(05-10-2017 03:05 PM)dbackjon Wrote:  

(05-10-2017 02:35 PM)billybobby777 Wrote:  

(05-10-2017 01:15 PM)Frank the Tank Wrote:  

(05-10-2017 01:00 PM)dbackjon Wrote:  

(05-09-2017 02:53 PM)YNot Wrote:  Market reach is important for the conference networks, but brand-name is more important for the tier 1 media contract. Who will the average college football fans in Atlanta, Dallas, Chicago, and Los Angeles watch? This is where Kansas football really hurts.

But, Kansas basketball is prime inventory that would add substantial value to any conference, even if men's basketball only delivers 15% of the media contract value. Basketball fans in Atlanta, Dallas, Chicago, and Los Angeles will watch Kansas basketball, whether they are playing Texas Tech or Ole Miss or Illinois.

This gets overlooked far too often on these boards.

It is all about the Branding.

Duke is a medium size private college - but they have built a NATIONAL Brand.

Oklahoma is a football brand. Regardless of what you think of Oklahoma, Nebraska, the B1G or the Big 12, an Oklahoma-Nebraska football game, especially if it was a conference game, is a NATIONAL event. Oklahoma, by virtue of being Oklahoma, draws eyeballs, even from viewers with no ties to Oklahoma or whatever conference they are in. Same with Ohio State, Alabama, Clemson, etc.

I'd agree with this. While I was an early adopter of the importance of large markets for conference expansion and realignment, it doesn't take away the disproportionate value of large national brands (even if they might be located in smaller markets), as well. In 2009, most people mistakenly didn't even think of the value of large markets and just wanted "What have you done for me lately?" hot names on-the-field/court. Those people weren't looking at how much conference networks were changing how revenue is earned. However, in 2017, it has almost switched around where people (at least the conference realignment observers among us) are being blinded by markets for the sake of markets to the point where they're somehow undervaluing schools like Oklahoma football and Kansas basketball. I can't say this enough: THE BIG TEN WOULD TAKE OKLAHOMA AND KANSAS IMMEDIATELY. THERE IS NO DEBATE ABOUT THE NATIONAL VALUE OF THOSE FOOTBALL AND BASKETBALL PROGRAMS (RESPECTIVELY). (And if the Big Ten would add them, you can surmise that any of the SEC, Pac-12 and ACC would add them.)

Beyond Oklahoma, the strength (or lack thereof) of Kansas football is completely irrelevant because it is one of maybe 4 to 6 schools where the basketball program is so prestigious and nationally-renowned that it completely overrides any other concerns. (The only others are Kentucky, UNC, Duke, and maybe Indiana and UCLA.) Kansas basketball is simply a VERY special case here when it comes to conference realignment. Comparing them to even very high-level basketball programs on the next tier (e.g. Louisville, UConn, etc.) is different - even those next tier schools need some type of football competency to be attractive. In contrast, those 6 other schools that are the bluest of the blue bloods (including Kansas) that I've named can go 0-12 in football every year and it legitimately doesn't matter because they can single-handedly prop up their leagues' respective basketball schedules. Note that basketball is actually pretty important programming for conference networks because that provides the the day-to-day programming that keeps the lights on for several months per year.

Kansas may have a shot at the B10, not as certain as you on that....But for a guy from the Midwest, you sure don't get college wrestling for some reason. Kansas doesn't have wrestling unlike all 14 of the other big 10 members. Just sayin...Texans will laugh at this, but wrestling is very important in the Midwest. In the early 90's, there were more people in the stands at Iowa high school wrestling meets than butts in seats at certain SWC basketball games....Rice cough AtM cough

If the Big Ten called and offered Kansas, with the condition they added Wrestling, you'd have Bill Self in tights before the call was over.