Tag: BIG Ten Conference

Big Ten closing in on $1 billion media rights deal

It would be the first deal of its kind in college sports!

On Monday night John Ourand of Sports Business Journal published a story entitled “Big Ten talks in the home stretch.” It reports that following the expiration of the current media rights deal in 2023, the Big Ten Conference’s football and basketball games will not air on ESPN for the first time in 40 years. Instead, CBS, FOX Sports, and NBC appear to be the leaders regarding a new media deal with the conference. The article further states,

Fox agreed to the “A” package months ago. As part of its deal, it will carry a football game on the broadcast network at noon ET, plus football games on its cable channels FS1 and BTN, in which it holds a 60% stake.

The deals with CBS and NBC are not yet complete, but Ourand reports that the “B” package would be divided between networks. CBS would receive the rights for the 2:30 pm central time kickoffs, while NBC and its streaming service Peacock would carry primetime broadcasts. It’s also reported that,

The Big Ten is expected to be the first college conference to eclipse $1 billion per year in rights fees once all is said and done.

Ourand notes that while ESPN is not officially out of the running, they would need help from parent company Disney to increase their bid. The report further states that Disney CEO Bob Chapek graduated from Michigan State and may have a personal interest in keeping the Big Ten part of the Walt Disney Company family. That combined with the fact that Disney’s broadcast network ABC has produced Big Ten games since 1966 and ESPN has had a relationship with the league since 1982. That history could see the “House of Mouse” increase its bid in the next couple of days.

The current media rights deal for the league will expire in 2023. Of course, anything can change, but it appears that the Big Ten will be working with new broadcast partners in the foreseeable future.

Scroll below to view social media reactions to the first-of-its-kind collegiate broadcasting deal.

College Football News predicts the Huskers record

What do you think the Huskers record will be in 2022?!

It’s another day and another 2022 Nebraska Cornhuskers season record prediction. The team at College Football News has predicted the record of all 131 college football teams in Division I College Football. Later this week, we’ll break down their predictions for the Big Ten West and East but today is for Nebraska predictions. The College Football News team has been up and down when it comes to the accuracy of predicting Nebraska’s record.

College Football News Prediction 2019: (6-6)

Actual Record in 2019: (5-7)

College Football News Prediction 2020: (6-6)

Actual Record in 2020: (3-5)

College Football News Prediction 2021: (5-7)

Actual Record in 2021: (3-9)

College Football News Prediction 2022: (Scroll Below)

Actual Record in 2022: (Games Still to be Played)

Stay tuned as the Cornhusker Wire Staff will make our predictions for the upcoming season record, standings, and even bowl games (fingers crossed). We’re officially under 20 days till kickoff, and I, for one, could not be more excited. Find all the latest Nebraska coverage here.

Report: Big Ten targeting four west coast schools in expansion efforts

Where will the Big Ten go next for expansion?

Rumors surrounding conference realignment have gone into a tailspin since news of UCLA and USC leaving town for the Big Ten conference broke earlier this month.

There was realistic speculation about the Big Ten looking to continue their addition efforts now that the Trojans and Bruins are on board, and according to a new report from CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd the conference may be heading back to the Pac-12 well.

Dodd mentioned four west coast schools, and a pair of Florida schools in his latest report. Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren shut down the rumors at media day, but did not completely shut down the idea of adding members. “We’re not targeting anyone,” said the Big Ten commissioner on Wednesday at media day. “I really like our 14 current schools and I really like our two new additions that are coming in 2024.”

Which schools did Dodd mention in his latest report as potential additions? Here is a look:

Report: Big Ten targeting Oregon Ducks, numerous other Pac-12 schools in expansion efforts

Is the Big Ten going to further expand? The commissioner says no. Multiple other reports show the conference is targeting the Ducks.

In the world of conference realignment, you need to be careful about who you’re listening to. There are a lot of conflicting reports out there.

For the past week or so, the Big Ten commissioner, Kevin Warren, has been steadfast that the conference is not looking to further expand after already poaching both USC and UCLA from the Pac-12 earlier this summer. However, there is a new report out there from CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd that shows that the Big Ten could be after another group of Pac-12 teams in the future.

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“According to my reporting, the Big Ten is now targeting Cal, Stanford, Oregon, and Washington in a further expansion that would bring the league to 20 teams at least,” Dodd said. “There is another report out there that the Big Ten is also looking at Florida State and Miami, and at that point would be a monopoly of college athletics at the top of the food chain.”

When would this potential expansion take place? That’s a question that we don’t have an answer to. It could be something that comes to fruition soon, or it could be something that takes a couple of years to play out. Despite the report, Warren is holding strong in saying that there are no current plans to continue the expansion.

Make of that what you will.

For now, we are going to look at things as if the Big Ten did reach out to those four Pac-12 schools and consider what it would mean for the sport of college football. It would certainly be great news for the Oregon Ducks since they would no longer be left behind and instead be able to join one of the super conferences and compete with the best teams in the nation. On the other hand, it could very well mean the end of the Pac-12, at least as we know it.

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“With a 20-team league, they would control more than 30% of the schools in the current Power 5,” Dodd said. “This has sent reverberations throughout the industry. Television sources have consternation because they don’t know how to price these four schools because they’re just not worth the $80-$100 million that the current 16 are going to get in 2024 with USC and UCLA. College athletics are further upset because how many is too many? This has the chance to wreck the Pac-12 and make it go away or at least stay together in some limited fashion. You’ve already heard names like San Diego State headed to the Pac-12, Arizona maybe to the Big 12 as they seek to expand. But nothing on this scale. This is major news and would have reverberations throughout the industry.”

Will the expansion happen? In the long run, I certainly wouldn’t bet against it. Will it happen in the next year or two? That’s something that I don’t feel as confident about.

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The news surrounding conference realignment changes nearly every day, so don’t treat this report as the end-all-be-all. However, if you’re an Oregon fan who thinks the sky is falling because they may be left out of the big dance when all is said and done, I wouldn’t lose hope just yet.

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Social Media reacts to Scott Frost at Big Ten Media Days

The Husker coach was the Big Ten team leader to talk to the media.

Nebraska head football coach Scott Frost has completed his press conference at Big Ten Media Days. During his approximately 15 minutes with the press, Frost answered questions on a wide range of topics, including how hot his seat currently is heading into this season, how a new offense will change things in 2022 as well as the roles of the transfer portal and name, image and likeness play in developing a modern college football team. Below we have compiled some of the best social media reactions and recaps to Frost’s appearance on stage in Indianapolis. Scroll down and see how the summary of Nebraska’s Big Ten Media Days.

How to watch the Big Ten Media Days!

The annual event will take place over the course of two days!

Today is the start of the Big Ten Media Days, and if you’re wondering how you can watch all the press conferences and coverage, you’ve come to the right place.

Big Ten Media Days. The annual two-day event will take place in Indianapolis, Indiana, the home of Lucas Oil Stadium. The site of the Big Ten Conference Championship Game. Scott Frost and three players will speak to the media throughout July 26 & 27, with Frost being the first coach to take the podium on the first day of the event. You can expect Frost to be asked about his hot seat, the new offense, and what the team can do differently to try and close out one-score games this year. I’m sure he’ll also have thoughts on the preseason Big Ten media poll, which picked the Huskers to finish fifth in the west division in 2022.

Here’s when you should tune in to see the festivities:

  • Date: Tuesday, July 26th
  • Time: 9:00 p.m. CST
  • TV Channel: Big Ten Network
  • Live Stream: Fox Sports

When does Scott Frost speak to the media?

Frost is scheduled to speak to the media from 10:00 am CST to 10:15 am CST.

Which players are also traveling to Indianapolis?

Edge Rusher Garrett Nelson, Defensive Back Quinton Newsome, and Tight End Travis Vokolek will join Scott Frost at media days.

Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes, and opinion.

Let us know your thoughts and comment on this story below. Join the conversation today!

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Where did Nebraska land in the preseason Big Ten football poll ?

A familiar team has been selected to win this season’s conference championship!

For the 12th straight year, Cleveland.com has released the results of its preseason Big Ten football poll. Ohio State has been selected to win the Big Ten conference overall for the third straight year and is the first unanimous preseason favorite to win the conference championship since 2015. In the west, Wisconsin is the overwhelming favorite taking 31 of the 36 first-place votes, with Iowa and Minnesota each earning several votes.

Since Cleveland.com started its preseason Big Ten football poll in 2011, the Big Ten writers have only selected the correct preseason winners three times (2017, 2018, 2020). The publication was forced to take on the responsibility for organizing the poll after the Big Ten conference dropped the preseason poll 12 years ago. The voters comprise a “panel included beat writers from 13 of 14 Big Ten teams and some who cover the entire league or have a national perspective.”

Where has Nebraska been selected to finish in the Big Ten in 2022? Scroll below and find out.

ESPN analyst predicts big things for the Big Ten in conference expansion

How soon will the Irish join a conference?

With conference expansion and realignment continuing to be a significant topic of conversation throughout the 2022 season, there is one question that continues to rise to the top of that conversation. If Notre Dame joins a conference which one will they join? ESPN’s Paul Finebaum had recently made his thoughts on the subject known when he talked to colleague Greg McElroy on the July 20th episode of “Always College Football.”

Finebaum says,

“Notre Dame is a little more difficult to predict because they just don’t think the same way we do. I think the SEC is the perfect landing spot for them but there’s so much history up there, there’s the turn of the nose at toward the academics at several of the schools down here. The Big Ten is a better marriage if they went somewhere.”

I agree with Finebaum that the Big Ten is a better marriage for the Fighting Irish. As further discussed in that episode is the fact that Notre Dame is looking for $75 million in their next media deal. Will the Irish be able to secure that amount of money with five annual ACC games currently part of their scheduling? Finebaum doesn’t think so,

“They can’t get that in the ACC. I’m sure I’ve popped off about the ACC in the past but the ACC is in trouble because of the (television) deal… they signed that deal and they’re dealing with powerful companies like ESPN and Fox and others. They’re as good as their product too and it’s good football don’t misunderstand me but outside of a handful of those schools you’re not going to get eyeballs over there.”

Finebaum’s analysis is spot on. The remaining questions are “how quickly does Notre Dame want to decide on their future” and “how soon do the Big Ten and SEC want to make further moves on expansion?” Honestly, neither question can be answered until Notre Dame fields offers as an independent to see what the open market will bring to the table. Until they see if their price can be met, nothing can happen.

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Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes and opinion.

Let us know your thoughts, and comment on this story below. Join the conversation today!

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What is Nebraska’s value if every conference started from scratch?

What is the Husker’s conference value compared to the other Big Ten teams?

Starting in 2023, there will be 69 schools that will be part of what is now known as the Power 5 (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 & SEC). Not only are new schools joining Power 5 conferences but as we’re all aware longtime Power 5 programs are jumping ship and leaving one league for another. Conference realignment had always been a slow drip, but with the announcement in late June when USC and UCLA said they would end their longtime affiliation with the Pac-12 and would officially join the Big Ten in 2024. That slow drip has broken open the floodgates, and now it’s a mad dash among 37 teams not in the Big Ten or SEC to ensure they don’t get left behind.

What if conference realignment went differently? What if college sports blew up every conference and started entirely from scratch instead of using existing leagues? What would the desirability for each school be regardless of the previous affiliation? Where would Nebraska find itself in the new college landscape? Sports Illustrated created a Power 5 Desirability Rating to try and determine each school’s value to their respective conference. Five metrics were used to analyze how desired each school would be if a top-to-bottom realignment occurred.

The categories:

  • Football ranking: Five-year average of Sagarin ratings
  • Academic ranking: Most recent U.S. News & World Report’s national universities rankings
  • All-sports ranking: Learfield Directors’ Cup Division I standings for last year
  • Football attendance: Average home-game attendance from 2017 to 2021
  • Broadcast viewership: Total number of football games that drew one million or more viewers from 2017 to 2021. Leaving 2020 out due to a disparity in the number of games each team played.

Below are the rankings of each Big Ten school, but we’ve also added future newcomers USC and UCLA to give an idea of the value they will bring to the Big Ten.

List announces Big Ten preseason power rankings

Where do the Huskers stack up against the rest of the Big Ten heading into the 2022 season?

We’re officially 45 days away from the start of the college football season and Nebraska will be headed to Dublin, Ireland, to take on the Northwestern Wildcats. As the Big Ten season gets closer and closer, how does the 14-team league stack up against one another? A list containing the power rankings of the Big Ten’s football team has been released by FanNation and we are going to take a closer look. The Cornhuskers have been consistently placed in the middle of the pack across most of the preseason conference rankings and while Nebraska may be in familiar territory in this list, you’ll see that different teams surround them.

The usual players will be listed in typical spots, but the middle and bottom of the pack are stacked up in a way that I have yet to see in any other power rankings. Of course, preseason rankings don’t mean much once the season has started, but it is interesting to see the general belief surrounding the conference for 2022.