Just to add to the CR pot

[John Greene]

Birmingham has 4 or 5 law firms with substantial sports law practices and Saturday I met a new partner in one of them at dinner. Neither his firm nor he have any direct connection with the B1G or UMD. The firm has done some work with the SEC. Here are comments he made.

UMD has gotten a lot of negative response from alumni (not associated with Under Armour)about leaving the ACC.

He hears there is little substantive talk in the background between UMD and the ACC. ACC is convinced it has a winning hand and is playing hard ball. B1G wants it all to go away.

He thinks there is a 25% chance that UMD and B1G have second thoughts if it drags on too long. If so UConn is favorite to go to B1G with RU in place of MD.

 

[Exit 4]

Interesting.

Perhaps we listen too much to northern and midwest voices on CR. Southern voices seem less certain that joining a northern/midwest conf is necessary and worth it....even if it means turning down a superior conf paycheck.

 

[RS9999X]

Maryland, she ran off with some damn Yankee from Piscataway NJ........

"The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down .......

These ACC-beholden alumni: Do they quote Maryland Native John Wilkes Booth: "I have done it; Maryland is revenged" in anticipation of bringing Maryland back to the South?

 

[RoderickSpode]

I can't imagine Maryland staying in the ACC under any circumstances. Any exit fee would pay for itself when they get to the B1G (think of it as a capital investment), and that upcoming payday is more important to the school than a few whining alumni.

 

[John Greene]

Maryland, she ran off with some damn Yankee from Piscataway NJ........

"The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down .......

These ACC-beholden alumni: Do they quote Maryland Native John Wilkes Booth: "I have done it; Maryland is revenged" in anticipation of bringing Maryland back to the South?

Don't know. This is speculation on my part but I bet a lot of UMD alums prefer to go to late Fall games in NC, SC, FL, GA, even KY, with maybe one visit a year to PA, NY or MA. In the B1G they get a steady diet of cold in in late Fall.

 

[John Greene]

I can't imagine Maryland staying in the ACC under any circumstances. Any exit fee would pay for itself when they get to the B1G (think of it as a capital investment), and that upcoming payday is more important to the school than a few whining alumni.

You may be correct. On the other hand I wonder how many deep pocket alums it would take to offset the net gain? I really don't know but it is something that a school would have to consider. The Under Armour guys are cool with it but UMD may well have a core of donors who like the ACC after all these years.

 

[specialisthusky]

i love me a rumor that makes sense. This one sure beats the "Vandy has notified the SEC it's exploring its options." (No offense HFD but that one was nuts) Thanks for sharing. I need to at least have one semi-plausible scenario where UConn goes to the B1G to prevent myself from slipping deeper into clinical CRD...conference realignment depression.

 

[upstater]

You may be correct. On the other hand I wonder how many deep pocket alums it would take to offset the net gain? I really don't know but it is something that a school would have to consider. The Under Armour guys are cool with it but UMD may well have a core of donors who like the ACC after all these years.

That core certainly didn't help them with the huge black hole in their budget.

 

[RuffRuff]

I think most here and everywhere underestimate the cultural elements of CR because they'd rather speculate on the next move. Sitting still is just boring and leaves Uconn in a sh&t spot. UNC going to the Big 10 is a big fen deal from the cultural standpoint. That would send shock waves and have fans, alumni, bible thumpers and red necks with big rebel flags on their pickups second guessing and angry for a long time. There hasn't been anything like it. It's not Nebraska to the Big 10, which makes sense culturally on all levels. It's not TA&M to the SEC. UM was an outlier because they are slightly hybrid and in dire straits financially. I for one am not nearly as sold on all this ACC blow up speculation as most. Dollars matter, but some things are just as important.

It's not like some of the moves thus far whereas you have a tweener state making a move(Missouri). This is a very defined alpha southern university that would be moving to a very northern conference. I don't see it happening at all unless there is some agreement that its done in a group to obtain a pod that offers to maintain some cultural identity/in conference rivals. In other words ain't happening soon.

 

[uconNYC]

If UMD goes back to the ACC they will have 15 schools, so not only would the B1G need another school, so will the ACC.

I doubt this would ever happen though.

 

[B1GEast]

Bill thanks for posting

 

[Revrat]

If UMD goes back to the ACC they will have 15 schools, so not only would the B1G need another school, so will the ACC.

I doubt this would ever happen though.

That is an interesting point. Would the ACC take Maryland back? if so what then?. It's not going to happen but it's an insteresting scenario. Tell the Card sorry but no? Stay at 15? go to 16?

 

[06029]

You may be correct. On the other hand I wonder how many deep pocket alums it would take to offset the net gain? I really don't know but it is something that a school would have to consider. The Under Armour guys are cool with it but UMD may well have a core of donors who like the ACC after all these years.

Plank, the UA guy, wants MD to become to him what Oregon has become to Nike/Knight. He caused Fridgen to be canned and paid enough to MD to cover everything owed to the Fridge. Not sure if he got what he wanted from RE but he sure as hell owns athletics at MD right now. The old alumni base at MD (and this means everyone pre 2000) hates the move. The younger alumni want it. They think Plank is the key to national dominance because he is pouring money into the program and is way cooler than anything that resembles tradition.

Just follow the money. Because the ultimate end to this game is 60 to 80 schools breaking away from the NCAA and basically becoming the minor leagues for all pro sports. The schools get to keep all of the money with none of the fake oversight. Makes buying players way easier when you don't have to hide it. And MD will have the deep pockets donor to buy a lot of players.

 

[Exit 4]

If UMD goes back to the ACC they will have 15 schools, so not only would the B1G need another school, so will the ACC.

I doubt this would ever happen though.

I doubt MD goes back to the ACC too....but if the fight is protracted, perhaps is the court battle zaps Daleny's desire for more ACC schools.

From the cultural perspective, if MD has moderate alumni dissatisfaction, what does that mean for GT, UNC, Duke and others?

I'm still not convinced UNC makes the B1G plunge....seems like of this CR stuff could take several years rather than a frenetic spring....darn.

 

[John Greene]

i love me a rumor that makes sense. This one sure beats the "Vandy has notified the SEC it's exploring its options." (No offense HFD but that one was nuts) Thanks for sharing. I need to at least have one semi-plausible scenario where UConn goes to the B1G to prevent myself from slipping deeper into clinical CRD...conference realignment depression.

Birmingham is such a college sport crazy town I hear a lot. Don't post much of it since the last thing needed around here are more wild *ssed rumors. Did so in this case because of the source and it seemed possible to me given a conversation I had with a UMD alum two weeks ago on the golf course in FL.

 

[frankthetank]

I think most here and everywhere underestimate the cultural elements of CR because they'd rather speculate on the next move. Sitting still is just boring and leaves Uconn in a sh&t spot. UNC going to the Big 10 is a big fen deal from the cultural standpoint. That would send shock waves and have fans, alumni, bible thumpers and red necks with big rebel flags on their pickups second guessing and angry for a long time. There hasn't been anything like it. It's not Nebraska to the Big 10, which makes sense culturally on all levels. It's not TA&M to the SEC. UM was an outlier because they are slightly hybrid and in dire straits financially. I for one am not nearly as sold on all this ACC blow up speculation as most. Dollars matter, but some things are just as important.

It's not like some of the moves thus far whereas you have a tweener state making a move(Missouri). This is a very defined alpha southern university that would be moving to a very northern conference. I don't see it happening at all unless there is some agreement that its done in a group to obtain a pod that offers to maintain some cultural identity/in conference rivals. In other words ain't happening soon.

I very much agree that cultural elements of conference realignment are important, which is why I continue to stress that I don't think that the ACC is going to collapse. That being said, UNC's cultural issues extend just as much (if not more) to the SEC. The T-shirt fan base might like the SEC, but the actual alums are about as wine-and-cheese as you can get for a public school. Don't underestimate that factor, as well (particularly since academically-minded university presidents ultimately make the decisions). UNC might be located in the South, but it's NOT an SEC-type school at all. It's a quintessential ACC school (balance of Southern academics), which is why it's going to be hard to pry schools like UNC and UVA out of there (although money still talks big-time). A school like FSU might not care about the perception of SEC academics, but it's a *massive* turn-off for UVA, UNC and GT. That's what makes the tussle between the Big Ten and SEC for UNC (who I firmly believe is #1 on both of their lists as a target that's not named Notre Dame or Texas) pretty interesting.

 

[sportsart]

Birmingham is such a college sport crazy town I hear a lot. Don't post much of it since the last thing needed around here are more wild *ssed rumors. Did so in this case because of the source and it seemed possible to me given a conversation I had with a UMD alum two weeks ago on the golf course in FL.

Thanks for the info. You could always create a twitter name and then drop tid bits that way. Just disguise the name.

Something like #johngreen Just leave off the last E.

 

[CL82]

Birmingham has 4 or 5 law firms with substantial sports law practices and Saturday I met a new partner in one of them at dinner. Neither his firm nor he have any direct connection with the B1G or UMD. The firm has done some work with the SEC. Here are comments he made.

UMD has gotten a lot of negative response from alumni (not associated with Under Armour)about leaving the ACC.

He hears there is little substantive talk in the background between UMD and the ACC. ACC is convinced it has a winning hand and is playing hard ball. B1G wants it all to go away.

He thinks there is a 25% chance that UMD and B1G have second thoughts if it drags on too long. If so UConn is favorite to go to B1G with RU in place of MD.

 

[upstater]

Maryland can't go back, and the B1G can't get cold feet now. It's done. MD is not going back so it can be treated like a red-headed stepchild.

 

[B1GEast]

Maryland can't go back, and the B1G can't get cold feet now. It's done. MD is not going back so it can be treated like a red-headed stepchild.

Spoken like a true insider.

Alumni have more influence than people understand, imagine if donations were cut in half, sure they have b10 money, but you still need to get the fan base excited. I agree that it is highly unlikely that maryland would change directions, but to spoke with such certainty is foolish.

 

[upstater]

Spoken like a true insider.

Alumni have more influence than people understand, imagine if donations were cut in half, sure they have b10 money, but you still need to get the fan base excited. I agree that it is highly unlikely that maryland would change directions, but to spoke with such certainty is foolish.

99.9999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999%

I'm not absolutely certain, but I'm riding that asymptote to infinity.

If these donors were so high and mighty, you'd think they'd donate to a team bleeding red and dying.

 

[RoderickSpode]

Spoken like a true insider.

Alumni have more influence than people understand, imagine if donations were cut in half, sure they have b10 money, but you still need to get the fan base excited. I agree that it is highly unlikely that maryland would change directions, but to spoke with such certainty is foolish.

Alumni have influence as far as that goes, but is there any precedent for a school committing to a league with significantly larger payouts, then reneging because alumni were upset? Are Maryland fans really going to stop donating and buying tickets because they're playing MSU instead of UNC? Anything can happen, but this isn't even plausible, IMO.

UNC is a different story, since they still are IN the ACC. Culture might encourge you to stay in your league, but it won't make you change your mind once you've committed to leave.

 

[whaler11]

Any outcry from Maryland alumni is only going to further entrench the admin in their decision.

The problem with the outcry is that Virginia is watching and listening and UConn badly needs Virginia to want to get mobile.

 

[Fishy]

He hears there is little substantive talk in the background between UMD and the ACC. ACC is convinced it has a winning hand and is playing hard ball. B1G wants it all to go away.

He thinks there is a 25% chance that UMD and B1G have second thoughts if it drags on too long. If so UConn is favorite to go to B1G with RU in place of MD.

Not possible.

The lawsuit is over money, not time.

Maryland has given its notice and will be leaving the ACC. The legal machinations over the exit fee have no bearing on their timetable - it is absolutely a done deal.

 

[RegisteredUconn]

99.9999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999%

I'm not absolutely certain, but I'm riding that asymptote to infinity.

If these donors were so high and mighty, you'd think they'd donate to a team bleeding red and dying.

If you take those 9s out to infinity you have 1. Not almost 1. Not for all intents and purposes 1.

Stated differently, 99.999999...% is identical to 100%.