Picking Up The Pieces

[glduck]

If this has any legs, my support for an alliance with the ACC has dwindled to nothing.

[PAC MAN]

I’m just enjoying the free entertainment of fan meltdowns on forums.  Carry on and we’ll all find conference homes.

[CRBuff]

What’s up guys?  Anything going on?

[Spaztecs]

On 7/5/2022 at 12:09 PM, Scscsc89 said:

Very possible -- but I think it's more likely that ND says No & the B1G adds Oregon and Washington to round out a West Coast scheduling pod.  Having the LA schools alone really makes no sense.  

Cal & Stanford are complete wildcards.

If the B1G brings in OUW, the remaining members will have to take a pay cut. Bringing in U$CLA provided the existing members with a pay raise. Same with Notre Dame.

Personally, I see no reason for the B1G to want them.

It is the PAC members desire to hold at ten, but the Four Corners Schools may bolt anyway. 

OUW seemingly are tied to their Sister Schools so can't move without them. We may see a PNW PAC. Maybe then Cal/Stan will get over their Elitism and feel enough pressure to bring in some MW Squads.

Maybe.

[Scscsc89]

Are you basing “seemingly are tied” to a single tweet by someone saying early on that some Oregon and Washington lawmakers feel that way?

[Spaztecs]

On 7/5/2022 at 3:28 PM, Scscsc89 said:

Geography is money too.

 

This is a moronic statement even by your standards.

 

we’ll bookmark this & see which one of us proven correct.

U$C wanted no part of NikeU in the move to the B1G. It wasn't just the money for their exit. It was also about Oregon. Don't know what it is about, but saw a tweet the other day in the MW Board.

$C would be more than happy to see Standordt join Notre Dame.

Ucla is going to be Maryland with no natural rivals and a subpar FB program. They came for the check.

[Scscsc89]

If someone tweeted an opinion like that, it must be true.

[Spaztecs]

On 7/5/2022 at 3:31 PM, row Z said:

I'm not convinced it will be a net positive. Would a 5* rather go to USC with cross country travel 4-5 times a year, or Ohio State/Mich/Alabama/LSU etc. with normal travel? Will be harder for parents to come to the games also.

With the NIL, thay shouldn't be an issue.

I have no doubt the B1G Boys have donors who cover the parents expenses and tix for every game.

If I was 5* kid, I would demand it.

[duckfandan]

On 7/7/2022 at 1:30 PM, Spaztecs said:

U$C wanted no part of NikeU in the move to the B1G. It wasn't just the money for their exit. It was also about Oregon. Don't know what it is about, but saw a tweet the other day in the MW Board.

$C would be more than happy to see Standordt join Notre Dame.

Ucla is going to be Maryland with no natural rivals and a subpar FB program. They came for the check.

Is this Aztec******?

[CRBuff]

On 7/7/2022 at 10:45 AM, glduck said:

If this has any legs, my support for an alliance with the ACC has dwindled to nothing.

If true (who knows, lots of “sources”) this seems like a really big deal.  Seems like the only option is a merger with b12?  Also be pretty surprised to see the ducks and huskies  not eventually in the big, makes too much sense.

[PAC MAN]

I don’t care what conference CU is in as long as the P12N distribution issues are squashed or no longer exists.  ESPN family of channels plus ESPN+ instead of the P12N would be worthy of celebration from any PAC fan base at this point.

[Scscsc89]

On 7/7/2022 at 1:26 PM, Spaztecs said:

If the B1G brings in OUW, the remaining members will have to take a pay cut.

That is the conventional wisdom but I think the math is probably more nuanced than that.  Consider the two hypothetical USC schedules:

 

Without Oregon & Washington

USC vs OOC

USC @ OOC 

USC vs. OOC 

USC vs UCLA

USC vs Wisconsin**

Ohio State vs USC**

USC @ Illinois **

Nebraska @ USC **

Iowa @ USC **

Minnesota vs USC **

Northwestern vs USC**

Michigan State @ USC **

 

With Oregon & Washington

USC vs OOC

USC @ OOC 

USC vs. OOC 

USC vs UCLA

USC vs Washington 

Oregon @ USC

USC @ Illinois **

Nebraska @ USC **

Iowa @ USC **

Minnesota vs USC **

Northwestern vs USC**

Ohio State vs. USC **

 

** Requires Cross Country travel

 

* National TV Audience

USC-Ohio State and UCLA-Michigan are fantastic but in this new schedule, they are rare.  If i am a sports network exec interested in ‘brands”, I’d be much more interested in (ie willing to pay for) having a yearly block of traditional rivalries like USC-Oregon & Oregon-UW than thrice as many USC-Rutgers, UCLA-Maryland level matchups

 

* Conference Travel Savings

You’re going to save $$$ and team wear & tear shipping fewer teams across country to play fewer times on the west coast
 

* Grandaddy of them All

The Rose Bowl and its money is going to want keep tradition.  It’s a lot easier if Oregon and UW are in the mix.  You can’t have the champion of a 16-team BigTen play the PAC-8.

 

I’m not suggesting this will happen but Oregon & Washington could be interesting additions. 

[Trojan209]

On 7/7/2022 at 2:27 PM, Scscsc89 said:

USC-Ohio State and UCLA-Michigan are fantastic but in this new schedule, they are rare.  If i am a sports network exec interested in ‘brands”, I’d be much more interested in (ie willing to pay for) having a yearly block of traditional rivalries like USC-Oregon & Oregon-UW than thrice as many USC-Rutgers, UCLA-Maryland level matchups

 

* Conference Travel Savings

You’re going to save $$$ and team wear & tear shipping fewer teams across country to play fewer times on the west coast
 

* Grandaddy of them All

The Rose Bowl and its money is going to want keep tradition.  It’s a lot easier if Oregon and UW are in the mix.  You can’t have the champion of a 16-team BigTen play the PAC-8.

I think it also hinges on what the B1G decides to do with divisions and the number of games. If they go to 10 conference games you're guaranteed to play everyone at least twice (home & away) every 2 years. But even at 9, you should still get everyone every 3 years.

So far the PAC is technically scraping divisions beginning this year and having the 2 best teams play in the CCG, and the ACC is going to a 3-5-5 model starting in 2023. The SEC was initially thinking of a 1-7-7 or a 3-6-6 model but now that the ACC is keeping 8 games I could see the SEC doing the same as well. In a conference with divisions, those high-profile games definitely happen less as we saw in the SEC where some schools haven't played each other in years. Georgia has still not played @TAMU. Before last season Bama/UF last played in the regular season in 2014.  They went a whole 10 years before finally playing in Gainesville again. But scraping divisions and going to pods or block scheduling should allow for more high-profile games to occur. Adding more teams could dilute that however so it's a catch-22. Do the networks care more about preserving USC/UCLA/Wash/Oregon every year or having USC/UCLA play home & home games with Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, etc every 2 years and deal with some of the less meaningful matchups as well? 

[Scscsc89]

Yep — although you could say the SEC scarcity model has helped them, along with playing less conference games.  
In an expanded playoff, Who knows?

 

[Orange]

On 7/2/2022 at 2:04 PM, Footballfan said:

As a BIG Ten football fan from Ohio, who was stationed at Ft. Ord, California with the U.S. Army in the early 80’s, I thoroughly enjoyed watching PAC 12 football Games.  I can truly say, “That I don’t want to see the PAC 12 Conference fold.  I loved watching the Stanford and Cal games when I was stationed at Ft. Ord, California.  As a kid I loved watching those Rose Bowl games between USC and Ohio State during the Woody Hayes and John McKay era.  This move makes makes me ill as a ‘College Football fan’ to see my BIG TEN stab a fellow Conference in the back that has been a (Rose Bowl) partner throughout the many decades of my life span.  Money has ruined College Football!  If I was the PAC 12 Commissioner, I would petition as a Conference to the California State Legislature and the California Governors Office to keep UCLA in the PAC 12, since the Bruins are a California State University funded by California State Taxpayers.  If USC as a private university still wants to go to the BIG TEN, then I would say as a Conference to the Trojans, “Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.”  As a (11 member PAC 12 Conference), I would counter the SEC and BIG TEN and proceed with lightening speed to build a PAC-24 member Western Super-Conference with the following teams; Invite the present MWC Teams; San Diego State, Boise State and either Colorado State or Fresno State.  Invite presently, Independent BYU.  Drop the Religious concern.  The Cougars bring a large fan base and have a National following.  Invite (Nebraska) from the BIG TEN.  Invite the following (BIG 12 Conference Teams), Iowa State, Kansas State, Kansas, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, TCU and Baylor.  Invite present AAC member, Houston or SEC member, Missouri or BIG TEN member, Minnesota.  If FOX Sports will not give the PAC 12 Conference a decent media-deal, then seek out one of the other sports networks, such as… (NBC Sports) or (CBS Sports).  Stay together PAC 12!  Call the SEC and BIG TEN Conferences bluff.

 

Respectfully

A College Football Fan

 

 

 

I like the spirit, but I just don't think the Pac has the juice to lure anyone to the west coast.

This is absolutely going to CRUSH the college-town economies on the west coast.  It's over.

[azgreg]

On 7/7/2022 at 9:45 AM, glduck said:

If this has any legs, my support for an alliance with the ACC has dwindled to nothing.

That dude writes for swimswam.com.

 

[CRBuff]

On 7/7/2022 at 5:34 PM, azgreg said:

That dude writes for swimswam.com.

 

Another “source” too.  Every other person on twitter seems to have an inside source.

[Aztecgolfer]

On 7/7/2022 at 1:26 PM, Spaztecs said:

If the B1G brings in OUW, the remaining members will have to take a pay cut. Bringing in U$CLA provided the existing members with a pay raise. Same with Notre Dame.

Personally, I see no reason for the B1G to want them.

It is the PAC members desire to hold at ten, but the Four Corners Schools may bolt anyway. 

OUW seemingly are tied to their Sister Schools so can't move without them. We may see a PNW PAC. Maybe then Cal/Stan will get over their Elitism and feel enough pressure to bring in some MW Squads.

Maybe.

If the PAC doesn't hemorrhage any more schools, and it appears that the BIG is not interested in OU and WU, then staying put makes sense for the rest of the programs. The conference should add two replacement schools but they are unlikely to get any from the BIG12, so then they have to look at a couple of G5 programs from other conferences. Something they are not likely to relish even thinking about. It is going to be a difficult transition when those left in the PAC have to realize they don't get to sit at the big table anymore.

[MrBug708]

On 7/7/2022 at 1:30 PM, Spaztecs said:

U$C wanted no part of NikeU in the move to the B1G. It wasn't just the money for their exit. It was also about Oregon. Don't know what it is about, but saw a tweet the other day in the MW Board.

$C would be more than happy to see Standordt join Notre Dame.

Ucla is going to be Maryland with no natural rivals and a subpar FB program. They came for the check.

Did you just say that, in a conference with both UCLA and USC, UCLA would have no natural rival?

[CRBuff]

On 7/7/2022 at 6:56 PM, MrBug708 said:

Did you just say that, in a conference with both UCLA and USC, UCLA would have no natural rival?

And they apparently don’t want any part of oregon.  It’s….bizarre.