Goodbye NCAA; Hello SEC & ESPN ?
How will the Big Ten react ?
Last sentence of the above referenced article:
“Remember the commissioners of the Big Ten, Pac-12, and ACC weren’t in the room.”
When reading or responding to this thread,please remember the words of former Oklahoma football coach Barry Switzer:
“We want to build a university our football team can be proud of.”
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For this who want a succinct explanation of the issue, the above referenced article does so:
Characterizes the opposing sides as “ESPN and the SEC versus Fox and everybody else”. Suggests that Fox needs help from CBS and/or NBC.
A solution for 10 Texas schools not named UT or A&M:
Will the ACC merge with the SEC ?
Really interested to see how this all turns out. The way things are going I can see the day that the SEC will get all 16 seeds in baseball and softball and probably more than half of the playoff teams in football. Maybe a bit dramatic but with NIL players will now more than ever go where they think they can get the most money and exposure.
I hope college football does not turn into an NFL clone.
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The Big 10 and the Pac 12 will probably form an allegiance in order to renegotiate TV & media rights as both conferences’ current contracts expire in the next few years.
USC has a well known roving eye for a more lucrative suitor. Could become part of the Big Ten if other Pac-12 AAU schools agree to move, otherwise there are distance and travel time concerns.
The 9 Pac-12 AAU members are:
USC, UCLA, UCal-Berkeley, Stanford, Univ. of Oregon,Univ. of Washington, Univ. of Colorado, Univ. of Utah, and the Univ. of Arizona.
Wash State Univ, Oregon State, and ASU are not AAU members. Big Ten is only interested in AAU member schools and non-AAU Notre Dame according to all reports.
The ACC may break-up with some schools to the SEC (Clemson & FSU) while others look to the Big Ten (Virginia, Pitt, UNC, Duke, & Georgia Tech).
The Big Ten wants to expand both TV markets & recruiting grounds.
I understand why everyone is hyper-focused on football, but basketball matters:
Basketball matters as a distant secondary concern. Included in the great article that you shared in my other thread regarding Notre Dame Big 10 or Bust is some discussion of basketball indicating that football is driving the realignments.
Nevertheless,basketball is a revenue sport with a very large fan base.
It wouldn’t surprise me if the ACC AAU member schools (Georgia Tech, Duke, UNC, Virginia, & Pitt) moved over to the Big Ten which result in a high powered basketball conference.
Although commonly attributed to Barry Switzer, it was actually said in 1952 by Oklahoma university president George Cross, and it was a snarky comment in response to the legislature.
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Thank you for the correction. I was aware of that, but thought that Barry Switzer’s persona had popularized the phrase & the sentiment. Plus, nobody knows of George Cross.
A partial Barry Switzer quote:
“Some people are born on third base and go through life acting as if they had hit a triple.”
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Well, Pitt and GT, not so much, at least for b-ball.
I think the more likely strategy of the B1G and possibly the Pac-12 is some sort of agreement between the two, to have their teams play each other far more frequently or even merge some day. They’ve had an agreement to play each other in the Rose Bowl since the early 1900’s.
Big Ten’s interest in Georgia Tech is to get into the Atlanta TV market & to get a position in the South for recruiting fotball players. Every conference wants superstar players & the South isthe prime recruiting ground for elite players.
Pitt is of interest in order to reignite the Pitt-Penn State rivalry. Plus, there just are not many AAU member schools with elite sports programs in the two revenue sports of football & basketball. Also, addition of Pitt would solidify Big Ten footprint in that region of the country.
I’d start with USC then, since the #2 media market is Los Angeles, which is also a hotbed of recruiting.
As for Pitt, I just don’t think the B1G will be interested. As the old expression goes, B1G wants to “shoot elephants,” and go after big game, not field mice like Pitt. 
One of my best friends is a Penn State alum. He hates Pitt and has zero interest in his school playing them, or them joining the B1G. Pitt has always had an inferior football program with some recent (historically) exceptions, of course.
Tony Dorsett days weren’t too bad.
Concerning Big10 Pac12, I don’t see the B1G interested in my rooting favorite even though they are AAU. Even if they were and my team was in with the “in crowd” I’m just not fond of where college football has been heading and what’s next seems worse.
Tony’s days at Pitt were 45 years ago. Thats a long time ago and much has changed. Even Michigan won half a national title since then.
At this point, college football might as well just go the way of the NFL with 32 teams, 4, 6 or 8 team divisions and get it over with. Otherwise, it just seems like the whole re-alignment process is like slow water torture.
Maybe go with a relegation process whereby college football teams not in the 32-team mega conference can make it up to the “big leagues” and underperforming college football teams are relegated to a lower league.
Speaking of my PSU alumni buddy, he texted that right now that PSU has the #1 2022 recruiting class. I told him to wait a few minutes, kids are constantly decommitting these days.
Circumstances are much different these days and the Power 5s are not the WAC but thought this would be at least interesting considering what is going on.
Fun little side note, the article mentions BYU finished 5th in the country during the short reign of the 16 team league. That team was led by Steve Sarkisian. They beat Kansas State in the Cotton Bowl in Texas and Texas was picked over BYU for the Fiesta Bowl. Now, if he can hang onto the job, he will lead Texas into the SEC.
Related to teams involved in the shake up it sure would be fun the see those Oklahoma and Texas wishbone teams again as the RPO, exciting as is was at first, is getting pretty stale for me.
I read the article. Thank you for sharing.