The View From Section 241 -- Realignment Update

[businesslawyer]

I just wanted to bring a few thoughts together in one place.

1. I really like the rumored expansion. If you bring in those six schools, you have maximized the value of the football conference with markets, national prestige and recent strength. Is it, to a large degree, making lemonaide out of lemons? Heck yes. But with Navy, Air Force and Boise for football only, and UCF, SMU and Houston for all sports, you now have a 12 team football conference that is light years ahead of any other non-BCS conference and, while without any traditional power schools, is not on a different plane than all BCS conferences not named the SEC and Big XII. The conference, in just five years, will have five members who played in BCS games and 3 who have BCS game victories. How does that compare to the ACC? The Pac Ten? Without any doubt, this would be a stronger conference on the field, and with more big markets, than what we have today. Is there a loss of prestige? Yes. Hoops? Yes. But not football on the field.

2. That having been said, this lineup, if we can pull it off, should get the Big East a TV contract in excess of what we're getting now and less than what the other 5 BCS conferences get. How close to them will we get? That will depend on how much some network other than Disney wants to be in the college sports business. But with a BCS berth, and the catholic schools markets, and still a major basketball league, this will be o.k.

3. Furthermore, look at what this does beyond rebuild. Now you're Swofford. You have twice tried to eliminate the Big East and, while you've probably reestablished yourself as the #1 hoops league, you still have a viable, BCS competitor in markets that overlap with yours more than ever with the additions of Navy and UCF to the Big East and the ACC's first real entry into the Northeast. The long term viability of a geographically rival conference, and a basketball competitor, has to, has to, hurt your long term value to ESPN. But, you can probably kill the Big East, once and for all, by pulling one more pick up stick from the pile and watching it collapse when the Catholics say we don't need you anymore and we are going to block expansion so take your football and go elsewhere.

4. We, ladies and gentlemen, are that pick-up-stick. EVen if adding us reduces the per team TV take a little (and it's hard to see how it would reduce it by much, as certainly we will provide material revenues), look what taking us accomplishes. It greatly increases basketball strength. It kills your geographic competitor in football, and for NYC markets in hoops, once and for all. It increases the chances that ND does come calling (whatever those chances are). And, it gets you off the hook with ESPN for whom you've solved a problem that one of your ADs created with its governmental partner. I don't know what the ACC will do. I don't know how much the southern tier is focused solely on football prestige. But this rebuild plan puts us in a position where our value to the ACC will almost certainly never be higher than it is at this moment.

So, for me, the rumored plan is a real win, win. If the Big East goes forward with it, we've done the best we can in a tough situation and I think it should be good enough to avoid real significant damage. If the ACC says no way, the way for it to block the rebuilding of the Big East is to offer us, which (despite speculation on this board) is what both the University President and the Governor have clearly stated they want. How much are we responsible for this, as opposed to it just being the concensus? Who knows.

I just hope that we have time to let this all sink in to Swofford's member institutions before we actually have to sign up for the increased exit penalty, but not so much time that the rumored expansion falls apart.

Real, real guts ball being played.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

Don't mean to throw a wet blanket all over this, but all this goes to pot once WVU leaves the league.

 

[businesslawyer]

1

Don't mean to throw a wet blanket all over this, but all this goes to pot once WVU leaves the league.

1. Maybe. But I don't see WVU going anywhere. If the XII wanted them, they could have had them last year.

2. WVU losing hurts. But it doesn't extinguish the lifeline between the catholics and the football schools (which is us) or any of the market or hoops arguments.

3. The one thing it would do, which could make what I stated DOA (but there is a difference betweeen could or would), is make it harder to keep the BCS bid. But it's not a foregone conclusion that bringing in those schools and losing WVU would do that. And remember, Disney, at this point, is not looking to pick a fight with the State of Connecticut. They have too much to lose and you can only expect the State to take so much before you push then into a lawsuit out of desperation that, because of the recent statements, is not frivolous.

 

[whaler11]

Are we sure that Boise State would accept? I haven't seen anything one way or the other.

 

[The Funster]

Yeah, to borrow muppetmaker's line, it's time to put our big boys pants on. If the ACC calls, we have to take it. If they don't we have to be all in on the new arrangement. There is no more waiting to see how things shake out. There is no more looking down the road. It's time to commit one way or the other and not look back.

There are pluses and minuses to either arrangement. However, my thoughts on the ACC are clouded by personal feelings so the ACC move would probably be for the best.

But yeah, I could live with either scenario as long as it's total commitment and we need to demand total commitment from the others, as well. That would be the next tricky hurdle, IMO, but we need to take this one hurdle at a time.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

There is no such thing as total commitment. If the ACC calls our conversation would be shorter than the one between TCU and the Big 12. Same with WVU/Ville and the Big 12.

 

[coachcap]

I agree with you on all points as far as tactics & UConn's availabliity are concerned. And, in this era of every man for himself, it makes sense. I just shudder at the thought that UConn might go over to the Benedict Arnold-Quisling side of the ledger. I really have enjoyed our rivalries with West Va., Louisville, USF, Cinci, & Snooki. I want all of them to land on their feet. (Actually, I would have been ecstatic if the Big East & Big XII leftovers had merged, but "Cuse & Pitt scotched that idea). I would greatly miss the fans of West Va.
I like the possible additions also. Big Markets, some history, avid fanbases. (In a perverse way,adding UCF sticks it to Disney. I'd love to see a team in their backyard regularly appearing on their major opposition.) With many family members being Naval Vet, I applaud inviting the service academies.

 

[businesslawyer]

How punitive the exit fee is has a direct correlation with whether and how difficult the decision would be to accept an ACC/Big XII offer.

 

[businesslawyer]

I agree with you on all points as far as tactics & UConn's availabliity are concerned. And, in this era of every man for himself, it makes sense. I just shudder at the thought that UConn might go over to the Benedict Arnold-Quisling side of the ledger. I really have enjoyed our rivalries with West Va., Louisville, USF, Cinci, & Snooki. I want all of them to land on their feet. (Actually, I would have been ecstatic if the Big East & Big XII leftovers had merged, but "Cuse & Pitt scotched that idea). I would greatly miss the fans of West Va.
I like the possible additions also. Big Markets, some history, avid fanbases. (In a perverse way,adding UCF sticks it to Disney. I'd love to see a team in their backyard regularly appearing on their major opposition.) With many family members being Naval Vet, I applaud inviting the service academies.

Coach: I'm with you. My preference would have been that we continue the way we are now. But that horse has, unfortunately, left the barn.

 

[geohusky]

If our fate is to be in a new expanded BE with the schools being discussed I hope our Pres is smart enough to agree to the new exit fees if and only if all the new members under consideration in fact do join. To agree to the new fees without it is suicide.

 

[UConnJim]

The BE expansion only works if Big 12 doesn't go to 12 teams and SEC doesn't grab a BE team. And, BE basketball schools have to agree to expand.

In my opinion, Big 12 wants to go to 12 teams and sees the BE on the ropes, but doesn't want to make a move until Missouri is decided and BE implodes. Big 12 doesn't want to be the fall guy for the BE collapsing, but the savior of 2 or 3 BE schools. SEC needs a 14th school and they really want to add a team to the East. Missouri works as an add if they go to 16 as they can be added to the West. If an ACC doesn't defect, then WVU could be the solution for 14.

 

[Section205]

How punitive the exit fee is has a direct correlation with whether and how difficult the decision would be to accept an ACC/Big XII offer.

If they increase the exit fee to $10MM but shorten the exit time frame (exit July 1st of the following calendar year) then I'm for it.

 

[gioff23]

Don't mean to throw a wet blanket all over this, but all this goes to pot once WVU leaves the league.

Let's hope there are Plan B's - or are we up to Plan F?
WVU out, Temple in
Ville out, ECU/Memphis in

I dont see it, but I like the idea/hope/prayer that this forces the ACC's hand.

BTW, if you really want to force the ACC's hand, state publicly that negotiations w/Comcast and Fox show promise. Mr. Swofford, the boys from Bristol are on line 2.

 

[zls44]

BTW, if you really want to force the ACC's hand, state publicly that negotiations w/Comcast and Fox show promise. Mr. Swofford, the boys from Bristol are on line 2.

Conference USA tried this privately and ESPN still had them over a barrel in court.

They can't legally negociate.
With anyone besides ESPN.
Until next September.
Period.

 

[coachcap]

Let's hope there are Plan B's - or are we up to Plan F?
WVU out, Temple in
Ville out, ECU/Memphis in

I dont see it, but I like the idea/hope/prayer that this forces the ACC's hand.

BTW, if you really want to force the ACC's hand, state publicly that negotiations w/Comcast and Fox show promise. Mr. Swofford, the boys from Bristol are on line 2.[/quote

We all know that that type of subterfuge (The Big East rejected the new contract proposal with the idea of future negotiations with Comcast, Fox, etc.) was what precipitated the 'Cuse & Pitt defections & got us to this point. The flaw in your logic is that ESPN still has an exclusive negotiating window.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Conference USA tried this privately and ESPN still had them over a barrel in court.

They can't legally negociate.
With anyone besides ESPN.
Until next September.
Period.

The chance of ESPN initiating a legal action against the Big East after Defilippo's comments is pretty close to nil.

And realignment provides ways around this anyway. For example, Boise, SMU, Houston, Navy and whoever could form a new conference (NewCo) effective 2012 and start negotiations with Comcast and CBS immediately, showing them a hypothetical lineup of Big East schools that would join.

NewCo effectively will buy OldCo, where the Big East TV agreement resides, effective 2012. OldCo continues to honor the old agreement while NewCo, at the moment only consisting of the new teams, negotiates a new deal. As long as the Big East 6 do not participate in negotiations, there is nothing ESPN can do. They are welcome to join the party if they want, or they can sit on the sidelines and sulk.

 

[businesslawyer]

Conference USA tried this privately and ESPN still had them over a barrel in court.

They can't legally negociate.
With anyone besides ESPN.
Until next September.
Period.

Yes, but in the CUSA case are you aware of any evidence that ESPN wasn't actting in good faith prior to the expiration of the contract. Because evidence to that does in fact exist here.

 

[gioff23]

None of us know the terms of the contract, but let's be honest - exclusivity runs both ways. ESPN is currently in negotiations w/the ACC to increase the fee for allowing 2 BE teams in. ESPN had to have violated the terms or the spirit of the agreement by negotiating to effectively compensate Pitt and SU while they are STILL IN the BE. If not, we not only have the worst commish, but the worst legal team ever.

 

[jpm25]

I just wanted to bring a few thoughts together in one place.

1. I really like the rumored expansion. If you bring in those six schools, you have maximized the value of the football conference with markets, national prestige and recent strength. Is it, to a large degree, making lemonaide out of lemons? Heck yes. But with Navy, Air Force and Boise for football only, and UCF, SMU and Houston for all sports, you now have a 12 team football conference that is light years ahead of any other non-BCS conference and, while without any traditional power schools, is not on a different plane than all BCS conferences not named the SEC and Big XII. The conference, in just five years, will have five members who played in BCS games and 3 who have BCS game victories. How does that compare to the ACC? The Pac Ten? Without any doubt, this would be a stronger conference on the field, and with more big markets, than what we have today. Is there a loss of prestige? Yes. Hoops? Yes. But not football on the field.

2. That having been said, this lineup, if we can pull it off, should get the Big East a TV contract in excess of what we're getting now and less than what the other 5 BCS conferences get. How close to them will we get? That will depend on how much some network other than Disney wants to be in the college sports business. But with a BCS berth, and the catholic schools markets, and still a major basketball league, this will be o.k.

3. Furthermore, look at what this does beyond rebuild. Now you're Swofford. You have twice tried to eliminate the Big East and, while you've probably reestablished yourself as the #1 hoops league, you still have a viable, BCS competitor in markets that overlap with yours more than ever with the additions of Navy and UCF to the Big East and the ACC's first real entry into the Northeast. The long term viability of a geographically rival conference, and a basketball competitor, has to, has to, hurt your long term value to ESPN. But, you can probably kill the Big East, once and for all, by pulling one more pick up stick from the pile and watching it collapse when the Catholics say we don't need you anymore and we are going to block expansion so take your football and go elsewhere.

4. We, ladies and gentlemen, are that pick-up-stick. EVen if adding us reduces the per team TV take a little (and it's hard to see how it would reduce it by much, as certainly we will provide material revenues), look what taking us accomplishes. It greatly increases basketball strength. It kills your geographic competitor in football, and for NYC markets in hoops, once and for all. It increases the chances that ND does come calling (whatever those chances are). And, it gets you off the hook with ESPN for whom you've solved a problem that one of your ADs created with its governmental partner. I don't know what the ACC will do. I don't know how much the southern tier is focused solely on football prestige. But this rebuild plan puts us in a position where our value to the ACC will almost certainly never be higher than it is at this moment.

So, for me, the rumored plan is a real win, win. If the Big East goes forward with it, we've done the best we can in a tough situation and I think it should be good enough to avoid real significant damage. If the ACC says no way, the way for it to block the rebuilding of the Big East is to offer us, which (despite speculation on this board) is what both the University President and the Governor have clearly stated they want. How much are we responsible for this, as opposed to it just being the concensus? Who knows.

I just hope that we have time to let this all sink in to Swofford's member institutions before we actually have to sign up for the increased exit penalty, but not so much time that the rumored expansion falls apart.

Real, real guts ball being played.

I appreciate the optimism and I think this is the best strategy available, but it is hard to accept the argument that the New New BE is on the same plane as all conferences except the SEC and Big 12? Really? I get the five BCS games in five years with three victories (Thank you, Boise), but that speaks not so much as a stong conference top to bottom, but more of an even conference top to bottom. On a relative basis, while I will accept the argument that the bottom half of the Pac 12 is pretty weak, I would bet that it would have its way with the bottom half of the BE. Same is true for the Big 10. Yes, the New New BE will have big markets, but will play second fiddle in many of them - Dallas, Houston, Orlando, etc. In the first raid, the BE was watered down, but not so much in basketball. This time around, it was watered down again, basketball included. The New New BE is a viable league, but not on the same plane as at least 4 of the other BCS leagues. My fear is that the Northeast is now the island of the league that the ACC presumably just fixed for themselves.

 

[businesslawyer]

I appreciate the optimism and I think this is the best strategy available, but it is hard to accept the argument that the New New BE is on the same plane as all conferences except the SEC and Big 12? Really? I get the five BCS games in five years with three victories (Thank you, Boise), but that speaks not so much as a stong conference top to bottom, but more of an even conference top to bottom. On a relative basis, while I will accept the argument that the bottom half of the Pac 12 is pretty weak, I would bet that it would have its way with the bottom half of the BE. Same is true for the Big 10. Yes, the New New BE will have big markets, but will play second fiddle in many of them - Dallas, Houston, Orlando, etc. In the first raid, the BE was watered down, but not so much in basketball. This time around, it was watered down again, basketball included. The New New BE is a viable league, but not on the same plane as at least 4 of the other BCS leagues. My fear is that the Northeast is now the island of the league that the ACC presumably just fixed for themselves.

No. Five different schools playing in BCS bowls speaks to the evenness of the conference. But three different schools winning BCS games speaks to strength at the top. Again, even including Syracuse and Pitt as ACC teams, the ACC, I believe, has only one member who has won a BCS game in that period. The Pac Ten, without doing the research, certainly doesn't have more than 3 (assuming Oregon and USC have joined Stanford in winning in that time period).

Please do not fall into the trap of letting the outside world define us with non-objective criteria. Three different schools with BCS wins in five years by definition makes you a BCS league.

 

[Pudge]

I just wanted to bring a few thoughts together in one place.

1. I really like the rumored expansion. If you bring in those six schools, you have maximized the value of the football conference with markets, national prestige and recent strength. Is it, to a large degree, making lemonaide out of lemons? Heck yes. But with Navy, Air Force and Boise for football only, and UCF, SMU and Houston for all sports, you now have a 12 team football conference that is light years ahead of any other non-BCS conference and, while without any traditional power schools, is not on a different plane than all BCS conferences not named the SEC and Big XII. The conference, in just five years, will have five members who played in BCS games and 3 who have BCS game victories. How does that compare to the ACC? The Pac Ten? Without any doubt, this would be a stronger conference on the field, and with more big markets, than what we have today. Is there a loss of prestige? Yes. Hoops? Yes. But not football on the field.

2. That having been said, this lineup, if we can pull it off, should get the Big East a TV contract in excess of what we're getting now and less than what the other 5 BCS conferences get. How close to them will we get? That will depend on how much some network other than Disney wants to be in the college sports business. But with a BCS berth, and the catholic schools markets, and still a major basketball league, this will be o.k.

3. Furthermore, look at what this does beyond rebuild. Now you're Swofford. You have twice tried to eliminate the Big East and, while you've probably reestablished yourself as the #1 hoops league, you still have a viable, BCS competitor in markets that overlap with yours more than ever with the additions of Navy and UCF to the Big East and the ACC's first real entry into the Northeast. The long term viability of a geographically rival conference, and a basketball competitor, has to, has to, hurt your long term value to ESPN. But, you can probably kill the Big East, once and for all, by pulling one more pick up stick from the pile and watching it collapse when the Catholics say we don't need you anymore and we are going to block expansion so take your football and go elsewhere.

4. We, ladies and gentlemen, are that pick-up-stick. EVen if adding us reduces the per team TV take a little (and it's hard to see how it would reduce it by much, as certainly we will provide material revenues), look what taking us accomplishes. It greatly increases basketball strength. It kills your geographic competitor in football, and for NYC markets in hoops, once and for all. It increases the chances that ND does come calling (whatever those chances are). And, it gets you off the hook with ESPN for whom you've solved a problem that one of your ADs created with its governmental partner. I don't know what the ACC will do. I don't know how much the southern tier is focused solely on football prestige. But this rebuild plan puts us in a position where our value to the ACC will almost certainly never be higher than it is at this moment.

So, for me, the rumored plan is a real win, win. If the Big East goes forward with it, we've done the best we can in a tough situation and I think it should be good enough to avoid real significant damage. If the ACC says no way, the way for it to block the rebuilding of the Big East is to offer us, which (despite speculation on this board) is what both the University President and the Governor have clearly stated they want. How much are we responsible for this, as opposed to it just being the concensus? Who knows.

I just hope that we have time to let this all sink in to Swofford's member institutions before we actually have to sign up for the increased exit penalty, but not so much time that the rumored expansion falls apart.

Real, real guts ball being played.

In general ... I LOVE being the underdog in all this. It is absolutely chicken soup to my sports soul to see Cincinnati get so much better in Football; to see USF rise. UCF will too. Houston/SMU. I think this is a good rebound.

Losing WVU? Look ... we have lost Miami (that was big at the time). Virginia Tech was a bigger loss ... imho. Syracuse & Pitt made a big splash: realistically, they underachieved the last 7 years. Houston or UCF could actually outperform them in the next 10 years.

And finally ... I love Big East basketball. (as Auriemma said yesterday) I want to watch us in that til I die.

 

[RS9999X]

You heard Comcast was sending 1,000 employees to CT to support the UConn Network?

The things that will make a contract work is a great, 24-hour Tier 3 BE Network that features regionalization. That is where the BE shines. Cities and regions with the top tier getting national.

The UConn Network needs conference content, the UConn money sports and baseball, some New England Regional (Red Claws, Pirates, Pawtucket Red Sox), regional arts content from old Kate Hepburn films to Mystic Pizza to the Hartford Reality show "Bushnell Fish Pond" and a partnership with decent bidders like SNY that wants Mets distribution.

Something can be cobbled together that is good, regional, and attracts some eyeballs. And of course, mandate it at $2:00 per subscriber monthly in CT

 

[uconndogs]

In general ... I LOVE being the underdog in all this. It is absolutely chicken soup to my sports soul to see Cincinnati get so much better in Football; to see USF rise. UCF will too. Houston/SMU. I think this is a good rebound.

Losing WVU? Look ... we have lost Miami (that was big at the time). Virginia Tech was a bigger loss ... imho. Syracuse & Pitt made a big splash: realistically, they underachieved the last 7 years. Houston or UCF could actually outperform them in the next 10 years.

And finally ... I love Big East basketball. (as Auriemma said yesterday) I want to watch us in that til I die.

This is a really good perspective and folks should really think about this for a minute. I don't know about everybody else, but being a fan of college athletics should be about having fun. And being an underdog and new to big-time college football has made the UCONN football experience a lot of fun. Pudge it right, at some point, you have to embrace whatever comes down the pike. That is, if you want to continue to be a fan and enjoy the experience.

Don't get me wrong, I would love to see us in the ACC and would enjoy the annual beatings we would eventually put on BC and Syracuse. And I would love for the University to have that financial stabililty and platform for its athletics. But, Boise would probably make for a pretty cool road trip too.......

 

[jpm25]

No. Five different schools playing in BCS bowls speaks to the evenness of the conference. But three different schools winning BCS games speaks to strength at the top. Again, even including Syracuse and Pitt as ACC teams, the ACC, I believe, has only one member who has won a BCS game in that period. The Pac Ten, without doing the research, certainly doesn't have more than 3 (assuming Oregon and USC have joined Stanford in winning in that time period).

Please do not fall into the trap of letting the outside world define us with non-objective criteria. Three different schools with BCS wins in five years by definition makes you a BCS league.

I hear you, I just don't think the New New BE will get a lot of "strength at the top" credit for Louisville beating Wake Forrest and one non BCS-team beating another non-BCS team, despite what I think.

 

[flyonthewall]

If the exit fee goes from 5 mil to 10 mil and the notice period is shortened from 27 months then hasn't the BE essentially told Pitt and SU what it will cost to get out early?

Because otherwise could get kinda weird if the exit fee goes up and less notice and then three months from now WVU or Louisville says they are leaving and they are able to get out before Pitt and SU.