Texas to the Pac is the most long awaited move besides ND to the Big 10.

(12-18-2017 07:49 PM)Wedge Wrote:  

(12-18-2017 06:48 PM)BadgerMJ Wrote:  

(12-18-2017 12:08 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(12-18-2017 11:53 AM)BadgerMJ Wrote:  

(12-18-2017 11:08 AM)Wedge Wrote:  We'll know something is up if the Big 12 GOR is not extended before it expires. They'll start talking about extending the GOR and their TV deals about 2 years before the expiration date. If a school or schools is stalling on committing to an extension, that news will leak out. Or, they'll just sign an extension and that will be that.

It should be an interesting next few years. If the stories being posted about grumblings happening in the PAC are true, it could be a game changer for realignment. Factor in the recent Fox/Disney merger and we could be looking a whole new ballgame. The way it sounds the new Fox will be focusing more on sports and news which could mean more $$$ thrown at conferences and conference programming.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/rupert-murd...1513280513

Let the rumors begin!

If that's what you are thinking, think again. Here are a few reasons:
1. Most of the buyout was in Disney stock. Is FOX going to do anything to undermine their holdings?
2. Murdoch wasn't bullish on sports. FS1, FS2, and the BTN probably weren't on the auction block because they might have tipped the definition of monopoly against the deal.
3. Look for greater cooperation between FOX and ESPN moving forward. If so look for more collectivization among the P5 as they try to gain bargaining leverage.

The Big 10 isn't going to be hurt by this move, but thy won't be helped either. And that is true for all of the conferences. If anything all this does is to remove the bidding tension for our rights.

I look for realignment to occur a few years from the current contract expiration so that the networks (FOX and ESPN) can use renegotiation clauses to lock in the top conferences before they come up for bid again. If so look for contracts into the 2040's to take their place.

I also find the Skipper resignation to be an interesting one. (a) It is what it is. (b) He groped a woman while drunk 30 years ago and doesn't want to go through that mess. (I'm not serious here but given the current climate who knows?) © The realignment plans for the future might violate his loyalties and they are coming sooner rather than later. (d.) Some or all of the above.

It will be fascinating to watch this soap opera play out.

But no matter what, the way this move was monetized it is more of an unofficial partnership between FOX and Disney than anything else. They have financially made turned their self interest into a mutual interest and have done so to prepare against the onslaught to the tech companies streaming threat, and to cut overhead by not bidding against one another. I see absolutely nothing here to indicate their aggressive movement for any sports rights.

Everything will depend on what the Murdochs decide to do with the remaining assets. If they decide to reform what's left and form a new company, they're not going to simply let that die a slow death of mediocrity. They're going to put that company in the best position to be successful. To think that won't spend money on something like college sports because of Disney/ESPN would be like saying they won't spend money on the news division because of Disney/ABC.

The Murdochs run Fox. But they will also be the largest shareholders of the company that owns ESPN and ABC. Either they'll give up management of the remaining Fox assets, or, more likely, they'll sell them after the Disney deal goes through.

Seems to me if their eventual goal is to sell off what's left of Fox, they'd be smart to make it's value as great as possible. If Amazon, for example, were looking to jump into the sports pool even deeper, having a long tern deal with several major college sports conferences would be of value.

They could turn around and then sell what's left for probably close to $30 Billion. Nice way to even further increase your share in Disney.

(12-18-2017 05:20 PM)USAFMEDIC Wrote:  The PAC 12 has totally boxed itself in geographically. Should have come down off their ivory tower and invited OU and OSU. What other options to they have in the Pacific/Mountain time zones?

Well, um, they are the "Pacific" .. conference. Wouldn't it be dumb for them to have teams in the midwest?

(12-19-2017 09:02 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(12-18-2017 05:20 PM)USAFMEDIC Wrote:  The PAC 12 has totally boxed itself in geographically. Should have come down off their ivory tower and invited OU and OSU. What other options to they have in the Pacific/Mountain time zones?

Well, um, they are the "Pacific" .. conference. Wouldn't it be dumb for them to have teams in the midwest?

Well Quo, nothing quite says Atlantic Coast like a school located on the Great Lakes now does it? Notre Dame anyone? And nothing says Southwest or even Midwest like West Virginia? So it wouldn't exactly be a novel concept now would it?

(12-19-2017 01:19 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(12-19-2017 09:02 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(12-18-2017 05:20 PM)USAFMEDIC Wrote:  The PAC 12 has totally boxed itself in geographically. Should have come down off their ivory tower and invited OU and OSU. What other options to they have in the Pacific/Mountain time zones?

Well, um, they are the "Pacific" .. conference. Wouldn't it be dumb for them to have teams in the midwest?

Well Quo, nothing quite says Atlantic Coast like a school located on the Great Lakes now does it? Notre Dame anyone? And nothing says Southwest or even Midwest like West Virginia? So it wouldn't exactly be a novel concept now would it?

JR, you forgot "nothing says SouthEast like Missouri".

(12-19-2017 09:36 PM)Hokie Mark Wrote:  

(12-19-2017 01:19 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(12-19-2017 09:02 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(12-18-2017 05:20 PM)USAFMEDIC Wrote:  The PAC 12 has totally boxed itself in geographically. Should have come down off their ivory tower and invited OU and OSU. What other options to they have in the Pacific/Mountain time zones?

Well, um, they are the "Pacific" .. conference. Wouldn't it be dumb for them to have teams in the midwest?

Well Quo, nothing quite says Atlantic Coast like a school located on the Great Lakes now does it? Notre Dame anyone? And nothing says Southwest or even Midwest like West Virginia? So it wouldn't exactly be a novel concept now would it?

JR, you forgot "nothing says SouthEast like Missouri".

Well, they do border 3 of our states. How about the Irish? or West Virginia?

(12-19-2017 09:55 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(12-19-2017 09:36 PM)Hokie Mark Wrote:  

(12-19-2017 01:19 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(12-19-2017 09:02 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(12-18-2017 05:20 PM)USAFMEDIC Wrote:  The PAC 12 has totally boxed itself in geographically. Should have come down off their ivory tower and invited OU and OSU. What other options to they have in the Pacific/Mountain time zones?

Well, um, they are the "Pacific" .. conference. Wouldn't it be dumb for them to have teams in the midwest?

Well Quo, nothing quite says Atlantic Coast like a school located on the Great Lakes now does it? Notre Dame anyone? And nothing says Southwest or even Midwest like West Virginia? So it wouldn't exactly be a novel concept now would it?

JR, you forgot "nothing says SouthEast like Missouri".

Well, they do border 3 of our states. How about the Irish? or West Virginia?

When I lived in Indiana, I thought of Notre Dame as an eastern school.

Its the most "eastern" school west of the Alleghanies.

(12-19-2017 09:36 PM)Hokie Mark Wrote:  

(12-19-2017 01:19 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(12-19-2017 09:02 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(12-18-2017 05:20 PM)USAFMEDIC Wrote:  The PAC 12 has totally boxed itself in geographically. Should have come down off their ivory tower and invited OU and OSU. What other options to they have in the Pacific/Mountain time zones?

Well, um, they are the "Pacific" .. conference. Wouldn't it be dumb for them to have teams in the midwest?

Well Quo, nothing quite says Atlantic Coast like a school located on the Great Lakes now does it? Notre Dame anyone? And nothing says Southwest or even Midwest like West Virginia? So it wouldn't exactly be a novel concept now would it?

JR, you forgot "nothing says SouthEast like Missouri".

Also, nothing says Ten like 14, and nothing says XII like 10.

(12-19-2017 09:55 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(12-19-2017 09:36 PM)Hokie Mark Wrote:  

(12-19-2017 01:19 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(12-19-2017 09:02 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(12-18-2017 05:20 PM)USAFMEDIC Wrote:  The PAC 12 has totally boxed itself in geographically. Should have come down off their ivory tower and invited OU and OSU. What other options to they have in the Pacific/Mountain time zones?

Well, um, they are the "Pacific" .. conference. Wouldn't it be dumb for them to have teams in the midwest?

Well Quo, nothing quite says Atlantic Coast like a school located on the Great Lakes now does it? Notre Dame anyone? And nothing says Southwest or even Midwest like West Virginia? So it wouldn't exactly be a novel concept now would it?

JR, you forgot "nothing says SouthEast like Missouri".

Well, they do border 3 of our states. How about the Irish? or West Virginia?

Nothing says southeast like Texas. But anyway, that’s why conferences are now favoring their acronyms for identification.

(12-19-2017 09:55 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(12-19-2017 09:36 PM)Hokie Mark Wrote:  

(12-19-2017 01:19 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(12-19-2017 09:02 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(12-18-2017 05:20 PM)USAFMEDIC Wrote:  The PAC 12 has totally boxed itself in geographically. Should have come down off their ivory tower and invited OU and OSU. What other options to they have in the Pacific/Mountain time zones?

Well, um, they are the "Pacific" .. conference. Wouldn't it be dumb for them to have teams in the midwest?

Well Quo, nothing quite says Atlantic Coast like a school located on the Great Lakes now does it? Notre Dame anyone? And nothing says Southwest or even Midwest like West Virginia? So it wouldn't exactly be a novel concept now would it?

JR, you forgot "nothing says SouthEast like Missouri".

Well, they do border 3 of our states. How about the Irish? or West Virginia?

ND "borders" on the Atlantic Coast, after all.

The Great Lakes and the Atlantic are navigable via the St. Lawrence Seaway :)

I think we all get that the P4 have all grown beyond their original footprints. Some additions have been faithful to the original culture of the conference, others have not. But generally, The B1G is no longer the just the Midwest but "The North" and likewise the SEC is now "The South" while the PAC is "The West" and the ACC is "The East"

Which is why they should really be called the Cardinal 4

(12-20-2017 04:06 PM)10thMountain Wrote:  I think we all get that the P4 have all grown beyond their original footprints. Some additions have been faithful to the original culture of the conference, others have not. But generally, The B1G is no longer the just the Midwest but "The North" and likewise the SEC is now "The South" while the PAC is "The West" and the ACC is "The East"

Which is why they should really be called the Cardinal 4

But then someone would want to rename them
Big East
Big North
Big South
Big West

(12-20-2017 09:57 AM)TerryD Wrote:  

(12-19-2017 09:55 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(12-19-2017 09:36 PM)Hokie Mark Wrote:  

(12-19-2017 01:19 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(12-19-2017 09:02 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  Well, um, they are the "Pacific" .. conference. Wouldn't it be dumb for them to have teams in the midwest?

Well Quo, nothing quite says Atlantic Coast like a school located on the Great Lakes now does it? Notre Dame anyone? And nothing says Southwest or even Midwest like West Virginia? So it wouldn't exactly be a novel concept now would it?

JR, you forgot "nothing says SouthEast like Missouri".

Well, they do border 3 of our states. How about the Irish? or West Virginia?

ND "borders" on the Atlantic Coast, after all.

The Great Lakes and the Atlantic are navigable via the St. Lawrence Seaway :)

Now that's one way of looking at it. But that makes for a very long sail to Miami. At least you see the locks at Sault Ste Marie (a quaint but lovely place).