ESPN better not try to pull a fast one and drag them into the SBC, or they will really run the risk of an anti-trust investigation and possible prosectution by the Justice Department for anti-competitive practices.

They've already been walking on extremely thin ice, and they're only about 2 mm away from a prima facie proof of anti-competitive behavior.

(11-09-2021 07:49 PM)GreenFreakUAB Wrote:  

(11-09-2021 07:03 PM)RUScarlets Wrote:  They want to get all the conferences up to 14. Creates tight geography and you can cap at 8 conference games. It’s only a matter of time before the MAC gets there as well, with these two or others. I’d imagine the MWC and PAC12 would do similar if the geography and rivalries weren’t already near perfect. More than 14 is diminishing returns, although that could change in the future.

...football is optimum at 14, it does appear... I DO think the 'Power' conferences will be at 16 each, tho - except perhaps the PAC, as I'm not sure if they will grab four more teams unless they could snag a 'pod' of the 'mid-upper tier' Texas teams...

The generic optimum for an eight-conference-game Go5 conference could easily still be 12, but then divisional structure and the availability of specific schools that raise conference media value can lead to a specific 14-school alignment being preferable.

Optima are often like that ... near the optimum, the marginal costs and benefits are not far from each other, so it doesn't take as much to push the optimum around.

For power conferences, the generic optimum is larger, because the TV inventory is more valuable deeper into the conference standings in a given year.

(11-10-2021 07:59 AM)BruceMcF Wrote:  

(11-09-2021 07:49 PM)GreenFreakUAB Wrote:  

(11-09-2021 07:03 PM)RUScarlets Wrote:  They want to get all the conferences up to 14. Creates tight geography and you can cap at 8 conference games. It’s only a matter of time before the MAC gets there as well, with these two or others. I’d imagine the MWC and PAC12 would do similar if the geography and rivalries weren’t already near perfect. More than 14 is diminishing returns, although that could change in the future.

...football is optimum at 14, it does appear... I DO think the 'Power' conferences will be at 16 each, tho - except perhaps the PAC, as I'm not sure if they will grab four more teams unless they could snag a 'pod' of the 'mid-upper tier' Texas teams...

The generic optimum for an eight-conference-game Go5 conference could easily still be 12, but then divisional structure and the availability of specific schools that raise conference media value can lead to a specific 14-school alignment being preferable.

Optima are often like that ... near the optimum, the marginal costs and benefits are not far from each other, so it doesn't take as much to push the optimum around.

For power conferences, the generic optimum is larger, because the TV inventory is more valuable deeper into the conference standings in a given year.

I used to think 12 was perfect for an 8 conference game schedule but I'm not mad with having 14 how the SBC expanded. Evidently the value was enough to add all 4 opposed to only 2.

Little Rock and UTA will eventually leave and we'll be at 14 members for basketball, baseball, etc. as well.

As much as I would love to still be in a conference with WKU, I don't think the SBC wants at all to go to 16 football schools. Also adding both WKU and MTSU would wreak havoc on the divisions. Honestely, IF (and I mean BIG IF, thought experiment type o' deal) that SBC wanted to bring in WKU, I think you bring in La Tech in the west to keep things even.

(11-11-2021 01:55 PM)Blue_Trombone Wrote:  As much as I would love to still be in a conference with WKU, I don't think the SBC wants at all to go to 16 football schools. Also adding both WKU and MTSU would wreak havoc on the divisions. Honestely, IF (and I mean BIG IF, thought experiment type o' deal) that SBC wanted to bring in WKU, I think you bring in La Tech in the west to keep things even.

I think conferences that go to 16 will ditch traditional divisions over time.

SBC put out a map of the current members and stamped the SBC logo where Tennessee and Kentucky are.

I don't think they have any plans right now to invite either back into the conference.