(04-05-2015 11:02 PM)Strut Wrote: For the sake of reviewing expansion, what's the most financial benefit on a per school basis if B1G were to add Texas and Notre Dame? The reason I picked them is I would think that they represent the maximum upside available; not that anyone should necessarily be added. On the back of a napkin, I can't figure how adding either of them or anybody else doesn't just add more mouths to feed with minimum to no financial benefit to projected $40 million plus /school now. I would think that SEC is in similar situation
What's the driving force for why conferences should expand at all at this point? I get the whole networks and their angles, but hasn't the dust even settled on that front for 10 years or so?
IMO, the B1G and its network footprint could still gain a ton by expanding into:
Texas (26 million population, including #5 Dallas, #10 Houston, #33 San Antonio, #39 Austin markets). Best candidate: Texas
Florida (19.8 million population, including #13 Tampa, #16 Miami, #18 Orlando, #38 West Palm Beach, and #48 Jacksonville markets). Best candidates: Florida, Florida St., Miami
Georgia (10 million population, including #9 Atlanta market). Best candidate: Georgia Tech
North Carolina (9.9 million population, including #24 Charlotte, #25 Raleigh-Durham, and #46 Greensboro markets). Best candidates: UNC, Duke
Virginia (8 million population, including #8 DC, #42 Norfolk, and #57 Richmond markets). Best candidate: UVA
Tennessee (6.5 million population, including #29 Nashville and #50 Memphis markets). Best candidate: Vanderbilt
Missouri (6 million population, including #21 St. Louis and #31 Kansas City markets). Best candidate: Missouri
Oklahoma (3.8 million population, including #44 Oklahoma City and #60 Tulsa markets). Best candidate: Oklahoma
Kansas (2.9 million population, including #31 Kansas City and #65 Wichita markets). Best candidate: Kansas
The current B1G footprint covers about 85 million population. [Minnesota (5.5), Wisconsin(5.7), Iowa (3.1), Nebraska (1.8), Illinois (12.8), Indiana(6.6), Michigan (9.9), Ohio (11.5), Pennsylvania (12.7), New Jersey (8.9), Maryland (5.9).]
A 6-team expansion with UVA, UNC, Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt, and Florida or Florida St., and Missouri in the west, would add about 60 million population to increase the B1G footprint to about 145 million. That's growing the B1G network footprint by about 70% (from 85 to 145) but only growing conference membership by about 43% (from 14 to 20).
That would make a lot of sense, even at the $40 million per school level. And, by adding Missouri and the southern schools, you bring along regionality and rivalries. Not only do you increase B1G network subscribers, even with tier 1 and 2 games on ESPN/ABC, the B1G network would have some pretty good inventory and ratings.