitely making our case with the Big 10. Let's not forget, since Donna took over in 2001, the AAU has only taken SIX universities (prior to the 2023 orgy, where they took six in one shot). And 4 of the 6 that the AAU took over that 22-year period were: Georgia Tech (they weren't already in???), an Ivy (Dartmouth), UC-Santa Cruz (there are a BUNCH of highly-rated UC schools), and Tufts.

Before things with the Big 10 heated up, I would have told you my preference was "SEC". I'm old(ish), I like the geography, I hate The Gator. But the Big 10 has moved into my preferred spot, part of it being "the increased value of my own diplomas", and part of it being cognizant of ongoing Mideasterner migration to Florida and being impressed with what the Big 10 is building on a national level.

I can agree with you on fit. The University of Florida has more alums that live in SoFla than the University of Miami does (clearly, they graduate A LOT more people than we do). Plenty of people move to Florida. Plenty of Floridians travel throughout the south. ****, on Saturday, I went to one of the best steakhouses in Atlanta (Kevin Rathbun Steak), and I had TWO of the employees throw up The U to me (I was wearing a UM polo).

**** fit. I mention it only because a lot of people use it as a "blackball" excuse. But I do think that it's far more likely that we end up in the Big 10. If that is more likely to happen now that Mike Slive is dead, that is sad news. R.I.P.

 

[CaneinBroward]

The other argument that favors the SEC from Miami’s perspective is UF.

Right now, the most lucrative game on Miami’s schedule is our rivalry with FSU. We get to play that game in Hard Rock every other year.

Now imagine if UF and FSU and Miami all played in the same conference. Then we would conceivably play either UF OR FSU at home EVERY season.

That would be a huge boost to Miami’s athletic department and you might be persuaded to believe that the financial windfall from that (doubling our rivalry games) might be attractive to UM.

Just something to chew on.

I like your thinking and it makes a lot of sense. Unfortunately, college football is not making too much sense nowadays.

As an aging Cane fan, I've seen the 3 traditional rivals (UF, ND, and FSU) whittled down to one played every year. It would be a real shame if Miami and FSU had to come to an end as well in all of this realignment (and that is a possibility).

 

[AuoraCane]

Sunbelt here we come!!!

Get to know our new home here:

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A deeper dive:

About the Sun Belt Conference - Sun Belt Conference

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My predicted rivals for Miami:

App State and Coastal Carolina...

Both would give us a good game.

 

[TheOriginalCane]

There are really only three private schools with the football cache to play in the P2, unless I’m totally forgetting someone. USC, Notre Dame, and Miami. Because that subset is so small, I argue that the fact the SEC hasn’t taken any private schools is not indicative of their willingness to do so in the future

Here's who I would add to the list:

Stanford
Duke (IF IF IF football continues to improve)
Baylor (IF IF IF they stay off probation for a prolonged period of time)

Two of those three are in massive states with massive populations that can support one or two good private schools, both academically and athletically. And NC is a rapidly growing state (#9 and duking it out with Georgia to see who cracks the Top 5 first).

 

[TheOriginalCane]

You can make your point without all that South stereotyping political bull**** you interject into your post most the time. The SEC tried to invite us before and we turned them down. All that ******* nonsense you spewed at the end has nothing to do with it. Do better. Has more to do with our small alumni base/fan support, non traditional SEC game atmosphere with no on campus stadium, and recruiting.

I'm still waiting for your other predictions in this thread to come true.

Oh **** off, you whine and complain every time there is an ACCURATE assessment of "the south", where I have lived for over 50 years. You always try to act like I'm some carpetbagger, but I'm not.

We did not "turn down" the SEC. We were given an impossible time-frame to make a decision, and the SEC knew it. That's why they were able to pivot to South Carolina so quickly (the next ******* day), they knew Miami couldn't give an answer within their timeframe.

"Turned down". Hilarious.

"You're still waiting for my predictions to come true". Sure. And when they do, you'll disappear. But I see you got a couple of upvotes from a pair of Miami-hating dip****s, so GOOD FOR YOU.

 

[TheOriginalCane]

And Vanderbildt (SEC). Really the point was, though, there’s only one football power that’s a private school in the SEC footprint, and we’re it. Unless you consider Miami on the level of Georgia Tech and Tulane, which I don’t believe anyone does.

So in other words, saying the SEC won’t take a private school when only one real option exists in their footprint (us) isn’t evidence of very much

Georgia Tech is a state school. Duke is really the only private I'd consider to be close to us in the southeast.

 

[cway313]

Oh **** off, you whine and complain every time there is an ACCURATE assessment of "the south", where I have lived for over 50 years. You always try to act like I'm some carpetbagger, but I'm not.

We did not "turn down" the SEC. We were given an impossible time-frame to make a decision, and the SEC knew it. That's why they were able to pivot to South Carolina so quickly (the next ******* day), they knew Miami couldn't give an answer within their timeframe.

"Turned down". Hilarious.

"You're still waiting for my predictions to come true". Sure. And when they do, you'll disappear. But I see you got a couple of upvotes from a pair of Miami-hating dip****s, so GOOD FOR YOU.

 

[Ispyin]

You can make your point without all that South stereotyping political bull**** you interject into your post most the time. The SEC tried to invite us before and we turned them down. All that ******* nonsense you spewed at the end has nothing to do with it. Do better. Has more to do with our small alumni base/fan support, non traditional SEC game atmosphere with no on campus stadium, and recruiting.

I'm still waiting for your other predictions in this thread to come true.

Or maybe you’re angry cause…

 

[AuoraCane]

By default Northwestern (B1G) , will be in there, and at some point I believe Stanford will be a part of P2 as well. (both private)

I know not popular opinion, but I believe Duke gets in there too.

 

[Cane44]

There are really only three private schools with the football cache to play in the P2, unless I’m totally forgetting someone. USC, Notre Dame, and Miami. Because that subset is so small, I argue that the fact the SEC hasn’t taken any private schools is not indicative of their willingness to do so in the future

Baylor, SMU, TCU?

 

[Rickd]

I like your thinking and it makes a lot of sense. Unfortunately, college football is not making too much sense nowadays.

As an aging Cane fan, I've seen the 3 traditional rivals (UF, ND, and FSU) whittled down to one played every year. It would be a real shame if Miami and FSU had to come to an end as well in all of this realignment (and that is a possibility).

Miami to the B10 along with FSU + ND with a scheduling arrangement like they have with the ACC ... gives us BOTH FSU and ND, along with the old Nebraska and Penn State games. Would be a home run ... then add USC.

 

[caneworld]

Can we start an "National Independent Conference" with ND, Stanford, USC, Duke and any others.
Set a standard annual handout with 8 game intraconference game commitment.... and allow each school negotiate their own broadcast/streaming rights with whomever they want.

 

[SCarolina Ibis]

Sir, it's nearly impossible to get into all of the details on this thread, but it's more than just "speculation".

Please bear in mind, I am technically an alum of both Miami and Florida (LLM-Tax), and I grew up in Orlando. I'm longtime friends with quite a few Gator alums. I currently live in ATL. I've been surrounded by SEC-SEC-SEC nearly my entire life. The SEC is not happening.

I'm not denying that there were conversations in the past. Also, in the past, geography was a much stronger consideration. The Big 10 taking Pacific-coast teams has largely obliterated that "geography" concept forever. The Gators, and possibly every other school in the SEC, will not support THREE teams from one state, and if the SEC had its choice, they would take F$U over Miami. All day, every day.

The Big 10 conversations have been going on for a LONG time. Longer than can probably be publicly admitted. The first clear public sign was AAU membership. But our former President has been conversing with her friends in the Big 10 for quite some time. And the Big 10 actually NEEDS Miami more than the SEC does (or perhaps more than the SEC admits). And as alums, we should also acknowledge that the Big 10 scratches the academic itch that Miami has, far more than the SEC does (regardless of Austin and Hogtown).

Everyone is entitled to their own opinions on preferring the Big 10 over the SEC or vice versa. But those preferences should not be confused by what is most likely to happen. There is NOTHING "predicate" oriented that is transpiring between Miami and the SEC. Nothing. I never rule anything out completely, maybe there is some President/AD/Commissioner turnover at the SEC and the thinking on Miami changes, and/or the competitive lust to out-do the Big 10 takes over. But short of that, we will not be extended a bid to join the SEC.

I know that some of the younger posters don't understand the deeply-held tenets of people like Christian-Nationalist-Socialists and Lost Causers, who firmly believe that they can manifest Judgment Day and/or the South Rising Again. But the SEC is intent on expanding to represent all 13 stars on the Confederate battle flag, and that means flying the SEC flag over North Carolina and Virginia, the last 2 states on their checklist.

Talk to some really old Bull Gators (or any old SEC boosters). They'll tell you. I (briefly) used to work for a Bull Gator tax partner, who was not afraid to drop the N-word. When they think "you're one of them", old SEC moneybag-types will tell you the master plan.

Am I the only one who finds it hilarious that if fans want to watch the SEC, which is comprised of southern states, they have to go to Disney owned ESPN. And to watch the B1G, which covers the northeast and west coast, they have to go to Fox?

 

[RightSaidFred]

Here's who I would add to the list:

Stanford
Duke (IF IF IF football continues to improve)
Baylor (IF IF IF they stay off probation for a prolonged period of time)

Two of those three are in massive states with massive populations that can support one or two good private schools, both academically and athletically. And NC is a rapidly growing state (#9 and duking it out with Georgia to see who cracks the Top 5 first).

But none of those schools is Miami, with 5 national titles and 9 title appearences in the last 40 years. Stanford is a phenomenal school, but the Big Ten already passed on them once.

Duke (IF IF IF football continues to improve). - well I have to take a shot here, it's too much of a layup. They hired Manny Diaz, so we can guarantee that their football will NOT continue to improve. We have experience here, we know. I pity Duke.

I have to keep reminding people outside of the Miami sphere that if they're 40 years old, Miami has played in fully a QUARTER of every national championship ever played in their lifetime. **** near, anyway. We've earned to be in that conversation with the Alabamas, Oklahomas, Nebraskas and Notre Dames of the world as a true blue blood dynasty program.

Luckily for us, while the majority of message board and twitter idiots are under 30, the vast majority of TV execs, conference commissioners, university presidents, and bigwigs around college football are over 40 and "The U" brand pulls a lot of weight with them. The people who matter are over 40, and they remember seeing a lot of Miami in championship games.

 

[RightSaidFred]

Georgia Tech is a state school. Duke is really the only private I'd consider to be close to us in the southeast.

Is it really? Then I learned something today, I always thought it was private. It looks so small.

 

[Ispyin]

Am I the only one who finds it hilarious that if fans want to watch the SEC, which is comprised of southern states, they have to go to Disney owned ESPN. And to watch the B1G, which covers the northeast and west coast, they have to go to Fox?

Honestly, I didn’t really think about it, though I know what you’re saying because I’m just so ******* sick of every single topic and desire to feed the outrage machine happening that I try to ignore it when I come here - except though when somebody else like earlier in this thread, interjects it. Then I just won’t leave it alone.

we could certainly go into a whole dissertation about what you’re saying in a completely different way than some might think I might go but let’s stay on topic and just say that there is essentially no difference between ESPN & fox - they’re just out to make money which is actually their job and fiduciary responsibility to shareholders - regardless of what anybody personally feels about them. And as part of that job, they have audiences that they cater to - but it doesn’t have to be consistent across channels or business units.

 

[RightSaidFred]

I like your thinking and it makes a lot of sense. Unfortunately, college football is not making too much sense nowadays.

As an aging Cane fan, I've seen the 3 traditional rivals (UF, ND, and FSU) whittled down to one played every year. It would be a real shame if Miami and FSU had to come to an end as well in all of this realignment (and that is a possibility).

Miami and FSU should be travel partners to any new conference. It would be extremely asinine weren't the case and I have to believe the decision makers are smart people.... but then again people have surprised me in the past.

Miami and FSU independently are both valuable to the P2 on their own. But together? The whole is better than the sum of the parts. You get a built in rivalry game with national appeal that's like having a bowl game in the middle of the season. Any conference commissioner or TV exec who wouldn't see the added value in taking the pair is a moron... and you have to hope that the people in charge aren't complete fools. IMO.

 

[Ispyin]

Is it really? Then I learned something today, I always thought it was private. It looks so small.

Total enrollment is like 45k split between undergrad and grad like 45-55 respectively give or take.

It’s just that at best they might be the 4the best draw tv ratings in their own market unless they are having a great season and even then can’t touch the school in Athens