(09-26-2017 09:04 AM)Soobahk40050 Wrote: None of this is implausible, and if accurate, I wonder if we will see a PAC vs. ACC bidding war for Texas.
ACC: Come join us and you can bring a friend.
PAC: Come join us and you can bring along three friends.
ACC: Come join us and you can bring a friend and be independent with a five game schedule.
PAC: Come join us and you can bring along three friends and be independent with a five game schedule.
ACC: Come join us, bring a friend, be independent, and be eligible for our bowls.
Big 10: Come join us if you want to be part of an academic elite.
SEC: Come join us if you want. Hey, OK, want to bring State along?
That's not too far fetched. Check your WSJ listing of valuations. The SEC was worth 7 Billion according to the WSJ. The PAC was worth 3 and the ACC worth 2 billion respectively. The Big 10 was worth 5.5 billion.
Now for those who want lesser brands all I ask is why? We are the Rolls Royce as compared to the Big 10's top of the line Detroit Cadillac. While the hippies out west are in a Vintage Volkswagen Bus complete with flower decals, and the ACC is sporting a Hyundai.
All we need to do is land Oklahoma. Then Texas is free to cut its nose off to spite its face if they desire to do so, or to throw in with us.
Should the SEC ever land Oklahoma and Texas I wouldn't rule out expansion to 20 with brands from the East in 2035. The financial impact of the SEC would be enormous at that point. In fact I would say overwhelming.
Look at Harbaugh's remarks about Purdue's facilities. That seed could eventually grow into division in the Big 10 where 6 or 7 schools make the cash for the other 7 or 8. There are many forces at play and most of them are financial in nature. The PAC is located in some of the highest cost of living places in the U.S. and yet their income for sports lags significantly. The ACC is partially in the other highest area for cost of living at the Northern end and they trail by even more. And the Big 10 which also shares a percentage of gate is showing some cracks in the foundation between those who invest in their product and those who tag along for a check.
When playing bigger names more frequently becomes the move that makes the most cash, and in a streaming world it will, then the crack in the Big 10 will result eventually in a split.
But lest we think that the SEC is immune to such we had better think again. Vanderbilt's facilities while up to date are small and they don't compete in all of our sports. Missouri isn't fully integrated. Arkansas has been neglected but will be fine if we land OU or UT. And what we don't think about often is that Florida is gradually becoming alien corn. The state continues to swell with snowbirds and now their descendants which means culturally speaking they are growing apart from the mainline SEC schools. Financially they see no other option that the SEC. But just 40 years ago they were essentially just like us. Now they are not. So we too have some cracks in the foundation.
But for all of that we seem to forget too soon just how far ahead of even our closest rival we really are. We are 16 million per school average in Gross Revenue ahead of the Big 10. We have uniformed standards in facilities. We are valued 1.5 Billion dollars in valuation higher than the Big 10. Outside of the SECN we don't have a GOR because we've never needed one. We have the most loyal and rabid fan bases in the nation. And we win, not as much the past couple of years, but we win at a frequency that makes the rest of them despise us.