I'll play Devils advocate. Where is the nbe going? I doubt espn is interested with what they have invested in other leagues. NBC?
The Big East numbers are down because most of the schools are regional schools with small alumni. Fox may be bidding against itself.
They may get a small raise but I doubt they are going to double their money number with struggling ratings.
For the first question - nowhere, really. It's the equivalent of laying up to staying in the AAC and going for the green.
I think the distinct advantage is that the people in the conference want to be in it. That helps. People keep forecasting the AAC out years in advance and I don't think there's any way to tell who's going to be in it year to year to be honest. There's not much consistency in what they're looking for - they're looking for everyone. And everyone in this conference's #1 priority is to leave.
I don't see any real negotiating leverage for a conference like that, especially when you consider that whenever the SEC or ACC want UCF or USF - they're just going to take them. It's an island of misfit toys that fit as badly together as we would in the Big East with a bigger travel bill and less recognizable brand names nationally.
I think the Big East knows what it is and in business, that's really half the battle. The most successful restaurants are your mega chains, but the next rung down - it's the ones where people go there specifically for one thing. I think there's something to be said for that.
Having the National Champion 2/3 years in the conference helps. From a more microeconomic standpoint - you're playing rivals and more schools who will travel here. I'd still rather see St John's or Seton Hall 8,000 times more than Tulane. Or even UCF. Sorry. That's probably most fans.
I'd also say it also helps to have traveling alums. Providence will travel, Villanova travels - St Johns, Seton Hall - they will too. Like 20 people come from Memphis on good years. Not that that's a difference maker, but every bit helps.
For the second question, i'd say FS1 has to bid against themselves. They need anchor TV in the winter. The Bundesliga will pay major dividens for them eventually, but it's well behind the EPL in TV rights right now. That'll take time. UFC is gone, but that literally leaves 22 content blocks open during the season. That's a lot more games. They're also getting more aggressive in their bidding on things like WWE, etc.
More to that end - the original Big East was built on TV markets. People's attitudes will shift as St John's gets better. As Seton Hall finds itself surprisingly OK again. Putting UConn in there, basically helps them cover every original Big East market sans Boston, Pittsburgh and Syracuse.
Don't get me wrong - there's a very real ceiling to that conference, but sometimes knowing what you are an operating within that is better than betting your house on a 1/1,000 chance at a P5 invite.
So lots of angles. Mind you - i'm not saying this is a better option than the P5 schools at all. I'm not *enthusiastic* about it either - but it might be the best bad decision we can make on the table.
