(08-22-2023 07:28 AM)BeatWestern! Wrote: Chris Vannini of The Athletic reports that CUSA schools did sign a GOR as part of their new media rights deal that runs through 2027-28:
"In addition to this new five-year media rights contract (plus a one-year option), CUSA schools have signed a grant of rights, according to a source familiar with the agreement, giving their media rights to the conference and keeping the league locked together through the deal. It’s a major step up in stability from recent years, and no other Group of 5 conference has a grant of rights."
This, of course, has huge implications for conference realignment, as none of the other G5 conferences will be able to poach teams from CUSA in the next five years.
This means if the MAC does indeed intend to expand to 14 members before its media rights deal expires in 2026-27, it will likely be with UMass and Delaware for all sports or UMass and UConn for football only.
And if the AAC does lose SMU to the ACC and backfills with Texas State (instead of Army West Point), the SBC could target Missouri State to replace the Bobcats.
Interesting development. It’s short term but it at least gives CUSA some stability for the next 5 years. Of course if a conference could offer you $6-$8M you probably still just leave anyway and break the GOR by paying it.
I don't see how it helps that much because at the G5 level, the media rights aren't really worth that much anyway. It might keep the SB and MAC from poaching, and maaaaybe the AAC if they tried to get them in at the $2million they gave the CUSA newbies. But if the AAC or MWC offered a full share, teams would still likely leave. At least until their payments drop to be more in line with the other three.
Right now not knowing what the next round of alignment has going on or the ripple effects, I gotta say it was a bold move for JuJu and Co to do it to keep the league afloat.
It makes sense that C-USA would clean up its bylaws after the SB3 made it abundantly clear they were full of holes. But I'm surprised the non-call ups in the conference would make it significantly harder to leave with the potential of the MWC and AAC needing to in fill.
(08-22-2023 08:39 AM)KRT8871 Wrote: It makes sense that C-USA would clean up its bylaws after the SB3 made it abundantly clear they were full of holes. But I'm surprised the non-call ups in the conference would make it significantly harder to leave with the potential of the MWC and AAC needing to in fill.
It makes sense from the perspective it keeps the league from falling apart again. If this had been in place two years ago, the second round of poaching from the Sun Belt never happens.
If the AAC or MWC get raided it makes the potential for a double raid (like the AAC/Sun Belt one that just happened) less of a threat.
As one of the leftovers, I don’t mind it if it means additional stability and more significant financial windfall in the event of instability.
(08-22-2023 08:39 AM)KRT8871 Wrote: It makes sense that C-USA would clean up its bylaws after the SB3 made it abundantly clear they were full of holes. But I'm surprised the non-call ups in the conference would make it significantly harder to leave with the potential of the MWC and AAC needing to in fill.
It makes sense from the perspective it keeps the league from falling apart again. If this had been in place two years ago, the second round of poaching from the Sun Belt never happens.
If the AAC or MWC get raided it makes the potential for a double raid (like the AAC/Sun Belt one that just happened) less of a threat.
As one of the leftovers, I don’t mind it if it means additional stability and more significant financial windfall in the event of instability.
Exactly. If CUSA were to fall apart, I don't think it's feasible for a La Tech to go Indy again. I think I've seen where some of Tech's fans have said it was a tough time for the Athletics department. It's doable, just not feasible. That's if they couldn't find a home elsewhere.
(08-22-2023 08:39 AM)KRT8871 Wrote: It makes sense that C-USA would clean up its bylaws after the SB3 made it abundantly clear they were full of holes. But I'm surprised the non-call ups in the conference would make it significantly harder to leave with the potential of the MWC and AAC needing to in fill.
It makes sense from the perspective it keeps the league from falling apart again. If this had been in place two years ago, the second round of poaching from the Sun Belt never happens.
If the AAC or MWC get raided it makes the potential for a double raid (like the AAC/Sun Belt one that just happened) less of a threat.
As one of the leftovers, I don’t mind it if it means additional stability and more significant financial windfall in the event of instability.
We would have stroked a check and headed for the door just the same.
(08-22-2023 08:39 AM)KRT8871 Wrote: It makes sense that C-USA would clean up its bylaws after the SB3 made it abundantly clear they were full of holes. But I'm surprised the non-call ups in the conference would make it significantly harder to leave with the potential of the MWC and AAC needing to in fill.
Me too, but I don't think a 4-yr GOR in CUSA is going to keep LaTech, WKU and MTSU from doing whatever it is that they want to do. If something better comes along, dey gone.
(08-22-2023 08:56 AM)ODUODUODU Wrote: By Laws Baby!!!
UAB flaunted the CUSA bylaws when it dropped football in 2014. The bylaws required that all CUSA members (starting with CUSA 2.0) have FBS football programs. They should have been removed from the league. Instead they were given special treatment that gave them huge advantages when they returned. I figure any CUSA GOR is worth about as much as those bylaws.
(08-22-2023 08:39 AM)KRT8871 Wrote: It makes sense that C-USA would clean up its bylaws after the SB3 made it abundantly clear they were full of holes. But I'm surprised the non-call ups in the conference would make it significantly harder to leave with the potential of the MWC and AAC needing to in fill.
Me too, but I don't think a 4-yr GOR in CUSA is going to keep LaTech, WKU and MTSU from doing whatever it is that they want to do. If something better comes along, dey gone.
Didnt MTSU just reject an offer from the MAC, which resulted in WKU being forced to stay in Judy-land too? MT had a chance for something better and didnt take it... screwing WKU in the process.
At C-USA's TV value you could buy out of that GOR for a ham sandwich. What's actually more interesting in regards to this is will we get to see in the near future what happens if you try to break a GOR? No one at the "Power" level has had the guts to legally challenge a GOR, not because it's a guarantee that it will legally hold but because the downside risk of it happening is so large. I highly doubt any court would actually hold that a conference owns your TV rights for the entire life of the GOR, in almost all cases if you can assign a monetary value to something that's what they do. So what would they assign the monetary value of a GOR? The full share of the departing member for the life of the contract? Some lesser number based upon the economic loss of the departing member? That's going to be fascinating to watch, and I'm sure FSU is hoping to see some GOR precedent get set.
(08-22-2023 08:39 AM)KRT8871 Wrote: It makes sense that C-USA would clean up its bylaws after the SB3 made it abundantly clear they were full of holes. But I'm surprised the non-call ups in the conference would make it significantly harder to leave with the potential of the MWC and AAC needing to in fill.
It makes sense from the perspective it keeps the league from falling apart again. If this had been in place two years ago, the second round of poaching from the Sun Belt never happens.
If the AAC or MWC get raided it makes the potential for a double raid (like the AAC/Sun Belt one that just happened) less of a threat.
As one of the leftovers, I don’t mind it if it means additional stability and more significant financial windfall in the event of instability.
A GOR also might have been a requirement from media partners to get the deal y'all have. So the legacy members might not have been left with many good other choices.
(08-22-2023 08:39 AM)KRT8871 Wrote: It makes sense that C-USA would clean up its bylaws after the SB3 made it abundantly clear they were full of holes. But I'm surprised the non-call ups in the conference would make it significantly harder to leave with the potential of the MWC and AAC needing to in fill.
Me too, but I don't think a 4-yr GOR in CUSA is going to keep LaTech, WKU and MTSU from doing whatever it is that they want to do. If something better comes along, dey gone.
Didnt MTSU just reject an offer from the MAC, which resulted in WKU being forced to stay in Judy-land too? MT had a chance for something better and didnt take it... screwing WKU in the process.
The rumor is that the MAC wanted a 20 year GOR. No idea if that was ever substantiated or not.
(08-22-2023 08:39 AM)KRT8871 Wrote: It makes sense that C-USA would clean up its bylaws after the SB3 made it abundantly clear they were full of holes. But I'm surprised the non-call ups in the conference would make it significantly harder to leave with the potential of the MWC and AAC needing to in fill.
Me too, but I don't think a 4-yr GOR in CUSA is going to keep LaTech, WKU and MTSU from doing whatever it is that they want to do. If something better comes along, dey gone.
Didnt MTSU just reject an offer from the MAC, which resulted in WKU being forced to stay in Judy-land too? MT had a chance for something better and didnt take it... screwing WKU in the process.
The rumor is that the MAC wanted a 20 year GOR. No idea if that was ever substantiated or not.
Vannini said that CUSA was the only G5 to have a GOR.
"In addition to this new five-year media rights contract (plus a one-year option), CUSA schools have signed a grant of rights, according to a source familiar with the agreement, giving their media rights to the conference and keeping the league locked together through the deal. It’s a major step up in stability from recent years, and no other Group of 5 conference has a grant of rights."
(This post was last modified: 08-22-2023 10:46 AM by GreenBison.)
(08-22-2023 08:39 AM)KRT8871 Wrote: It makes sense that C-USA would clean up its bylaws after the SB3 made it abundantly clear they were full of holes. But I'm surprised the non-call ups in the conference would make it significantly harder to leave with the potential of the MWC and AAC needing to in fill.
Me too, but I don't think a 4-yr GOR in CUSA is going to keep LaTech, WKU and MTSU from doing whatever it is that they want to do. If something better comes along, dey gone.
Didnt MTSU just reject an offer from the MAC, which resulted in WKU being forced to stay in Judy-land too? MT had a chance for something better and didnt take it... screwing WKU in the process.
The rumor is that the MAC wanted a 20 year GOR. No idea if that was ever substantiated or not.
Vannini said that CUSA was the only G5 to have a GOR.
"In addition to this new five-year media rights contract (plus a one-year option), CUSA schools have signed a grant of rights, according to a source familiar with the agreement, giving their media rights to the conference and keeping the league locked together through the deal. It’s a major step up in stability from recent years, and no other Group of 5 conference has a grant of rights."
Rumor was the MAC wanted that from MT and WKU to bail them out of CUSA.
WKU and Liberty people aren't happy about it. WKU believes they are the next call up to the SBC or AAC if a team leaves. Liberty is destined to move up due to the amount of cash they are laying on top of.
MTSU said no to the MAC with WKU cause MTSU is in a bad financial spot but its getting better. The GOR is just a more permanent bandaid to give the ADs and CUSA officials more time to add 2-4 schools over the next 4 years (year before their media deal is over).
People in KY were under the impression that WKU would fill a spot in the SBC if a team leaves and EKU would backfill their CUSA spot or EKU and WKU would finally put their differences aside and move to the MAC together.
GOR CUSA now makes it more difficult for SBC or AAC call ups now
