Nike - Oregon
- Thread starter Redmich
- Start date
true - however I think Oregon - on its own merit is close to deserving a BIG bid -
Phil Knight has donated a billion dollars in recent years to the Oregon
If he can provide some sort of incentive to get them over the line I think he will
I'm not sure why Oregon isn't a bigger draw. They have been CFP worthy and relevant in football for quite a while now and don't appear to be going anywhere. They really have turned into a national team with their uniforms and apparel. You see that crap everywhere it seems. The kids think its cool. Men's BBall is a legit Sweet Sixteen contender as well. You'd have to think they would draw the most TV eyes in the Pacific Northwest. Nike advertising dollars would only have to help.
Reportedly the B1G already put applications by Oregon and Washington on hold. Oregon is one of the better PAC candidates left after USC/UCLA but apparently still not attractive enough for the B1G because the conference says it would dilute revenue share for the other teams. I think Oregon only happens IF the B1G would want to expand to 20 or more teams. Nike money though isn't going to swing it.
At this point, only Notre Dame, outside of the SEC and ACC would add enough revenue by itself to avoid dilution of B1G revenue share. Now the math might change if there was a rapid consolidation to two super conferences or a single super conference because then the remaining desirable media properties become so scarce that it leads to a bidding war in a more monopoly like situation where the worth of the total equals more than the individual parts added up in individual pieces.
Last edited:
I love reading the back and forth on all this, well, not really. It seems there are at least three categories of teams that people either want or don't want.
1. They are in a big market area - good or bad team, maybe once upon a time, meh.
2. Good team now, lots of appeal, haven't won the big one but good ole eye catchers and can compete for recruits and exposure. Good following, not a traditional world beater power but the past few years have seen them become competitive.
3. The teams that were good at one time, have a tradition that is fading over time, you have to google them to find out what they have done because it isn't recent history. Those older still remember the "good ole days" and think there is still some spark there. Maybe
1. They are in a big market area - good or bad team, maybe once upon a time, meh.
2. Good team now, lots of appeal, haven't won the big one but good ole eye catchers and can compete for recruits and exposure. Good following, not a traditional world beater power but the past few years have seen them become competitive.
3. The teams that were good at one time, have a tradition that is fading over time, you have to google them to find out what they have done because it isn't recent history. Those older still remember the "good ole days" and think there is still some spark there. Maybe
Last edited:
Performance on the field is only one element in terms of being a TV draw. There are other things including strength of fan passion, size of home media market, national fanship across the country, average media draw of regular opponents and even the fact that the West Coast games typically aren't viewed as much due to the time zone.
So who is the power behind the invitations to join conferences, is it the AD's or the presidents of the Universities. If it's the AD's then they look at both added dollars and conference power. Now if it's the presidents of the universities they may look at educational prestige as to what a certain school can bring to the conference. The government gives huge dollars to universities for research each year.
I'm sure you have many AD's who have tremendous power they can use to influence a president of a university. I guess what I'm saying would the IVY league ever want Nebraska to join their elite club of snobs? absolutely not. Would the BIG ever want West Virginia to join their elite club? probably not. So who makes the final call? I'm guessing it's a vote by the presidents who's accepted and who's not.
I think Jim Delany's admiration for Tom Osborne was one of the reason's Nebraska got into the BIG, Delany had enough power as commissioner of the BIG that he convinced the presidents of the BIG that Nebraska could provide some usefulness and would eventually catch up educationally as an institution of higher learning. You know Nebraska doesn't want to be know as the dumb family member forever.
I'm sure you have many AD's who have tremendous power they can use to influence a president of a university. I guess what I'm saying would the IVY league ever want Nebraska to join their elite club of snobs? absolutely not. Would the BIG ever want West Virginia to join their elite club? probably not. So who makes the final call? I'm guessing it's a vote by the presidents who's accepted and who's not.
I think Jim Delany's admiration for Tom Osborne was one of the reason's Nebraska got into the BIG, Delany had enough power as commissioner of the BIG that he convinced the presidents of the BIG that Nebraska could provide some usefulness and would eventually catch up educationally as an institution of higher learning. You know Nebraska doesn't want to be know as the dumb family member forever.
Oreogon isn't. Can they command 100 million by themselves? The answer is no and so bringing them into the pie devalues everyone else. For what gain...to have another school? Portland isn't that great of a media market.
Only way Oregon gets in is if ND comes and Big10 have to get to 20 schools (imo).
Unfortunately, the B12 is going to end up keeping ND out of any conference for football, including the B10.
Maybe you meant the ACC but I don't think the Big 12 has much to do with Notre Dame's decision.
The decision power for a conference move likely varies by school but in most cases it would be a joint decision/consensus. Remember at Nebraska it was Perlman and Osborne working together when the move was made to the B1G. In some cases the governors and regents believe they hold the power for public universities.
I would be shocked if Stanford wasn't the next pick out of the PAC if there is another from that conference. It's AAU, practically Ivy and in the #6 media market in the US. If yet another is taken from the PAC it's got to be the Washington Huskies. They are a world class university in the AAU with a recognizable football team with NC winning history and they are currently residing in the #12 media market in the US.
Oregon is not even in the 69th media market in Eugene Oregon from the publication I've read. They are in the AAU. They have a ton of closet space though in case you're bored with your uniform on a given Saturday for the next 50 years ...if you're interested.
Oregon is not even in the 69th media market in Eugene Oregon from the publication I've read. They are in the AAU. They have a ton of closet space though in case you're bored with your uniform on a given Saturday for the next 50 years ...if you're interested.
Last edited:
I think eventually, the B1G goes to 24, maybe in like 4-8 years. Two super conferences of 24, making it the top 48 teams competing for the title. Oregon, Stanford, Washington, Utah, Notre Dame, Colorado, and a couple others make sense. Most won’t bring the same $, but eventually you need to put the football first and the money will be there.
The conference can work other regional type setups for all other sports though so the travel isn’t crazy.
The conference can work other regional type setups for all other sports though so the travel isn’t crazy.
Stanford should have been offered over UCLA IMO.
I find it long odds the B1G adds a third California team but what do I know.
Stanford comes IF (not likely as of now) ND comes into the B1G...all of ND historic rivals other than Navy would be in the conference that way
I agree which is why I think they take two more at least. If USC and UCLA are going to be in conference, it seems good sense to add more teams that fit the big 10's vision within that time zone for scheduling purposes. I think adding Stanford and Washington are the best in that time zone if they are going west again.
I wonder if UCLA had to be a package deal with USC.
Plus adding Stanford takes even more of ND's history right out from under their feet. Possibly enticing them to play with all their old rivals.
If the B
If the B1G REALLY wants ND, they need to jump and take the risk to potentially create leverage. Get Stanford now so we have two of the bigger ND rivals (minus navy really). Then prohibit all B1G teams from scheduling ND. They can either come to the table so they can secure their historic rivalries, or kiss that history goodbye just to secure their vaulted independence.
I really don't believe this to be a realistic option. Like it or not, ND is an attractive opponent, I just don't see enough interest in blackballing them from future schedules.
I get the Stanford thinking, as long as they stop at 18 and not continue to reach. Oregon and Washington do nothing for me as a fan.
Actually they will because NBC wants the B12 to provide shoulder programming for ND because the TV rights open up at the same time. This is about the only way ND gets the $75M they seek in a new deal with NBC…and they stay indy
For now they are for sure. But if we're looking at 2-3 superconferences in three coming years, then those indies will not seem very attractive then.
I'd be surprised if they even get considered for playoffs much longer... Unless they go undefeated. But then again, if they did, what was their schedule strength?
If the B1G were to cut them off from USC and Stanford, as well as the rest of the conference, and say the SEC focuses mostly on their own too, then they better be a more impressive undefeated team than Cincinnati was last season. Not impossible, but tougher if there's less quality opponents to schedule as an independent.
I heard some say nd chance was with usc, and they turned it down...so now you have the big and sec with 32 teams, like the nfl....
I heard usc and ucla to the big in 24....and the big 12 contract ends in 25 so espn may put texas and 0u in the sec in 24.....
and there you have your new super league...
I heard usc and ucla to the big in 24....and the big 12 contract ends in 25 so espn may put texas and 0u in the sec in 24.....
and there you have your new super league...
One thing is for certain, ND will eventually need to join either the SEC or the BIG because the table will start to get full. I think in the end you will see two super conferences, the BIG and the SEC and I just don't see ND as part of the SEC.
IMO, you will see conference 1A, 2A, 3A and so on, each conference will have their own National Championship they can call their own. I don't expect it to happen this year but imo it will happen in the next few years the money TV will put out will be too much to turn down.
I very much want Stanford in the BIG for the prestige educationally and for personal reasons, it would allow me to see more Nebraska games, it's a 6 or 7 hour drive or a one hour flight at very low cost.
If you add ND and Stanford it forces Nebraska to raise it's educational standards something Nebraska has been poked fun of for a long time. jmo
With ND I wouldn't use the big stick approach and lose them to the SEC potentially. ND is going to be fine. If I were the Big 10 I'd use Stanford as another carrot in a whole bowl full of carrots to get them to join. ND brings a lot of eyes so losing them as an opponent isn't good business either.
Honestly, if I were ND though, I'd go ahead and jump to the SEC. That is where the population is headed. That is where the eyeballs will be, that is where the recruits are coming from in large part, and the weather is nicer. And yes, it is a tough slate to navigate, but the politics in the Big is not very conducive to a theocratically Christian set of values as I would expect ND's would be. The SEC might not have as strong an arm in their board members decisions motivated by politics that they force upon their member schools as the big 10 would do. You can expect the Big 10 to have a heavy emphasis on libertine politick.
If the B1G and SEC were smart they'd get together and hold a draft adding enough other teams to create two divisions of one super conference including their own/exclusive playoffs. IF that super conference then negotiated media rights as one entity, they'd basically be the only college game in town worthy of a big contract and would realize much, much more money together than they can get separately.
ND believes they have the luxury of time to make their decision. They believe, probably true, that they can join any conference at any time because any conference would welcome them. BUT staying independent will NOT provide them the best financial return any more. And in today's college football arm's race, a private school especially needs every dollar it can get if it wants to keep up with the Jones (ie., B1G and SEC schools) in football. They can keep up with the non-Jones (ACC, Big 12, PAC) as an independent. So they eventually have to decide what they want to be, just not right away.
In a world where the only constant is change, I am gaining more respect for posts like this, grounded in completely unknowable certainty
what’s to stop NBC from offering ND $100M/year in 2025? The brand is infinitely more valuable as an independent, and that fact isn’t changing anytime soon. Plus they’ll have second-mover advantage after the B1G agrees to its upcoming deal - just like in 2020.
the one thing we all know for sure is ND’s politics, which are aligned to the ACC/SEC’s and diametrically opposed to the B1G’s. It has been these beliefs, not money, that have been accurate bellwethers in the past.
I'd rather play Oregon or Washington over everybody in the big ten minus OSU, Mich, PSU, Wisky, and Iowa.
Why wouldn’t something like this work? Many believe we are going to 24 with 4 pods ….
West Pod
USC
UCLA
Washington
Stanford
Oregon
Utah
Midwest Pod
Wisconsin
Minnesota
Nebraska
Colorado
Iowa
Northwestern
Central Pod
Purdue
Illinois
Noter Dame
Michigan
Michigan State
Indiana
East Pod
Maryland
Penn State
Rutgers
Ohio State
Clemson
Pittsburgh
West Pod
USC
UCLA
Washington
Stanford
Oregon
Utah
Midwest Pod
Wisconsin
Minnesota
Nebraska
Colorado
Iowa
Northwestern
Central Pod
Purdue
Illinois
Noter Dame
Michigan
Michigan State
Indiana
East Pod
Maryland
Penn State
Rutgers
Ohio State
Clemson
Pittsburgh
Last edited:
I don't think major further expansion for the B1G is happening because it would dilute team earnings UNLESS the SEC and B1G get together to create a super conference requiring more teams and that has significant market power to ratchet up the media contract.