Key tweets, and it's all gone to Hell.

[McLovin]

I get they why they want to remain independent from a control standpoint, but they are only making $15 million per year from NBC and $6 million from the ACC.

They could 4x or 5x their payout in the BIG. I really don’t understand the hesitation besides being a negotiating tactic.

Even paying a $100 million exit fee to the ACC, they would make it back in 3 years.

 

[dayooper]

I get they why they want to remain independent from a control standpoint, but they are only making $15 million per year from NBC and $6 million from the ACC.

They could 4x or 5x their payout in the BIG. I really don’t understand the hesitation besides being a negotiating tactic.

Even paying a $100 million exit fee to the ACC, they would make it back in 3 years.

Sure, but they have to get out of the ACC first. If they are leaving alone, they have to negotiate their way out. If they are leaving as part of a group, they either have to negotiate their way out as group or have to find a way to break the GoR. These things take time. Any school that’s in the process isn’t going to say we are leaving publicly, they would keep quiet. Notice the noise is coming from those that are already left behind (the PAC schools sans Stanford and Cal).

After UMD left, the other ACC schools quickly pledge their allegiances (and their media rights, all of them) to the ACC. Not a peep from any ACC schools nor ND.

 

[metsfan2323]

I would thrilled to see UCONN in a all sports conference with Syracuse, BC, Pitt, Louisville, Duke, NC state, Wake Forest, G Tech, and any other possible leftovers. (VTECH, Miami)

So does UCONN say yes if the weakened ACC comes a calling? Put it this way, imagine this boards reaction if we said no and the offer instead went to Temple.

Of course we have to take the offer.

 

[BugsyCT]

I dunno - if it's true that Florida St, Clemson, UNC & Virginia are pursuing the ACC then the leftovers are on shaky ground. But it does beat being indy.

Either way the college sports landscape keeps becoming more and more of a gargantuan mess.

 

[Blades]

 

[huskymedic]

 

[TheDrifter75]

So you're telling me there's a chance. YEAH!

 

[SubbaBub]

ND's leverage is only increasing. Like in the first go around, they hold the P4 fates of several schools across multiple conferences in their hands.

There are only two reasons they would consider giving it up.
1. Access to the CFP in whatever form that takes once the B1G/SEC take full control of it.
2. Stupid amounts of money, but only in the context of point #1. ND has shown that $$ for $$ sake is not the end all be all for them. They are happy with their current revenue, but if a future revenue gap erodes their ability to compete as a Top 5/10 program, i.e. their very successful coach leaves to take a rebuild job in the SEC that is a poor cultural fit for him, they'll jump.

 

[freescooter]

I would thrilled to see UCONN in a all sports conference with Syracuse, BC, Pitt, Louisville, Duke, NC state, Wake Forest, G Tech, and any other possible leftovers. (VTECH, Miami)

So does UCONN say yes if the weakened ACC comes a calling? Put it this way, imagine this boards reaction if we said no and the offer instead went to Temple.

Of course we have to take the offer.

There would be a very loud and pretty sizable that would to stay in the New Big East

 

[CL82]

There would be a very loud and pretty sizable that would to stay in the New Big East

And an even louder and more sizable group that would pose going back to the American

 

[NowInStorrs]

We are so lucky we got out of the AAC when we did. Could you imagine being in a conference with Georgia State and UNT?

 

[Alydar]

There would be a very loud and pretty sizable that would to stay in the New Big East

With the new coaches at UNC & Duke and the addition of CT the ACC would be the Rolls of wcbb. And under the ESPN umbrella too.

 

[BoukofJames]

I have not been optimistic about UConn benefiting from realignment, but between Mora’s quote and these tweets from Benedict there is a lot of public ACC talk from UConn athletics leadership…

With 14 games on the schedule over the next five years, is it possible there’s already been discussion between UConn / ACC prior to USC / UCLA news?

Not a scheduling expert and new to being a realignment junkie so I might be way off

 

[Eavesdrop]

Andrea Adelson@AaadelsonESPN 7h
I asked a league source about an ACC/Pac partnership last week. The response was essentially, sure, there will be discussions but where is the financial value? The finances were the question well before realignment, but now that is exacerbated. In reviewing expansion options

Andrea Adelson@aadelsonESPN 7h
last year, one source said the ACC "looked at everybody." Going coast to coast with Pac schools was not something the presidents wanted to do. The focus has been on ND (what else is new). Should that calculation on going West have been different now that the Big Ten got USC/UCLA?

Andrea Adelson@aadelsonESPN 7h
Hard to say given how far ahead: 1) the Big Ten is $$ 2) its TV contract is up for renegotiation 3) How much interest USC/UCLA would have had in the ACC had the league put on the full-court press. The question now is what happens moving forward.

Andrea Adelson@aadelsonESPN 7h
Is anyone naive to think conversations are not happening outside ACC conference calls? Of course not. But the ACC believes it has what it needs to keep things together with its grant of rights. To underscore that point: Current withdrawal fee would stand at $120 million.

Andrea Adelson@aadelsonESPN 7h
That part could be litigated. The grant of rights is where things get challenging. Any departing school would have to pay the withdrawal fee, plus forfeit its media rights and the ability to have home games and some nonconference games air on TV. In all sports. Through 2036.

Andrea Adelson@aadelsonESPN 7h
Words used to describe the GoR to me in the last week include "rigid" "really good legal document" and the possibility of going to court to get out of it "a legal battle of all time."

Andrea Adelson@aadelsonESPN 7h
That doesn't mean it won't go unchallenged. At some point, someone will do it. But it will move slowly through the courts, requiring time and money without having any real idea about whether the case is winnable. There is a reason nobody has gone to court yet.

Andrea Adelson@aadelsonESPN 7h
None of this answers long-term questions about stability and survivability if there is no real way to keep up with the Big Ten/SEC financially + there are schools itching to leave to save themselves.

Andrea Adelson@aadelsonESPN 7h
That is why there are some schools that are rightfully nervous and worried about what all this looks like whenever we get to the end point of wherever this is headed. Nobody knows where that is or when we get there, but hopefully this explains the unique situation in the ACC.

 

[TRest]

I have not been optimistic about UConn benefiting from realignment, but between Mora’s quote and these tweets from Benedict there is a lot of public ACC talk from UConn athletics leadership…

With 14 games on the schedule over the next five years, is it possible there’s already been discussion between UConn / ACC prior to USC / UCLA news?

Not a scheduling expert and new to being a realignment junkie so I might be way off

I kind of hope DB isn’t pretending to imply something here about future realignment.

 

[huskymedic]

I kind of hope DB isn’t pretending to imply something here about future realignment.

 

[jostar1]

 

[metsfan2323]

I have not been optimistic about UConn benefiting from realignment, but between Mora’s quote and these tweets from Benedict there is a lot of public ACC talk from UConn athletics leadership…

With 14 games on the schedule over the next five years, is it possible there’s already been discussion between UConn / ACC prior to USC / UCLA news?

Not a scheduling expert and new to being a realignment junkie so I might be way off

I agree, I'm getting my hopes up.

For anyone worried about the 30 million exit fee just imagine the extra revenue from football ticket sales combined with the extra TV payout. Even if we just made an extra 5 million in ticket sales per year and combined that with just an extra 10 million in TV revenue per year (a low estimate), the 30 million exit fee would be recovered in just two years.

 

[noeynox]

I agree, I'm getting my hopes up.

For anyone worried about the 30 million exit fee just imagine the extra revenue from football ticket sales combined with the extra TV payout. Even if we just made an extra 5 million in ticket sales per year and combined that with just an extra 10 million in TV revenue per year (a low estimate), the 30 million exit fee would be recovered in just two years.

Oh yeah. If that call comes it's a no brainer. I have my doubts though.

 

[EdgewoodNHV]

I don't think AD Dave is implying anything. He's just being a loud friend to the ACC. Saying hey we'll be here if ya need us happy to help you fill out your schedules. Also trying to convince CT residents to give a possibly.

 

[Chin Diesel]

I'm now beginning to think nothing major happens for next year.

Everything aligns for next shake up coinciding with NDU's NBC contract ending and path forward from there.

 

[History Geek]

I'm now beginning to think nothing major happens for next year.

Everything aligns for next shake up coinciding with NDU's NBC contract ending and path forward from there.

I think you are right. I think ND eventually will move to the B1G but they done have to rush into it right now. Now I think this next domino doesn’t fall until next summer. That would be good for us. It gives our football program a chance to show signs of life (fingers crossed).

 

[HuskyDogArt]

I think that was always the assumption. ND may join the Big 10, but on their terms. I think there will be some capitulation on both sides with NBC keeping a few ND games and maybe adding some Big 10 games as well.

If this is going to work, Fox, ND and NBC all have to work together.

I think you will see Fox NBC work together, since they do it for NASCAR and the USFL and WWE.

 

[HuskyDogArt]

Hmmmm...The Big 12 gets picked over...oops sorry UCF, BYU, Cincy and Houston...

Interesting times...I bet those 4 schools are freaking out...

 

[huskymedic]