(12-27-2019 04:50 PM)Go College Sports Wrote:  

(12-27-2019 08:24 AM)XLance Wrote:  

(12-27-2019 07:31 AM)HiddenDragon Wrote:  This eventual new tv deal will separate the P5 haves from the have-nots. At this rate you won't need superconferences. Just merge the B1G and SEC, add a few big names from the ACC and Big 12 and call it a day. It's clear these two conferences are what drives the TV ratings bus in college football, everyone else is just scrapings and morsels.

It really depends. The networks will have to separate out the Vanderbilts, Mississippi States, Northwesterns, and Purdues first.
MLB has 30 teams and the NFL 32, if college football is headed down that path, 32 would be the right number and some of the non-competitive programs would have to go to make room for Southern Cal, Texas, Florida State, etc.. There has to be some movement or structure that would allow separation within the P5.
Pay for play could be the vehicle.

(12-27-2019 08:39 AM)HiddenDragon Wrote:  

(12-27-2019 08:24 AM)XLance Wrote:  

(12-27-2019 07:31 AM)HiddenDragon Wrote:  This eventual new tv deal will separate the P5 haves from the have-nots. At this rate you won't need superconferences. Just merge the B1G and SEC, add a few big names from the ACC and Big 12 and call it a day. It's clear these two conferences are what drives the TV ratings bus in college football, everyone else is just scrapings and morsels.

It really depends. The networks will have to separate out the Vanderbilts, Mississippi States, Northwesterns, and Purdues first.
MLB has 30 teams and the NFL 32, if college football is headed down that path, 32 would be the right number and some of the non-competitive programs would have to go to make room for Southern Cal, Texas, Florida State, etc.. There has to be some movement or structure that would allow separation within the P5.
Pay for play could be the vehicle.

I agree about separating the Vandy's and Northwestern's of the world from the P-5, but the truth of the matter is only 10-15 teams get to play for the national championship on a yearly basis. The FBS needs to be separated into three classifications with each holding a national championship.

And stop with these buy games and using the excuse these games help the little guys. If you claiming to be the best, then play the best every week.

The Vandys and the Northwesterns aren't going to be separated.

Correct - we need to stop this type of thinking. It’s the first rule of conference realignment: think like a university president and not like a fan. This is the possibly the most elitist group of people in all of America: they *want* that association with Northwestern, Vandy, etc.

Revenue obviously drives everything, but it only works if there’s a fit. Many (most?) mergers in the business world don’t work despite the best intentions because you’re not just merging income statements and balance sheets, but also institutions and cultures. That’s why the Big Ten and SEC merging somehow isn’t ever realistic: they might make similar money, but they are two different cultures. That’s why Texas listened heavily to overtures from the old Pac-10 but wouldn’t take any calls from the SEC despite the SEC being clearly better from a financial perspective. That’s why UConn is choosing independence in football in order to join the Big East for basketball and other sports. That’s why it’s so hard for even on-paper fits (like UVA and UNC to the Big Ten or Clemson and FSU to the SEC) to ever come to fruition.

The finances certainly need to work, but joining a conference is akin to a marriage. Look at the long list of failed mergers in business and broken marriages of high net worth couples. If the fit isn’t there, whether it’s cultural, academics or geographic, then it’s not going to last no matter how much money is involved.

(12-27-2019 08:55 PM)Frank the Tank Wrote:  

(12-27-2019 04:50 PM)Go College Sports Wrote:  

(12-27-2019 08:24 AM)XLance Wrote:  

(12-27-2019 07:31 AM)HiddenDragon Wrote:  This eventual new tv deal will separate the P5 haves from the have-nots. At this rate you won't need superconferences. Just merge the B1G and SEC, add a few big names from the ACC and Big 12 and call it a day. It's clear these two conferences are what drives the TV ratings bus in college football, everyone else is just scrapings and morsels.

It really depends. The networks will have to separate out the Vanderbilts, Mississippi States, Northwesterns, and Purdues first.
MLB has 30 teams and the NFL 32, if college football is headed down that path, 32 would be the right number and some of the non-competitive programs would have to go to make room for Southern Cal, Texas, Florida State, etc.. There has to be some movement or structure that would allow separation within the P5.
Pay for play could be the vehicle.

(12-27-2019 08:39 AM)HiddenDragon Wrote:  

(12-27-2019 08:24 AM)XLance Wrote:  

(12-27-2019 07:31 AM)HiddenDragon Wrote:  This eventual new tv deal will separate the P5 haves from the have-nots. At this rate you won't need superconferences. Just merge the B1G and SEC, add a few big names from the ACC and Big 12 and call it a day. It's clear these two conferences are what drives the TV ratings bus in college football, everyone else is just scrapings and morsels.

It really depends. The networks will have to separate out the Vanderbilts, Mississippi States, Northwesterns, and Purdues first.
MLB has 30 teams and the NFL 32, if college football is headed down that path, 32 would be the right number and some of the non-competitive programs would have to go to make room for Southern Cal, Texas, Florida State, etc.. There has to be some movement or structure that would allow separation within the P5.
Pay for play could be the vehicle.

I agree about separating the Vandy's and Northwestern's of the world from the P-5, but the truth of the matter is only 10-15 teams get to play for the national championship on a yearly basis. The FBS needs to be separated into three classifications with each holding a national championship.

And stop with these buy games and using the excuse these games help the little guys. If you claiming to be the best, then play the best every week.

The Vandys and the Northwesterns aren't going to be separated.

Correct - we need to stop this type of thinking. It’s the first rule of conference realignment: think like a university president and not like a fan. This is the possibly the most elitist group of people in all of America: they *want* that association with Northwestern, Vandy, etc.

Revenue obviously drives everything, but it only works if there’s a fit. Many (most?) mergers in the business world don’t work despite the best intentions because you’re not just merging income statements and balance sheets, but also institutions and cultures. That’s why the Big Ten and SEC merging somehow isn’t ever realistic: they might make similar money, but they are two different cultures. That’s why Texas listened heavily to overtures from the old Pac-10 but wouldn’t take any calls from the SEC despite the SEC being clearly better from a financial perspective. That’s why UConn is choosing independence in football in order to join the Big East for basketball and other sports. That’s why it’s so hard for even on-paper fits (like UVA and UNC to the Big Ten or Clemson and FSU to the SEC) to ever come to fruition.

The finances certainly need to work, but joining a conference is akin to a marriage. Look at the long list of failed mergers in business and broken marriages of high net worth couples. If the fit isn’t there, whether it’s cultural, academics or geographic, then it’s not going to last no matter how much money is involved.

The SEC and Big 10 never need to merge. But they could make a tidy sum off a scheduling agreement. Texas? We'll see.