USC and UCLA planning to leave for B10 by 2024!

[OlyDuck]

The other issue that remains to be seen is if USC/UCLA will start getting some resistance from recruits because of all that travel. It plays hell with a person's academics on top of the added stress in sports. Playing on the West Coast and kicking ass is one thing. But playing football in cold weather after long flights for multiple games is something else. And the travel issue will obviously affect all the sports. This move to the B1G is NOT what Riley was expecting for sure. He had everything teed up perfectly and then they suddenly made some huge changes. The effect, if any, on recruiting will be key.

cold weather like Washington, Washington State, Oregon, Oregon State, Utah and Colorado? yeah it already happens

 

[WhosYourDawggy]

What I think you are missing is -- In these 'super conferences' -- it is impossible to have 7-8 "elite teams". The best of the best will be at the top and the rest are going to have 3, 4, 5 losses a year. That isn't elite.

It's why they have to figure out what they are looking for. We added TX and OU, and USCjr and Ky and OM and Arky are far less likely to ever compete at the highest levels of the conference. If you go after only high end teams - those that draw eyeballs - yeah, you make more money, but you increase losses.

It's one reason why I like the idea of the SEC getting OkSU, UNC, Duke and Kansas. You add some hoops team that have value, and two middle of the road teams that have really good fans.

 

[trojanfan12]

I will tell you this -- the players will disagree with you wholeheartedly. If you are coming from Sunny and 80 degrees, flying across the US to Ann Arbor, Columbus, Madison, etc. in November and it is 0 degrees with a negative degree wind chill -- they will be playing an entirely different game.

Cold and Snow is going to be WAAAAAAY tougher to adjust to than playing a game after a 6 hour flight. Alot of kids on the West Coast have never even seen or dealt with the snow or cold.

It's not like they'll only be playing in those temps for only 1 game every once in awhile. It'll be a bit of a shock for the first team that plays in that weather the first couple of times and each year, the freshmen will get a bit of a shock. Once they've done it a couple of times, they'll learn how to deal with it.

 

[psaboy]

I will tell you this -- the players will disagree with you wholeheartedly. If you are coming from Sunny and 80 degrees, flying across the US to Ann Arbor, Columbus, Madison, etc. in November and it is 0 degrees with a negative degree wind chill -- they will be playing an entirely different game.

Cold and Snow is going to be WAAAAAAY tougher to adjust to than playing a game after a 6 hour flight. Alot of kids on the West Coast have never even seen or dealt with the snow or cold.

Hardly ever gets to those weather conditions in November in OH, MI & WI. MN is another story though, but still not that cold. It will be interesting to see how they schedule these games. I know that when USC plays ND in South Bend it is always in October, don't think they have even been to ND in mid/late November.

 

[Red_Alert]

This doesn't make any sense; the only conference ND could join right now would be the ACC. Not sure why or how this would hold up any more Big expansion

With the proof the Big 12 GOR has teeth in keeping TX/OU in conference until 2025, it's amazing to me that nobody respects the ACC's GOR.

The ACC's GOR makes the Big 12's GOR look like chump change.

 

[Red_Alert]

Way too much weight being put on Big 10 weather in November.
Late December/January yeah it's cold.

Gee, how do the Tampa Bay Bucs play in Green Bay in mid/late January?

 

[Wild Turkey]

I'd rather be the King of Hell than a also ran in Heaven

You’re going to get a shot at it.

 

[WhosYourDawggy]

With the proof the Big 12 GOR has teeth in keeping TX/OU in conference until 2025, it's amazing to me that nobody respects the ACC's GOR.

The ACC's GOR makes the Big 12's GOR look like chump change.

The people dismissing the ACC GOR haven't been able to point to a single thing they would hang their hat on. Even the sports writers are all saying the same thing ... the lawyers would keep busy. But that doesn't mean they would win.

The bad thing about the GOR is that (1) all the teams that signed it are sophisticated entities with a truckload of lawyers who signed off on it, and (2) it is doing exactly what they intended it to do - keep people from leaving the conference, it's just they now want to leave. You can't suddenly say we want out of it because it's working. Sorry, with 14 years to go on it there will be no beating the GOR.

The only logical argument I have seen is what if the entire conference moves on, or a majority, such that it can't survive. Who then gets the GOR money.

Finally, my friend @Thiefery has LOL'd on more than one occasion at the GOR. Yet, I've asked him several times why, if the GOR is so easy to beat, that his team who has more money than god hasn't beaten the B12 GOR. Nary a response to that.

 

[ericd7633]

This doesn't make any sense; the only conference ND could join right now would be the ACC. Not sure why or how this would hold up any more Big expansion

If ND wanted to join, they'd just pay the exit fee. It would be probably 80-100 million, but that's nothing for them.

 

[Wild Turkey]

The B1G and SEC ain't that stupid. A glorified SEC / BIG tourney isn't getting no where near the views as to what is March Madness today.


Ha, not even close. Atlanta is a UGA town. 2nd by Bama/Auburn/Clemson


These teams don't move the needle as far as landing a bigger TV contract

Follow the money.

Like I said they could run their own tournament, make invites outside the 2 conferences and pocket about 250 million a conference. Won’t happen day one but within a decade it will and the money will be greater.

 

[Wild Turkey]

Oregon and UW are fucked if ND doesn't join the B1G. Makes things interesting if ND doesn't join.

The thing is ND can hold out for as long as they want. The other PAC teams can’t. ND might prefer to bring some ACC partners with them.

If that happens most likely the B1G and SEC split up the ACC and boom two super conferences.

 

[Wild Turkey]

I agree the SEC has 5 or 6 elite programs and no -- Tennessee is definitely not one of those elite programs. That'd be like saying Nebraska is an elite program right now. If it were the 1990's -- then yeah, they are elite, but CFB changed and it didn't help either program in the least bit.

In the end though -- it is Bama carrying the torch for the SEC. Teams have popped up here or there, like when LSU had Burrow, Auburn had Cam, etc. -- But it is Bama who made the SEC what it is right now in football. UT and OU are historical programs, but neither has won much of anything as of late. OU got to be Big 12 rep in the playoff a couple times, but that is where it ended for them. Texas has been terrible.

This isn’t true. If there is no Bama then Georgia, LSU and Auburn have at least one more natty and probably Florida. You are grossly underestimating how close some of these other teams were to breaking through.

 

[Wild Turkey]

If ND wanted to join, they'd just pay the exit fee. It would be probably 80-100 million, but that's nothing for them.

Catholic schools will NOT shell that out as the optics would be horrendous.

 

[cwerph]

Catholic schools will NOT shell that out as the optics would be horrendous.

So spending $80-100M once to make that much per year, they won't do that?

That makes no sense financially.

 

[ericd7633]

Catholic schools will NOT shell that out as the optics would be horrendous.

They would if they want to join now. If I were them, I'd probably get some assurance that they want to expand to 20 and not 18, so they can add Stanford, and then presumably UW and Oregon.

 

[WhosYourDawggy]

I agree the SEC has 5 or 6 elite programs and no -- Tennessee is definitely not one of those elite programs. That'd be like saying Nebraska is an elite program right now. If it were the 1990's -- then yeah, they are elite, but CFB changed and it didn't help either program in the least bit.

In the end though -- it is Bama carrying the torch for the SEC. Teams have popped up here or there, like when LSU had Burrow, Auburn had Cam, etc. -- But it is Bama who made the SEC what it is right now in football. UT and OU are historical programs, but neither has won much of anything as of late. OU got to be Big 12 rep in the playoff a couple times, but that is where it ended for them. Texas has been terrible.

Sure, Bama has been the top of the SEC for a decade. Same with tOSU, Clemson, and OU.

Where your analysis breaks down is that since 2006 I belive, 75% of the NC have been won by the SEC, and 6 teams have done it. No conference is remotely close to that. Had Bama not been dominate, other teams would have. LSU and UGA would each have one more as they were beaten by Bama in the NC game. We would have won in 2012 if we hadn't lost in the last seconds to Bama. So that's 3 of Bama's NCs that would have gone to other SEC teams.

OU has been one of the better teams, just can't close.

Texas is the team that should scare the hell out of everyone. There is no reason for them to suck so bad for the past 2 decades. They are the team that reminds me the most of UGA ... underperformers in a fertile recruiting ground, great alumni support, national rep, etc. Just like we needed a coach to get us over the top, that's all they need. Is Sark the guy? Don't know, but landing Ewers and Manning and getting ton of buzz right now (even if some of these recruits aren't all that great) is the way to do it. If Sark can keep that up year in and year out and be a great HC (previously not so) then I can see Texas being up at the level of where UGA is right now.

 

[Wild Turkey]

They would if they want to join now. If I were them, I'd probably get some assurance that they want to expand to 20 and not 18, so they can add Stanford, and then presumably UW and Oregon.

I would be shocked if they coughed up that money.

I imagine if a deal was made where the the B1G took:

ND
Virginia
GT
Clemson

And the SEC took:

UNC
Duke
VT
Miami

Which caused the ACC to fold then it would happen now. Otherwise I think the ACC survives with ND.

 

[Goldbug]

cold weather like Washington, Washington State, Oregon, Oregon State, Utah and Colorado? yeah it already happens

I have a home in Oregon and spend a lot of time in Washington too. Neither of those states are "cold". You need to spend some time during winter in Nebraska, Minnesota, Michigan, etc. That's "cold".

 

[rfjeff9]

I have a home in Oregon and spend a lot of time in Washington too. Neither of those states are "cold". You need to spend some time during winter in Nebraska, Minnesota, Michigan, etc. That's "cold".

Cleveland working on housing rooftops in January with that wind blowing in off the lake.

F that shit.

 

[CoalTrain]

Im more concerned about all the travel than I am the weather. The weather is the weather and players will adjust.

I get the move from a financial perspective, but logistically, that is a lot of cross country flights.

But, from what I read, the tv revenue they will get is something like $100 million compared to $30 million in the pac. So I get it. Wish Larry Scott hadnt been the worst commissioner in history. Its like he was destroying the pac on purpose.

Football won't be a big deal just a little more time on a jet a few times a year. Basketball however... that can get rough in a hurry on the teams involved. I know the Big12 has tried to work with WVU's basketball team to try n keep the travel schedule as easy on them as possible by trying to keep back to back road games at a minimum but there is only so much you can do.