CSNbbs

I took the time to transcribe today's comments by our commissioner as Joe Tessitore, discuss the future of college football playoffs.

Biggest playoff format concerns for conferences outside of the “Power 4”

ESPN: Beyond the newly termed “Power 4” conferences, where does this leave everyone else as we enter these negotiations?

KARL BENSON: As far as the others, we are all heavily interested and involved and invested and we’ve all been players and we all had some equity in the BSC post season. I think that there’s value in the other 6 or 7 conferences as well, they can’t be overlooked.

ESPN: For years Karl, you were the commissioner of the WAC, so you were pushing “Non-AQ” and Boise State was obviously a big part of that. You’ve been in that room, what are the dynamics that you’re in store for when you head to Chicago for these meetings?

KARL BENSON: We’ll I have been in the room for 22 years now with my fellow commissioners, I think Jim Delany and I have been there the longest and over the course of time I think there has always been a commitment and willingness to compromise and cooperate and to do what is in the best interest of football and on the other hand everyone is trying to serve their membership and do what is in the best interest of their membering university.

ESPN: Everybody’s hopes for balance then, but right now it seems like we’re getting a lot of posturing. What’s your reaction to what has been said by some of the conferences from recent weeks?

KARL BENSON: Well again, I think it has been posturing , but when we meet in Chicago a week from tonight to get serious, we left Florida 5 or 6 weeks ago with what appeared to be some consensus as to the direction that we were headed and that was the four team playoff and it would appear to be at least in our best interest and I’ve always been an advocate of access though and to provide an opportunity for a team like Boise State and now as I put my Sun Belt hat on, I want to make sure that in that special year when there’s a Sun Belt team ranked in the top 10 and undefeated and has a potential Heisman Trophy candidate that there’s an opportunity for a Sun Belt team to play on a big stage against a quality opponent in a meaningful and relevant post season.

ESPN: Karl you’ve always been a straight shooter, the quick answer to a fan that walks up to you and says “How is this going to play out?”
KARL BENSON: Well I sure hope that the access continues and the opportunity to play on that big stage continues, but again there are a lot of people not just in the room, but a there’s lot of college presidents that we all serve, and athletic director that we serve and I think we are seeing a vast array of different opinions right now.

TRANSLATION: He doesn't know what the hell is going to happen. At best, the SBC will take what bone the "haves" throw them. Bottom line when it's all said and done...It's Thanksgiving and the SBC will be at the "kiddie table". Let's just hope it's in the same room and not down in the basement.

(06-05-2012 06:40 PM)TitanTopper Wrote: [ -> ]TRANSLATION: He doesn't know what the hell is going to happen. At best, the SBC will take what bone the "haves" throw them. Bottom line when it's all said and done...It's Thanksgiving and the SBC will be at the "kiddie table". Let's just hope it's in the same room and not down in the basement.

As a result of recent realignment there is little difference between SBC, CUSA, MAC, and MWC . . we will all be there together . . wherever that may be.

The main differences between those conferences will be what best teams each conference has.
There could be a really bad conference with one team that can make it into the top ten each year that would enhance the prestiege of that conference to huge recognition.
That could mean literally millions when it comes to media rights.
Not to mention huge recruiting help for the entire conference.

A few things make the conversation different now from past BCS meetings.

First, back when the BCS started the Big 10, SEC, Big XII, and Pac-10 were bringing their bowl contracts to the table. The ACC was an integral part of the early conversation having been the ones creating the plan and selling it. TV insisted that the Big East be involved. No one cared if any other league were involved.

After a number of schools had great runs and stayed home the presidents pushed for better access and that basically let Utah, BYU and Boise create the resumes to climb the ladder. MWC when they threatened to hold out for better money and access were told "we don't care". ESPN wasn't going to cut the size of the check they'd write if MWC walked and the bowls weren't going to shed any tears either.

Now we are in a situation where there are five leagues to keep happy and the Big East today is roughly what CUSA was before Louisville left or what MWC was before they lost BYU, TCU, and Utah.

In the grand scheme, MAC, Sun Belt, MWC, CUSA are more alike come 2013 than any time before. As I've mentioned before if Big East gets the optimistic TV numbers, they have the 6th richest TV contract despite having the largest TV market of any conference and if they get the numbers the pessimists predict, they have the sixth largest TV contract of any conference.

What faces college football now is a test of character. The rich have grown more wealthy. We've gone from 58 super-wealthy schools, 8 upper middle class / or merely wealthy, 22 middle class and 32 poor to come 2013 we will have 63 super-wealthy, 14 middle class, 47 poor. The power has shifted more to the wealthiest and those left behind currently have a weaker case for inclusion than they had before.

(06-05-2012 07:18 PM)ManzanoWolf Wrote: [ -> ]As a result of recent realignment there is little difference between SBC, CUSA, MAC, and MWC . . we will all be there together . . wherever that may be.

Pretty much.