More conference realignment talk

[The Sultan]

I'm nervous about where we stand. Ratings aren't great by any means and the most lucrative offer could be from a streaming service with limited reach. The sheer financial might of the SEC/B10 is going to make the arms race almost impossible to keep up with. Pretty sure that Kansas rumor was from a troll account.

We have tradition and dedicated fanbases, but they're small compared to the big state football schools. We'll never draw comparable ratings which will likely prevent the truly big TV revenue. It's a tough spot. Kansas and Gonzaga would be game changers. That's why geography shouldn't be a consideration.

Yep yep

[forgetful]

The P12 will also be looking through the following list:

Duke
Virginia
Georgia Tech
Kansas
UNC
Pitt

People keep talking about Kansas to the BE, but if the P12 looks to expand, they'll be targeted. You will also note that the P12 target list is quite barren, which means either they have to abandon the idea of targeting AAU schools, or largely abandon the idea of expansion. I can see them making an exception to the AAU list for BYU though.

[Dish]

If we're being honest, the Big 10 would rather have had Texas & USC, if they could have gone back a year ago and done this over.

[PJDunn]

Can't argue with that. I also think that the "real" UW brings more value than UCLA. Maybe they add them the next time they choose to pillage the west coast.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

If attendance had anything to do with what is happening,  UCLA would be in the MWC.

No one is tuning in to watch Ann Arbor minor league club either

[MU86NC]

https://depauliaonline.com/55502/sports/big-east-conference-rumored-to-expand/
Zags...

[#UnleashSean]

https://depauliaonline.com/55502/sports/big-east-conference-rumored-to-expand/
Zags...

"The Big East is filled with mostly mid-major"

And I stopped reading.  Lol

[#UnleashSean]

https://depauliaonline.com/55502/sports/big-east-conference-rumored-to-expand/
Zags...
[/quote
This is also from October of 2021. This articles facts are almost as poorly researched as depaul has been coached for the past 30 years.

[Otule's Glass Eye]

So where does the P12 go next? They missed on BYU. I assume SDSU, Fresno St., Eastern Washington, Colorado St, UNLV?

In terms of geography and relevance the ones that make the most sense are San Diego State, Boise State, Wyoming, UNLV, Colorado State, Nevada, New Mexico, Hawaii, and Utah State

[TallTitan34]

I know it will never happen but it's fun to dream.

Division 1
Gonzaga
Kansas
Marquette
Villanova
DePaul
Butler
Creighton
Xavier


Division 2
Duke
North Carolina
UConn
Seton Hall
Providence
St. John's
Georgetown
Syracuse

Or just not even do divisions.

[Billy Hoyle]

In terms of geography and relevance the ones that make the most sense are San Diego State, Boise State, Wyoming, UNLV, Colorado State, Nevada, New Mexico, Hawaii, and Utah State

Most likely, possibly, nope, unlikely, nope, nope, hell no, oh hell no, definitely hell no.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

https://depauliaonline.com/55502/sports/big-east-conference-rumored-to-expand/
Zags...

VCU is in the highly competitive ACC and Butler is apparently a public school now.

[Uncle Rico]

Notre Dame will not be left behind and will find a home quite easily

[The Sultan]

Can't argue with that. I also think that the "real" UW brings more value than UCLA. Maybe they add them the next time they choose to pillage the west coast.

Not sure about that.  UCLA was taken due to the huge local presence in the LA market. And they have a way more recognizable brand than UW.

[Uncle Rico]

Not sure about that.  UCLA was taken due to the huge local presence in the LA market. And they have a way more recognizable brand than UW.

Right?  People need to understand market and brand, not recent success.

Washington and Oregon will be sought after because of Nike and the Pacific Northwest monopoly.  People shouldn't focus on the product on the field.

The next biggest brand to be fought over will be UNC

[Hards Alumni]

I'm nervous about where we stand. Ratings aren't great by any means and the most lucrative offer could be from a streaming service with limited reach. The sheer financial might of the SEC/B10 is going to make the arms race almost impossible to keep up with. Pretty sure that Kansas rumor was from a troll account.

We have tradition and dedicated fanbases, but they're small compared to the big state football schools. We'll never draw comparable ratings which will likely prevent the truly big TV revenue. It's a tough spot. Kansas and Gonzaga would be game changers. That's why geography shouldn't be a consideration.

This mirrors my concern.

[muwarrior69]

The P12 will also be looking through the following list:

Duke
Virginia
Georgia Tech
Kansas
UNC
Pitt

People keep talking about Kansas to the BE, but if the P12 looks to expand, they'll be targeted. You will also note that the P12 target list is quite barren, which means either they have to abandon the idea of targeting AAU schools, or largely abandon the idea of expansion. I can see them making an exception to the AAU list for BYU though.

So the PAC is losing USC/UCLA and the BIG 12 lost OK/Texas. Would not the smart option for PAC and BIG 12  be to merge into one conference and then the they can all poach the ACC into oblivion.

[forgetful]

So the PAC is losing USC/UCLA and the BIG 12 lost OK/Texas. Would not the smart option for PAC and BIG 12  be to merge into one conference and then the they can all poach the ACC into oblivion.

The PAC will have to get over their focus on academics. They decided not to expand in large part, because they didn't want to add any more non-AAU schools. The B12 is chock-full of them.

[The Equalizer]

I'm nervous about where we stand. Ratings aren't great by any means and the most lucrative offer could be from a streaming service with limited reach. The sheer financial might of the SEC/B10 is going to make the arms race almost impossible to keep up with. Pretty sure that Kansas rumor was from a troll account.

We have tradition and dedicated fanbases, but they're small compared to the big state football schools. We'll never draw comparable ratings which will likely prevent the truly big TV revenue. It's a tough spot. Kansas and Gonzaga would be game changers. That's why geography shouldn't be a consideration.

This article was sobering to read:

https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2022/03/championship-week-college-basketball-ratings-big-ten-acc-sec-pac-12/

While the article compares ratings only for the conference tournament championships game, the Villanova/Creighton final drew only marginally more viewers than the A10's Richmond/Davidson matchup, and actually wound up with a worse TV rating.

https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2022/03/championship-week-college-basketball-ratings-big-ten-acc-sec-pac-12/

And I don't think Gonzaga is the game changer you suggest. The WCC conference championship game between Gonzaga and St Marys drew even fewer viewers than the BE or A10 championship and was one of only two conferences showing a decline in viewership.  Even worse is that this decline came in the face of the tailwind of Gonzaga's season-long publicity at the top of the rankings and march to a #1 seed.

I'm beginning to think that the best play for the Big East as a corporate entitiy is not to poach teams from the A10 or WCC or MVC, but to acquire or merge with those conferences corporately, continue to operate them independently, curate individual cross-conference non-con matchups where it makes sense (e.g. Loyola vs. DePaul), and market the whole package of 40-some teams to the TV networks as a media entity delivering a true nationwide footprint with a ton of available content.

[StillAWarrior]

If so, I'd expect the Big10 to grab 2 teams. Likely UNC/Duke to keep the rivalry.

But wouldn't be shocked if it was UNC/Virginia.

They are going to want to grab top academic schools.

Honestly, if the Big 10 poaches UNC and does not also take Duke, doesn't Duke to the Big East make sense? I know that's ridiculous, but so is USC/UCLA to the Big 10.

[dgies9156]

The opening to save the Big 12 just happened.

I'm guessing that unless there is a BIG raid to the Pacific Northwest, Washington, Oregon, California and Stanford would have to be ideal candidates for the 12. That would move the Big 12 to 16 members, leaving the only open question being whether Colorado would come back.

Oregon State and Washington State, Arizona and Arizona State would be out in the cold, meaning they'd be members of the Mountain West. I could somehow see the Big 12 moving on the Arizona schools, but the Beavs and the Cougs are in real trouble.

[WhiteTrash]

The PAC will have to get over their focus on academics. They decided not to expand in large part, because they didn't want to add any more non-AAU schools. The B12 is chock-full of them.

Funny to think any conference with ASU has academic standards.

[WhiteTrash]

The opening to save the Big 12 just happened.

I'm guessing that unless there is a BIG raid to the Pacific Northwest, Washington, Oregon, California and Stanford would have to be ideal candidates for the 12. That would move the Big 12 to 16 members, leaving the only open question being whether Colorado would come back.

Oregon State and Washington State, Arizona and Arizona State would be out in the cold, meaning they'd be members of the Mountain West. I could somehow see the Big 12 moving on the Arizona schools, but the Beavs and the Cougs are in real trouble.

While I'm not sure the B12 needs saving, they just did as well as anyone could expect with expansion and distributed record revenues (I know the UT, OU will hurt big time), you make good points. I think Stanford and Cal are in a bad spot too. I don't know much about Cal, but a reporter on the radio claimed that Cal's facilities and commitment to sports are not very good.

[Uncle Rico]

The Big 12, ACC and the zombie Pac-12 will figure something out but they'll be the proverbial stepkid.

Rivalries and geography don't matter.  Market and brand matter most.  Everything else is meaningless

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

This article was sobering to read:

https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2022/03/championship-week-college-basketball-ratings-big-ten-acc-sec-pac-12/

While the article compares ratings only for the conference tournament championships game, the Villanova/Creighton final drew only marginally more viewers than the A10's Richmond/Davidson matchup, and actually wound up with a worse TV rating.

https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2022/03/championship-week-college-basketball-ratings-big-ten-acc-sec-pac-12/

And I don't think Gonzaga is the game changer you suggest. The WCC conference championship game between Gonzaga and St Marys drew even fewer viewers than the BE or A10 championship and was one of only two conferences showing a decline in viewership.  Even worse is that this decline came in the face of the tailwind of Gonzaga's season-long publicity at the top of the rankings and march to a #1 seed.

I'm beginning to think that the best play for the Big East as a corporate entitiy is not to poach teams from the A10 or WCC or MVC, but to acquire or merge with those conferences corporately, continue to operate them independently, curate individual cross-conference non-con matchups where it makes sense (e.g. Loyola vs. DePaul), and market the whole package of 40-some teams to the TV networks as a media entity delivering a true nationwide footprint with a ton of available content.

Anytime you can slice the pie an additional 20 to 30 times for marginally more money at best you've gotta do it