The Big Ten’s new massive media rights deal with FOX, NBC and CBS has firmly established the conference in a two-horse race for college football supremacy. So says ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum, who is the voice of the SEC and the great college football world.
In landing the largest ever media rights deal for a college sports conference, the Big Ten increased its footprint and reach dramatically. In doing so, the Big Ten shed longtime partners in ABC and ESPN.
On Monday, Finebaum, one of the most respected voices in college football, appeared on ‘McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning’ on Alabama station WJOX. He was asked about the significance of this media rights deal for the Big Ten.
“I think what has happened, guys, it has put an exclamation point on what we already knew: that college football now is essentially a two-conference race between the Big Ten and the SEC. We already knew that because this thing with the Big Ten was anticipated,” Finebaum said on WJOX.
“I think just the overwhelming breadth of it and the positivity is something that Kevin Warren and the Big Ten have fought really extensively for in the two since college football shut down for the Big Ten, briefly I might add, during COVID.
“It is an incredibly significant moment for Kevin Warren and for the Big Ten. Everywhere, rightly or wrongly, across the instant-media world, Kevin Warren is declared the winner of the week.
“I think for those of us who live in SEC Country, we’re not accustomed to seeing that.
“We’re used to seeing the SEC on top of everything. It’s a little bit jarring to see this news. It doesn’t change where we live, it just makes it more pronounced.
“Nobody is writing the SEC off, nobody is saying the SEC isn’t the best league. But when you look at the numbers and guys, everybody judges things by how much money you make and how much revenue you bring in…It’s an incredibly significant moment for the Big Ten Conference.”
Finebaum was then asked about what the move means specifically for the SEC on the football field. For years, the SEC has been the dominant presence in college football, a move that was underscored with the news a year ago that Texas and Oklahoma were leaving the Big 12 for the SEC.
“I think what it really does point to is the significance of the move of SC (USC) and UCLA, especially SC to the Big Ten. It brought not only tradition but it brought the Los Angeles market into it, which is beyond critical,” Finebaum said.
“Nobody is saying that the SEC didn’t do well with Texas and Oklahoma. We did. But it’s been such a long, drawn process and I think more than anything it won’t make Texas and Oklahoma come into the league yet. But I think it adds enormous pressure of getting Texas and Oklahoma into the SEC by ’24 when this goes into effect. And I think that will happen.”
The @SECNetwork‘s Paul @Finebaum joined @MacandCube to discuss one SEC head coach that needs to have a strong showing in 2022.
Whole interview here: https://t.co/eGTYYQCbMP pic.twitter.com/0ifVgN8ZCt
— WJOX 94.5 FM (@WJOX945) August 22, 2022
[mm-video type=playlist id=01fc3gzhz7qrm49z6q player_id=none image=https://rutgerswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]
[pickup_prop id=”26002″]