You could not be more wrong. Exposure is nice, though you still haven't come to understand that no network is going to pay for, nor is anyone going to watch Temple-SDSU football games. In this day and age, it's strictly about the money brought in from TV contracts, that's what shapes who is in what conference. It's the reason why the ACC is looking so bad right now. They get PLENTY of exposure from ESPN, but they've still got numerous members who want out because of a bad TV deal.
Nope, you're wrong. All I have to say is one word. Soccer. People are actually watching soccer now. That's all you need to know about where television is going, and what's happening with the value of sports. Males b/w the ages of 18-49. People in that demographic, most definitely will watch Temple v. SDSU, especially in their regional areas, as long as it's promoted and available when people tend to watch college football, and is easily accessible. And they're not watching in Philly, just because they've gone 5x on SDSU to cover the spread at home. It's got to be marketed, and it's got to be available, easily, when people tend to watch college football.
That's the problem with the ESPN model. YOU simply can't keep adding new channels to the cable lineup and have a multidimensional, regional approach to broadcasting. ESPN simply doesn't have the capability to put a BIg east football game on TV in Philly, at 3:30pm on a Saturday, and at the same time, have 3:30 pm Big EAst game on in Houston, and at the same time have a big east game on TV in Orlando, all at 3:30pm on Saturday, and not take up three different channels national broadcast slots at the same time.
They don't have the platform to do it. THe only way they can have the same regional, multidimensional approach, as say a FOX or NBC network of broadcasting, is via online services.
In the past, the Big EASt leadership when it came to braodcasting contracts. didn't give a about putting football out properly, and were ahppy to have basketball on ESPN and put football on weeknights. It was a convenience for ESPN. It's also one of the many, many reason that 1-A football institutions have been leaving the big east.
I"m curious to see what ESPN comes up with in the next few weeks. I personally, am not excited at all about the potential to have our regional capability as a conference, especially in football, going out via WatchESPN, espn3, rather than on an actual over the air network.
Last thing I'll say for awhile on this - is that it all hinges on playing good, competitive football and having a winner to watch. Time will tell, but the Big East has a proven trackrecord of carrying winning teams, and then having them leave.....until now..... while the ACC? Well.
The big east is also the only conference ever, to expel a team, for poor performance..........
Winning and being competitive - expected in teh big east.
You don't get the 10+ win season so easily - when you actually play tough games every week.