News From The Wash

[NYUConn]

Um because the total revenue isn't key. The key number is what each school gets.

Maybe the schools will take less each to add new membership.... that would pretty much go against everything that has happened in CR to date.

Right, but your assuming that the individual school cut would decrease with say two more teams added.

Any two additional schools added to the conference will increase the ad revenue at close to the same rate because you are adding content. Adding KU and UConn all of a sudden gives the network 1-2 additional football games every Saturday in the fall, thus increasing the # of ads being purchased and run during broadcast. My point is that UConn not only increases football ad revenue at close to a similar rate (if not accordingly), but it's Olympic sports could increase non-football ad revenue growth and give the existing 14 schools an ultimately higher payout.

 

[UConn9604]

Regardless, it's an interesting discussion. Without hard numbers, it will be tough quantify, unless Delaney leaves the study of potential B1G candidates in a North Carolina car wash.

Did you say car wash? Work, and work.

 

[whaler11]

Right, but your assuming that the individual school cut would decrease with say two more teams added.

Any two additional schools added to the conference will increase the ad revenue at close to the same rate because you are adding content. Adding KU and UConn all of a sudden gives the network 1-2 additional football games every Saturday in the fall, thus increasing the # of ads being purchased and run during broadcast. My point is that UConn not only increases football ad revenue at close to a similar rate (if not accordingly), but it's Olympic sports could increase non-football ad revenue growth and give the existing 14 schools an ultimately higher payout.

You are hung up on ad revenue - they are going to look all in. Minnesota isn't taking a 3 million dollar a year haircut to add two schools even if it increases
one component of network revenue.

You aren't getting the math. Nobody can generate enough advertising revenue to gain entry on that.

 

[NYUConn]

You are hung up on ad revenue - they are going to look all in. Minnesota isn't taking a 3 million dollar a year haircut to add two schools even if it increases
one component if network revenue.

That's the one area where the hangup would be though at least from the BTN standpoint. UConn increases ticket revenue, increases revenue from the NCAA for all of the titles we win and championship appearances we make.

Where is the $3 million haircut coming from then? Through overall TV rights? Genuinely asking.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

Who is UConn increasing ticket revenue for? If anything, we'd be a negative for that as Ohio State losses games with Wisconsin and Nebraska losses games with Michigan.

Unless you think an incremental increases of 2,000 people paying $5 for a women's basketball game outweighs that.

 

[whaler11]

That's the one area where the hangup would be though at least from the BTN standpoint. UConn increases ticket revenue, increases revenue from the NCAA for all of the titles we win and championship appearances we make.

Where is the $3 million haircut coming from then? Through overall TV rights? Genuinely asking.

If the schools get $40 million in TV eachtoday and add two schools that don't generate an incremental $80 million to be shared amongst the 16 schools then each current school
makes less on a per school basis.

If today they split 500 million between 14 schools each gets 36 million.

If post expansion they generate 550 million between 16 schools each gets 34 million.

Generating an incremental 80 million dollars is a huge lift - because it's not 80 million it's more because of the structure of the Big Ten Network.

You are also attempting to do this in the strong headwinds of the biggest buyer of television rights. The deepest pockets (ESPN) are aggressively cutting costs.

So again unless you think Minnesota and Iowa are willing to take less to add someone - the list of schools that can generate that much incremental revenue is short.

 

[NYUConn]

Who is UConn increasing ticket revenue for? If anything, we'd be a negative for that as Ohio State losses games with Wisconsin and Nebraska losses games with Michigan.

Unless you think an incremental increases of 2,000 people paying $5 for a women's basketball game outweighs that.

Not football. Basketball.

Ohio State, Michigan, Nebraska and Wisconsin sell out versus the Coastal Carolinas of the world in football. Won't make a dent there and it won't matter.

But if you take a 16-13 Nebraska basketball team hosting a 24-5 nationally ranked UConn team, suddenly you're getting thousands of more people in the arena than you would normally not have. Even more drastic increase in gate sales for Women's hoops.

 

[Dooley]

I'm sorry, I must've gotten off at the wrong stop. I was headed towards the B1G and my train has seemed to have derailed into ACC land. Why?

We. Will. Never. Get. Into. The. ACC. NEVER. That ship has sailed long ago, my friends. If all that is needed for an ACCN to launch is our presence and we're still not in, then that's that. If we're waiting on Notre Dame to join full-time, we will be waiting until long after we're dead and buried. If we're waiting on some power invite move that includes Texas, then we'll be waiting until our grandchildren our dead and buried. If we're waiting to backfill the conference after FSU or UNC leaves, then there is that ol' dreaded GoR and $52M exit fee to worry about. The only way that the ACC could help us get out of AAC purgatory is if the B1G started to become anxious that they haven't secured the eastern front like they had hoped when they invited RU/MD and began to worry that they would "lose" UConn to the ACC.

BC hates and is afraid of us. Miami hates us. Every single southern football school will never vote for us because they view their conference as a SEC lite. Syracuse does not want us because they're afraid. The conference itself is a mosh posh of southern and northern cultures that do not see eye to eye and never will. One half of the conference is hoops centric, the other is football (sound familiar?). The conference contains a few community college level academia, the latest was selected over us most recently.

Half of the ACC has flirted with other conferences fairly recently. The last time we joined a conference that contained Miami, VT, and BC, they abruptly left. The conference is no closer to getting a network than the AAC. It makes half the money that the B1G and SEC make and that will always be a concern for their members.

We are a much better fit for the B1G. It's a northern based conference that cares about academics (so do we). It's a conference that consists entirely of large, public schools with huge alumni bases. It has its own network that is crushing revenue records every year (current estimates over $50M/yr per school). It's a basketball conference that we can help elevate to elite levels and have a good shot at winning in most seasons. The conference plays hockey. No conference member has ever flirted with leaving the B1G (I do not believe those nutty rumors about PSU and the ACC). The conference has exclusive scheduling agreements with the PAC 12 that could further reach our brand to the west coast on an annual basis. And guess what happens the day after we would be a B1G member? All of those regional r1vals that won't schedule us now (in hopes of cementing us in the AAC) will want to schedule us to build relationships with us and other B1G members. Have I mentioned that we would make double the cash in revenue and could afford to outpay our football and MBB coaches out of the scale that our ACC friends can't?

Don't get me wrong, I could be wrong and if I am, I will happily skip my way towards any Power conference invite. All I'm saying is that when the sun comes up every morning, I expect it to continue coming up every morning. When we are continuously passed over by the ACC for random, changing variables, then I expect us to continue to be passed over for new, random, changing variables.

B1G or bust. I happen to think we're closer to an invite to the B1G than ACC.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

Not football. Basketball.

Ohio State, Michigan, Nebraska and Wisconsin sell out versus the Coastal Carolinas of the world in football. Won't make a dent there and it won't matter.

But if you take a 16-13 Nebraska basketball team hosting a 24-5 nationally ranked UConn team, suddenly you're getting thousands of more people in the arena than you would normally not have. Even more drastic increase in gate sales for Women's hoops.

That's no longer true though for all the schools. Up until Harbaugh, it was well documented that ticket sales were down at UM, and that is a national trend as well.

You also can't expect to charge the same for season ticket that used to feature Wisconsin, Iowa, etc as long time rivals and replace them with Maryland, UConn and Rutgers.

I don't want to talk down our value, but if women's basketball or men's basketball had dictated ANYTHING so far, how do you figure that the most dominant team in all of sports, not just womens hoops, was left out, in addition to one of the top 5 men's programs of the past 30 years is left out too.

The math simply doesn't add up using those metrics.

 

[ThetaZoo]

Don't hold your breath on the ACC. They passed over us for Pitt, and when Maryland left the old line tobacco road lost to the FB schools. Since then the FB schools have even more influence given the disaster called UNC. I'm in Greensboro and my contact here didn't blink an eye saying no movement in P5 for 5 years. He obviously was talking his book and his bosses.

If that was true then all the conferences and all the networks would have to be in lockstep with each other. That seems a little unlikely.

 

[Milo65]

Did you say car wash? Work, and work.

Whoa, Whoa...yeah, yeah

 

[Milo65]

I'm sorry, I must've gotten off at the wrong stop. I was headed towards the B1G and my train has seemed to have derailed into ACC land. Why?

We. Will. Never. Get. Into. The. ACC. NEVER. That ship has sailed long ago, my friends. If all that is needed for an ACCN to launch is our presence and we're still not in, then that's that. If we're waiting on Notre Dame to join full-time, we will be waiting until long after we're dead and buried. If we're waiting on some power invite move that includes Texas, then we'll be waiting until our grandchildren our dead and buried. If we're waiting to backfill the conference after FSU or UNC leaves, then there is that ol' dreaded GoR and $52M exit fee to worry about. The only way that the ACC could help us get out of AAC purgatory is if the B1G started to become anxious that they haven't secured the eastern front like they had hoped when they invited RU/MD and began to worry that they would "lose" UConn to the ACC.

BC hates and is afraid of us. Miami hates us. Every single southern football school will never vote for us because they view their conference as a SEC lite. Syracuse does not want us because they're afraid. The conference itself is a mosh posh of southern and northern cultures that do not see eye to eye and never will. One half of the conference is hoops centric, the other is football (sound familiar?). The conference contains a few community college level academia, the latest was selected over us most recently.

Half of the ACC has flirted with other conferences fairly recently. The last time we joined a conference that contained Miami, VT, and BC, they abruptly left. The conference is no closer to getting a network than the AAC. It makes half the money that the B1G and SEC make and that will always be a concern for their members.

We are a much better fit for the B1G. It's a northern based conference that cares about academics (so do we). It's a conference that consists entirely of large, public schools with huge alumni bases. It has its own network that is crushing revenue records every year (current estimates over $50M/yr per school). It's a basketball conference that we can help elevate to elite levels and have a good shot at winning in most seasons. The conference plays hockey. No conference member has ever flirted with leaving the B1G (I do not believe those nutty rumors about PSU and the ACC). The conference has exclusive scheduling agreements with the PAC 12 that could further reach our brand to the west coast on an annual basis. And guess what happens the day after we would be a B1G member? All of those regional r1vals that won't schedule us now (in hopes of cementing us in the AAC) will want to schedule us to build relationships with us and other B1G members. Have I mentioned that we would make double the cash in revenue and could afford to outpay our football and MBB coaches out of the scale that our ACC friends can't?

Don't get me wrong, I could be wrong and if I am, I will happily skip my way towards any Power conference invite. All I'm saying is that when the sun comes up every morning, I expect it to continue coming up every morning. When we are continuously passed over by the ACC for random, changing variables, then I expect us to continue to be passed over for new, random, changing variables.

B1G or bust. I happen to think we're closer to an invite to the B1G than ACC.

 

[weyuo]

I know everybody wants to keep crapping on the AAC but 5 years up the road when UCONN is still here and most likely one or two more northern schools are added(UMASS for one) and the league office moves to the big apple this might not be such a bad place to be. The ACC seems to want to implode on itself much like the Big East did and why would UCONN want to revisit that? If the SEC wanted they could poach FSU and Clemson or Georgia Tech in a heartbeat and turn the ACC into the Big East II. Without 2 of those 3 football schools there isn't much difference between the "A" conferences(in football). The one thing the AAC will have over the ACC is nicer destination cities and in the long run that might be the genius of this league. Good sports with a great destination for the visiting fans and the media. The conference can use that as a tool. Memphis, New Orleans, Orlando, Tampa, Mohegan Sun/Foxwoods, Philly, Cincinnati, Dallas, Houston. Keep the football improving year after year and have a legit 5 teams in the mix for a Big Dance invite every March the AAC could ask for a decent TV revenue increase while leveraging for max exposure. Who knows, a decade from now the AAC might be the poacher.

 

[FluxTZ]

More updates from the car wash please.

 

[businesslawyer]

I know everybody wants to keep crapping on the AAC but 5 years up the road when UCONN is still here and most likely one or two more northern schools are added(UMASS for one) and the league office moves to the big apple this might not be such a bad place to be. The ACC seems to want to implode on itself much like the Big East did and why would UCONN want to revisit that? If the SEC wanted they could poach FSU and Clemson or Georgia Tech in a heartbeat and turn the ACC into the Big East II. Without 2 of those 3 football schools there isn't much difference between the "A" conferences(in football). The one thing the AAC will have over the ACC is nicer destination cities and in the long run that might be the genius of this league. Good sports with a great destination for the visiting fans and the media. The conference can use that as a tool. Memphis, New Orleans, Orlando, Tampa, Mohegan Sun/Foxwoods, Philly, Cincinnati, Dallas, Houston. Keep the football improving year after year and have a legit 5 teams in the mix for a Big Dance invite every March the AAC could ask for a decent TV revenue increase while leveraging for max exposure. Who knows, a decade from now the AAC might be the poacher.

You need to be buying a stash that isn't quite so strong.

 

[noeynox]

I know everybody wants to keep crapping on the AAC but 5 years up the road when UCONN is still here and most likely one or two more northern schools are added(UMASS for one) and the league office moves to the big apple this might not be such a bad place to be. The ACC seems to want to implode on itself much like the Big East did and why would UCONN want to revisit that? If the SEC wanted they could poach FSU and Clemson or Georgia Tech in a heartbeat and turn the ACC into the Big East II. Without 2 of those 3 football schools there isn't much difference between the "A" conferences(in football). The one thing the AAC will have over the ACC is nicer destination cities and in the long run that might be the genius of this league. Good sports with a great destination for the visiting fans and the media. The conference can use that as a tool. Memphis, New Orleans, Orlando, Tampa, Mohegan Sun/Foxwoods, Philly, Cincinnati, Dallas, Houston. Keep the football improving year after year and have a legit 5 teams in the mix for a Big Dance invite every March the AAC could ask for a decent TV revenue increase while leveraging for max exposure. Who knows, a decade from now the AAC might be the poacher.

Guess you missed the thread where AAC offices are headed to Dallas.

 

[Durks07]

I know everybody wants to keep crapping on the AAC but 5 years up the road when UCONN is still here and most likely one or two more northern schools are added(UMASS for one) and the league office moves to the big apple this might not be such a bad place to be. The ACC seems to want to implode on itself much like the Big East did and why would UCONN want to revisit that? If the SEC wanted they could poach FSU and Clemson or Georgia Tech in a heartbeat and turn the ACC into the Big East II. Without 2 of those 3 football schools there isn't much difference between the "A" conferences(in football). The one thing the AAC will have over the ACC is nicer destination cities and in the long run that might be the genius of this league. Good sports with a great destination for the visiting fans and the media. The conference can use that as a tool. Memphis, New Orleans, Orlando, Tampa, Mohegan Sun/Foxwoods, Philly, Cincinnati, Dallas, Houston. Keep the football improving year after year and have a legit 5 teams in the mix for a Big Dance invite every March the AAC could ask for a decent TV revenue increase while leveraging for max exposure. Who knows, a decade from now the AAC might be the poacher.

 

[31GuardTrap]

Clap.........clap.......clap clap clap clap clap

Clap.........clap.......clap clap clap clap clap.


Practice makes perfect.

 

[junglehusky]

I'm sorry, I must've gotten off at the wrong stop. I was headed towards the B1G and my train has seemed to have derailed into ACC land. Why?

We. Will. Never. Get. Into. The. ACC. NEVER. That ship has sailed long ago, my friends. If all that is needed for an ACCN to launch is our presence and we're still not in, then that's that. If we're waiting on Notre Dame to join full-time, we will be waiting until long after we're dead and buried. If we're waiting on some power invite move that includes Texas, then we'll be waiting until our grandchildren our dead and buried. If we're waiting to backfill the conference after FSU or UNC leaves, then there is that ol' dreaded GoR and $52M exit fee to worry about. The only way that the ACC could help us get out of AAC purgatory is if the B1G started to become anxious that they haven't secured the eastern front like they had hoped when they invited RU/MD and began to worry that they would "lose" UConn to the ACC.

BC hates and is afraid of us. Miami hates us. Every single southern football school will never vote for us because they view their conference as a SEC lite. Syracuse does not want us because they're afraid. The conference itself is a mosh posh of southern and northern cultures that do not see eye to eye and never will. One half of the conference is hoops centric, the other is football (sound familiar?). The conference contains a few community college level academia, the latest was selected over us most recently.

Half of the ACC has flirted with other conferences fairly recently. The last time we joined a conference that contained Miami, VT, and BC, they abruptly left. The conference is no closer to getting a network than the AAC. It makes half the money that the B1G and SEC make and that will always be a concern for their members.

We are a much better fit for the B1G. It's a northern based conference that cares about academics (so do we). It's a conference that consists entirely of large, public schools with huge alumni bases. It has its own network that is crushing revenue records every year (current estimates over $50M/yr per school). It's a basketball conference that we can help elevate to elite levels and have a good shot at winning in most seasons. The conference plays hockey. No conference member has ever flirted with leaving the B1G (I do not believe those nutty rumors about PSU and the ACC). The conference has exclusive scheduling agreements with the PAC 12 that could further reach our brand to the west coast on an annual basis. And guess what happens the day after we would be a B1G member? All of those regional r1vals that won't schedule us now (in hopes of cementing us in the AAC) will want to schedule us to build relationships with us and other B1G members. Have I mentioned that we would make double the cash in revenue and could afford to outpay our football and MBB coaches out of the scale that our ACC friends can't?

Don't get me wrong, I could be wrong and if I am, I will happily skip my way towards any Power conference invite. All I'm saying is that when the sun comes up every morning, I expect it to continue coming up every morning. When we are continuously passed over by the ACC for random, changing variables, then I expect us to continue to be passed over for new, random, changing variables.

B1G or bust. I happen to think we're closer to an invite to the B1G than ACC.

We were penciled (or penned) into the ACC before FSU and Clemson politicked for UL. BC may have c*ck-blocked us previously but it's pretty clear they were not the power players this time, Flipper was posturing for the papers as if he was the one in charge when he was merely attached to FSU's coattails. Flipper's gone and BC's influence is waning. Shalala is retiring from Miami. Maybe Miami, Pitt, Cuse would still be opposed along with FSU because of our football. But that can change due to two things - time and Diaco. Would FSU lobby for Cincinatti over UConn? Maybe, maybe not. We know Krzyzewski and UNC were in our corner. We know UConn was near the top of the short list last time. We have Herbst who I would imagine is never going to assume we have zero shot. We don't know if the ACC will expand again, and I'm not saying we're penned in again. Maybe the B12 breaks apart and we have to get in line behind Texas or something. All I'm saying is it's not accurate to say NEVER (and you even equivocated in your last paragraph).

 

[NEforceUConn]

If the schools get $40 million in TV eachtoday and add two schools that don't generate an incremental $80 million to be shared amongst the 16 schools then each current school
makes less on a per school basis.

If today they split 500 million between 14 schools each gets 36 million.

If post expansion they generate 550 million between 16 schools each gets 34 million.

Generating an incremental 80 million dollars is a huge lift - because it's not 80 million it's more because of the structure of the Big Ten Network.

You are also attempting to do this in the strong headwinds of the biggest buyer of television rights. The deepest pockets (ESPN) are aggressively cutting costs.

So again unless you think Minnesota and Iowa are willing to take less to add someone - the list of schools that can generate that much incremental revenue is short.

Whaler = I have heard this analysis from you and many others. When you say it takes $40m (or so) for a new team to enter (to pay itself and reimburse other conference mates with a mil or so), and we know that's just ND and Texas, it really means the current conference teams are Way overpaid.

You are basically saying any B1g, or SEC, invite that will not really increase an individual conference team's payout is nixed. If that is the case then the current per team deal is totally overpriced. SImple supply/demand and replacement value. I think that was Eco 101 at Camp Trin

 

[whaler11]

Whaler = I have heard this analysis from you and many others. When you say it takes $40m (or so) for a new team to enter (to pay itself and reimburse other conference mates with a mil or so), and we know that's just ND and Texas, it really means the current conference teams are Way overpaid.

You are basically saying any B1g, or SEC, invite that will not really increase an individual conference team's payout is nixed. If that is the case then the current per team deal is totally overpriced. SImple supply/demand and replacement value. I think that was Eco 101 at Camp Trin

There are a bundle of schools who are way overpaid relative to what they would get on the open market.

It could get interesting in the future how that plays out.

 

[NEforceUConn]

yes, if the greed goes that way.

And the sad fact is that although UConn may not be in the top 40 we certainly fall between 40 and 65.

 

[NEforceUConn]

Anyway, all we can do is play Navy tight and try to come out with a W. The game is attracting attention down here and a W will help.

As I've mentioned before its a telling game, and I have no clue how to predict it. My hope is Uconn wins by 7 and it may be possible, as a fan I don't want to think the other way. A W here means ..........

 

[ctchamps]

I know this is the football forum but I've had my "Big Ten Toes In" ever since KO gave us his cryptic message!

 

[CL82]

This is from a recent Delany interview:

Projections offer a sense of how much more money the Big Ten could accumulate. Michigan's athletic department recently told its board of trustees that its budgeted Big Ten money is projected to increase from $32 million in fiscal year 2015 to $34.7 million in 2016. A 2014 document obtained by the Lafayette Journal & Courier showed the Big Ten projected it would distribute $44.5 million per school in 2017-18 after the next TV deal.

Link

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

Who is UConn increasing ticket revenue for? If anything, we'd be a negative for that as Ohio State losses games with Wisconsin and Nebraska losses games with Michigan.

Attendance: Ohio State - Huskies (NIU version) 104,095. Ohio Stadium capacity: 104,944. Somehow, the Buckeyes' attendance will be OK. And, it's not as if Connecticut Huskies' fans from CT, the northeast, Midwest, and Mid Atlantic won't be far more enticed to attend UCONN's B1G away games.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

Attendance: Ohio State - Huskies (NIU version) 104,095. Ohio Stadium capacity: 104,944. Somehow, the Buckeyes' attendance will be OK. And, it's not as if Connecticut Huskies' fans from CT, the northeast, Midwest, and Mid Atlantic won't be far more enticed to attend UCONN's B1G away games.

I'd argue that picking out the biggest fan base in the league, that are the reigning champs and currently #1 in the country doesn't really disprove my point on attendance.

The real isssue is the mid tier programs that have lost games with the marquee programs since expansion went from 11, to 12, to 14.

It's also why I think the ACC is where we'll end up as a member in an ACC North Division playing Pitt, BC, Syracuse, maybe even WVU too.

FSU, GT, Clemson, don't want to play BC, Pitt, etc. There is no juice.

If the ACC deregulated it's title game you could have two ACC South teams play in that game and not worry about a weak and strong division

 

[pj]

This is from a recent Delany interview:

Projections offer a sense of how much more money the Big Ten could accumulate. Michigan's athletic department recently told its board of trustees that its budgeted Big Ten money is projected to increase from $32 million in fiscal year 2015 to $34.7 million in 2016. A 2014 document obtained by the Lafayette Journal & Courier showed the Big Ten projected it would distribute $44.5 million per school in 2017-18 after the next TV deal.

Link

And UConn would be additive to this. It includes NCAA credits and bowls, where UConn would hold its own with or be above the B10 average thanks to basketball (each NCAA tourney game played earns over $1.5 mn; if UConn averages 3 per year, plus a little for football bowls, we're at $6 mn); 49% of BTN revenue which if they charge $2.55 per cable household in Connecticut (which is what SNY charges is $20 mn (half of $40 mn BTN revenue) not to mention added revenue in New England and New York (probably at least another $5 mn); then Tier 1 football and basketball network games not on the BTN, probably in the vicinity of $8-10 mn (UConn routinely gets $2 mn per featured basketball game from CBS).

That's $6 mn + $20 mn + $5 mn + $10 mn = $41 mn and UConn is essentially paying its way without even taking into account any synergies for the other B1G schools (which are significant).

 

[Exit 4]

And UConn would be additive to this. It includes NCAA credits and bowls, where UConn would hold its own with or be above the B10 average thanks to basketball (each NCAA tourney game played earns over $1.5 mn; if UConn averages 3 per year, plus a little for football bowls, we're at $6 mn); 49% of BTN revenue which if they charge $2.55 per cable household in Connecticut (which is what SNY charges is $20 mn (half of $40 mn BTN revenue) not to mention added revenue in New England and New York (probably at least another $5 mn); then Tier 1 football and basketball network games not on the BTN, probably in the vicinity of $8-10 mn (UConn routinely gets $2 mn per featured basketball game from CBS).

That's $6 mn + $20 mn + $5 mn + $10 mn = $41 mn and UConn is essentially paying its way without even taking into account any synergies for the other B1G schools (which are significant).

Happy to be wrong...but my guess is that in the next go around it will be tough for SNY to keep that 2.55 per HH. Could be push back to a lower figure. And BTN w/UConn, might fetch a far lower number than 2.55. Maybe more like a 1.50. Blow me away if you have good data to the contrary.

 

[whaler11]

I'd argue that picking out the biggest fan base in the league, that are the reigning champs and currently #1 in the country doesn't really disprove my point on attendance.

The real isssue is the mid tier programs that have lost games with the marquee programs since expansion went from 11, to 12, to 14.

It's also why I think the ACC is where we'll end up as a member in an ACC North Division playing Pitt, BC, Syracuse, maybe even WVU too.

FSU, GT, Clemson, don't want to play BC, Pitt, etc. There is no juice.

If the ACC deregulated it's title game you could have two ACC South teams play in that game and not worry about a weak and strong division

Michigan at least doesn't price like UConn does.

Last year the MAC game was $30, Utah was $50 and PSU was $100.

Or some combination like that.

So if you sell 100k tickets at $30 or $50 less because you lost PSU or OSU or Nebraska - that is serious money even if you still get your huge crowd.