Conference Realignment: What Next?

[Bogg]

The argument for "expand for expansion sake" or "expand to fill more slots on FS1" I think is dead. Fox has their hands at this point in both the BIG and B12, right? Which have a lot more games now. We should continue to focus on quality, name matchups that will get non alumni or casual fan eyes

Random college basketball fan will tune in for Villanova Xavier or UNConn Marquette (no offense intended to teams not named). Will they tune into a game with St Louis or any other candidate not named Gonzaga? Maybe, but the likelihood is a lot lower, and TV execs are going to put up the big state school matchups anyway.

We're already having matchups kicked to CBS sports net. Adding filler teams just means more games there or other lower tier stations

Eh, I don't think it's totally out of the realm of possibility that the conference could get more money from a split deal (say, between Fox and CBS) than they would from a 100% Fox deal and could need more inventory as a result. Not making a prediction, just saying the possibility isn't dead until the ink is dry on a new deal.

[FenwayFriar]

The argument for "expand for expansion sake" or "expand to fill more slots on FS1" I think is dead. Fox has their hands at this point in both the BIG and B12, right? Which have a lot more games now. We should continue to focus on quality, name matchups that will get non alumni or casual fan eyes

Random college basketball fan will tune in for Villanova Xavier or UNConn Marquette (no offense intended to teams not named). Will they tune into a game with St Louis or any other candidate not named Gonzaga? Maybe, but the likelihood is a lot lower, and TV execs are going to put up the big state school matchups anyway.

We're already having matchups kicked to CBS sports net. Adding filler teams just means more games there or other lower tier stations

The fear by some with Big 12 basketball coming to FS1 in 2025 would cut out some Big East games. We still don't know the numbers of Big 12 games FOX gets in basketball. IMO, can't be tons since FOX is footing 33% of the TV deal.

Yes, the Big East will inevitably lose games on FS1. However I don't view this as a bad thing. This is one of those "a rising tide lifts all boats" situations. The Big East has done fine in ratings on FS1 for the last decade. About what to be expected, nothing spectacular but nothing terrible. But FS1 can never become a true college basketball TV powerhouse (i.e., consistently threatening ESPN in ratings) with the current lineup. We want as many power conference games away from ESPN as possible. More quality content on FS1 means less quality content on ESPN. If that means the Big East may get pushed to FS2 a little more often, so be it.

FS1 needs diversified scheduling, mixing and matching different fan bases. When the Big 10 and Big 12 fan bases get more and more games on FOX/FS1/FS2, they'll be able to truly experience the FOX experience up close and personal like we all have for the last 10 years. And they'll learn it's by far the best product out there for viewing college basketball. They'll realize 2025 ESPN ain't 1995 ESPN, 2005 ESPN, or even 2015 ESPN. With that builds loyalty, and they same "F U ESPN" mentality that we've all felt once we left. Which means more Big 10 fans watching the Big East and Big 12. Which means more Big 12 fans watching the Big East and Big 10. Which is also exactly why they're floating out this FOX-only postseason tournament. Us against them.

At the end of the day we'll still have the vast majority of our conference games on national tv, whether it's one of FS1, FS2, CBSSN, FOX, or CBS. As both a lifelong Big East fan and New England Patriots fan, I can't watch ESPN continue to crumble into the abyss fast enough.

[Xudash]

The argument for "expand for expansion sake" or "expand to fill more slots on FS1" I think is dead. Fox has their hands at this point in both the BIG and B12, right? Which have a lot more games now. We should continue to focus on quality, name matchups that will get non alumni or casual fan eyes

Random college basketball fan will tune in for Villanova Xavier or UNConn Marquette (no offense intended to teams not named). Will they tune into a game with St Louis or any other candidate not named Gonzaga? Maybe, but the likelihood is a lot lower, and TV execs are going to put up the big state school matchups anyway.

We're already having matchups kicked to CBS sports net. Adding filler teams just means more games there or other lower tier stations

The fear by some with Big 12 basketball coming to FS1 in 2025 would cut out some Big East games. We still don't know the numbers of Big 12 games FOX gets in basketball. IMO, can't be tons since FOX is footing 33% of the TV deal.

Yes, the Big East will inevitably lose games on FS1. However I don't view this as a bad thing. This is one of those "a rising tide lifts all boats" situations. The Big East has done fine in ratings on FS1 for the last decade. About what to be expected, nothing spectacular but nothing terrible. But FS1 can never become a true college basketball TV powerhouse (i.e., consistently threatening ESPN in ratings) with the current lineup. We want as many power conference games away from ESPN as possible. More quality content on FS1 means less quality content on ESPN. If that means the Big East may get pushed to FS2 a little more often, so be it.

FS1 needs diversified scheduling, mixing and matching different fan bases. When the Big 10 and Big 12 fan bases get more and more games on FOX/FS1/FS2, they'll be able to truly experience the FOX experience up close and personal like we all have for the last 10 years. And they'll learn it's by far the best product out there for viewing college basketball. They'll realize 2025 ESPN ain't 1995 ESPN, 2005 ESPN, or even 2015 ESPN. With that builds loyalty, and they same "F U ESPN" mentality that we've all felt once we left. Which means more Big 10 fans watching the Big East and Big 12. Which means more Big 12 fans watching the Big East and Big 10. Which is also exactly why they're floating out this FOX-only postseason tournament. Us against them.

At the end of the day we'll still have the vast majority of our conference games on national tv, whether it's one of FS1, FS2, CBSSN, FOX, or CBS. As both a lifelong Big East fan and New England Patriots fan, I can't watch ESPN continue to crumble into the abyss fast enough.

Great observations, Fenway.

Everything seems to be evolving in the right direction. And Delta is right about the expansion point. We don’t need it, and it would be dilutive anyway.

This post is being brought to you by the Florida State versus Boston College football game, which is currently proving to Boston College why it will not be included in the upper echelon of college football much longer.

[Django]

This post is being brought to you by the Florida State versus Boston College football game, which is currently proving to Boston College why it will not be included in the upper echelon of college football much longer.

Why the BC hate Dash, didn’t you go to the Jesuit university you root for? You’re a semenhole fan? You want to suck up to UCONN football fans? Well you might consider that there aren’t any on here and most have the same sentiments towards you as Bob Huggins. Except for the fluke win last year UCONN is 0-12-2 against the Eagles and it will be 1-13-2 Oct. 28 when they get curb stomped in Boston. If the rumors are true that BC and Cuse kept UCONN out of the ACC (the truth is they kept themselves out with a pathetic attempt at FBS football 20 years ago) then you should be thrilled because we get their awesome b-ball team in the Big East! I hope their shit football team loses every FBS game they play until the dimest of the dimwits that are UCONN football fans FINALLY realize they need to drop down to FCS where they should have stayed, and we get UCONN basketball forever. But they’ll prolly do what SMU did.

[Xudash]

This post is being brought to you by the Florida State versus Boston College football game, which is currently proving to Boston College why it will not be included in the upper echelon of college football much longer.

Why the BC hate Dash, didn’t you go to the Jesuit university you root for? You’re a semenhole fan? You want to suck up to UCONN football fans? Well you might consider that there aren’t any on here and most have the same sentiments towards you as Bob Huggins. Except for the fluke win last year UCONN is 0-12-2 against the Eagles and it will be 1-13-2 Oct. 28 when they get curb stomped in Boston. If the rumors are true that BC and Cuse kept UCONN out of the ACC (the truth is they kept themselves out with a pathetic attempt at FBS football 20 years ago) then you should be thrilled because we get their awesome b-ball team in the Big East! I hope their shit football team loses every FBS game they play until the dimest of the dimwits that are UCONN football fans FINALLY realize they need to drop down to FCS where they should have stayed, and we get UCONN basketball forever. But they’ll prolly do what SMU did.

Django - I believe you’re jumping to too many erroneous conclusions here.

I do not hate Boston College. My brother, who is a fellow Xavier graduate, received his MBA from BC. I have a great deal of respect for Jesuit universities, period.

At the time of my post, Florida Stste was pulling away from BC. We have talked repeatedly here about which ACC teams are well positioned for big football and which ACC teams may end up in the backseat, with BC being a program that clearly will end up in the backseat. It isn’t hate, it’s my opinion, based on assessing where every program stands at this point, especially vis-a-vis the B1G and SEC.

I am not an FSU fan. As a fan of Ohio State football, I believe UConn football is a joke, and their fanbase is out of their minds when it comes to their program’s true potential.

BTW, credit to BC for putting up a fight, and the tribute to Welles is a class move.

[Django]

This post is being brought to you by the Florida State versus Boston College football game, which is currently proving to Boston College why it will not be included in the upper echelon of college football much longer.

Why the BC hate Dash, didn’t you go to the Jesuit university you root for? You’re a semenhole fan? You want to suck up to UCONN football fans? Well you might consider that there aren’t any on here and most have the same sentiments towards you as Bob Huggins. Except for the fluke win last year UCONN is 0-12-2 against the Eagles and it will be 1-13-2 Oct. 28 when they get curb stomped in Boston. If the rumors are true that BC and Cuse kept UCONN out of the ACC (the truth is they kept themselves out with a pathetic attempt at FBS football 20 years ago) then you should be thrilled because we get their awesome b-ball team in the Big East! I hope their shit football team loses every FBS game they play until the dimest of the dimwits that are UCONN football fans FINALLY realize they need to drop down to FCS where they should have stayed, and we get UCONN basketball forever. But they’ll prolly do what SMU did.

Django - I believe you’re jumping to too many erroneous conclusions here.

I do not hate Boston College. My brother, who is a fellow Xavier graduate, received his MBA from BC. I have a great deal of respect for Jesuit universities, period.

At the time of my post, Florida Stste was pulling away from BC. We have talked repeatedly here about which ACC teams are well positioned for big football and which ACC teams may end up in the backseat, with BC being a program that clearly will end up in the backseat. It isn’t hate, it’s my opinion, based on assessing where every program stands at this point, especially vis-a-vis the B1G and SEC.

I am not an FSU fan. As a fan of Ohio State football, I believe UConn football is a joke, and their fanbase is out of their minds when it comes to their program’s true potential.

BTW, credit to BC for putting up a fight, and the tribute to Welles is a class move.

I sincerely apologize for jumping to conclusions Dash, and thanks for the info. As a Jaysker (lifelong Creighton basketball fans and grad who grew up in Nebraska and root for the Huskers in football only) I despise FSU and Miami, so I won’t forget when dad and I got to see Flutie’s Hail Mary against the Canes… and as the only Jesuit school to not abandon football I have a place for BC, along with Norte Dame, where I have several relatives as grads and my Dad a lifelong fan (Irish Catholic). Yer prolly right BC is goner. Same with Nebraska as that state is dying out. Norte Dame is hanging on but now that the sons of the confederacy has integrated and taken over college football there won’t be any going back. They will always be fighting the civil war forever and ever. I know because I live down here o the Florida Gulf Coast. It’s nice everyone talks college football but they’re pretty obsessed and obnoxious about the south down here.

[Xudash]

No problem, Django.

You may get a kick out of this: my uncle went to Notre Dame and served as an academic advisor/tutor to the football team.

He took my father and I to a game in South Bend against LSU. We were invited to the team Mass prior to the game. Ara Parseghian was two pews in front of us, and Joe Theismann and Terry Hanratty were one behind us. I remember that clearly. It was a pretty neat experience.

I was really looking forward to all the toilet paper flying from the scores by Notre Dame. Notre Dame won the game 3–0!

Otherwise, I am right there with you in terms of living in Florida. I am in Jacksonville. The SEC is huge here with the ACC in the distant but second position.

[Django]

No problem, Django.

You may get a kick out of this: my uncle went to Notre Dame and served as an academic advisor/tutor to the football team.

He took my father and I to a game in South Bend against LSU. We were invited to the team Mass prior to the game. Ara Parseghian was two pews in front of us, and Joe Theismann and Terry Hanratty were one behind us. I remember that clearly. It was a pretty neat experience.

I was really looking forward to all the toilet paper flying from the scores by Notre Dame. Notre Dame won the game 3–0!

Otherwise, I am right there with you in terms of living in Florida. I am in Jacksonville. The SEC is huge here with the ACC in the distant but second position.

Ha ha that’s good stuff Dash

[admin]

Of course it will never happen, but the Oregon State AD wants to look at league promotion and relegation for college football. Apparently there is a proposal out there:

A promotion/relegation model, which is used in most professional soccer leagues around the world, allows teams to move up and down through different divisions or leagues based on their on-field performance each season. A proposal to adopt a similar structure within college football was recently drafted by Boise State associate athletic director Michael Walsh, according to Front Office Sports.

https://www.espn.com/college-football/s ... rthy-study

[DeltaV]

Clemson hinting very hard that something is afoot

https://www.postandcourier.com/sports/c ... cde8d.html

How soon?

“Sooner than later,” a Clemson senior administrator said last week when asked about a timetable.

Sometime in 2023?

“Stay very tuned,” the administrator said