(10-30-2014 11:09 AM)KNIGHTTIME Wrote:  

(10-30-2014 09:18 AM)bearcatlawjd Wrote:  The chances that a school in the Big East improves their situation is going to be very small. Unless the ACC wants non-football playing members, Georgetown and Villanova have reached their pinnacle. The schools in the American on the other hand still have a chance to move up when the next wave of realignment hits. That could be soon or it could be another decade or two. Cincinnati, USF, UConn, Temple, Houston, SMU, and Tulane have in their history membership in a major football conference. Just about every school in the American was considered a major independent at one time or another. The Big East might have a better fate than the American but fans root for teams not conferences. I believe every school in the American has a chance at a better future than every school in the Big East. If the C7 didn't split off I believe the current situation for all programs would have been better off too.

Right now both conferences are major college basketball conferences sitting outside of the power five. The teams in the American get the benefit of playing major college football on the ESPN networks and have the opportunity to play in an access bowl game. Overall revenue for the football playing schools when compared to the Big East isn't an issue.

I agree here. I think they really underestimated what piggyback football brands to winter - spring sports. It will be interesting if they get another year of near 0.00 ratings. That will take a toll on future recruiting. Players in 9th grade won't care about past glory days. They want their names in lights. ESPN basically is acting like the new big east league doesn't exist.

What it comes down to (if you read some of my rant above) is that you dont screw with ESPN. If NBC ever really wanted to make a monster move into sports, they could compete but it just doesnt look like they are ever really going to get serious. They dipped their toe and did very little else.

The worst thing the C7 was not work closer with ESPN to get a better deal. I honestly would take less with the evil empire and live then to sign with a competitor and take their rath.

I hope our next negotiations we get about triple what we got this time... $6 million is a number I am hoping for, and the big part will be that we get most of our third tier rights.... but most importantly is that we continue to get the coverage were getting now and that we stay in the good graces of the E!
(btw, but this contract were under has given us more coverage then any contract ever did as the Big East...pays like ****, but at least were seen and can earn more long term)

(10-30-2014 11:09 AM)KNIGHTTIME Wrote:  

(10-30-2014 09:18 AM)bearcatlawjd Wrote:  The chances that a school in the Big East improves their situation is going to be very small. Unless the ACC wants non-football playing members, Georgetown and Villanova have reached their pinnacle. The schools in the American on the other hand still have a chance to move up when the next wave of realignment hits. That could be soon or it could be another decade or two. Cincinnati, USF, UConn, Temple, Houston, SMU, and Tulane have in their history membership in a major football conference. Just about every school in the American was considered a major independent at one time or another. The Big East might have a better fate than the American but fans root for teams not conferences. I believe every school in the American has a chance at a better future than every school in the Big East. If the C7 didn't split off I believe the current situation for all programs would have been better off too.

Right now both conferences are major college basketball conferences sitting outside of the power five. The teams in the American get the benefit of playing major college football on the ESPN networks and have the opportunity to play in an access bowl game. Overall revenue for the football playing schools when compared to the Big East isn't an issue.

I agree here. I think they really underestimated what piggyback football brands to winter - spring sports. It will be interesting if they get another year of near 0.00 ratings. That will take a toll on future recruiting. Players in 9th grade won't care about past glory days. They want their names in lights. ESPN basically is acting like the new big east league doesn't exist.

Agreed.

As bearcatlawjd well knows, for several decades the Missouri Valley was perceived (and probably rightly so) as a top 2-3 basketball conference. Current members; Drake, Bradley, and Wichita State; coupled with former members Cincy, Louisville, St. Louis, and Memphis (State) made for a really tough conference. That conference, while still good, no longer enjoys the perception and rankings that it once did. Admittedly, some of those programs left that conference because they sought a better home for football as independents and eventually CUSA.

While spring sports only programs will always have an opportunity to do very well on the court because you can do it with a minimal number of really good players, especially Georgetown, Marquette, DePaul, Villanova, etc that have a rich tradition; they could very well struggle to be at the very, very top level without being on a very accessible (to the public) national stage week in and week out.

While I understand why their fans aren't happy here, UConn's basketball program may have come out much better than the C7....even if they do have to hang out with all of these southern programs. :)

The sad truth is that the Big East vs. AAC fights are essentially two mice fighting over the spare piece of cheese left over from Thanksgiving dinner.

(10-30-2014 11:50 AM)oliveandblue Wrote:  The sad truth is that the Big East vs. AAC fights are essentially two mice fighting over the spare piece of cheese left over from Thanksgiving dinner.

Very true... but dammnit I want that mouse to freaking die so we can add their cheese to our pile!

I think the p5 will eventually want that separate league and hopefully they agree to taking a bloated mwc + aac merger. I think they will be ok with just eliminating a good chunk of the current fbs at the bottom. Then let our two leagues fight out for 1 spot.

(10-30-2014 12:46 PM)KNIGHTTIME Wrote:  I think the p5 will eventually want that separate league and hopefully they agree to taking a bloated mwc + aac merger. I think they will be ok with just eliminating a good chunk of the current fbs at the bottom. Then let our two leagues fight out for 1 spot.

and as much as I am mildly ashamed to say it, I dont think its a bad idea. If you look at the budget and attendance of the MAC, Sunbelt and CUSA it is a major departure from the P5.

Some of the MWC is semi close and several in the AAC are pretty close. I looked at USF and if we had a B12 type payout for TV then we would be right in the middle of the Athletic Budgets... but not a single team in the Sunbelt, even with an SEC or Big 10 payout would even crack the P5 budgets.

That gap isnt going to get closer and now with full cost of attendance and other add on costs, there are probably 40 or more programs that will never be able to effectively compete.

If you look at total sports revenue, the P5 conferences take the top 45 slots...then UNLV sneaks in there. Connecticut, Cinci, Memphis, USF, New Mexico, Boise St and Houston round out the top 60.

Really I dont see anybody in the AAC that if they were getting a Big 12 type tv deal wouldnt be within the range of the other P5 schools.

It makes me feel for Cinci and Uconn even more. If you add $18 million to their revenue, then they would move into the top 30-40 area. (given, this graph removes any private school, so most of us would move down but the point is still the same)

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/s.../finances/

Last years data but Its not far off. Our average of course drops with the loss of Lville but my overal point still remains.

If those are USA Today numbers, they are TWO years old...12/13. I've been looking for 13/14 numbers, but haven't seen them published anywhere yet. Seems like ope.ed.gov updates in the winter IIRC. There are other sites, but they're still reporting 12/13 numbers as well best I can tell...frustrating as I'm interested in seeing how the conference change affects Memphis' budget. If you've found updated numbers, please share the link.

(10-30-2014 02:52 PM)gulfcoastgal Wrote:  If those are USA Today numbers, they are TWO years old...12/13. I've been looking for 13/14 numbers, but haven't seen them published anywhere yet. Seems like ope.ed.gov updates in the winter IIRC. There are other sites, but they're still reporting 12/13 numbers as well best I can tell...frustrating as I'm interested in seeing how the conference change affects Memphis' budget. If you've found updated numbers, please share the link.

Yes, they are old.

I use those numbers quite often to compare schools/conferences and also have been looking for later numbers that are as easy to use as these USA Today numbers are.

The numbers on the below link are more current but much harder to use in a way that folks understand.

http://ope.ed.gov/athletics/WebsiteUpdatedMessage.aspx

Yeah, that's from the 12/13 school year too...Tiger's last year in CUSA. Seems like this database is one of the first to update...so hopefully soon. I asked on the Memphis board...thinking a current 14/15 number would have been mentioned in an interview somewhere...no such luck. With the increased money from the AAC, I'd be surprised if it's not curently in the 50-55 range. Of course, they could account for it in many different ways.

Not much will have changed in that time as a base comparison of the G5 conferences and which ones could actually financially compete with the P5... the point, even if old numbers is that only the AAC and to a degree the MWC could would actually look like a P5 financially speaking if they were to move into a P5 conference.
CUSA, Sunbelt and MAC even with a $20 million tv deal still would be below the lowest P5... If there is a split, right now I think the AAC is in the right position.

Aresco has repeatedly said that he is working on ESPN every year to increase value and tv contract... we just need to be THE nest best option and I think our futures look pretty good.