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

[junglehusky]

Hey! some actual key tweets!

Greg Wrubell @gregwrubell · 5h 5 hours ago
Bronco Mendenhall is meeting one-on-one with some local media members today...a couple of highlights from my session coming up.

Greg Wrubell @gregwrubell · 5h 5 hours ago
I asked Bronco if he has in mind a time-frame window, re: BYU's window of opportunity, as it relates to making the jump to P5 status...

Greg Wrubell @gregwrubell · 5h 5 hours ago
Bronco: "I hate to be pinned down, but if someone were to force me, I'd say three years. It has to happen within three."

Greg Wrubell @gregwrubell · 5h 5 hours ago
Bronco: "Could it go longer than (three years)? Yes, it could. Is it desirable to me, to go longer than that? The answer is no."

Greg Wrubell @gregwrubell · 5h 5 hours ago
As to any future conference-realignment shift, Bronco says "I still think there is one" coming.

Greg Wrubell @gregwrubell · 5h 5 hours ago
Bronco says CFP-selection protocol/conf championship-game considerations, geographic/divisional additions could precipitate next shift.

Greg Wrubell @gregwrubell · 4h 4 hours ago
Bronco: $$ increasingly becoming a driver in CFB; "unintentionally, I think we're kind of hurting the collective game of college football."

Greg Wrubell @gregwrubell · 4h 4 hours ago
Bronco: "The intent was to promote the game (through additional revenue); I think it's going to backfire, is what I think."

Greg Wrubell @gregwrubell · 4h 4 hours ago
"When two of the Big 3 (BYU, Utah, TCU) were taken to different conferences, to me it was not an option to stay. BYU had to move forward."

Greg Wrubell @gregwrubell · 4h 4 hours ago
Bronco: "I absolutely think it was worth it. I think it was the right move at that time. Independence is more difficult than the MWC was."

Greg Wrubell @gregwrubell · 4h 4 hours ago
Bronco re: upgraded schedules: "Independence was already challenging; it is now becoming more challenging. I welcome that; I want progress."

Greg Wrubell @gregwrubell · 4h 4 hours ago
Bronco says P5s are getting "somewhere from 20 to 27 million dollars" annually, in TV revenue. "That is not what our contract is with ESPN."

Greg Wrubell @gregwrubell · 4h 4 hours ago
Bronco: "At some point, (P5) inclusion has to happen...best way I know to do it is play our way in, and that's what I have chosen to do."

Greg Wrubell @gregwrubell · 4h 4 hours ago
Bronco, on BYU playing big names on big stages, says key Q becomes: "How long can you do that, without the same resources (as P5 programs)?


Greg WrubellVerified account
@gregwrubell
BYU FB/BB PBP on KSL/Cougar IMG Sports Network; BYU WSOC on http://BYUCougars.com. Cougar Tracks on KSL/ksl.com.

 

[Husky25]

I stopped reading after this because conference realignment is not about great rivalries or fan interest either.

Conference realignment may not be about regionality....but great rivalries and fan interest are.

 

[BlueHen]

I stopped reading after this because conference realignment is not about great rivalries or fan interest either.

I usually stop reading after I see 'billybud'.

 

[don356]

Yep, that is the truth. However, it reinforces the fact that the upper level g5 schools have to be proactive and try to put together an alliance in fb and bb now to try and up their profile and create their own p6 conference or as close to it as they can. We obviously need to up the ante in fball to benefit from it. The G5 upper level schools can sit and around an wait, but that is likely fool's gold(unless some already have exit strategies). However, if you do not see this in short order, i suspect some do.

 

[billybud]

I stopped reading after this because conference realignment is not about great rivalries or fan interest either.

And that is the sad thing about CR....

leads to weak synthetic versions of what a rivalry game used to be....like Civil War reenactors, who growl at each other on battlefields now spotted with baseball fields and park benches.

 

[BoatShow]

Oh boy, I can hear the calls for football independence grow louder now. I'm sure we can have a 12 game schedule of all SEC teams!

A friend of mine who posts a little on the football board shared a novel idea with me the other day. He goes "I don't ever go on the CR board but I know you do and I wanna run idea for a thread by you. I had a great idea, what if we go Indy in football and rejoin the Big East?" I kinda went off on him about how this is not a unique idea at all and how it's been discussed ad naseum over here. I told him if thinks our schedule is bad now wait til we have to fill 12 games with mac cusa and sunbelt teams. He cited schedules from independent days playing teams like Miami Va Tech BC GA TECH Isu etc and he saw no reason we couldn't get those teams on the schedule now. Well number one, it is easy to play Miami and Be Tech when the game is set up by your league. He assumed we'd have no issue getting every Northeast P5 team on the schedule. Listing off teams like PSU (who we have never been able to schedule) and teams like RU BC Cuse Pitt (who have literally no incentive to play us ever). He retorted to my naysaying with P5 schools must play at least one G5 team as if we'd be that one team for 12 teams. He was surprised to here me say we would never get a PAC or SEC team to play in CT never mind after Halloween. It was eye opening and mind boggling that a season ticket holder and otherwise knowledgeable fan just didn't get it.

 

[Durks07]

A friend of mine who posts a little on the football board shared a novel idea with me the other day. He goes "I don't ever go on the CR board but I know you do and I wanna run idea for a thread by you. I had a great idea, what if we go Indy in football and rejoin the Big East?" I kinda went off on him about how this is not a unique idea at all and how it's been discussed ad naseum over here. I told him if thinks our schedule is bad now wait til we have to fill 12 games with mac cusa and sunbelt teams. He cited schedules from independent days playing teams like Miami Va Tech BC GA TECH Isu etc and he saw no reason we couldn't get those teams on the schedule now. Well number one, it is easy to play Miami and Be Tech when the game is set up by your league. He assumed we'd have no issue getting every Northeast P5 team on the schedule. Listing off teams like PSU (who we have never been able to schedule) and teams like RU BC Cuse Pitt (who have literally no incentive to play us ever). He retorted to my naysaying with P5 schools must play at least one G5 team as if we'd be that one team for 12 teams. He was surprised to here me say we would never get a PAC or SEC team to play in CT never mind after Halloween. It was eye opening and mind boggling that a season ticket holder and otherwise knowledgeable fan just didn't get it.

 

[Waquoit]

We obviously need to up the ante in fball to benefit from it.

Define "up the ante".

 

[don356]

Be consistently competitive in your own(AAC) conference.

 

[Marty Jackson]

Cr is about a short term money grab...
If it increases money from the current situation, it's possible.
Nobody is looking beyond that initial bump.

 

[nd73]

Brett McMurphy @McMurphyESPN · 1h1 hour ago
Bill Hancock on @CFBPlayoff: "We need to emphasis more the importance of the conference championships"
Brett McMurphy ‏@McMurphyESPN 58m58 minutes ago
Bill Hancock on conference championships: "13th game against quality opponent helped Ohio State"

 

[jostar1]

Tim Montemayor @TheMontyShow · 18h 18 hours ago
I just spoke to Chuck Neinas the former Big XII Commissioner during their last expansion. When I asked him why #BYU was not offered he said:

Tim Montemayor @TheMontyShow · 18h 18 hours ago
#BYU made NO demands on anything. Neinas said the process did not work that way a committee met with officials from the schools targeted ...

Tim Montemayor @TheMontyShow · 18h 18 hours ago
...and #BYU was gracious and made a compelling case, but that #TCU was an easy choice by geography and West Virginia was a land grant school

Tim Montemayor @TheMontyShow · 18h 18 hours ago
...w/ a rich history of athletic achievement and Washington DC Metro area was very attractive if the conference was going to have to travel

Tim Montemayor @TheMontyShow · 18h 18 hours ago
Neinas was very clear "There is no negative to #BYU Sunday play or otherwise". When I asked about #BYU TV and how that played in Neinas said

Tim Montemayor @TheMontyShow · 18h 18 hours ago
"ESPN was part of the process, they had a voice in the evaluation... #BYU TV was not a sticking point, it did not come up".

Tim Montemayor @TheMontyShow · 18h 18 hours ago
Neinas also said if the Big XII gets an exemption to play a Championship Game at 10 they will never expand past 10 because of finances...

Tim Montemayor @TheMontyShow · 18h 18 hours ago
Neinas: "The membership is aware they have a good financial model, going to 12 or 14 means a smaller piece of the pie for everyone"

Tim Montemayor @TheMontyShow · 18h 18 hours ago
Big XII also likes being at 10 for round robin conference play, single round robin in football, double round robin in basketball...

Tim Montemayor @TheMontyShow · 18h 18 hours ago
Before getting off the phone #Neinas strongly said "people need to stop asking question with no answer, #BYU is one of the most respected...

Tim Montemayor @TheMontyShow · 18h 18 hours ago
...institutions in the country and we found nothing negative with them, West Virginia and Louisville for that matter, were just better fits"

Tim Montemayor @TheMontyShow · 18h 18 hours ago
Neinas was clear that Louisville was a strong contender and likely would have been selected over #BYU even if W.V. was not the choice.

Tim Montemayor
@TheMontyShow
Monty in the Morning #MIM @1320KFAN
Salt Lake City, UT

 

[whaler11]

Morgantown being so close to Washington that schools fly into Pittsburgh to play them!

 

[pj]

Morgantown being so close to Washington that schools fly into Pittsburgh to play them!

That's good for us, it shows they are looking at markets:
Morgantown to Washington DC: 205 miles
Storrs to New York City: 142 miles to Boston 85 miles

 

[whaler11]

That's good for us, it shows they are looking at markets:
Morgantown to Washington DC: 205 miles
Storrs to New York City: 142 miles to Boston 85 miles

It's just someone talking out of their a** to placate a Utah audience.

 

[CoastAtlantic]

Utah AD Chris Hill being concerned about the viability of the Pac-12 Networks





Only way they could address this revenue gap is with more content and the best way to do that is with more P5 programs. Where would they likely look to? The Big 12 conference, most likely.

 

[NickyNewark]

Utah AD Chris Hill being concerned about the viability of the Pac-12 Networks





Only way they could address this revenue gap is with more content and the best way to do that is with more P5 programs. Where would they likely look to? The Big 12 conference, most likely.

PAC 14? Agreed. Texas is their target IMO..new market. The rest of the Big12 will scatter and be absorbed of there best pieces or form a SWC2. I know Oklahoma would like to leave for greener pastures!! P5 armaggedon.

 

[SAMCRO]

What the P12 is missing is access to NYC and NE, and adding a 3rd time zone. I have a solution for that.

 

[NickyNewark]

If they had any brains Cinncy and UConn to go with WVU would open up great marketing opportunities for them out there and give the Neers a promised partner or two.

 

[businesslawyer]

I drove from Washington to Morgantown for the game the week after Jazz's untimely death. The State of WV touches Metro DC. Morgantown does not touch Metro DC.

 

[MattMang23]

What the P12 is missing is access to NYC and NE, and adding a 3rd time zone. I have a solution for that.

Fairfield U?

 

[BoatShow]

A friend of mine who posts a little on the football board shared a novel idea with me the other day. He goes "I don't ever go on the CR board but I know you do and I wanna run idea for a thread by you. I had a great idea, what if we go Indy in football and rejoin the Big East?" I kinda went off on him about how this is not a unique idea at all and how it's been discussed ad naseum over here. I told him if thinks our schedule is bad now wait til we have to fill 12 games with mac cusa and sunbelt teams. He cited schedules from independent days playing teams like Miami Va Tech BC GA TECH Isu etc and he saw no reason we couldn't get those teams on the schedule now. Well number one, it is easy to play Miami and Be Tech when the game is set up by your league. He assumed we'd have no issue getting every Northeast P5 team on the schedule. Listing off teams like PSU (who we have never been able to schedule) and teams like RU BC Cuse Pitt (who have literally no incentive to play us ever). He retorted to my naysaying with P5 schools must play at least one G5 team as if we'd be that one team for 12 teams. He was surprised to here me say we would never get a PAC or SEC team to play in CT never mind after Halloween. It was eye opening and mind boggling that a season ticket holder and otherwise knowledgeable fan just didn't get it.

Yep well we scheduled Cuse...

 

[CoastAtlantic]

Here's the article that talks about the Pac-12 issues in more depth:

http://www.sltrib.com/blogs/uofusports/2458013-155/utah-ad-chris-hill-talks-stadium

PAC-12 NETWORK • Hill hasn't been exactly hiding his displeasure with the how Pac-12 Network's revenues have not been as high as once hoped. But the AD painted the clearest picture yet of just how far Pac-12 schools could fall behind.

While the Utes receive $18 million per year thanks to national TV deals with Fox and ESPN, the Pac-12 Network only generates about $1 million per Pac-12 institution. By contrast, Hill said he's seen figures that the Big 10 Network will generate as much as $10 million per school.

The Pac-12 Network model is unique in that it is owned wholly by the universities, meaning the schools get to keep all the revenue they generate. But the SEC Network and Big 10 Network (both which have partnered with networks to help distribute and produce content) project to be much more lucrative models in the future — an assertion that the San Jose Mercury News reported on about two months back. Hill said the time has come to at least discuss new models, although that discussion is mostly in the hands of commissioner Larry Scott and the Pac-12 presidents.

"I know it's going to be reevaluated by our presidents to see if the model's working," he said. "I think they're taking a look at the landscape and see should we stick with the model, should we move on. It could be anything from sticking with where we are, which has some real advantages, to moving in another direction."

Hill said many fans have expressed disappointment that the Pac-12 Networks are not on DirecTV, which has been described as a stalemate by Scott, Hill and many others close to the negotiations (or lack thereof).

Hill added that he knows some fans are disappointed with Sunday basketball games, but the Utes' have had some success drawing crowds for Pac-12 games and that because of the program's overall success, the Utes need more flexibility to get exposure with television scheduling. Hill also spoke to College Gameday in the last few months, and said more men's basketball success will increase the likelihood that ESPN's banner show will come to the Huntsman Center next season.

 

[billybud]

Delaney talks about ACC/Big 12 sponsored deregulation of conference divisions and championships...


"I'd like to know what it is people want to do," Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany said. "I don't think deregulating it just for the sake of deregulation is good. We could end up with 20-team conferences and four five-team pods. What are we trying to do? If somebody wanted to identify what it is they wanted to do, and if it were reasonable, I would say, why not?

"I'm open to creativity and deregulation, but I'm not open to just a blank check to reorganize the regular season however you choose."

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/12791856/the-good-bad-divisions-college-football

 

[CoastAtlantic]

This is where I remind UConn people to understand the importance of parsing. You can't take "We could end up with 20-team conferences and four five-team pods" and "I don't think deregulating it just for the sake of deregulation is good" and conclude he wants a humongous expansion. The context of the phrase created by the sentence before the other sentence indicates a negative, not a positive. I think Delany is telling the rest of the power group that changes in the division format must be done in a way that prevents mega expansion. The sentence below that paragraph supports the statement. But of course, you're desperate for any good news to the point of misreading his words.

Look, I think because of the legal nature of the Grants of Rights that there would have to be compromises should further realignment happen. Meaning any affected conference would need every member taken care of. None of the G5 conferences fit this description because they don't have the power to stop programs from leaving. However, the P5 conferences don't want multiple schools from the G5 to move up.

Guess where there might be further realignment from? Within the P5 conferences. Whether or not it happens is another topic. All the P5 can choose to wait before the Grants of Rights are close to term and then make further moves.

If there's any good news for UConn fans it is that there may be one more window of opportunity for that change to happen but you'd have to hope that one spot opens up for you when everything is said and done. And it may not happen at all. It looks like either one conference is absorbed into the other four or no more realignment for another ten years. Nothing in between.