Fox - Big East exclusive negotiating window

[Ha Who]

We've had the discussion of how the former Big East Football programs have been doing along with their basketball programs. It's not stellar.

We'll allow WVU, Cincy and Louisville back in. For a fee. Invite USF for old times sake. We'll even allow Rutgers refuge. These programs can play in a more regional football conference they actually have a chance of winning and granted it won't be P2 money but it will be better than flying to Texas all the time.

Rutgers is all set where they are

 

[UConnJim]

It looks like the ACC would get 2 auto bids to the CFP which is extremely valuable. Add in their media deal and they will be the ones expanding, not an ACC/BE merger.

 

[Kolumbo]

It looks like the ACC would get 2 auto bids to the CFP which is extremely valuable. Add in their media deal and they will be the ones expanding, not an ACC/BE merger.

The easiest way for an organization to grow and expand is by merger and acquisition. If not an outright merger, the ACC could invite other football programs and a handful of basketball only programs. Strike while the Big 12 passed.

 

[bobbyinaz]

The easiest way for an organization to grow and expand is by merger and acquisition. If not an outright merger, the ACC could invite other football programs and a handful of basketball only programs. Strike while the Big 12 passed.

Who is financing all this expansion?

Th B12 tried to add Calford and were told by ESPN/FOX there was no money to finance it. So instead they went to the ACC where they are getting a fraction of what their “conference mates” are making.

Even if the ACC loses a couple schools ( I don’t believe there will be a mass exodus) they won’t need to back fill.

I don’t think there is much left to Conference Realignment because the money has started to dry up.

 

[DFW HOYA]

In the scenario of the ACC break-up and Duke, Wake, Pitt, Cuse and BC looking for a best fit (without P-2 options).

Here are 3 pods for hoops, adding JMU and Temple to get to 18. Play your own pod members twice and the other pods once. 22 game regular schedule.

Creighton, Marquette, DePaul, Butler, Xavier, Pitt

UConn, Providence, BC, Seton Hall, Cuse, St John’s

Nova, Georgetown, Temple, Duke, Wake, JMU

Football 9:
Pitt, UConn, BC, Cuse, Nova, Temple, Duke, Wake, JMU

Have 2 TV contracts, separated so basketball and football each bring their own value for proper member distribution.

How did James Madison sneak into this discussion? And why does Georgetown keep getting kicked to the curb on football, while Villanova averaged 4,234 a game last season?

 

[nelsonmuntz]

It looks like the ACC would get 2 auto bids to the CFP which is extremely valuable. Add in their media deal and they will be the ones expanding, not an ACC/BE merger.

What does 2 autobids to the CFP have to do with basketball?

 

[Bongo Fury]

Who is financing all this expansion?

Th B12 tried to add Calford and were told by ESPN/FOX there was no money to finance it. So instead they went to the ACC where they are getting a fraction of what their “conference mates” are making.

Even if the ACC loses a couple schools ( I don’t believe there will be a mass exodus) they won’t need to back fill.

I don’t think there is much left to Conference Realignment because the money has started to dry up.

Who is financing all this expansion?

Th B12 tried to add Calford and were told by ESPN/FOX there was no money to finance it. So instead they went to the ACC where they are getting a fraction of what their “conference mates” are making.

Even if the ACC loses a couple schools ( I don’t believe there will be a mass exodus) they won’t need to back fill.

I don’t think there is much left to Conference Realignment because the money has started to dry up.

Each team could get a larger piece of pie. I think think there will be more movement and hope UConn can improve their situation. My confidence is not very high though.

 

[CL82]

It looks like the ACC would get 2 auto bids to the CFP which is extremely valuable. Add in their media deal and they will be the ones expanding, not an ACC/BE merger.

I'm not sure if those two bids would survive a P2 raid on the conference.

 

[CL82]

Who is financing all this expansion?

I mean I'd be willing to throw 100 bucks in, if that helps.

 

[Drew]

Seeing numbers like these for Iowa/OSU women’s basketball makes me wonder if FOX/FS1 doesn’t start putting more B1G women’s hoops and volleyball on TV with their current TV contract. Feels like they could at a minimum draw similar numbers to the average Big East viewership on FS1 (~178k) and within the realm of similar viewership for big FOX (~785k).

As an example, Nebraska/Wisconsin volleyball drew over 600k viewers on BTN (record viewership) this past year. No way that FOX is maximizing their potential audience with Big Ten volleyball and women’s hoops currently- and frankly its a matter of time until we start to see baseball and softball creep onto these channels too IMO.

 

[billybud]

Iowa…the Kaitlan Clark effect. Of course folks tuned in for the record breaking performance.

 

[billybud]

Caitlin

 

[Drew]

Iowa…the Kaitlan Clark effect. Of course folks tuned in for the record breaking performance.

100%- people are tuning in to see Caitlin play (myself included) but that is kinda the point- if they can develop stars that people will tune in to watch within content they already own/have under their umbrella that ties into other premium content they show, it seemingly is a no brainer to put more of that content on bigger channels/platforms than just stuffing it on BTN/B1G+

As an example.. women’s volleyball averaged 142k viewers on BTN in 2023. Its not that outlandish to think they could be in the same vicinity of Big East basketball ratings on FS1 (~177k today) and they don’t have to pay anything “extra“ for that content.. they already have the rights to broadcast it.

I’d have to imagine showing Iowa, Michigan, Ohio State, Nebraska, Wisconsin, etc women’s hoops on FS1 could/would draw in the same ballpark as well and is complimentary to their other programming- stacking an OSU women’s game leading into an OSU men’s game as an example would seemingly drive increased viewership for both games

 

[Exit 4]

Innocent neglect or something sinister? IDK - tis curious

 

[CL82]

Innocent neglect or something sinister? IDK - tis curious

And at the same time, ESPN is showing us an unusual amount of love...

 

[jostar1]

And at the same time, ESPN is showing us an unusual amount of love...

Then let them get us into a conference.

 

[dayooper]

Then let them get us into a conference.

I think the players know the outcome, just not the details. They know who is leaving the ACC and where they are going. They also know who the ACC replacements are.

Would you all be happy in an ACC without FSU, UNC and the others? Is the Big East that important to you all?

 

[Hoophound]

I think the players know the outcome, just not the details. They know who is leaving the ACC and where they are going. They also know who the ACC replacements are.

Would you all be happy in an ACC without FSU, UNC and the others? Is the Big East that important to you all?

I think so. It’s a home for football.

 

[CL82]

I think the players know the outcome, just not the details. They know who is leaving the ACC and where they are going. They also know who the ACC replacements are.

Would you all be happy in an ACC without FSU, UNC and the others? Is the Big East that important to you all?

The devil is in the details right? If the big 10 is offering us, though I do "care" about the big east, we move. If the ACC remnants are offering us, it depends who remains among the leftovers and how big a media deal they have.

As a fan I enjoy the regional rivalries of the remnants of the original big east, and some of the new emerging rivalries like Marquette and maybe to a lesser extend Creighton. But, as a fan, I understand that it takes money to run an athletic department. We can't continue to compete with schools making 75 million a year, give or take, in conference media distributions if we are only getting 4 million a year.

So, show me the deal and I'll give you my answer.

 

[Bongo Fury]

I think the players know the outcome, just not the details. They know who is leaving the ACC and where they are going. They also know who the ACC replacements are.

Would you all be happy in an ACC without FSU, UNC and the others? Is the Big East that important to you all?

The BE is great. MSG is great. It appears that the power conferences have plans to monopolize BB as well with higher amounts of guaranteed bids. UConn would be a good fit for ACC and hopefully the ACC would continue to receive a pretty good payout at least compared to UConn’ current situation.

 

[Husky92]

I think the players know the outcome, just not the details. They know who is leaving the ACC and where they are going. They also know who the ACC replacements are.

Would you all be happy in an ACC without FSU, UNC and the others? Is the Big East that important to you all?

I would have us jump on it! The current Big East is fine, but it isn’t home (neither our old home or our future). It’s a pit stop with a bit of nostalgia.

 

[gioff2323]

I think the players know the outcome, just not the details. They know who is leaving the ACC and where they are going. They also know who the ACC replacements are.

Would you all be happy in an ACC without FSU, UNC and the others? Is the Big East that important to you all?

Are you asking would we be happy back in the big east, er, ACC? Do you know who was in BE 20 years ago?

 

[CTFAN4LIFE]

I think the players know the outcome, just not the details. They know who is leaving the ACC and where they are going. They also know who the ACC replacements are.

Would you all be happy in an ACC without FSU, UNC and the others? Is the Big East that important to you all?

I agree that the players know most of the looming movements... from the UConn perspective, I think it's going to really depend on who the ACC remnants are in terms of the basketball side of things (FB will be an improvement over being independent; especially if Notre Dame continues to be playing a partial ACC schedule; time will tell on that)... from the men's BB perspective, I think as long as ACC remnants include BC, Syracuse, and at least one of Louisville, Pitt, or VA Tech then it will be received fairly well because we could presumably get out of conference games with Villanova, Georgetown, St. John's, Seton Hall, Providence regularly enough to please the fanbase (maybe throw in Marquette). I don’t think anyone will miss Xavier, Butler, DePaul. Creighton, meh....

The biggest heartache/fallout will be no more BE Tournament at MSG.

It's going to be an interesting scenario if/when the ACC loses some top brands.

 

[DFW HOYA]

The likeliest ACC leftovers:
BC
Cal
Duke
SMU
South Florida (as a backfill for FSU)
Stanford
Syracuse
Wake

That's just above AAC-level football rights for that group.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

The likeliest ACC leftovers:
BC
Cal
Duke
SMU
South Florida (as a backfill for FSU)
Stanford
Syracuse
Wake

That's just above AAC-level football rights for that group.

Do you actually believe that eleven schools will find a home in the SEC or B1G?

 

[billybud]

Everyone seems sure of ACC defectors....

If deals really are in the works, FSU doesn't know it. Would save millions in legal fees.

These court cases are iffy and could go either way. Everyone seems to be counting on FSU to start the stampede that will break through the GOR fence.

 

[ScottVib]

The likeliest ACC leftovers:
BC
Cal
Duke
SMU
Stanford
Syracuse
Wake

That's just above AAC-level football rights for that group.

AAC-level football rights & if you assume that group (headlined by UConn, Syracuse & Duke) can land a Big East level hoops deal, you're still looking at the best payout of a non-power conference, plus a grouping of historic rivals for basketball, and a solution for football schedules. You still make that move if you're UConn.

Ultimately though.. the only way the ACC gets cut that deep is if the P2 conferences swell beyond the point they can pay for. In reality only FSU & UNC are slam-dunk P2 value adds. UVa & Clemson are assumed & I think UVa lands somewhere.. Clemson is a bit dicey (I think they are the 5th (Notre Dame clearly belongs in the P2 group) target within the league. They are only valuable if they are a top-end football program, if they don't take a step back to their prominence they had recently and enter a bit of doldrums they had before that, they end up in that Big XII scavenger group. Then you're looking at teams that can't bring P2 level revenue - NC State, Virginia Tech and on... just how badly does the SEC need the secondary school in a state (i.e. NC State or Viriginia Tech), particularly as broadcast values become driven less by market size (and municipally supported cable monopolies), but by how many subs you can deliver to a service.

 

[The Yakk]

The likeliest ACC leftovers:
BC
Cal
Duke
SMU
South Florida (as a backfill for FSU)
Stanford
Syracuse
Wake

That's just above AAC-level football rights for that group.

Pitt and Louisville are not going anywhere. Doubtful NC State is going anywhere, unless the P2 start dumping their Vanderbilts and Rutgerses to make room for conference upgrades.

There are a limited number of P2 spots remaining. UVA and UNC are at the front of the line. FSU must be certain of a lifeline to be behaving the way they are. After that, no one is guaranteed anything.

The ACC can survive and succeed as long as they play it smart.

 

[Sole]

Pitt and Louisville are not going anywhere. Doubtful NC State is going anywhere, unless the P2 start dumping their Vanderbilts and Rutgerses to make room for conference upgrades.

There are a limited number of P2 spots remaining. UVA and UNC are at the front of the line. FSU must be certain of a lifeline to be behaving the way they are. After that, no one is guaranteed anything.

The ACC can survive and succeed as long as they play it smart.

The big 12 would love to have Pitt and Louisville

 

[Ha Who]

Pitt and Louisville are not going anywhere. Doubtful NC State is going anywhere, unless the P2 start dumping their Vanderbilts and Rutgerses to make room for conference upgrades.

There are a limited number of P2 spots remaining. UVA and UNC are at the front of the line. FSU must be certain of a lifeline to be behaving the way they are. After that, no one is guaranteed anything.

The ACC can survive and succeed as long as they play it smart.

Simple logic when speculating. How does your speculation fall within rule #1?