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

[John]

[QUOTE="LoyalFanCT, post: 4829299, member: “]Also, state government in Virginia has ensured that Virginia Tech has a decent conference so UVA may not leave if there is no landing spot for Va. Tech.

Omg no. That is not what happened at all. And I assure you that UVA will do what’s best for UVA.
[/QUOTE]
No, history does not support that.

 

[MilliniumPrince]

What is your source for this? Posters have said that Syracuse voted against UConn but have never given a source. I have never heard this in SU circles.

FSU kept us out that time.

 

[Rufus]

 

[AZHuskiePop]

Years later and folks still commiserating about being passed over for the ville. Wrong. We got passed over by Pitt- after that our chances grew increasingly smaller.

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.

 

[KryHavok]

Well, we had current/incoming BIG teams vs. current/incoming SEC teams...this is what the oligarchy wanted.

On a separate note, really nice showing by Liberty in the Fiesta Bowl...hmmm 39 point blowout, yeah, that really showed the world that UConn didn't deserve their Fiesta Bowl appearance. Our fanbase got roasted for not "showing up", but at least the team showed up and tried to keep up with the Sooners. Instead Liberty literally flamed out against a PAC of ducks.

 

[bendm]

at the end of the day i place the blame squarely on kliavkoff getting outmaneuvered by yormak. the deal the big12 got from fox/cbs was the PACs to lose and it prob woulda been slightly better. say ~$40 million per year per team.

it was never in question that the PAC was the superior football conference. rather than the PAC imploding it should be the big12 begging espn for scraps and espn+ time slots right now because no other conferences would have scooped up its pitiful assemblance of programs. meanwhile all but WSU and OSU found homes in the remaining P4.

 

[upstater]

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.

 

[superjohn]

at the end of the day i place the blame squarely on kliavkoff getting outmaneuvered by yormak. the deal the big12 got from fox/cbs was the PACs to lose and it prob woulda been slightly better. say ~$40 million per year per team.

it was never in question that the PAC was the superior football conference. rather than the PAC imploding it should be the big12 begging espn for scraps and espn+ time slots right now because no other conferences would have scooped up its pitiful assemblance of programs. meanwhile all but WSU and OSU found homes in the remaining P4.

It's a real shame the Pac no longer exists, there's tremendous history there.

 

[Rufus]

Add this to the long list of stupid Kliavkoff quotes...........

"If some of our schools would have been a little more patient, it would have paid off."

You had over a year where your only job was to secure a media rights deal and you failed. Over a year. How much more patient could they have been?

The only offer on the table was a streaming deal with Apple tied to subscription rates which at best would have landed in the same ballpark revenue wise as the Big 12, or slightly less.

Kliavkoff could not provide to Washington what the B1G provides. Yet, Kliavkoff said they should have been more patient.

https://www.si.com/college/stanford/football/george-kliavkoff-blames-pac-12-schools-impatience-for-conference-collapse

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Add this to the long list of stupid Kliavkoff quotes...........

"If some of our schools would have been a little more patient, it would have paid off."

You had over a year where your only job was to secure a media rights deal and you failed. Over a year. How much more patient could they have been?

The only offer on the table was a streaming deal with Apple tied to subscription rates which at best would have landed in the same ballpark revenue wise as the Big 12, or slightly less.

Kliavkoff could not provide to Washington what the B1G provides. Yet, Kliavkoff said they should have been more patient.

https://www.si.com/college/stanford/football/george-kliavkoff-blames-pac-12-schools-impatience-for-conference-collapse

Kliavkoff is not wrong or right yet. Washington and Oregon, and UCLA and USC for that matter, made a short term decision based on a trying to cash in on a cable business model that is rapidly dying. They will make a few more bucks in the short term, but there is no telling how this ends up.

The schools that may have signed their own death warrant are schools like Michigan State, Rutgers, Maryland, Minnesota, Indiana and Purdue. The Big 10 is not going to need all these schools if it becomes one of a P2. There is no way Rutgers survives that consolidation.

 

[Chuck]

The schools that may have signed their own death warrant are schools like Michigan State, Rutgers, Maryland, Minnesota, Indiana and Purdue. The Big 10 is not going to need all these schools if it becomes one of a P2. There is no way Rutgers survives that consolidation.

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.

I do think that the ACC showed weakness by taking Stanford and Cal and certainly SMU. That looks like a money grab by a group that knows it's dead soon so it may as well grab as much cash is it can.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

Well, we had current/incoming BIG teams vs. current/incoming SEC teams...this is what the oligarchy wanted.

On a separate note, really nice showing by Liberty in the Fiesta Bowl...hmmm 39 point blowout, yeah, that really showed the world that UConn didn't deserve their Fiesta Bowl appearance. Our fanbase got roasted for not "showing up", but at least the team showed up and tried to keep up with the Sooners. Instead Liberty literally flamed out against a PAC of ducks.

My son an I and about 10k loud UConn fans were there . A journey of 75 miles from my house .
We were sitting next to some other UConn fans who were trash talking a tad with the Sooner fans in front of us . I’m not saying they‘re fans were worried but they were annoyed they couldn’t put us away.until that 4th qtr pick . We were a pesky bunch who got 400-500 yards in total offense , Toddman rushed for 125yards . Almost all in the first 3 quarters . . Those are respectable numbers.

 

[BigTenFan]

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.

I do think that the ACC showed weakness by taking Stanford and Cal and certainly SMU. That looks like a money grab by a group that knows it's dead soon so it may as well grab as much cash is it can.

I agree. That logic would equate to Big East kicking out DePaul, Seton Hall, Georgetown

 

[Waquoit]

Kliavkoff is not wrong or right yet. Washington and Oregon, and UCLA and USC for that matter, made a short term decision based on a trying to cash in on a cable business model that is rapidly dying. They will make a few more bucks in the short term, but there is no telling how this ends up.

The schools that may have signed their own death warrant are schools like Michigan State, Rutgers, Maryland, Minnesota, Indiana and Purdue. The Big 10 is not going to need all these schools if it becomes one of a P2. There is no way Rutgers survives that consolidation.

Solution? The Big 10 goes pro/rel.

 

[noeynox]

I agree. That logic would equate to Big East kicking out DePaul, Seton Hall, Georgetown

Stay Tuned!

 

[Husky25]

College football is becoming unwatchable.

The portal helps smooth out the midrange talent but a 4 star freshman used to play immediately. Now they ride the bench and lose confidence, which almost certainly affects their play.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Add this to the long list of stupid Kliavkoff quotes...........

"If some of our schools would have been a little more patient, it would have paid off."

You had over a year where your only job was to secure a media rights deal and you failed. Over a year. How much more patient could they have been?

The only offer on the table was a streaming deal with Apple tied to subscription rates which at best would have landed in the same ballpark revenue wise as the Big 12, or slightly less.

Kliavkoff could not provide to Washington what the B1G provides. Yet, Kliavkoff said they should have been more patient.

https://www.si.com/college/stanford/football/george-kliavkoff-blames-pac-12-schools-impatience-for-conference-collapse

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

 

[nelsonmuntz]

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.

I do think that the ACC showed weakness by taking Stanford and Cal and certainly SMU. That looks like a money grab by a group that knows it's dead soon so it may as well grab as much cash is it can.

One of two things will happen.

1) Consolidating to two leagues won't work because too many fans will check out if their school is not part of the mix. This is what I think will happen.

2) Consolidation works, and the P2 realize that they can keep all the money for themselves. But if they were able to cut loose the ACC and Pac 12 and Big 12, why wouldn't they look inward and cut loose their own deadweight?

If you think the P2 is the way of the future, Rutgers and the rest of the bottom feeders are toast. If you think that consolidating to a P2 will fail, then Rutgers could also find itself on the fringe of a bloated conference.

Either way, Rutgers is not home free by any means.

 

[UConnJim]

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

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.

What's unfortunate for the Pac 12 is that it looks like they had turned around football (but not USC) and basketball. Sometimes timing is everything.

 

[UConnJim]

One of two things will happen.

1) Consolidating to two leagues won't work because too many fans will check out if their school is not part of the mix. This is what I think will happen.

2) Consolidation works, and the P2 realize that they can keep all the money for themselves. But if they were able to cut loose the ACC and Pac 12 and Big 12, why wouldn't they look inward and cut loose their own deadweight?

If you think the P2 is the way of the future, Rutgers and the rest of the bottom feeders are toast. If you think that consolidating to a P2 will fail, then Rutgers could also find itself on the fringe of a bloated conference.

Either way, Rutgers is not home free by any means.

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.

 

[Chuck]

One of two things will happen.

1) Consolidating to two leagues won't work because too many fans will check out if their school is not part of the mix. This is what I think will happen.

2) Consolidation works, and the P2 realize that they can keep all the money for themselves. But if they were able to cut loose the ACC and Pac 12 and Big 12, why wouldn't they look inward and cut loose their own deadweight?

If you think the P2 is the way of the future, Rutgers and the rest of the bottom feeders are toast. If you think that consolidating to a P2 will fail, then Rutgers could also find itself on the fringe of a bloated conference.

Either way, Rutgers is not home free by any means.

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.

But regardless, I think some version of (1) is also a probability. I watch the NFL even if my team isn't good. I watch the NBA playoffs only, and don't really have a team. But for college sports? I really only watch UConn regularly. I couldn't care less about useless bowls, and didn't even care much about the two playoffs last night despite being great games. If they consolidate more, I know I'm not the only one that will just fully check out. Not out of anger or spite. I just won't care.

 

[bendm]

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.

What's unfortunate for the Pac 12 is that it looks like they had turned around football (but not USC) and basketball. Sometimes timing is everything.

And despite its struggles the PAC was still more valuable than the big12 without Texas and Oklahoma…that was my point. The timing that killed them was yormark renegotiating the big12 deal before kliavkoff leaving the PAC with a hodgepodge of streaming suitors.

 

[hoopsfan22]

The B1G or any conference for that matter doesn't have to kick out members. When the time comes they can just go form a new thing and not invite the dead weight.

 

[How Sway?!]

Rose Bowl is most-watched since '15, late night Sugar less sweet

ESPN must be salivating at the thought of the 12 team playoff, especially considering they got it at 50 cents on the dollar

 

[John]

One of two things will happen.

1) Consolidating to two leagues won't work because too many fans will check out if their school is not part of the mix. This is what I think will happen.

2) Consolidation works, and the P2 realize that they can keep all the money for themselves. But if they were able to cut loose the ACC and Pac 12 and Big 12, why wouldn't they look inward and cut loose their own deadweight?

If you think the P2 is the way of the future, Rutgers and the rest of the bottom feeders are toast. If you think that consolidating to a P2 will fail, then Rutgers could also find itself on the fringe of a bloated conference.

Either way, Rutgers is not home free by any means.

Not sure where the Rutgers fetish is coming from, but at least they made it to the adult table.