(08-01-2016 07:06 PM)L-yes Wrote: Does Mickey really want to pay premiums for the Ames Iowa, BFE Texas and Morganhole backwater markets? Like I said, you can pay for the brands you want and give peanuts to the markets that are filler like Manhattan, Kansas. The B12 is a problem child that needs to be put to sleep.
You're not paying a premium if:
1) You consolidate your power over the most important parts of CFB, creating total dominance of the market
2) You expand the playoff, giving you a bevy of new high profile high viewership games
3) You stabilize the landscape to provide a solid foundation to avoid a major asset or assets evaporating Big East style
It's pretty trivial for ESPN to form a megaconference at this point. They have all the assets. The only question is who could feasibly be reshuffled in their best interests?
Megaconference #1: ACC + SEC + Big 12 TX/OU teams
Swing Teams: Notre Dame, Syracuse, Boston College, Pittsburgh, UCONN, Nebraska, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State
Megaconference #2: Pac-12 + B1G
If Fuhrer Mickey allows the most logical realignment to take place, then you'd end up with:
ACC + SEC + Big 12 + Nebraska "The ESPN/ABC Megaconference"
Pac-12 + B1G + ND + Cuse + BC + UCONN "The FOX/NBC Megaconference"
Fleshing out the ACC in this future you get:
#TeamMegaconference
Atlantic Division: UVA, VT, UNC, NCST, Duke, WF, Pitt, WVU, UofL
Coastal Division: Clemson, USC-E, UGAg, GT, TN, FSU, UF, Auburn, UK
Southeastern Division: Alabama, Ole Miss, Miss State, LSU, Arkansas, TAMU, Texas, Vandy, Miami
Plains Division: Baylor, TCU, TTU, OU, Oklahoma St, Mizzou, Kansas, Kansas State, Nebraska
Permanent Rivals:
Duke-GT, TN-VT, FSU-Miami, Clemson-NCST, UNC-SC, UofL-UK, Auburn-Alabama, Vandy-WF, Texas-OU, TAMU-TCU, Baylor-TTU, OklahomaSt-Arkansas, UVA-Mizzou, Nebraska-UGAg (Corndawgs!), UF-LSU, Pitt-KState, Ole Miss-Kansas, WVU-MissState
You'd have four television channels (isn't that convienent ... ESPN already has two for the SECN and is adding at least one more for the ACCN...) thusly:
ESPN Atlantic: HQ Charlotte, NC
ESPN Coastal: HQ Atlanta, GA
ESPN Southeastern: HQ Birmingham, AL
ESPN Plains: HQ Dallas, TX
We can tentatively call this "The Big Southeastern Atlantic Conference" or Big SAC just for the lulz.