Brando: ND Will Be Full ACC Member in 3 Years

[twalsh]

Going to four 16 team conferences would make CFB the NFL junior. Lots of money to be made, for sure, but it would destroy a lot of things that make CFB the game that it is.

There are a lot of fans who talk about the super-conference idea like it's a good thing for the fans. I don't think it's good at all for the fans, and it has potentially negative impact for all the teams not in one of those conferences. Economics might be good, but not much else.

 

[NDSMC78]

There are a lot of fans who talk about the super-conference idea like it's a good thing for the fans. I don't think it's good at all for the fans, and it has potentially negative impact for all the teams not in one of those conferences. Economics might be good, but not much else.

That's what I'm saying. One of the great things about the game of CFB has always been how the game differs from region to region. There has always been a difference between how the SEC plays and how the Big 10 plays and how the Pac 12 plays. The fewer conferences there are, the more those differences are blurred. We have already seen the demise of Texas/Texas A&M, Kansas/Mizzou,. Pitt/Penn St., etc., as a result of conference realignment Going to 16 team conferences, where members of one division rarely, if ever, play the members of the other division would only exacerbate that.

 

[schadenfreude]

There are a lot of fans who talk about the super-conference idea like it's a good thing for the fans. I don't think it's good at all for the fans, and it has potentially negative impact for all the teams not in one of those conferences. Economics might be good, but not much else.

ND will do what it thinks is in its own best interest, regardless of the impact on the rest of college football. Always has. This also goes for conferences. They will do and have done what they feel is in their own best interest, regardless of the impact on the rest of football.

Good for goose/good for gander.

 

[topdecktiger]

Going to four 16 team conferences would make CFB the NFL junior. Lots of money to be made, for sure, but it would destroy a lot of things that make CFB the game that it is.

That bridge was crossed a long time ago.

 

[schadenfreude]

That bridge was crossed a long time ago.

The game keeps evolving. Maybe there were fans freaking out when the forward pass, free substitutions, face-masks, and artificial turf came along.

 

[deadirishpoet]

OT, but I didn't want to start a separate thread because some get upset with non ND rumors. Hearing NBC may have bought the other half of Big Ten tier one rights.

That is very interesting

 

[schadenfreude]

That is very interesting

There is a chance they are just talking. But ESPN has been crying poor now for a good while and it wouldn't surprise me to see the Big Ten not aired on the World Wide Leader.

 

[deadirishpoet]

There is a chance they are just talking. But ESPN has been crying poor now for a good while and it wouldn't surprise me to see the Big Ten not aired on the World Wide Leader.

ESPN is losing viewership. With many more options now for sporting viewer which is a good thing

 

[topdecktiger]

ESPN is losing viewership. With many more options now for sporting viewer which is a good thing

They aren't losing views. They are losing subscribers. There hasn't been some rebellion against ESPN. You just have a lot of people who are dropping their cable subscriptions. A lot of these people aren't even sports fans in the first place, hence the reason they are so readily willing to choose a service that doesn't provide ESPN (or other sports channels).

 

[ND1000]

I don't know if it is 3 years. But I do think it is a matter of time. I believe between the 2020 and the 2023 seasons the deal will be hammered out.

Probably. ND will only join though when it benefits them financially, they hold all the cards.

 

[northvanole]

I don't think ND will join just when it benefits them financially - I think they join (if ever) when the other 64 teams make moves to enhance their own financial position - and those moves change the structure of the sport. I can never see ND unilaterally making a move for money. And if the world made sense, and if we go to a 4 conference league, it would be nice if maybe the 4 conferences act in unison and "trade" members based on what makes sense. Although ND wants a national footprint for football, I don't think it wants one for all other sports. That was pretty clear when ND joined the Big East, the ACC, and moved hockey to the Big Ten. So, if these are going to be all sports conferences (which the Big Ten will insist upon), it has to be done carefully. I would rather see ND take a leadership role and suggest how it should be done rather than sit and watch the rest of us screw it up. Because we will.

 

[schadenfreude]

They aren't losing views. They are losing subscribers. There hasn't been some rebellion against ESPN. You just have a lot of people who are dropping their cable subscriptions. A lot of these people aren't even sports fans in the first place, hence the reason they are so readily willing to choose a service that doesn't provide ESPN (or other sports channels).

I would say they are losing both. But they are still far and away bigger than NBC or CBS or Fox wrt college football.

 

[romulator]

Probably. ND will only join though when it benefits them financially, they hold all the cards.

ND will join when it's clear the 4 Super Conference model is an inevitability. We're just not at that point yet. But it's coming.

 

[NDSMC78]

ND will join when it's clear the 4 Super Conference model is an inevitability. We're just not at that point yet. But it's coming.

It's not an inevitability at all. It's a possibility. That possibility, along with a number of other possibilities, have been bandied about repeatedly for years. John Calipari and Rick Neuheisel are hardly authoritative sources.

 

[topdecktiger]

4 super conferences isn't the issue. The real problem is if the major conferences start getting automatic bids to the playoffs.

 

[schadenfreude]

4 super conferences isn't the issue. The real problem is if the major conferences start getting automatic bids to the playoffs.

Usually when people mention four super conferences I believe the idea is that the four will form their own division. So there will be a champion from those four and a champion from everyone who is left below.

 

[topdecktiger]

Usually when people mention four super conferences I believe the idea is that the four will form their own division. So there will be a champion from those four and a champion from everyone who is left below.

I understand that, but that's not the problem, and that's not what I'm saying. The same practical effect would be accomplished by simply expanding the playoffs to 8, with automatic bids. That would be an attractive scenario to the P5 leagues. They could essentially be their own division, without having to give up the current association with the rest of the schools, and without having to do more raiding/reshuffling with expansion. Under that scenario, the P5 schools would be at a huge competitive advantage. They would automatically get one team into the playoffs, and could possible get more with at large bids. That would make them much more attractive to recruits that G5 schools, who would not be able to promise a guaranteed path to the playoffs.

 

[schadenfreude]

I understand that, but that's not the problem, and that's not what I'm saying. The same practical effect would be accomplished by simply expanding the playoffs to 8, with automatic bids. That would be an attractive scenario to the P5 leagues. They could essentially be their own division, without having to give up the current association with the rest of the schools, and without having to do more raiding/reshuffling with expansion. Under that scenario, the P5 schools would be at a huge competitive advantage. They would automatically get one team into the playoffs, and could possible get more with at large bids. That would make them much more attractive to recruits that G5 schools, who would not be able to promise a guaranteed path to the playoffs.

The top four divisions may prefer to split the top playoff money solely between the top four divisions. Going to eight might mean in some years 2 or 3 teams from outside the top four get in and get shares. At least, that is the working theory.

 

[deadirishpoet]

They aren't losing views. They are losing subscribers. There hasn't been some rebellion against ESPN. You just have a lot of people who are dropping their cable subscriptions. A lot of these people aren't even sports fans in the first place, hence the reason they are so readily willing to choose a service that doesn't provide ESPN (or other sports channels).

. The first quarter of 2015 saw Fox Sports 1′s viewership increase by 73 percent from the prior year. And while ESPN’s primary station is still leading all cable sports networks in ratings,Fox Sports 1 and NBC Sports Network just surpassed ESPN2. It’s a minor gain for rival networks, but it also represents a changing of the tide.

 

[topdecktiger]

The top four divisions may prefer to split the top playoff money solely between the top four divisions. Going to eight might mean in some years 2 or 3 teams from outside the top four get in and get shares. At least, that is the working theory.

It doesn't work that way now. The way the CFP currently works is that the P5 conferences get a flat fee of $50 million each. That's without even making the playoffs. All 5 conferences are guaranteed that money. For the conferences that do get into the playoffs, they only get $6 million for each team that makes the semifinal. They don't anything for being in the title game.

The point being, your scenario isn't correct when you say that outsider teams would take away money from the P5 by getting into the playoffs. They don't do that now, so there's no reason to believe they would set up the contract any differently in the future.

. The first quarter of 2015 saw Fox Sports 1′s viewership increase by 73 percent from the prior year. And while ESPN’s primary station is still leading all cable sports networks in ratings,Fox Sports 1 and NBC Sports Network just surpassed ESPN2. It’s a minor gain for rival networks, but it also represents a changing of the tide.

ESPN isn't losing viewers. The other networks picked up some viewers, but it's not a zero sum game. People are watching content, not the channel. For example, your second article mentioned that NBCSN's ratings went up because of NASCAR broadcasts. People were going to watch those NASCAR races either way, no matter what channel they were on. People who watched the race on NBCSN aren't going to stop watching that same race if it was broadcasted on ESPN.

 

[deadirishpoet]

They aren't losing views. They are losing subscribers. There hasn't been some rebellion against ESPN. You just have a lot of people who are dropping their cable subscriptions. A lot of these people aren't even sports fans in the first place, hence the reason they are so readily willing to choose a service that doesn't provide ESPN (or other sports channels).

Though you are correct about subscription dropping . I should of added that in my initial reply

 

[Bodizephax]

It doesn't work that way now. The way the CFP currently works is that the P5 conferences get a flat fee of $50 million each. That's without even making the playoffs. All 5 conferences are guaranteed that money. For the conferences that do get into the playoffs, they only get $6 million for each team that makes the semifinal. They don't anything for being in the title game.

The point being, your scenario isn't correct when you say that outsider teams would take away money from the P5 by getting into the playoffs. They don't do that now, so there's no reason to believe they would set up the contract any differently in the future.



ESPN isn't losing viewers. The other networks picked up some viewers, but it's not a zero sum game. People are watching content, not the channel. For example, your second article mentioned that NBCSN's ratings went up because of NASCAR broadcasts. People were going to watch those NASCAR races either way, no matter what channel they were on. People who watched the race on NBCSN aren't going to stop watching that same race if it was broadcasted on ESPN.

There are quite a few fans including myself that completely stop watching any espn shows because of their left wing PC propaganda. I just watch it for college football games.

 

[topdecktiger]

There are quite a few fans including myself that completely stop watching any espn shows because of their left wing PC propaganda. I just watch it for college football games.

That's my point. You still watch the ball games. That's where they make their money. These stupid shows like PTI or Mike & Mike are just filler content. The entire premise of any sports channel is that people will buy the channel because they don't want to miss the live ball games. That's what determines the success or failure of any sports network, not the talk shows.