A Case for Kansas to the Big East

[BlueDogs]

Kansas will come to the Big East if the Big East can somehow present a scenerio to Fox that will pay each member around $10M per year. Is it possible? Maybe but it will take lots of creative thinking.

They make 38M a year now. Big 12 Conf. $$ will definitely drop post-OU and TX but these schools can't live on Big East $$ even at $10M. Even if the BE could find a way above $4M, nobody is paying up to watch De Paul vs. Kansas State in a high school gym. NBE acolytes are disconnected from reality. The one exception is the NBE transforms into a football-playing conference for those that wish to do so, and a separate media rights arrangement is generated for those that contribute. But, the Catholic schools will never allow themselves to lose control over their weekend church league.

 

[John Greene]

They make 38M a year now. Big 12 Conf. $$ will definitely drop post-OU and TX but these schools can't live on Big East $$ even at $10M. Even if the BE could find a way above $4M, nobody is paying up to watch De Paul vs. Kansas State in a high school gym. NBE acolytes are disconnected from reality. The one exception is the NBE transforms into a football-playing conference for those that wish to do so, and a separate media rights arrangement is generated for those that contribute. But, the Catholic schools will never allow themselves to lose control over their weekend church league.

Please tell me you are kidding with the hybrid conference comment. Isn't that how we got into this mess in the first go around.

 

[WestCoastHusky]

They make 38M a year now. Big 12 Conf. $$ will definitely drop post-OU and TX but these schools can't live on Big East $$ even at $10M. Even if the BE could find a way above $4M, nobody is paying up to watch De Paul vs. Kansas State in a high school gym. NBE acolytes are disconnected from reality. The one exception is the NBE transforms into a football-playing conference for those that wish to do so, and a separate media rights arrangement is generated for those that contribute. But, the Catholic schools will never allow themselves to lose control over their weekend church league.

$10M per year is for basketball only. I think they have to get creative and somehow get more from football indy or in another conference. A group of B12 schools can form a football-only conference along with UCONN while parking rest of the sports in the BE is another option.

I don't believe Catholic schools will want a hybrid conference again unless Fox really steps up and offer something good for the schools involved. It will all come down to money and the right media partner(s).

 

[JeepCSC]

$10M per year is for basketball only. I think they have to get creative and somehow get more from football indy or in another conference. A group of B12 schools can form a football-only conference along with UCONN while parking rest of the sports in the BE is another option.

I don't believe Catholic schools will want a hybrid conference again unless Fox really steps up and offer something good for the schools involved. It will all come down to money and the right media partner(s).

So they’d have to create a football-only conference just so they can join the BE? The BE isn’t that attractive. Kansas won’t separate basketball-football except as a last resort if they have no options. For now, the new Big 8 is the plan, and then when/if it gets picked apart, they’d likely be top 2 (with OSU) to get picked up by a power conference. A thousand things would have to go wrong for Kansas to call the BE.

 

[BlueDogs]

Please tell me you are kidding with the hybrid conference comment. Isn't that how we got into this mess in the first go around.

That's the only feasible pathway, and I dont see it. The Big12 is better off grabbing BYU, BSU, Cincy and USF ad making a go of it.

 

[Zissou]

You spent way too much time that. It’s all nonsense.

It was nothing, just a few minutes of logical expression.

 

[Zissou]

The problem may be Fox...

Fox turned down televising the Big 12 Championship game and refused to begin an early renegotiation of the Big 12 media contract...and that was with big brands Texas and Oklahoma still on board.

Fox doesn't seem that interested.

They weren’t interested in locking in with the two marquees heading out. That’s smart planning.

 

[don356]

The unification of the better football schools in the AAC with the remaining 8 in the B12 is the play. That has the potential to be a very good conference in both fball and bball. It's a last resort for a football school to go indy in football and join a league for basketball.

 

[Zissou]

Fox is going to guesstimate what a non-OuT Big XII would make, and then blow it up and write a contract to pay Kansas football over $10 million just because? And so a football conference will be born where schools get paid vastly different amounts based on what they could have made elsewhere in an alternate 2025? And in the next contract would Kansas get a bump based on speculation + inflation? Am I understanding all that correctly?

Pretty close. Let’s say $6M per school in the basketball conference. Let’s make a value assumption on Kansas in the big 12 at $15M. So Kansas gets a $10M deal on a football alliance agreement. With Kansas peeled away value drops more. K state and Iowa State get $7M. The rest get $5M for football. Fox gets arguably the premier basketball conference for $6M per team and a full schedule 8 team football alliance for $50M. That’s a good value for content.

Would UConn be happy adding Kansas for hoops, reconnecting with Cincy, having a 7 game set football schedule with some rivalry, and get $11M for TV? I think so! That’s not even counting the distribution UConn will get from Nova’s ncaa tournament points.

 

[JeepCSC]

Pretty close. Let’s say $6M per school in the basketball conference. Let’s make a value assumption on Kansas in the big 12 at $15M. So Kansas gets a $10M deal on a football alliance agreement. With Kansas peeled away value drops more. K state and Iowa State get $7M. The rest get $5M for football. Fox gets arguably the premier basketball conference for $6M per team and a full schedule 8 team football alliance for $50M. That’s a good value for content.

Would UConn be happy adding Kansas for hoops, reconnecting with Cincy, having a 7 game set football schedule with some rivalry, and get $11M for TV? I think so! That’s not even counting the distribution UConn will get from Nova’s ncaa tournament points.

But again, even if Fox negotiated with no one to concoct multiple imaginary Big XII contracts, and KSU and ISU signed on to get paid less. How do you even begin to negotiate a second contact in 5 years? “We will pay you based on a situation that never happened 5 years ago, and give you a nice inflation bump just because”?

 

[Zissou]

But again, even if Fox negotiated with no one to concoct multiple imaginary Big XII contracts, and KSU and ISU signed on to get paid less. How do you even begin to negotiate a second contact in 5 years? “We will pay you based on a situation that never happened 5 years ago, and give you a nice inflation bump just because”?

Give Kansas a 5-year renewal option on football after the first 5 year base deal.

 

[billybud]

They weren’t interested in locking in with the two marquees heading out. That’s smart planning.

So...when no one else knew two years ago that Texas and Oklahoma were scooting to the SEC, Fox had a crystal ball?

 

[Zissou]

So...when no one else knew two years ago that Texas and Oklahoma were scooting to the SEC, Fox had a crystal ball?

Everyone knew the risk of them leaving. Even us, here.

 

[billybud]

Everyone knew the risk of them leaving. Even us, here.

LOL...yeah...the BY has had it all covered...Pac 12 expanding, WVU to the ACC, UConn to the Big 12, Clemson to the SEC, UNC, Duke, Virginia to the B1G...Kansas to the B1G....over the years, I don't think many combinationa have been missed.

 

[Zissou]

LOL...yeah...the BY has had it all covered...Pac 12 expanding, WVU to the ACC, UConn to the Big 12, Clemson to the SEC, UNC, Duke, Virginia to the B1G...Kansas to the B1G....over the years, I don't think many combinationa have been missed.

UConn to the Big East…

Don’t water down what is logical with comments like “WVU to the ACC”

 

[don356]

It was nothing, just a few minutes of logical expression.

You should rephrase that to "illogical expression".

 

[John Greene]

You should rephrase that to "illogical expression".

If you are not careful he will hit you with the ultimate "logical expression' argument.

Nova stays in the BE for BB, becomes a FB only member of the SEC because ESPN wants the Philly market in their new deal.

 

[Zissou]

You should rephrase that to "illogical expression".

Ok Spock

 

[billybud]

UConn to the Big East…

Don’t water down what is logical with comments like “WVU to the ACC”

Logical?

The Yard is not logical...the Yard throws everything out there....

 

[kingdobbs]

Full Disclosure:

I am a Connecticut native, resident, UConn alumnus ('74), long-time hockey season ticketholder, and died-in-the-wool Husky fan. So I am far from unbiased, but..................the notion that Kansas might join the Big East is fantasy.

Let's, for the moment, dispense with the analysis of $$$$$$. Look, I have spent my entire adult life as a self-employed investment/insurance broker, so I pay attention to every nickel and dime I am able produce, without any union or taxpayer safety net. So, for the moment, let us just look at some of the non-financial aspects of a potential move from the Big12 to the Big East for Kansas.

Why would Kansas want to send its men's baseball, cross country, golf, and track & field teams to Providence, UConn, St. John's, Seton Hall, Villanova, Georgetown, or any other East Coast school? And its women's soccer, volleyball, cross country, golf, rowing, swimming tennis and track & field teams to the same? They (if the opportunity presented itself) would much prefer the better competition from geographically, and culturally comparable, BiG schools such as Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Northwestern, etc, etc, etc.

Kansas joining the Big East for basketball is akin to UConn having joined the AAC for football.............shortsighted.

Fully ten of the sports you mentioned do not have conference competition outside of a yearly league championship.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Kansas will come to the Big East if the Big East can somehow present a scenerio to Fox that will pay each member around $10M per year. Is it possible? Maybe but it will take lots of creative thinking.

Pretty close. Let’s say $6M per school in the basketball conference. Let’s make a value assumption on Kansas in the big 12 at $15M. So Kansas gets a $10M deal on a football alliance agreement. With Kansas peeled away value drops more. K state and Iowa State get $7M. The rest get $5M for football. Fox gets arguably the premier basketball conference for $6M per team and a full schedule 8 team football alliance for $50M. That’s a good value for content.

Would UConn be happy adding Kansas for hoops, reconnecting with Cincy, having a 7 game set football schedule with some rivalry, and get $11M for TV? I think so! That’s not even counting the distribution UConn will get from Nova’s ncaa tournament points.

No chance. Aside from the money, there are too many other reasons why this is a non-starter. All the people pushing this have a very significant misunderstanding of the school, its fans and the region. They are never playing in a private eastern Catholic school league. They simply have no connection to any of them, even Creighton, a nearby school (who they very rarely play). People here thinking that Kansas is like UConn was in the AAC, looking for a home for basketball. No. KU in the Big East would be like UConn in the AAC, a team in a league with no teams it or its fans care about playing. It isn't worth even talking about no matter how the money works, and it will never work.

 

[Dooooooomed]

Sounds like there's a chance.