"We can't afford to have conference affiliation governed by emotion."

[RightRx]

Jungle U hit the nail on the head. We'll receive a lower payout with the new TV contract if we do not show stability and some sense of organization. We need to firm up the west side of the conference immediately with the addition of UNLV/BYU. We can not show up at the table with scenarios. These networks want total commitment and solidarity from the league. Has there been any comments from the league office about additions or we go into these meetings explaining we hope to have X amount of teams by 2014

 

[junglehusky]

For one thing Navy's not moving till 2015. Boise hasn't yet formally notified the Mountain West that they're leaving and they don't know what they're doing with their olympic sports (as I've said before, they're NOT going to go all-sports in the BE, but they want a home for those sports).

The BE's problem is there's nobody left to add that will bring any more value other than a western body to fill out the schedule, my choice would be air force or BYU but either one won't be enough to prevent UConn, Louisville or Rutgers from leaving for greener pastures.

 

[WallStreetHusky]

I think the FSU prez is an empty suit academic (he is a scientist by trade), who is just now discovering some hard truths about life outside of the hallowed halls of academia. I am not knocking academia, I have many family members who work in the field, but as anyone knows who deals with that field, some academics have a certain Pollyanna-ish view of reality.

He is starting to realize he is now in a knife fight inside a phone booth. The boosters and the BOT are all over him and his corduroy jacket with the patched elbows isn't having the same effect on people that it used to.

 

[Chin Diesel]

How about the shot he takes @ the boosters when talking about conference exit fees - " It would have to come from the Boosters which currently are unable to support our current University athletic budget, hence the 2% cut in that budget."

This is going to get ugly fast...

I've thought this whole discussion is silly. I must say, however, that that line sounds like a bitter executive who thinks he might have already lost control of a situation.

What is obvious is that the inmates are running the asylum at FSU. No way should there ever be a BOT member, university president, AD and head football coach giving four different opinions on the state of FSU.

And, the public back and forths and rebukes are rarely a recipe for success.

There are some similarities and parallels to when Burton and Hathaway got in to the verbal spat in the media.

 

[RightRx]

Good nite guys Rangers and Islanders scoreless going into the 3rd

 

[RightRx]

Good nite guys Rangers and Islanders scoreless going into the 3rd

Faux Paux meant New Jersey

 

[junglehusky]

WallStreet, if you think academic departments don't have personal politics, whisper campaigns, shifting alliances and backstabbing, well, you'd be surprised. I heard from a prof who interviewed for a chairman's position at one of the biology departments at a well-regarded ACC school, apparently it was like the Capulets and the Montagues. Or maybe you've heard about the previous head of the UConn Health center, he made a lot of enemies, resulting in 3 professors being recruited to the new Quinnipiac medical school and many others leaving. He was so polarizing that Herbst had to fire him and get a new dean. It's like a Game of Thrones out there... haha, you could write a show called Game of Chair(men).

 

[WallStreetHusky]

Jungle, I don't deny that exists, including in academia. I just have known people who have spent their careers in a lab or teaching and they are completely oblivious to the fact that outside the lab some people want to know how you are going to monetize the research. Just doing "good" research is not an end to itself no matter how great the lab rat thinks it is.

When the FSU prez states it all about academics, particularly at a not very prestigious academic school, it shows me that the man is not connecting into his schools reality. Football is what put that school on the map, not SAT scores. The boosters aren't contributing just because the math team went 10-0 this year...

 

[junglehusky]

Well, it depends what university and what department you're talking about. As I mentioned somewhere else, universities take a 50% haircut of the big NIH research grants as overhead. If you don't get grants you don't have a job, even if you're tenured you can be shown the door or put in mothballs. Oh, and if you invent something, a new green technology or the cure for cancer, guess what the university owns the patent. At a place like UConn or FSU (whose research / academic reputation is not as bad as you might think if you base it on "Free Shoes University" and their football scandal) when the president says "academics" he's actually talking about money.

But anyway, it's not just about grants, it's not just football, it's mainly economics. If FSU determines they can get more money in the B12 they'll go. If not, they won't.

 

[mattp]

if this is at all what it claims to be, all that matters is con 4, the increase in travel costs will exceed the increase in revenue. they're not going anywhere. it seems like the memo made several references to difficulty in selling out their stadium. do they have attendance problems?

 

[WallStreetHusky]

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/15/b...her-costs-and-students-debt.html?ref=business

This is from the front page of the business section of todays NYT. I think it really speaks to the financial pressures schools are under, and I think a lot of us are starting to agree (some earlier than others!), that if FSU can make a dime more in the B12 they are gone. Its all about the cheddah......and I am begging that Observer doesnt put up some lame Chadd Scott article about how academics matter here. And for those who stated that an extra $3m difference in contract value (if it is net of costs, and lets be real, certain costs may go up, but certain revenues will too, increased merchandise sales, perhaps more season ticket sales to an excited fanbase, its all about what the net is.) isnt enough to leave for a $1billion revenue university, this is another reality check.......if they are looking at how they order pencils for Lords sake, trust me, they and the Big 12 are going to be talking .......

 

[Dann]

“I have no idea what the next few weeks or even days will bring,” Barron said. “I know I have alumni irritated because they think I made up my mind. What I am trying to say is this is not some simple thing.

“It’s amazing how many people will say to me, ‘You don’t understand. If you go to the Big 12, Clemson will go with you and so will Miami and you can play them.’

“How do you know that? How can you say that?This is quite complicated. I have no idea how people will react to what I said, but I’m just trying to get the facts out there.

www.tallahassee.com/article/20...|text|frontpage

ok so now we know that clem/miami are 2 of the 3 or 5 neede to go with fsu. lville/gt???

this fsu pres is to much....email gate will go down in CR history.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

if this is at all what it claims to be, all that matters is con 4, the increase in travel costs will exceed the increase in revenue. they're not going anywhere. it seems like the memo made several references to difficulty in selling out their stadium. do they have attendance problems?

I am skeptical of that travel costs argument, since it has never carried the day yet. Boston and Syracuse are long trips for the Seminoles, and once you have to get on a plane, the variable cost declines quite a bit. It is not that much cheaper, if it is at all, to fly to College Park than it is to fly to Ames.

 

[mattp]

i assume the president of the school has a better handle of those costs than either of us, and he says the increase in revenue isn't enough to pay for the increase in travel costs. when you add in the $20 mil penalty it seems like a no-brainer that they're staying. I've heard people say the $20 million is nothing and that boosters will pay that no problem but if that's really the case, how is $2.9 mil/year in TV revenue any more meaningful?)

 

[Dann]

what are u guys talking travel costs for??? the b12 pays out for travel costs before tv $$ is split for teams.

 

[mattp]

in his memo, the FSU president said "the estimate is that the travel by plane required by FSU to be in the Big 12 appears to exceed the $2.9M difference in the contract -- actually giving us fewer dollars than we have now to be competitive with the Big 12 teams, who obviously do not have to travel as far"

it doesn't sound like they plan on being reimbursed for anything

 

[businesslawyer]

in his memo, the FSU president said "the estimate is that the travel by plane required by FSU to be in the Big 12 appears to exceed the $2.9M difference in the contract -- actually giving us fewer dollars than we have now to be competitive with the Big 12 teams, who obviously do not have to travel as far"

it doesn't sound like they plan on being reimbursed for anything

You have to stop quoting responsible adults with direct knowledge to the internet generation. It just confuses them.

If they've heard something else on the internet, whether they can source it or not (forget about even how reliable the source may be), it is presumably true.

 

[WallStreetHusky]

Barron is starting to hedge on the costs being greater than the benefits, his quote, but my boldface.....

"At least half of the emails I'm getting are saying that this $2.9 million is too much to give up," Barron said. "This was my attempt to explain that there are a lot of factors to consider. You have to realize all the travel costs that would come in the Big 12. We don't have to fly to every game now in the ACC. We would have to in the Big 12. With the costs there, it may not be as big an advantage as others might think."

 

[Dann]

it been said by some 1 in the media that it would happen so its not ture and its just speculation. sorry your uptight keyboards couldn't handle that. why wouldn't fsu make sure of that tho? wvu has some kickback coming for this year and then it will be looked at post expansion for continued support. also the whole travel talk thing is bs anyway. once fsu gets the ball rolling the b12 is going big anyway, so fsu will be playing in a eastern division with wvu/lville/other acc teams and tcu. thats no better or worse than acc travel. end of that distraction.

btw, if u think the travel cost thing is just random, the b12 pays for all teams bowl coats travel wise. the acc doesn't. so there your hint that the league does in fact have that in the back pocket. they understand travel and so they help with it.

 

[Dann]

Barron is starting to hedge on the costs being greater than the benefits, his quote, but my boldface.....

"At least half of the emails I'm getting are saying that this $2.9 million is too much to give up," Barron said. "This was my attempt to explain that there are a lot of factors to consider. You have to realize all the travel costs that would come in the Big 12. We don't have to fly to every game now in the ACC. We would have to in the Big 12. With the costs there, it may not be as big an advantage as others might think."

lol at this. what you take a bus to miami and gt??? who says they aren't 2 of the schools coming with you to the b12, so once again you can take your bus. just all bs from his office now trying to cool this media monster off.

 

[businesslawyer]

lol at this. what you take a bus to miami and gt??? who says they aren't 2 of the schools coming with you to the b12, so once again you can take your bus. just all bs from his office now trying to cool this media monster off.

You recognize that he's probably more focused on the leagues that actually exist than the ones in your head? I know that's his bad but still ....

 

[nelsonmuntz]

what are u guys talking travel costs for??? the b12 pays out for travel costs before tv $$ is split for teams.

Good point.

 

[Dann]

You recognize that he's probably more focused on the leagues that actually exist than the ones in your head? I know that's his bad but still ....

i bet hes focused on figuring out this move to the b12 $$ wise. just my guess. what do u think hes got on his mind right now? beaches? cake? american idol?

 

[nelsonmuntz]

You have to stop quoting responsible adults with direct knowledge to the internet generation. It just confuses them.

If they've heard something else on the internet, whether they can source it or not (forget about even how reliable the source may be), it is presumably true.

And you need to stop making condescending posts from a position of ignorance. See Dan's post above.

 

[businesslawyer]

And you need to stop making condescending posts from a position of ignorance. See Dan's post above.

1. Dan already retracted his point that you're congratulating him on and acknowledged that he was thinking about reimbursement for bowl game travel, not all travel. Of course, that required Dan admitting he was wrong, which seems to be a concept so foreign to you that it would explain why you ignore even him correcting himself.

2. I do make condescending posts. But they are only rarely from ignorance. And I can admit when I'm wrong. Unlike certain others.