Official realignment thread - SEC formally invites OU and Texas to join the conference in 2025

[Bison]

It won't be long until we can kiss the PAC goodbye as a top level conference.

Who in the PAC is willing and able to play the same game as the big power schools? It won't be long until the SEC or the B1G (new versions of each because they may be re-organized to dump some programs they don't want to carry with them) make offers that USC/UCLA Oregon, and Washington offers they can't refuse.

Those few schools will allow them to dominate the west coast from a media perspective. What happens to the rest won't be what they would like.

I agree that the P12 might be done as a top level conference but I think that is an answer that will be clear before the P12 GOR & media rights expire. The B1G will get a new media deal around the same time s the P12 and they will be able to send out invites to any Pac-12 school.

I'm getting the feeling that it won't be long before college football is more of a regional sport and that will be something taken seriously east of the Rockies. Why are so many west coast high school recruits going outside the Pac-12 footprint?

As for the media stuff, things are changing. Cable TV is going away and streaming platforms will rule the future. The Pac-12's gamble on the P12N might actually pay off very well and keep the P12 as a top level conference.

I think too soon to say but it isn't looking good for CU imo.

 

[Bison]

i think that realistically it's game over for the Pac-12 and CU. I don't see any realistic moves the Pac-12 or CU can make to combat this and preserve their chance at remaining relevant.

What should CU do then?

 

[ahoelsken]

I agree that the P12 might be done as a top level conference but I think that is an answer that will be clear before the P12 GOR & media rights expire. The B1G will get a new media deal around the same time s the P12 and they will be able to send out invites to any Pac-12 school.

I'm getting the feeling that it won't be long before college football is more of a regional sport and that will be something taken seriously east of the Rockies. Why are so many west coast high school recruits going outside the Pac-12 footprint?

As for the media stuff, things are changing. Cable TV is going away and streaming platforms will rule the future. The Pac-12's gamble on the P12N might actually pay off very well and keep the P12 as a top level conference.

I think too soon to say but it isn't looking good for CU imo.

Its B1G or bust-They will expand to respond to this, and I think we're the only way they can do it.

 

[Leon Sandcastle]

i think that realistically it's game over for the Pac-12 and CU. I don't see any realistic moves the Pac-12 or CU can make to combat this and preserve their chance at remaining relevant.

I don’t see any way that CU ever becomes relevant again as things are currently, but I think the PAC is being undersold currently. We are coming off a period of terrible conference leadership (hopefully that is changing), and I am interested to see how this NIL change plays out. It is easy to point to the Billy Bob’s Tractor Wholesale’s of the world when they immediately start sponsoring these athletes in the south, but they have been paying athletes already for years. CFB is cyclical, there is a LOT of money in the west, and Hollywood/silicon valley’s influence could end up being huge in all of this (now that they can openly pay whoever they want). A few million here and there is nothing to those industries….I see a plausible scenario where the PAC becomes the sexiest conference in the country.

 

[Bison]

Its B1G or bust-They will expand to respond to this, and I think we're the only way they can do it.

And we will play those Runza-munchers again every year. I just hope we can get another shot at Frosty before they finally get rid of him.

This is the outcome I'm hoping for too.

 

[Jens1893]

I don’t see any way that CU ever becomes relevant again as things are currently, but I think the PAC is being undersold currently. We are coming off a period of terrible conference leadership (hopefully that is changing), and I am interested to see how this NIL change plays out. It is easy to point to the Billy Bob’s Tractor Wholesales of the world when they immediately start sponsoring these athletes in the south, but they have been paying athletes already for years. CFB is cyclical, there is a LOT of money in the west, and Hollywood/silicon valley’s influence could end up being huge in all of this (now that they can openly pay whoever they want). A few million here and there is nothing to those industries….I see a plausible scenario where the PAC becomes the sexiest conference in the country through all of this.

Is college football important and relevant enough out West (that is one of the key questions here in general IMO)? Who says the Silicon Valley money ends up with P12 teams or athletes?

As things are, CU is in conference that has a seat at the table. Yes, there have been problems. Yes, the money isn't great but I think that if you are committed to having a top 25-30 college program you can do so in the P12 in the current college football landscape. I am not sure that will still be the case when the focus shifts even more towards the East when OU/UT join the B1G.

I think we have already seen a shift towards the B1G and SEC as being the only two conferences that matter in the general national perception and I think this will only accelerate it.

 

[Jens1893]

Its B1G or bust-They will expand to respond to this, and I think we're the only way they can do it.

I don't see what we bring to the table as we simply haven't been winning enough games and I think this is what this mainly is about.

 

[ahoelsken]

And we will play those Runza-munchers again every year. I just hope we can get another shot at Frosty before they finally get rid of him.

This is the outcome I'm hoping for too.

ACC Grant of Rights from what I've seen say an exit fee for one of them is north of $50M along with all the TV money. The Big 10's only move is west.

 

[Jens1893]

ACC Grant of Rights from what I've seen say an exit fee for one of them is north of $50M along with all the TV money. The Big 10's only move is west.

Maryland knocked it down to 30.

 

[MtnBuff]

I don’t see any way that CU ever becomes relevant again as things are currently, but I think the PAC is being undersold currently. We are coming off a period of terrible conference leadership (hopefully that is changing), and I am interested to see how this NIL change plays out. It is easy to point to the Billy Bob’s Tractor Wholesale’s of the world when they immediately start sponsoring these athletes in the south, but they have been paying athletes already for years. CFB is cyclical, there is a LOT of money in the west, and Hollywood/silicon valley’s influence could end up being huge in all of this (now that they can openly pay whoever they want). A few million here and there is nothing to those industries….I see a plausible scenario where the PAC becomes the sexiest conference in the country through all of this.

There are people (and the companies they run) in the west who have the money but they for the most part don't care. College football isn't that important to people in the west.

You may have a few individuals like a Phil Knight was for Oregon but unless somebody just loves the school more than the money they aren't making that investment.

In the South and the Midwest backing the university that is the states pride and focus is a business decision. In the west people don't care that much.

And when has CU had that kind of serious alumni financial support? We have hoped for it but no.

 

[ahoelsken]

Maryland knocked it down to 30.

And there's no exit fee to leave the Pac 12. Just the GoR.

ACC's New Exit Fee: Punitive Or Par For The Course?

The new fee is a huge increase for the ACC, up roughly 250% from a year ago. But is the conference's exit fee really the worst deal in college athletics? Maybe, but a close look at exit fees from around the country shows that there is a lot more to leaving a conference than just paying the bill.

www.forbes.com

 

[Leon Sandcastle]

Is college football important and relevant enough out West (that is one of the key questions here in general IMO)? Who says the Silicon Valley money ends up with P12 teams or athletes?

As things are, CU is in conference that has a seat at the table. Yes, there have been problems. Yes, the money isn't great but I think that if you are committed to having a top 25-30 college program you can do so in the P12 in the current college football landscape. I am not sure that will still be the case when the focus shifts even more towards the East when OU/UT join the B1G.

I think we have already seen a shift towards the B1G and SEC as being the only two conferences that matter in the general national perception and I think this will only accelerate it.

I mostly agree with your reasoning here. My angle is this: Hollywood and Silicon Valley are the two industries that make money (and a lot of it) by attracting eyeballs. CFB players are easy billboards (and to be in early on a potential NFL star, would also be attractive). Which then attracts more east coast exposure, and the cycle winds up from there. BBall and some Olympic sports could be in this conversation too.

I’m not saying this is probable….but it is definitely plausible.

 

[BehindEnemyLines]

I remember thinking back when CU and the bugeaters bolted the bigtex conference that the land thieves and whorns would explore moving to the $ec. Those 2 schools are more aligned with the sports-importance thinking of the $ec.

Seems to have taken a on-the-horizon media renegotiation to kick start this.

Also, I don't think either program will have much difficulty finding the buy-out funds.

 

[MtnBuff]

I don't see what we bring to the table as we simply haven't been winning enough games and I think this is what this mainly is about.

I don't even think it is about how many wins we have. What it is about is how many eyes do we bring to a TV screen.

Unfortunately look at the number of times our games have ended up on the PAC12 MT instead of on one of the national partners or even in a prime slot on the main PACNet and you have the sad answer.

 

[GoBuffs18]

I’m seeing that Texas and OU are potentially shopping themselves around to see what is available. Ultimately the biggest factor at play is money and I actually think the PAC 12 and Kliavkoff might have the best pitch to give in that aspect. Texas and OU are likely stuck in the big 12 until 2025, if the pac 12 had a commitment from them to join it gives us a giant bargaining chip four our media rights and it gives both schools a seat at the table in negotiating those rights that they wouldn’t get with another conference. Also long term, I think the move to the SEC would regionalize college football to a point that could potentially make it irrelevant. They might not care now but long term that hurts the prospect of money in the future. With them in the pac 12 it generates interest out west while the sec and big 10 keep the other parts of the country tuned in. With those brands more tied to California it also would generate a lot more opportunities for NIL to get Hollywood and Silicon Valley money. On a lesser note, Austin is one of the faster growing tech cities in the country and even though cultural fit might not be the first thing these schools are looking at, they fit a lot better in the PAC than the sec.

 

[Jens1893]

I mostly agree with your reasoning here. My angle is this: Hollywood and Silicon Valley are the two industries that make money (and a lot of it) by attracting eyeballs. CFB players are easy billboards (and to be in early on a potential NFL star, would also be attractive). Which then attracts more east coast exposure, and the cycle winds up from there. BBall and some Olympic sports could be in this conversation too.

I’m not saying this is probable….but it is definitely plausible.

I agree in that the California factor in general shouldn't be underestimated and that's given me pause here before you mentioned it. Not only because there's a ton of money there, as you say, but also because it's one of the most important states for recruiting.

 

[Jens1893]

I don't even think it is about how many wins we have. What it is about is how many eyes do we bring to a TV screen.

Unfortunately look at the number of times our games have ended up on the PAC12 MT instead of on one of the national partners or even in a prime slot on the main PACNet and you have the sad answer.

My point is that wins attract eye balls.

 

[MtnBuff]

My point is that wins attract eye balls.

They do but we have been so bad for so long would an 8 win per year CU team drive national ratings? Far less than a lot of other programs and not enough that we would be high on the priority list for other conferences.

 

[Jens1893]

 

[MtnBuff]

In other words.

"Oh S***!
We don't like it and we will resist as much as we can but frankly we are f***ed."

 

[somebody]

ACC already has 14 members. Big 12 would be out of luck, there would be no fixing that conference with the teams available.

It might become the Big MAC.

 

[Gramburglar]

Creamsicle Orange tears for Tennessee, no chance they ever meet their lofty expectations in that Pod.

These pods literally entrench a format of 2 top teams and 2 bottom feeders. I don’t see any season to season dynamics in a small pod format.

The Pac12 really missed the opportunity to pull in Texas and OU last go around. With both in the conference there was a chance to add minimum 3 marquee games each year - UT/OU, USC/UT, UW/OU or OU/OU

 

[2001Grad]

With the SEC grabbing Texas and OU there will likely be a new round of realignment.

The Big Ten and SEC are the two top conferences money wise and prestige as well. If the Big Ten came calling for CU and added Kansas as well, would you be interested?

The pods are becoming a likely scenario (play your three pod teams then two from the other pods, guarantees you play each team home and away every four years. Pods being:

CU, ****braska, Kansas, Iowa
Wisky, Minn, Northwestern, Iowa
MSU, Mich, IU, Purdue
OSU, PSU, Maryland, Rutgers

You would have a few protected games as well.

I'm from Big Ten country and went to a Big Ten school, now live in Denver and Boulder feels like a Big Ten city. Very similar to Ann Arbor. And who knows where this leaves the Pac-10. Who do they add?

They wouldn't separate Michigan and Ohio State.

 

[hokiehead]

The only thing the big 10 and pac 12 can do if they leave for the sec is add as many texas schools as possible. You simply cannot let the SEC have sole P5 ownership of that state to go along with their dominance in Georgia, Louisiana and Florida recruiting. That would be impossible to compete with.

Maybe the answer is to not try competing with them. Ignore the MNC and the playoffs, crown a Pac 12 and a B1G and an ACC conference champion and tell the SEC "you do you".

I know the CFP is a big payday currently, but i suspect that shifts if it becomes an SEC-only event.

 

[hokiehead]

ACC Grant of Rights from what I've seen say an exit fee for one of them is north of $50M along with all the TV money. The Big 10's only move is west.

No. I think the B1G is going to make a run at poaching ND and a few full member ACC schools (likely UNC, UVA and GT).

 

[hokiehead]

They wouldn't separate Michigan and Ohio State.

Why not? They can still be playing partners.

 

[Duff Man]

That decision by the Pac-12 to block Oklahoma/Oklahoma State looks incredibly stupid right about now.

 

[BerkeleyBuff]

Maryland knocked it down to 30.

The difference between what teams make in the ACC and what they would make in the B1G (especially an expanded B1G) means they could easily afford that when you look at the long-term earning. And they'll go to court to knock it down anyways.

 

[Buffs35]

Creamsicle Orange tears for Tennessee, no chance they ever meet their lofty expectations in that Pod.

These pods literally entrench a format of 2 top teams and 2 bottom feeders. I don’t see any season to season dynamics in a small pod format.

The Pac12 really missed the opportunity to pull in Texas and OU last go around. With both in the conference there was a chance to add minimum 3 marquee games each year - UT/OU, USC/UT, UW/OU or OU/OU

If the pac added texas and Oklahoma last time, there would have been no room for old CU.

 

[ahoelsken]

No. I think the B1G is going to make a run at poaching ND and a few full member ACC schools (likely UNC, UVA and GT).

Not happening. The ACC's GoR (which now includes the ACC Network) runs into 2035-36. We're the only school that remotely moves the needle that the B1G could get.

Conference expansion: What should Big Ten do if SEC adds Oklahoma, Texas?

Oklahoma and Texas are reportedly looking to bolt the Big 12 and leap to the SEC. If it happens, how should the Big Ten respond?

www.nj.com