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Throw Out the Records
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AllTideUp Offline
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Post: #1
Throw Out the Records
That's what they say when rivals get together.

One thing is certain about the modern era of realignment; too many rivalries were lost and that hurts the game.

So how do we remedy that?

Well, I think everyone would be wise to keep longstanding rivalries in mind when they calculate moves. Whether that's networks, conferences, or individual schools; the rivalries preserved or regained will have a cascading effect.

With that in mind, I present a model for putting some of these pieces together.

1. Who are the biggest pieces?

-Oklahoma and Texas

2. Who are their rivals?

-Each other for one thing, but OU plays Oklahoma State annually and the game seems to be pretty important regionally even though one program obviously dominates most of the football games.

-Texas' prime rival outside of OU would be Texas A&M. The problem is that A&M doesn't appear too interested in playing at the moment. I don't blame them, but it makes things interesting. Are they simply waiting UT out until they come with hat in hand? Do they value the SEC brand in TX to such a high degree that offering any bump to UT's schedule or revenue would be a non-starter? In addition, UT is proud and proud of being proud. They want to look like the lead dog at all times so fitting in with the SEC will be tough even in its simplest form.

3. What ancillary moves could be made to facilitate?

-UT would probably want other schools in TX to come with them and that creates problems. A&M would be against that immediately, but I don't think you'd get a positive consensus in the conference either. A bunch of schools beholden to UT doesn't really provide a good extension of the SEC's modus operandi.

-Oklahoma and Oklahoma State are fine together although it's a small state. OSU doesn't offer you any substantial number of fans that OU wouldn't bring to the table. Nonetheless, they fit pretty well together and the content value of Oklahoma State's presence should not be discounted.

4. Are there any other moves that could be made to account for obstacles to the endgame?

-Kansas will probably need to be accounted for. I think ESPN would love to have total control of their product for basketball season.

-The ACC is likely locked tight for the moment, but they could still be used to acquire select properties on behalf of ESPN.

5. Does Texas have legitimate options if the Big 12 breaks down while they simultaneously wish to forgo the SEC?

-The Big Ten is an option, but not a very workable one. The PAC 12 is an option, but not a terribly profitable one. The ACC is really not a fit for their needs.

-They could manage independence, but life would be somewhat difficult. This move might have some political backlash as well being that a few schools in TX will end up being diminished economically.

So now that I've laid all that out, what is the solution? There isn't a simple one really. Somebody always loses no matter how you slice it.

When it comes down to it, none of these leagues want to make major changes. Even the changes they're willing to make would be somewhat small in nature just to keep from upsetting the apple cart.

There is an interesting nexus here though. These 3 leagues, the SEC, ACC, and the Big 12 are more powerful together rather than a situation where they look to raid or outdo each other. Is it possible these leagues could more or less partner with one another in such a way that movement between them would be unnecessary? Here's what I mean...

The current playoff structure is weighted towards big name brands and regional representation. I think we'd all prefer a system that awarded winning more than anything. Winning your division and your conference should mean something after all.

So what if we had a system where these divisions are more or less preserved? For the sake of rivalries...for the sake of creating a more sensibly playoff system...for the sake of politics.

The SEC adds South Florida and TCU. They get a strong performing school with a growing alumni base. They get a direct presence in DFW without having to pry any of the big boys away. Neither Florida nor Texas A&M should be threatened by these moves.

The ACC adds West Virginia and Central Florida. They get more football prowess and more schools with decent sized fan bases or alumni bases. That league will need them in the future. Notre Dame is going to bail because this new way of doing things is going to exclude them. That's a key feature because the ACC is no longer going to need them.

The Big 12 needs to replace 2 members, but that's not a problem. They're going to focus on the Western states from this point. Houston is added to regain a more direct presence in that market while their league's penetration in DFW isn't dramatically affected by the loss of TCU. They also add BYU to get back to 10...a pretty simple move. But in order to provide divisional balance, they need to get to 16 and tap some new markets. I'll posit a crazy thought here...USC, UCLA, Arizona, Arizona State, Utah, and Colorado all make the move to the Big 12 because in this scenario the PAC 12 has proven their ineptitude.

These 3 leagues...the Big 12, SEC, and ACC are now all at 16 members. Each division winner is important because we're not getting rid of conference championship games. We have 6 relevant divisions and the potential to add 2 more if the Big Ten wants to get with the picture.

Each of the conference winners gets a slot in the playoff. There's room for a 4th in the form of a wildcard slot. We could also give that slot to the Big Ten too if they come aboard.
05-09-2020 01:46 PM
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