(08-20-2014 09:27 AM)Carolina Stang Wrote: (08-15-2014 04:26 PM)10thMountain Wrote: Then I ask you counselor: what exact argument are you making? Because none of that has anything to do with the P5 separating into a different subdivision.
Sorry, should have been more succinct.
I'm not making any argument - simply reading through these posts and noting the lack of respect shown by many people (including you) w/r/t athletic programs that have had historical and/or present success, but happen to have been left out of the "Profit 5" because they weren't lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time. Some hubris is all that I ask for..."There but for the grace of God go I." Any schools can be left out in the cold at anytime, and the ones that would form any "D4" are simply lucky.
My stated example was that TAMU's football/basketball programs were by no means dominant in the B12 ...
Two points:
1) You seem to be under the impression that being "dominant" on the football field or basketball court is a more legitimate or morally defensible reason for being in a P5 conference than other reasons like size of fan base (e.g., TAMU) or ability to tap a big market (e.g., Rutgers).
But to me that just isn't defensible. Being a "Power" Conference isn't about results on the field, it is about fan interest, locally and nationwide. It's that fan interest that makes it worth it to a TV network to pay a conference $20m per school per year as opposed to $1m per school per year. That's it.
For example, the B1G hasn't won a national title in football or basketball in more than a decade, but they are expected to sign a massive TV deal in 2016 anyway. That's because despite the lack of success, the fans keep filling the stadiums and keep watching on TV, hence their games are valuable platforms for advertisers. There won't be any clause in their new deal that says "if B1G doesn't win a title in football in the first 5 years of the contract, the TV network can re-open the deal to negotiate the money downwards".
But, there very well might be a clause that says "if (big name) schools like Michigan or Ohio State leave the conference, the TV network can renegotiate ...".
2) While your "not lucky enough" claim about some schools not being in the P5 has merit for ... some schools, it doesn't have merit for SMU.