(04-04-2022 05:55 PM)Wahoowa84 Wrote:  

(04-04-2022 04:08 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(04-04-2022 03:50 PM)Wahoowa84 Wrote:  

(04-04-2022 02:56 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(04-04-2022 01:51 PM)Wahoowa84 Wrote:  Second scenario in this same mindset…the Alliance actually forms to transform collegiate athletics.

A) B1G accommodates schools from both coasts to form a 28-member national conference.
East - Rutgers, Maryland, Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State and Indiana
Midwest - Purdue, Illinois, Northwestern, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Nebraska
Atlantic - Florida State, Miami, Georgia Tech, Duke, North Carolina, Virginia and Notre Dame
Pacific - Washington, Oregon, Cal, Stanford, UCLA, USC and Colorado

B) SEC prefers to only add four schools that augments its cultural and regional footprint. The 20-team SEC includes Kansas, Virginia Tech, NC State and Clemson.
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C) Others from the ACC, B12 & PAC join together for a second national conference,
East - BC, Syracuse, Pitt, Louisville, Wake, WVU and UCF
Central - Iowa State, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, TCU, Baylor and Houston
West - Arizona, ASU, Utah, Oregon State, Washington State, BYU and San Diego State

What Alliance? The one in support of the NCAA, amateurism, and a botched scheduling alliance? The organizers are networks, the conferences are a brand label, and a collective product, and realignment the arrangement and culling of the product line. There are no ideals involved. It's simply business and pay for play and NIL negated any semblance of idealism which may have remained, and that wasn't very much at all. The NCAA served itself. Amateurism was a myth. And college sports have never been clean.

The third scenario is the SEC-led, and ESPN-financed, Southern brands strategy.

A) SEC (@ 24 universities) secures the Southern footprint and basketball with UVa, VT, UNC, Duke, Clemson, Florida State, Miami and Kansas.

B) B1G (@ 24) reacts by cornering Notre Dame plus nine from the PAC (Washington, Oregon, Cal, Stanford, USC, UCLA, Arizona, Utah and Colorado)

C) The remaining schools with brand-value then combine for a 16-team grouping
East - BC, Syracuse, Pitt, Louisville, NC State, Wake, Georgia Tech and WVU
West - BYU, Arizona State, Texas Tech, Baylor, TCU, Oklahoma State, Kansas State and Iowa State
It's not realistic to expect this group to make more than their current levels.

Unfortunately, all three scenarios break-up the current ACC.

I see this one as the more likely. ESPN will segregate by pay the two collections of properties they wish to retain. And all of the non-alliance scenarios break up the PAC as well. Money is the catalyst that changes things for the lesser paid. It's simply a transformative amount which schools will see as essential to keeping status.

BTW, I think it's a coin flip between Miami (3rd Fla school and a different piece of the Florida market), Georgia Tech (essentially 80% of Atlanta with UGa, Clemson & Auburn) which is AAU, and Louisville (top 15 revenue producer. I agree on the other 7. The wild card is what if ND doesn't opt Big10 and doesn't want a partial with the ACC/B12 merger due to which schools would be in it? What if they opted for the Neo-SoCon for recruiting and markets in a more Catholic region?

With regards to the coin-flip...

ESPN wants Miami (better viewership); UF and FSU support this preference (better rivalries); and football coaches will make their preferences known (better recruits).

Academics will favor Georgia Tech; lots of historical rivals may concur (Georgia, Clemson, Auburn, Alabama & Tennessee could all financially leverage games in the big city); and the ACC blue bloods would support this addition.

Even though revenues are impressive, I don't believe that Louisville could outmaneuver the politicking by Georgia Tech or Miami.

If ESPN Keeps ND.

SEC:

Duke, Kentucky, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Tennessee, Virginia

Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, South Carolina

Alabama, Auburn, Louisiana State, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt

Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas A&M


B12/ACC

Boston College, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, N.C. State, Virginia Tech, West Virginia

Cincinnati, Iowa State, Louisville, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Texas Christian

Baylor, Central Florida, Houston, Memphis, Miami, Tulane, Wake Forest

Boise State, Brigham Young, Colorado State, Oregon State, Texas Tech, Washington State


B1G:

Indiana, Maryland, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Rutgers

Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Northwestern, Wisconsin

Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, Minnesota, Nebraska, Utah

California, California Los Angeles, Oregon, Southern Cal, Stanford, Washington.

If ESPN doesn't keep ND. The B1G drops Arizona State and adds N.D. The divisions shift. The SEC adds Virginia Tech in place of ND. The B12/ACC adds Arizona State adds Wake Forest in the North and drops Boise.