You have to wonder how long the TV gravy train is going to last for these conferences. I'm not saying it'll dry up completely as there will always be some die hard audience. But things change over time. The casual fan will sour of the scandals, an additional fee, then move on. People will find something different and less expensive to do. Maybe Aresco anticipates that and is trying to lock in a guaranteed payday for as long as possible. Who knows.
If there is another realignment on the horizon chances are UConn won't be the first picked unless the football program makes a miraculous turn around. Don't count on The Big East saving the basketball programs. That conference is teetering with the AAC gaining ground on them faster than most would like to admit. This year no Sweet 16 team from the Big East, Houston still alive. Creighton got eliminated from the NIT tonight and Wichita St has already beat the #1, 2 and 3 seeds to advance to MSG. South Florida one of the final 4 remaining in the CBI.
Sooner or later the bubble will burst on the P-5. Unscrupulous agents, shoe companies, AD's, coaches and parents will help. Online degrees and the rethinking of cost vs reward of four years at a university will aid in the erosion of the college experience.
