(04-01-2014 04:46 PM)JRsec Wrote: Maybe the ACC and SEC will come to realize that they can gain share money by eliminating the Big 12. If each took 4 schools they could dissolve the conference. Then the ACC and SEC could partner and they would be 36 schools plus Notre Dame, they would have 7 of the top 10 schools in revenue between them, they could all share one whopper of a network if they chose to do so and ESPN would essentially own the two most rabid fan bases in college football (Big 12 and SEC) and the largest footprint in college sports (ACC) which added to the SEC and Big 12 would stretch from Texas to New York and Massachusetts and be inclusive of everything in between. It is an end game scenario for ESPN and should be one for the SEC and ACC.
I think you've stumbled upon another great idea JR. In fact, I think even the inkling of such a move would force the PAC to get off the pot and add more teams. ESPN could even make it work without assistance from the B10. The ACC could open with the partial membership to Texas and full membership to OU, TT, TCU and KSU. The SEC would 'counter' with OKST, KU, Baylor and ISU (or WVU).
With valuable CTZ properties looking to head east, along with the floundering P12 network, Larry Scott may well decide to sell ESPN partial media righst in exchange for brokering a deal for 4 former B12 schools. With the WWL moving the pieces, Bristol finally makes changes to the college conference landscape that only realignment nuts like us could only dream of. The final shakeout results in:
Texas*, OKST, KSU, TCU, UConn ----> ACC
NSCU, VT, Baylor, WVU ----> SEC
OU, KU, TT, ISU ----> PAC
ESPN's methodology IMO if they got partial PAC rights would consist of:
- increasing visibility to the PAC, which 4 CTZ teams accomplish
- providing credibility to the ACC, done by adding Texas and OKST
- and not screwing the SEC, having to eat Baylor and WVU can be offset
by getting into NC and VA as well plus increasing the undervalued SEC
contract.