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

[freescooter]

Paul Finebaum: North Carolina is at the top of SEC's priority list if it further expands

The SEC doesn’t seem at all interested in any further expansion with the league now at 16 teams. Even so, if they were, Paul Finebaum knows the school that would be their next prime candidate in realignment.

Still, if the SEC were to add a new member, Finebaum says what he has heard is that the obvious pick would be North Carolina. The only question would be if the Tar Heels would join on their own or if at least one more team came along with them to make it an even number at 18.

“It’s North Carolina at the top,” Finebaum stated. “I think, after that, it’s a little bit unknown. There’s a million different theories. Would North Carolina take someone with them? Or would they just sit around?”

“The one thing I feel pretty confident of, though, is that, if something happens in the next couple weeks, it won’t be Florida State going to the SEC. I mean it just seems like they have shot themselves in the foot on that,” explained Finebaum. “I don’t think Clemson is in as bad of shape but they are now lumped with Florida State.”

Paul Finebaum identifies ACC school as top target for SEC if it expands

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www.on3.com

UNC is at that top of their list if they expand which they don’t plan to do and if the prioritize basketball which they won’t and if every team is willing to take a pay cut to add them which they won’t. Sort of like being 12th in line for the British throne I guess. Better than being 13th.

 

[buddy]

A reporter from the New York times had this idea a few years ago. Not sure it makes sense.

Never hurts to ask. Football should be included. Great rilvalry with Vandy in football. Kentucky Alabama Arkansas Florida and Texas in basketball. Lots of eyes in the northeast would watch with great marketing.

 

[LoyalFanCT]

Never hurts to ask. Football should be included. Great rilvalry with Vandy in football. Kentucky Alabama Arkansas Florida and Texas in basketball. Lots of eyes in the northeast would watch with great marketing.

It would make more sense if the SEC also took UVA and UNC as well as maybe Duke.

 

[MilliniumPrince]

Don't believe anything the conferences say at this point.

 

[jostar1]

 

[hoopsfan22]

FSU and Clemson overplayed their hand. No idea what they were thinking. Maybe they thought they'd get out of this cleanly and there would be an $EC or B1G invite waiting in the wings. Like someone else said you don't quit your job until you've got another one lined up.

 

[JohnFSilver]

Oh god I hope this is accurate. The level of arrogance and incompetence at FSU and Clemson would be historic.....

We can only hope.....

You can’t Force people to stay. It’s money.

 

[AllHusky]

Oh, be still my heart!!!

UNC and Virginia leave and FSU and Clemson get stuck in a watered down ACC. Watching that might be better than sex.....

Could be a SNL skit to rival Zillowporn

 

[Rufus]

Other than the lawsuits involved, this kind of reminds me of both Missouri and San Diego State............

When the B1G announced they were going to add a 12th team back in 2009, Missouri assumed it was them. Everyone at Missouri talked about how they were leaving the Big 12 and the new Longhorn Network and going to the B1G! Then, the B1G invited Nebraska and Mizzou had egg on their face. At least the SEC came calling a year later.

And then last year, San Diego State announced they were leaving the Mountain West only to come crawling back because the PAC-12 blew up.

 

[Rufus]

Not a tweet, but on topic....

Ex-Tallahassee Democrat reporter implies FSU joining Big Ten could still be in play

Former Tallahassee Democrat reporter Skip Foster implied that FSU leaving the ACC to join the Big Ten is still on the table despite rumors that the Big 12 would

flywareagle.com

 

[UConnJim]

Oh hog wash. They are not worth $67 million to the Big. And the Big doesn’t need 2 more mid-level football teams. And the days of the cable bundles are fast dwindling. And both share the markets with others. UNC with Duke, NC State, UVA with VATECH. And is in a pro market anyway. If the big money was cable fees, the ACC would be wealthy.

In North Carolina, you have 4 ACC schools so the ACCN fees are from 4 schools. Imagine if the ACCN fees were from one school?

And, why do you think SMU and Cal/Stanford were grabbed by the ACC? They took a reduced rate but they opened up Texas and California to in-market fees for the ACCN. Thus, they were accretive adds.

 

[jostar1]

 

[Rdkid]

The BIG12 sounds like a strong brand, and with all the new additions being brought over kicking and screaming, they don't want to go. They have a bright future ahead of them.

The truth is that a bunch of this is survival, smoke and mirrors stuff from the Big12 who just lost 2 behemoth football powers they will never replace both in interest/history and value. Yormark is building from a place of devastation, credit to him.

 

[CL82]

In North Carolina, you have 4 ACC schools so the ACCN fees are from 4 schools. Imagine if the ACCN fees were from one school?

And, why do you think SMU and Cal/Stanford were grabbed by the ACC? They took a reduced rate but they opened up Texas and California to in-market fees for the ACCN. Thus, they were accretive adds.

Does the ACC actually own the ACCN? If not, why would they care about whether That Work gets in market fees?

 

[AZHuskiePop]

Anyone here that still thinks the Big 12 will be a lateral move with Clemson and FSU joining is 100% out to lunch.

The ACC would effectively begin to disintegrate.

The thing is all the FSU/Clem to the Big 12 stuff last week turned out to be speculative hogwash.

That’s a huge if
The B1G and the SEC allowing an effective challenge to their P2 seems like a strategic error when they’re holding all the cards to enable them to prevent it.
They have the ability to both kill the ACC and ensure that the big 12 is no threat to their supremacy.

 

[LetsGoUC]

 

[KryHavok]

That’s a huge if
The B1G and the SEC allowing an effective challenge to their P2 seems like a strategic error when they’re holding all the cards to enable them to prevent it.
They have the ability to both kill the ACC and ensure that the big 12 is no threat to their supremacy.

I think it comes to possibility versus probability. It is possible that the B12 challenges the P2...yeah. Is it probable that the B12 can challenge the P2, likely no. The realignment and money movement would be from B12 to P2, not the other way around. So yes, the B12 may be getting stronger if they can add some ACC teams, but dynamically the P2 are so far ahead as to make competition with them moot.

 

[huskymedic]

 

[UConnTrumbull]

But it will be the G5 who foots the bill

 

[UConnJim]

Does the ACC actually own the ACCN? If not, why would they care about whether That Work gets in market fees?

It is a joint revenue share. The ACCN probably brings in $10 million per year for each ACC school and it has been growing over time. With the addition of SMU/Cal/Stanford, the ACCN revenues will take a step up and with SMU/Cal/Stanford taking reduced shares, the rest of the ACC schools will see a step up in revenues. The difference between an in-market ACCN cable subscriber and out-of-market subscriber is ~$1+/month. Of course, cord cutting will take a toll on subscribers in the future.

 

[uconndogs]

Exactly right!

 

[Kolumbo]

The truth is that a bunch of this is survival, smoke and mirrors stuff from the Big12 who just lost 2 behemoth football powers they will never replace both in interest/history and value. Yormark is building from a place of devastation, credit to him.

Not disagreeing with you about Texas vs Oklahoma but going forward, I think things will be different, perhaps very different. I don't think it's smoke & mirrors at all.
1. Texas and Oklahoma for the first time ever are now in the SEC. Will they still be all that? I'm not so sure. First, they will likely have more losses than before. Second, it's the SEC. Will SEC fans be so quick to accept them rascals? Third, Alabama is the king. Alabama-Auburn, Florida-Georgia, those are SEC rivalries.
2. I know if we were in the Big 12 I'd sure be watching a lot more of Okie State, Arizonas, Kansases, Colorado, Utah. Just as Cincy, Houston, UCF fans are likely doing. Long time Big 12 fans may not care so much about Texas-Oklahoma anymore. So that rivalry may have lost a lot of fans right there in its own footprint.
3. UConn is sitting here as one of the premiere blue-chip programs in the country. One of our biggest rivals? Creighton. Freaking Creighton! 10 years ago I didn't give a rat's ass about Creighton. 20 years ago I couldn't find it on a map. Point being, conferences can create great rivalries and the Big 12, top to bottom, is an excellent conference with no dead weight.

 

[CJasmer]

Not disagreeing with you about Texas vs Oklahoma but going forward, I think things will be different, perhaps very different. I don't think it's smoke & mirrors at all.
1. Texas and Oklahoma for the first time ever are now in the SEC. Will they still be all that? I'm not so sure. First, they will likely have more losses than before. Second, it's the SEC. Will SEC fans be so quick to accept them rascals? Third, Alabama is the king. Alabama-Auburn, Florida-Georgia, those are SEC rivalries.
2. I know if we were in the Big 12 I'd sure be watching a lot more of Okie State, Arizonas, Kansases, Colorado, Utah. Just as Cincy, Houston, UCF fans are likely doing. Long time Big 12 fans may not care so much about Texas-Oklahoma anymore. So that rivalry may have lost a lot of fans right there in its own footprint.
3. UConn is sitting here as one of the premiere blue-chip programs in the country. One of our biggest rivals? Creighton. Freaking Creighton! 10 years ago I didn't give a rat's ass about Creighton. 20 years ago I couldn't find it on a map. Point being, conferences can create great rivalries and the Big 12, top to bottom, is an excellent conference with no dead weight.

Texas vs Oklahoma will continue to be a big rivalry game. One of the biggest in the country. And these games will be much watch TV - Texas vs Alabama, Texas vs LSU and Texas vs GA. I know I will watch those games.

 

[huskymedic]

 

[CJasmer]

This is getting silly. All the rules changing for football. Best scenario would be for football to just spin off. Unfortunately it will not happen..