Tag: realignment

FSU would owe a hefty exit fee to bolt from the ACC

FSU set to challenge the ACC in the courtroom as they look for a new opportunity.

The Florida State University Board of Trustees were set to meet on Friday morning to discuss legal matters related to Department of Intercollegiate Athletics.

The Board of Trustees and the university leadership are looking to exit the ACC in search of a better opportunity.

“Today we’ve reached a crossroad in our relationship with the ACC, FSU Trustees chair Peter Collins said. “I believe this board has been left no choice but to challenge the legitimacy of the ACC grant of rights and it’s severe withdrawal penalties.”

The numbers provided during the Zoom meeting show that the exit fee along with fees associated with getting out of the grant of rights are indeed severe. A number that is north of half a billion dollars.

The number makes it virtually impossible to leave the conference but FSU plans on challenging the ACC’s penalties in the court room. The board unanimously approved the legal team to take action on behalf of the university.

Dellenger also reported that they would file a motion in the Tallahassee circuit court on Friday. Should FSU give notice to the ACC of their intention to leave the conference, they wouldn’t leave for a new home until July 1, 2025. Essentially they would remain with the ACC through the 2024 season.

If Florida State does go this route, it is only a matter of time before Clemson, Miami, and North Carolina among others join in on challenging the ACC. We could see another conference go down in the same light as the Pac-12, only this time it will come by challenging the ACC in court.

We will continue to provide updates on the situation.

College football realignment: Dissecting that Notre Dame-Stanford conference proposal

Nothing brings out the takes quite like Notre Dame conference talk.

If you want to hear unfortunate opinions and brutal ideas then simply search “Notre Dame” on the app formerly known as Twitter whenever college football realignment conversations come up. Because Notre Dame is in a unique position with its football independence, fans and media members alike can’t keep Notre Dame out of their mouths.

Yesterday we looked at former Florida head coach Dan Mullen’s brutal thought that Notre Dame should have saved the Pac-12. Today we go to the land of Andy Staples for another Notre Dame thought.

Staples claimed on Thursday that Notre Dame wouldn’t ever do it, but it should create a football only conference with Air Force, Army, Cal, Navy and Stanford.

That’s not a joke, he actually did.  Below I break down a bit of what Staples had to say before reading some of the social media reaction to his post.

ESPN analyst thinks Notre Dame should have saved the Pac-12

When all else fails just go ahead and blame Notre Dame.

When all else fails blame Notre Dame.

That might not be true throughout, but it seems to be the thought process for former Florida and Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen. Mullen is an analyst at ESPN and had a thought that he felt was worth sharing recently in regards to Notre Dame and college football’s realignment.

“I’ll get in some trouble for this one. I wish college football would put the pressure — and it comes with one statement,” Mullen said. “You have to be in a conference to make the playoffs. At that statement, Notre Dame has a choice. They could go to the ACC, they could have gone to the Pac-12. They play a bunch of those teams. The Pac-12 would have taken them with open arms.”

“All of a sudden, they are saving a conference instead of being able to say ‘we’re kind of doing our own thing because we get every access whether or not we join your conference or not.’ The second they say you have to be in a conference to make the playoff, you force Notre Dame’s hand,” Mullen said. “That would have kept a lot of these conferences in college football alive.”

-Dan Mullen

There are so many things wrong here I’m not sure where to even start but I’ll try.

Five unique programs the SEC should at least consider regarding expansion

Five teams the SEC could add during the conference realignment chaos

Conference realignment has always been a part of college sports, but when Oklahoma and Texas both agreed to leave the Big 12 in favor of the SEC something just felt different.

The following summer, UCLA and USC announced their decision to leave the Pac-12 for the Big Ten, an indication that we were entering a new era that was moving away from the five power conferences. The Big 12 quickly responded by adding UCF, BYU, Houston and Cincinnati to form an even 12 teams again and stay afloat.

All had been calm since then, until last week when Colorado decided to leave the Pac-12 to join the Big 12. The move seems like it could possibly end the Pac-12, which now has nine members, with other conferences actively trying to recruit who is left. At this point, it is just a matter of time until the Big Ten and SEC strike again, but what will happen with the Big 12, Pac-12 and ACC in the meantime?

Here are five programs the SEC should at least reach out to in order to gauge interest in potentially joining the program.

Big 12 exploring media rights extension. What does it mean for OU?

Per a Big 12 release, the conference is exploring extension of media rights package.

With their media rights deal still good through the 2024 football season, the Big 12 is reportedly starting conversations with ESPN and Fox to extend their contract, according to a release from the Big 12.

“The Big 12 Conference announces it will be entering into discussions with its multi-media partners to explore an accelerated extension of its current agreements,” the statement read.

“It is an exciting time for college athletics and given the changing landscape we welcome the opportunity to engage with our partners to determine if an early extension is in the best interest of all parties,” said Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark.  “The Big 12 has enjoyed a fantastic relationship with its multi-media rights holders, and I look forward to having these conversations.”

This is the answer to the Pac-12 entering early an early negotiating window back i. July to solidify the leagues future. After USC and UCLA jumped to the Big Ten, the Pac-12 went to the table to secure their media rights future.

With no media rights deal between the Pac-12 and the networks, the Big 12 is looking to position itself as the next major conference behind the SEC and the Big Ten.

With the OU and Texas move coming in the near future, securing more money for the conference is good business. But

So what does this mean? Well, there’s a lot that isn’t known at this point, and ESPN released a statement stating, “we have not opened the contractual negotiation window with the Big 12 at this time.”

Pete Thamel of ESPN wrote earlier today, “Sources had previously told ESPN that the two networks had agreed to the talks.

“There is no formal window on these conversations between the Big 12 and ESPN and Fox, which are expected to begin soon,” Thamel wrote. “If no deal is reached, the conference can still secure a deal through a more traditional timeline.”

If negotiations do officially start, there will definitely be two be items on the agenda:

  1. Oklahoma and Texas moving to the SEC and when they will make the move.
  2. The ongoing battle with the Pac-12.

Ever since Big 12 commisioner Brett Yormak proclaimed that the Big 12 was “open for buisiness” the world of college athletics has been waiting to see what happens with the Pac-12’s remaining programs. If the Big 12 manages to land a deal more lucrative than the Pac-12’s, that may be the ammunition to lure away teams from out west.

Getting a new deal done before the Pac-12 gives the Big 12 an advantage moving forward. They haven’t exactly been leaving the remaining Pac-12 teams alone.

Losing four or more of their remaining members would be a death blow to the conference.

The OU-Texas move to the SEC has also been discussed. While we have never believed that the Sooners and Longhorns will stay out of the SEC until 2025, that has consistently been the date that has been reported.

However, these new extension talks may open the door for the early exit that both sides may want.

ESPN will take over as the media rights holder of the SEC in 2024. They also just lost out on the Big Ten. If they want OU and Texas in the SEC early, they will get them there.

One thing that could hold up a new deal between the Big 12 and Fox is how Fox views the league without Oklahoma and Texas. Fox’s current media rights deal with the Big 12 was negotiated with OU and Texas in mind. If those two want to leave early, what will Fox want to make a new deal work?

Conference realignment never ends, but at some point there will be a resolution that has Oklahoma and Texas in the SEC before the end of the Big 12’s current media rights package.

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Big 12 and Pac-12 Realignment Merger Isn’t Happening. Now What? Daily Cavalcade

What’s next for the Big 12 and Pac-12 after they decided not merge and combine forces?

The Big 12 and Pac-12 won’t merge forces to combat all that’s happening in the realignment and expansion world. Now what for these two conferences?

Daily Cavalcade of Whimsy

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

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Sorry if this take sucks, it’s not my fault …

My best points were lifted by the Big Ten and now the Big 12 is open for business with my mid-level opinions.

– 2022 CFN College Football Preview of Every Team

May you all have a day full of the swagger the Big 12 is walking with right now

It was revealed on Monday night that the Pac-12 and Big 12 won’t be sharing their toys with one another.

The friendship probably would’ve been an overall plus for both, but goes against the current cutthroat expansion and realignment climate – they both think they can do more on their own, at least the Big 12 does.

The harsh reality is that the Pac-12 and Big 12 could combine forces, add other schools, resources, Megan Thee Stallion, and Season 5 of Stranger Things and still not come close to getting the attention paid to the Big Ten and SEC, but that’s not fair. These two can – and will – do just fine for themselves depending on what happens next.

Why couldn’t the Big 12 and Pac-12 form an alliance – a real one, and not the fake détente the Pac-12 had with the Big Ten and ACC?

Here’s the problem – or the positive, depending on which side you’re on – now that these two will likely try to poach the other’s territory: the Big 12 is in a position of power.

Which Big 12 schools make sense for the Pac-12?

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From an academic prestige standpoint – Tier 1 research status is the baseline, but the big conferences really want those with an AAU membership – along with potential markets and overall branding, Kansas makes a whole lot of sense, and that’s even a stretch. That’s about it, and there’s a reason.

Of course the Big 12 has solid academic institutions, far better football fan bases who actually watch and care about the sport, and decent enough markets to consider, but when it comes to branding and fit, do any of its members on their own change the Pac-12 dynamic? Not really.

Replacing USC with, say, TCU won’t move the needle enough to matter for the Pac-12.

And on the flip side, which Pac-12 schools make sense for the Big 12?

All of them, because the league already has its solid base in place without the Pac-12’s fear of being poached by the Big Ten.

Remember, this is about markets, and footprints, and expanding and improving the brand.

Are Oregon State and Washington State two superstar options in the expansion discussion? No, but both of them would open up new areas for the Big 12.

Does anyone in San Francisco care about Cal or Stanford football? Not really – I’m being nice about this – but the Bay Area is a massive market with a whole lot of alumni from other schools. The academic side of things matters with the presidents, alumni, and donor bases – Cal and Stanford work in a Rutgers-to-Big-Ten sort of way. No way those two go to the Big 12, but the Big Ten?

Remember, the Pac-12 has the University OF Oregon. The University OF Washington. The University OF Arizona. The University OF Utah. The University OF California. The University OF Colorado. There’s a prestige in having a state’s flagship school.

Not dogging the Big 12 schools in any way – the Big 12 has the University OF Kansas and the University OF West Virginia, but it doesn’t have the University of Utah, or the University of Iowa, or the University of Oklahoma, or the University of Texas.

That’s hardly the end of the world when it comes to the business side of expansion, but for a Pac-12 Conference that always had its own niche, it’s an ego hit to not have any “University OF” schools to bring aboard. It’s also a killer that it can’t go grab any monsters to replace what it lost – other than Notre Dame in a dream world, but that’s for a different day.

On the flip side, the Big 12 is far more likely to flip Colorado, Utah, Arizona State, and Arizona than the Pac-12 is at getting, say, Iowa State and Oklahoma State, who make a ton of sense but aren’t going to bail for the Pac-12 brand in the current situation.

Again, the Big 12 has the upper-hand here.

It’s got the improved TV contract likely coming. It landed huge schools with good markets in Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF, and it has an underappreciated gem in this whole process with BYU and its international fan base.

I still say the Big 12 should be all over USF, and beat the Pac-12 to the punch on San Diego State and UNLV, but it’s clearly thinking big. It wants Pac-12 schools and it might just be able to get them.

So now, the Pac-12 has to D up big-time.

It has to come up with something fast to put in front of its remaining member schools to show there’s still life without USC and UCLA.

There has to be proof of a better media deal and more positive things on the horizon. It doesn’t have to be massive, but it has to be something to make it look like there’s a future.

Copy what the Big 12 just did and go get big schools that make sense – and bite the bullet on the whole Tier 1 thing, for now. SDSU, UNLV, and Fresno State or Boise State don’t make up for losing USC and UCLA, but it evens the playing field a bit with the Big 12 after its recent moves.

Again, do something.

So what’s going to happen?

I could be very, very wrong here, and it could all blow up by the time you’re done reading this sentence, but my best guess is that everything chills out for a while.

The next move – if any – will probably be from the Big Ten, but it doesn’t mean everyone won’t be spending the next several weeks and months trying to put deals together.

Remember, the Big 12 was supposedly dead around this time last year – I’m old enough to remember when the American Athletic Conference was supposedly going to poach the Big 12, not the other way around – and no, the Pac-12 probably isn’t the new Southwest Conference, Big East, or WAC.

No, this merger didn’t work, but that’s okay – it’ll be more fun for the rest of us.

This Big 12 vs. Pac-12 business battle is about to get spicy.

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– 2022 College Football Schedules: All 131 Teams

The State of College Football: 5 things to know about realignment

Here’s what you need to know about what’s going on in College Football during realignment mayhem.

The 2022 college football season is still a few months away, but college football fans across the country are concerned about the current state of college football.

Before the 2021 season, Texas and Oklahoma announced future plans to leave the Big 12 and join the SEC. Recently, USC and UCLA mimicked the Longhorns and Sooners, except they are departing from the Pac-12 for the Big Ten.

Conference realignment can be good for the game, but it also comes with hesitancy and criticism.

Since then, plenty of rumors are swirling around. Here’s what you need to know about the current state of college football with respect to conference realignment.

Where Pac-12 teams are ranked on Forbes’ list of most valuable college football teams in America

Like it or not, conference realignment is directly related to team value. So which Pac-12 teams have the highest value in the nation?

Like it or not, college football appears headed toward a set with two super -conferences after USC and UCLA opted to leave the Pac-12 and join the Big Ten.

Oregon and Washington are known to be interested in jumping ship as well, although a recent report indicates the Big Ten is waiting to hear what Notre Dame does before it commits to adding more members.

The Big Ten and the SEC are on a crash course to collect not only the highest performing college football programs in the country, they want the most valuable schools as well.

A list from Forbes from back in 2019 shows which college football programs have the most monetary value, and while those numbers have likely shifted in recent years, it does show why USC (although not UCLA) would be appealing to the NCAA’s premier conferences.

It also paints a positive picture for both the Ducks and Huskies, who each ranked (at the time) ahead of USC in overall value.

Here is a look at each of the top-25 most valuable programs in college football in light of recent realignment discussion:

Report: Big Ten, ACC and Pac 12 expected to announce alliance as early as next week

Report: Big Ten, ACC and Pac 12 expected to announce alliance as early as next week

The Big Ten, ACC and Pac 12 are expected to announce an alliance as early as next week, according to a report from The Athletic’s Nicole Auerbach.

The move comes in light of the recent shakeup in the south with Oklahoma and Texas expected to join the SEC sometime in the near future.

“Schools within the three conferences believe they are like-minded,” Auerbach writes. “that they want to continue to prioritize broad-based sports offerings and that the academic profile of their institutions matters — as does graduating athletes.”

With the Big 12 and SEC at war and two of the Big 12’s biggest money-makers Oklahoma and Texas, set to leave the conference, the language behind the alliance makes sense. In short: the Big Ten, ACC and Pac 12 want to continue the great traditions of college sports while the Big 12 and SEC battle over money and television deals.

Auerbach continues to note that “There are many administrators in the Big Ten, Pac-12 and ACC who believe in the collegiate model and want it to continue; even those who have enthusiastically embraced name, image and likeness reform don’t want to see college football become an actual minor league system for the NFL with a draft, player salaries and the like. They worry that the SEC’s aggression could lead to something like that.”

A potential alliance between the three conferences would likely include scheduling and more, focusing on building some sort of structure with the NCAA becoming increasingly fragmented.

What this means for Wisconsin is not yet clear. Though it does point towards the Big Ten conference maintaining the same structure and avoiding the conference realignment we’re seeing in the south.

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

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How would the SEC look with Oklahoma & Texas?

Alabama would play WHO every year?!

Recent reports suggest Oklahoma and Texas are interested in leaving the Big 12 and joining the SEC. The two programs are often thought to carry the conference, but some believe they would be in for a rude awakening in the SEC.

Currently, there are 14 teams in the SEC. Split right down the middle at seven a piece and you have the SEC West and SEC East.

Sure, adding two more would make at an even 16, but then the conference would be faced with realignment. There are already a few teams in the East that are further west than teams in the West, but adding Texas or Oklahoma to the East may make it a bit egregious.

Assuming the SEC welcomes in the Sooners and Longhorns without giving the boot to any programs, how would the conference schedule games?

This morning, SEC Network revealed a plan that would replace divisions with four pods.

Some pods are definitely stronger than others, but it’s a seemingly reasonable way of doing things.

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