I think they're making a huge mistake. And I think the Big 10 is way overestimating the penetration this is going to give them into the Washington-Baltimore TV audience. Big question is what does the ACC do? Go after UConn? If they do and get them, they've upgraded. What about Florida St.? They were the other school to vote against the $50M buyout. Will they be bolting for the Big 12 soon?
It's official. Maryland to the Big 10.
- Thread starter patdog
- Start date
Just a terrible move......
I think the ACC is going to fold eventually. Money is down, and truthfully, the 'Champions' bowl is all about the SEC endorsing the Big 12 as a reputable contender and ally. I still think Florida State and Clemson are the next SEC members. B1G should have held out and they might could have snapped up the Virgina and North Carolina schools. Instead, they are getting Maryland and Rutgers. What a waste.
I think the ACC is going to fold eventually. Money is down, and truthfully, the 'Champions' bowl is all about the SEC endorsing the Big 12 as a reputable contender and ally. I still think Florida State and Clemson are the next SEC members. B1G should have held out and they might could have snapped up the Virgina and North Carolina schools. Instead, they are getting Maryland and Rutgers. What a waste.
Big 10 is looking pretty desperate with this move. They're expanding just for the sake of expanding and not really adding anything of much value. I disagree about the ACC. I think they're in for the long haul as the 5th major conference. The heirarchy will be SEC, Big 12, PAC-12/Big 10, and ACC. Good chance they may lose FSU. But I think there's a good chance they pick up UConn and maybe someone like Louisville and survive pretty well.
So they wouldn't take Missouri but now they are taking Maryland??...
that's a head scratcher to me. I know the DC/Baltimore area is a decent market but Maryland football SUCKS for the most part, and always has, and you still have St. Louis and Kansas City with the Missouri market so I just don't get this move.
You're probably right......
....but I could see the major schools that involve football bolting for the SEC, B1G, and maybe a few to the Big 12, and the rest are combined into the Big East to form a stud basketball league.
At least that's what makes sense in my head. I mean, let's face it, the ACC has ZERO football draw. Even their power schools like FSU don't have that big of a following. They never sell out.
....but I could see the major schools that involve football bolting for the SEC, B1G, and maybe a few to the Big 12, and the rest are combined into the Big East to form a stud basketball league.
At least that's what makes sense in my head. I mean, let's face it, the ACC has ZERO football draw. Even their power schools like FSU don't have that big of a following. They never sell out.
DC/Baltimore is "decent"? It's the 8th largest media market in the country. So yeah, I guess that's meh, average.
Maryland is a slam dunk for B1G and will add almost 3 million bucks per year per school.
St Louis is 21 and KC is 31. And DC is still a bigger college oriented market than both those places.
Maryland is a slam dunk for B1G and will add almost 3 million bucks per year per school.
St Louis is 21 and KC is 31. And DC is still a bigger college oriented market than both those places.
This is a win win for the B1G and Maryland and huge win for Rutgers...
the B1G gets to expand their brand into the eastern part of the US. Huge populations all in a 4 hour radius of Philadelphia, Baltimore, New Jersey etc...the Big East is just a total mess. I have no idea whose going to be playing football in that conference 2 years from now and whose also playing basketball. Listen to these new members, Memphis, Houston, SMU, Temple, Navy, Boise State, UCF, San 17ing Diego State. There's something wrong when a ****** football school in San Diego, California is in the Big East. Boise, Idaho? What a mess. So glad MSU is in the SEC.
the B1G gets to expand their brand into the eastern part of the US. Huge populations all in a 4 hour radius of Philadelphia, Baltimore, New Jersey etc...the Big East is just a total mess. I have no idea whose going to be playing football in that conference 2 years from now and whose also playing basketball. Listen to these new members, Memphis, Houston, SMU, Temple, Navy, Boise State, UCF, San 17ing Diego State. There's something wrong when a ****** football school in San Diego, California is in the Big East. Boise, Idaho? What a mess. So glad MSU is in the SEC.
Granted I didn't research it...
and 8th is a lot larger than I would have guessed, but seriously, Maryland football is a big draw? even there? Maryland is about THE most underachieving football team in the ACC, which is not exactly a juggernaut league, and they seem to be a worse natural fit into the Big 10 landscape than Missouri is to the SEC. Anyway, JMO.
B1G needs to compliment this money grab with an actual good decision....
....one that would strengthen the conference and get them to 16 teams. Obviously Notre Dame always has a spot saved, but at this point, I think they should go for Virginia and Virginia Tech. Then you've got substance, two perceived academic strongholds, and you've cornered the whole DC area as far at TV goes.
....one that would strengthen the conference and get them to 16 teams. Obviously Notre Dame always has a spot saved, but at this point, I think they should go for Virginia and Virginia Tech. Then you've got substance, two perceived academic strongholds, and you've cornered the whole DC area as far at TV goes.
Yeah, I think the ACC is in pretty good shape too honestly. They'll get poached for about two more schools, but they are still in a pretty good situation to pick a couple of other decent schools from the Big East too. Also, their deal with Notre Dame has the slim possibility of turning into all sports including basketball if they put enough pressure on them. If that happens, then the ACC is solid and has nothing to worry about.
Maryland isn't a huge draw, but think about all the Big 10 alum in the area who now get every game on TV... It's good for the Big 10 just like Missouri is good for us, they suck but people in Kansas City get to watch MSU, Arkansas, UF, and so on where try didn't before.
IF the SEC never invited FSU, it would be a dumb decision.
I know it is supposedly all about markets. But like was well put in a thread a few days back, it is about match ups. Every TV market tunes in to see a good match up. FSU vs UGA/UT/Bama/Auburn/UF is far more appealing than Missouri or Maryland or aTm vs the same schools.
I know it is supposedly all about markets. But like was well put in a thread a few days back, it is about match ups. Every TV market tunes in to see a good match up. FSU vs UGA/UT/Bama/Auburn/UF is far more appealing than Missouri or Maryland or aTm vs the same schools.
Still wrong, IMO... Just like you were last year when we argued about the stability of the ACC in the first place.
The ACC tv deal is worth $17 mil/yr with 14 teams. The SEC deal is going to be worth $28-35 before the SEC network launches in 2014. At that time, the SEC deal will be worth $40-$50 million/yr BEFORE adding all the markets in NC and VA. We will dominate them in(soon to be VERY substantial) bowl revenue as well.
Is their old relationships and a $50 mil buyout worth pissing away AT LEAST $30 mil/yr and giving that money to your in-state competitor? That is the question. At some point, we are going to take two from them, and it is going to be the two that we want most. They are powerless to stop this and no amount of buyout will prevent it.
The only way they can stabilize that conference to the extent that we don't poach them is to do a multi yr "grant of rights" like the Big12 did this year. Basically, the conference owns each team's tv revenue for 12 years, regardless of where those teams compete. This essentially shuts the door on the poaching of teams for the terms of those contracts.
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Exactly. And about 10 people in the DC area watch the Big 10 network. That will probably go up to a couple of hundred people when Maryland joins the Big 10.**
** - I'm exaggerating for effect. But the point is few people in the DC-Baltimore area watch the Big 10 network now, just like few people in the southeast do. And adding Maryland isn't going to suddenly attract many more viewers in that area. This is a school that averages about 35,000 for its home football games. There's a reason for that. Nobody up there cares about Maryland athletics.
** - I'm exaggerating for effect. But the point is few people in the DC-Baltimore area watch the Big 10 network now, just like few people in the southeast do. And adding Maryland isn't going to suddenly attract many more viewers in that area. This is a school that averages about 35,000 for its home football games. There's a reason for that. Nobody up there cares about Maryland athletics.
Correct. We get it in MS as well, at least on Uverse.
The difference is that "outside markets" pay $0.05/subscriber/month for it, while it makes $0.90/subscriber/month for it in it's own markets. This allows the B1G to demand another $0.85/person in Maryland and NY, at least theoretically, and THIS is why those markets are attractive to the B1G.
This is, however, far less guaranteed in the northeast because only a small percentage of individual subscriber bases actually care about college football enough to demand the programming, leaving the cable companies the option of not adding it to basic packages, whereas there would be mutiny in SEC country if the coming SECnetwork wasn't offered.
People in our viewing area would pay triple that for the SECnetwork, hence why it is such a monster in the making... I'd pay $10/mo for that channel without batting an eye just for the additional basketball and baseball coverage that the conference would get. How great will it be to be able to watch college baseball every Tues/Wed night? Nevermind how the schedules would likely be restructured for maximum exposure on the channel...
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