OK OK What teams should the Big 12 add?
- Thread starter sammyk
- Start date
None!
Baylor wlll be in, and might win, the national playoffs without a championship game this season. That kills that argument.
Each Big 12 team gets $30 million a year. That's $300 million. If the Big 12 adds two teams, and TV ups the ante so that the annual payout if $360 million a year, the current members would not get ONE PENNY more than they do now. So, unless there are 2 teams that can bring in, say, $150 more in TV money with a championship game, etc., which would only bump the payout to $37.5 million for the current members, why bother?
Would you donate YOUR cut of the Big 12 to add more members? Hell, no! Do you want WVU to take a cut from the $30 million payout, once WVU gets to 100%, just to add 2 members. Hell, no!
Follow the money. What sound like nice ideas don't always translate into $$$ sense. Plus, BYU isn't going to give up its Mormon principles to play on Sunday or do other things. That's why the Cougars are not in the Big 12 or Pac-12 today. Too many strings. They're like ND, but without the clout.
M ighty defense throttled Georgia Southern, 44-0
O utstanding defense obliterated Liberty, 41-17
U nilaterally decimated Maryland, 45-6, on defense and offense
N oxious offense & special teams against Oklahoma, 44-24
T urnovers lose to Oklahoma State, 33-26 in OT despite impressive comeback from 15-point deficit.
A wesome Baylor too much, 62-38.
I nch by TCU
N ip Texas Tech
E scape Texas
E rectile dysfunction Kansas
R oll past Iowa State
S lip past Kansas State
That is not a very sophisticated argument and to be fair, many use it. The pluses and minuses of an expansion are far more complex than you present here. It is not money that is stopping an expansion, even if the Big-12 adds two no-names. Politics is the roadblock, and we all know who that is. Expansion is not about more money, even though I think when all of the variables are factored in the Big12 would make more money, it is about survival as a conference and that as far as WVU is concerned, is priceless.
If the Big-12 is left out of the play offs again this year, the Big-12 could possibly expand next spring, they may think they can't afford not too. If the Big-12 gets in, they will tie their hopes to the 10-team conference championship judgment. But it is also possible that the expansion drive is over until the SEC moves to 16 by bringing UVA and NCU and starting a chain of dominos.
Money is not the mover in any of the conference level decisions because the money is always more each contract. Money is key for specific schools to move, such as UMD. Money is not part of the equation when it comes to expansion.
The Big 12 will not add the likes of BYU, Colo ST or any other that does not bring TV markets or bring some money with a major bowl. This talk of these teams are silly at best. True I give you College Football is about money and who gets what? Really The Big 12 to me is doing the right thing not doing knee jerk reaction moves, this is smart because WVU would stand to lose a big money not to say Texas and all other teams would not want to share their money with bottom feeder teams like Colo St Byu, or any other team from Mountain WEST, CUSA or WAC these team do nothing and a championship is not the answer even if The Big 12 is left out. I think the Big 12 will fight hard for the ten team rule to hold a championship otherwise why bring in teams that will only suck the money away from the teams already in The Big 12. At what cost or better yet could any teams bring enough not just money but being able to add to The Big 12 by winning and showing they belong early? My answer is no. No team that is able to join the Big 12 will be able to prove they can win in The Big12 or they would already be in the P 5 already. TCU, Baylor have to face off I feel this will be the championship game and the leader for the College football playoffs as well My early pick is Baylor I think TCU deffense get crushed and Baylor wins it by 7
Relax and enjoy the college footbal season, before you know this season will be over..
Relax and enjoy the college footbal season, before you know this season will be over..
This is a very good post--people on the Mountaineer side forget that survival as a conference is of prime importance for WVU and other schools in the conference.
Money however does play a part in the survival of any conference, because money is the reason schools move to other conferences in the first place. Money helps schools to have long term success.
Within the next 10 years the BIG 12 will have to renegotiate its tv contracts. Key in those negotiations will be gaining revenues on par with the SEC and Big 10 beyond 2025. Those conferences will be in the middle of long term contracts by that time and will ramp up through the mid 2030's (SEC already locked in for that term-B10 coming in a year or two). The Pac 12 will also have a new contract by then which probably isn't going to be on par with the other two, but should increase from where they are now.
The BIG 12 clearly needs new markets and territory to sell its product. TV ratings must be improved greatly by the time negotiations are happening and that isn't going to be changed overnight.
For anyone waiting on ACC teams, their contract isn't up for two years after the BIG 12 will have renewed.
Change will likely happen when the media contracts begin expiring. I'd agree that for a variety of reasons that the Big 12 is the most vulnerable Power 5 conference and, more troubling, that we are among the most vulnerable schools in the Big 12.
That doesn't lead o the conclusion that it would be better for us for the Big 12 to add teams in advance of the next "major" realignment. Adding lesser programs to the league does not necessarily make the league stronger and, more significantly from our selfish standpoint, might give programs that are now "weaker" than us in many respects opportunity to catch up and then be as or more attractive when the "major" realignment does occur.
Would you rather be competing for the last couple of spots at the "big boy table" with say a Cincinnati or UConn or Houston or Memphis or Colorado State or Boise State or any of the teams people are promoting for membership when those schools are still outside looking in or after they have had several years inside the club to strengthen their programs? Our biggest advantage over such schools is precisely that we are in, we have a better program, have proven we can compete, have greater attendance, have more athletic department revenue, etc. Some of those schools that are now weaker do have advantages such as being in larger metropolitan areas which is important to TV and I'm not sure we want to give them a chance to shore up their weaknesses.
Another thing to bear in mind is that it might be time to begin considering that not only may future growth in revenue become more limited but that the current levels may not even be sustainable. When you see ESPN laying people off, ratings stagnating and in some cases declining (probably due to over-saturation and the new multimedia environment) , market price for advertising time going down and stock prices declining it's worth contemplating the possibility the networks will conclude they overpaid in the last round of contracts. (That's also a good reason for WVU and other schools to worry more about game attendance declining. It's not enough just to think TV money will more than offset that in perpetuity.)
That doesn't lead o the conclusion that it would be better for us for the Big 12 to add teams in advance of the next "major" realignment. Adding lesser programs to the league does not necessarily make the league stronger and, more significantly from our selfish standpoint, might give programs that are now "weaker" than us in many respects opportunity to catch up and then be as or more attractive when the "major" realignment does occur.
Would you rather be competing for the last couple of spots at the "big boy table" with say a Cincinnati or UConn or Houston or Memphis or Colorado State or Boise State or any of the teams people are promoting for membership when those schools are still outside looking in or after they have had several years inside the club to strengthen their programs? Our biggest advantage over such schools is precisely that we are in, we have a better program, have proven we can compete, have greater attendance, have more athletic department revenue, etc. Some of those schools that are now weaker do have advantages such as being in larger metropolitan areas which is important to TV and I'm not sure we want to give them a chance to shore up their weaknesses.
Another thing to bear in mind is that it might be time to begin considering that not only may future growth in revenue become more limited but that the current levels may not even be sustainable. When you see ESPN laying people off, ratings stagnating and in some cases declining (probably due to over-saturation and the new multimedia environment) , market price for advertising time going down and stock prices declining it's worth contemplating the possibility the networks will conclude they overpaid in the last round of contracts. (That's also a good reason for WVU and other schools to worry more about game attendance declining. It's not enough just to think TV money will more than offset that in perpetuity.)
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