What Does NBC Have to lose?

It could be argued that NBC can't buy the Big East on the cheap. If they do, it will make their main college product even more disrespected. They need to pay a sum that makes the Big East look like it has a future.

ESPN on the other hand, can pay very little, refuse to market the conference and kill it a little more slowly than they had hoped to when they conspired with the ACC this year.

The proof is in the pudding. ESPN has made no effort to talk up the Big East and has always pretended the ACC was superior, even when it wasn't. It is blatantly obvious, especially in regard to football. The only thing that can be offered as proof on either side of this argument is that Gene D. said they talked about it. What proof can you offer that ESPN in actuallity values the Big East?

In order for NBC/Comcast to receive any major ROI from the Big East, they will have to:

a) Pay the league as if it's a big-boy conference. At worst, find out what the ACC's new payout will be and match/exceed it; at best, give the league the PAC-12 treatment. Then after they make the investment,...

b)Promote the bejeezus out of it. Use all the bells and whistles that the other BCS leagues benefit from: non-stop blather from daily talk shows, cut-ins during other sporting events, cross-marketing during normal NBC programming...the works. In short, make their viewers as aware (or as sick) of their product as CBS and ABC viewers are of the SEC and ACC, respectively.then...

c) Use the best broadcasters and technology they have on most (if not all) of their games. Quality on the screen and in listeners' ears will go a long way towards helping legitimize (read: sell) the Big East product. Break out all the fancy field-cams, mic the coaches/players, do all the stuff that gets done for the major games from the other leagues. Don't put no-name hacks on the biggest games, and if you're going to use women in the booth, if she knows her stuff (a Doris Burke, for example) then legitimize her by putting her front-and-center on ALL the big games. Tangenting here a bit - I say this because even though there are quite a few legit women around as announcers, having a female voice in the booth on a broadcast is still stigmatized as 'small-time'. As great as Burke is, have you ever heard her call a big SEC FB game? A BCS bowl? A major hoops tourney other than the Big East's? Exactly.

If NBC Sports and their new guy (Lazarus? PERFECT name, btw) really want to get into the CFB game they will have to roll up their sleeves and help the Big East off the mat perception- and money-wise,not only for their immediate bottom line but also to show the other BCS leagues that when their deals are up, there's another viable option to help promote their product effectively.

IMHO the Stamford Gang would be so much better for the Big East - and UConn - than the Bristol Boys. I kinda wish that Providence could break the ESPN deal and re-neg the TV deal now instead of next SEP...

I think NBC will pay decent money, just because that is the market now. I think even the CUSA/MWC will get a big bump, and I believe they are going through with the merger despite losing Boise, Houston, SMU, UCF and SDSU because the merged conference will be able to renegotiate their media deal, and they will get a 3x or 4x deal next time around.

The bigger issue for NBC will be stability. I expect they will demand a media rights concession from each school such that the schools will not be able to leave during the term of the contract. If we go down this road, we can kiss every other conference goodbye for a while. ESPN never cared about this stuff because their goal was to nip away at the Big East and reduce what ESPN would have to pay for the conference.

He can't offer any proof.

Because the way you outlined how Pitt and Syracuse ended up in the ACC is absurd.

My proof is an insider's public comments, an absurd reversal of those comments together with lame public denials by ESPN executives who would have ignored Defillippo's comments if they were meritless, together with common sense and everyone's public actions. Your proof is denial of what is happening right in front of us.

I win.

Um, you miiight wanna check your bowl of Cheerios for yellow milk, sir.

To your points: yes, gimmicks. All the gimmicks NBC can spare. The same damn gimmicks ESPN/ABC uses to prop up ACC football and cram the likes of Miami-UMd games down America's throats. The dirty little secret in all this CR upheaval is that the Big East FB 'standard', on paper, is currently poised to surpass that of the ACC. For better or worse that league is the target for Providence, so if NBC signs the Big East it would be in both parties' best interests to make better 'chicken salad and lemonade' than ESPN is currently making with the ACC.

As far as broadcast crews go, if you don't think NBCS will go out and score better talent, you're in denial. They will create a healthy competition for talking heads and will pull good folks away from other networks. Rest assured that quite a few will come from Bristol - word on the street is that the corporate climate up there isn't that hot so maybe some folks wouldn't mind a change.

And I'm not as concerned about the 'lack of technology' angle with the streaming of games as you seem to be: NBC has the infrastructure in place already and just needs to expand it. They already have archives of ND games; they can catch up in that area pretty quickly to accommodate Big East games as well.

Finally, the rage thing. My position on Disney is well-known; no need to rehash it. Although I haven't ranted in the 'Yard about them for a long time, you might have noticed that other 'Yarders are finally realizing much of what I've been saying about Bristol for years - on their own. With all due respect, you would do well to get your head out of the sand concerning them as well.

Enjoy your cereal!...

What is with this constant need to prop up the crappy conference we find ourselves in? It's not even that good a basketball conference once Pitt, Cuse and WVU bail. I really don't understand it. I get the fantasy posts about a conference with Cuse, UConn, BC, Pitt, Penn State, ND (football too), Rutgers etc. But is anyone really saying: "Wow, isn't this great! We're in a conference with mediocre programs from Florida, Texas, Idaho, California, Kentucky and Ohio!". Sure, Dr. Frankenstein loved his creature, but everyone else thought it was hideous. This conference is hideous.

As for NBC, it's easily the worst of the major networks for sports and otherwise. So they might well be stupid enough to blow a ton of money on this abomination. I sure hope not, as it needs to be put out of my misery.

...

You could at least use the Crosby Stills and Nash version. But that song is a product of the 60's free love generation, and a concept I never agreed with. I'm not comfortable putting a bag over the head of this conference, and beer goggles are not enough to make it look good.

HartbeatHusky,

When you authored this topic you stated up front that it was a "long shot" to flip the "backstabbers." And even though that ship seem to sail in no way does that potential outcome nullify your visionary spirit and the regional pride that you delivered, which reasonated with so many.

Last week, while listening to a guy named Finebaum, who's the official "mouth of the south" for SEC football, I thought about your classic statement that "money means stabilty." while listening to one of his guest, vetted Clay Travis of Outkick the Coverage indirectly talk about the lack of stability the acc will face in the future when the SEC expands to 16. A snaphot follows:

"So who will be teams 15 and 16 for the SEC?
Here's a hint, it won't be teams from the existing 11 state SEC footprint.
Remember when everyone was clamoring about Clemson and Florida State to the SEC -- in fact, remember when ESPN even reported this? -- and OKTC told you that was dead wrong?
We were right.
And we're right about this, the SEC's 15th and 16th teams will come from the states of North Carolina and Virginia.
So, which teams will be the lucky duo?
(By the way, if you're wondering why the ACC suddenly leapt at the opportunity to snag Pittsburgh and Syracuse it's because the ACC suspects it will lose two teams to the SEC eventually. The ACC wanted to ensure it had 12 teams when that happened).
I've written before that North Carolina and Duke are a package deal. It seems unlikely that both teams, particularly Duke, would be willing to join the SEC. If the SEC could make a play for both, it might be willing to forego Virginia based on the national pop that would come from adding two programs of such stature in the state of North Carolina.
Lacking that, North Carolina State, the perpetual step-child of the Tarheel State, work its way into contention. Unless North Carolina could be pried away without Duke, which seems unlikely, I think N.C. State's future will be in the SEC.
Which leaves us with Virginia, which of the two programs, the Cavaliers or the Hokies will join the SEC?
Based on cultural fit and football prominence I believe it will be the Hokies. (I think Virginia -- as well as Maryland's -- ultimate future may well lie in an expanded Big Ten). "

http://outkickthecoverage.com/secs-future-will-include-16-teams-four-divisions-of-four.php

If Travis is right, a) the acc will not be stable b) its tv contract will be uncertain and c) in spite of A & B most here will still see this as the opportunity to rush and save the acc. But what about the opportunity to partner and be paid more money by NBC, NBC rescues / buys back the backsabbers and BC, receive better scheduling, environment, quality, respect and a true relevant NORTHEAST college football conference?

Anyway, thanks for the sharing of knowledge

I think it's obvious that the SEC's 15th and 16th teams will come from NC and VA. I still think the ACC will survive though. I think that the New Big East will get a decent TV deal on par with the low end of what other AQ conferences are getting. I still think that NBC will make a play at keeping Cuse and Pitt in the fold since they'll still be in the conference during media rights negotiations but who really knows. It's been discussed to death but I don't think they'd be risking anything by putting an offer out there. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work and they put out another, significantly lower offer.