Actually, it was just before it Louisville announcement was made by the ACC, if I recall correctly.
FSU kept us out that time.
True but when Maryland bolted for the B1G with Rutgers we were considered the front runner because The ACC passed on UWVA ( the best BE football program ) because of academics and the Mountaineers are actually a better school academically than Louisville . So the Cards were somewhat of a surprise. It was the FSU’s , Clemson’s , and Miami’s threat to go to the Big 12 that vetoed us even though we were most likely tobacco roads first choice. We had no school with any weight willing to fight to the death for us , plus we had multiple enemies . They also saw Louisville as a Big 12 target. Back then , the phrase we heard was “UConn’s got no place else to go “The AAC idea of a coast to coast conference was considered folly at the time.
Without getting into this argument about the ACC, Louisville and West Virginia academically is an argument about Cinderella's ugly stepsisters.
It's a real shame the Pac no longer exists, there's tremendous history there.
I disagree re this part. If the P2 consolidate, it won't be by kicking out the lesser teams. I don't even know if their contracts/bylaws allow for kicking a school out. Temple was an odd situation. More likely, the top of the Big10 and SEC would break away and create their own super conference(s). So, the schools you are referencing are in no worse of a position than they were before. In a perfect world, they are the Kansas City Royals, feeding from the smaller trough of general profits while providing wins for the top teams that rake in additional revenue. I'd rather be the Royals than an independent minor league team. Worst case scenario, the top of the Big10 leaves and those teams are still in a strong non-P2 (P1?) conference that can poach others.
My son an I and about 10k loud UConn fans were there . A journey of 75 miles from my house .
I agree. That logic would equate to Big East kicking out DePaul, Seton Hall, Georgetown
Solution? The Big 10 goes pro/rel.
Stay Tuned!
What really sealed the Pac 12's fate was the mediocre on field and on court performance for many years. From 2014 to 2022, the Pac 12 had two participants in the CFP, Washington in 2016. During that same time period, the Pac 12 had two participants in the Final Four, Oregon in 2017 and UCLA in 2021 with no championships. USC and Oregon football struggled to be consistent as has Arizona and UCLA basketball.Kliavkoff had a deal in hand for about $30m per school. Don't know if they would have accepted it but he had it. Unfortunately he listened to some college professor who convinced him to push and hold out for $50m/school.
That is what sealed the PAC's fate.
Pac-12 downfall: Professor reportedly developed healthy TV valuation, but 'ESPN did not react very well to it' - Saturday Out West
Pac-12 Commissioner George Kliavkoff worked between the media companies and the presidents.saturdayoutwest.com
I think you will get unequal revenue sharing over time and streaming will make it easier to happen. Let's say the Big Ten Network ultimately goes direct to consumer. You can have your fans subscribe to the BTN and register as a fan of your school and schools will be paid based on their subscriber numbers. For other games on networks, you can compensate schools by viewers. Plus, you can compensate schools by performance such as NCAA basketball credits or CFP money. I think they will keep the Rutgers of the world around, pay them less, and they can absorb the game losses.
I agree with both possibilities, but I think (2)(a) could happen. That would be where the strength of the Big10 and SEC tell their bottom feeders that they are no longer going to be the NFL. They're going to be MLB. No salary caps and a much smaller pot that gets shared. Rutgers and Mississippi State get to be part of a P2, but they'll never be able to consistently compete.