The old Conf USA schools are dominating WBB in the Sun Belt conference

https://www.cbssports.com/college-footba...viability/

(03-09-2023 09:17 PM)Ourland Wrote:  https://www.cbssports.com/college-footba...viability/

Quote:"Whatever there is to make our product better, let's do it," Kansas coach Bill Self said of the BigXII commissioner Wednesday before the conference tournament tipped off. "... From a promotional standpoint, anything that is doable, he'll do."

My goodness, what's wrong with them? Don't they know the Rice Way is so much better for them? Mandate them more windmills and solar panels so they start thinking "correctly" fer cryin' out loud...

AAC commissioner Mike Aresco again wants to abolish the Power 5/Group of 5 divide

For those of the "Rice ought to drop football to D-III" persuasion: https://www.texasfootball.com/article/20...view_title

Trinity and Southwestern are moving all their sports to the Southern Athletic Association in 2025. The SAA includes:

• Berry College (GA)
• Birmingham-Southern (an HBCU which may close this fall if the state doesn't give them extra funding; AL)
• Centre College (KY)
• Hendrix College (AR)
• Millsaps College (MS)
• Oglethorpe University (GA)
• Rhodes College (TN)
• Sewanee (or the Univ. of the South, for the pedants; TN)
  

With respect to Aresco's pleas to tear down the Autonomous Conference distinctions, I understand that the man is paid to express that opinion (and is doing so in part on Rice's behalf), but not once have the major conferences or their television underwriters cared one lick what was going on in the lower half of the subdivision. Everybody talks like they have all the cards because they do have all the cards.

(03-10-2023 10:39 PM)Grungy Wrote:   AAC commissioner Mike Aresco again wants to abolish the Power 5/Group of 5 divide

Only a little ironic that he’s standing in front of an AAC logo espousing to be P6.

Although it's admittedly "a stretch," Rice is mentioned favorably as a possible "fascinating to contemplate" (if unlikely) 14th member of an expanded Pac-12 in a recent Q/A by San Jose Mercury reporter Jon Wilner.

(https://www.mercurynews.com/2023/03/31/h...-and-more/)

Quote:Hypothetical situation: Tulane is seen as Team 13 by the Pac-12. Who do you think is best fit for Team 14? Fresno State, Colorado State, or anyone else? — @OS_Beaver

In that situation, Rice would be the clear frontrunner as No. 14. If you add Dallas (SMU) and New Orleans (Tulane), it only makes sense to include Houston (Rice) in the expansion.

What’s more, Tulane and Rice work academically: The former is No. 44 in the U.S. News and World Report rankings; the latter is No. 15.

Both are members of the prestigious Association of American Universities.

Both are R1 research schools.

Academically, they are no-brainers. But are they financially additive? They would add inventory in the Central Time Zone, but that’s only part of the valuation calculation.

And do they clear the bar competitively? You could make the case for Tulane, perhaps, but Rice is a stretch.

Adding campuses in Dallas, Houston and New Orleans massively expands the footprint of the conference, and I’m not convinced the presidents are interested in that strategic outcome.

So while it’s fascinating to contemplate, we are extremely skeptical that the Pac-12 would add more than two members.

As good as it feels to be mentioned in these articles, I think we all know that Rice isn't ready, in several areas, for a step up to a better conference. Competively, we are an albatross around the neck of any conference that's willing to deal with us...

But there is hope. Anything short of a new revenue distribution plan, and/or a merger with the PAC, and the ACC will fall apart come 2035. The top four programs will be poached by the SEC, leaving behind only the academically focused schools like Wake, UVA, Duke etc. At that point, Rice's location within the Central Timezone and the enormous market of Houston makes us attractive.

If Rice could find a way to compete consistently for once, there would be options. We should be planning for 2035 right now, and getting our athletics department ready for the possibility of a move to the ACC at that time. It would be a greatly diminished conference, but it would unite us with academic peers.

(04-06-2023 12:25 PM)Ourland Wrote:  If Rice could find a way to compete consistently for once, there would be options. We should be planning for 2035 right now, and getting our athletics department ready for the possibility of a move to the ACC at that time. It would be a greatly diminished conference, but it would unite us with academic peers.

There will be numerous other opportunities before then. Not to create this academic/athletic conference... but to prove that we are worthy of consideration. I say this so that we act like 2035 is tomorrow... and not that we put all of our eggs into a 2035 basket that won't get delivered because we waited.

Some of those opportunities will be to keep us from falling... Some will be opportunities to move sideways but increase our profile... some will be opportunities to build upon success in smaller steps.

(04-06-2023 01:23 PM)Hambone10 Wrote:  

(04-06-2023 12:25 PM)Ourland Wrote:  If Rice could find a way to compete consistently for once, there would be options. We should be planning for 2035 right now, and getting our athletics department ready for the possibility of a move to the ACC at that time. It would be a greatly diminished conference, but it would unite us with academic peers.

There will be numerous other opportunities before then. Not to create this academic/athletic conference... but to prove that we are worthy of consideration. I say this so that we act like 2035 is tomorrow... and not that we put all of our eggs into a 2035 basket that won't get delivered because we waited.

Some of those opportunities will be to keep us from falling... Some will be opportunities to move sideways but increase our profile... some will be opportunities to build upon success in smaller steps.

Rice better get its act together, and quickly. There will be opportunities, but they will be limited. Timing is everything. Look at Tulane. Unless something drastic happens, the ACC is going to be decimated by 2035. Rice should be focusing on that year like a laser beam, because I don't see any other opportunity on the horizon besides that. No one in the Big12, SEC, or Big10 are going to be interested. They don't need us. Our market is everything. A depleted ACC is our only hope if you ask me.

Rice needs to think strategically. Unfortunately that has never been a strong point for Rice athletics.

FWIW...

CFP committee confirms dates for first round of expanded playoff

Quote:The inaugural first-round games of a 12-team College Football Playoff will feature one game Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, and three games Dec. 21, 2024, CFP executive director Bill Hancock said Thursday following the conclusion of CFP spring meetings.

The CFP is also zeroing in on confirming midweek games for the 2024 quarterfinals, with three games Jan. 1, 2025, and the fourth quarterfinal game either New Year's Eve or Jan. 2, 2025, to avoid competing against the NFL wild-card weekend.

The first-round games will be held at either the home field of the higher-seeded team or at another site designated by the higher-seeded institution (No. 12 at No. 5, No. 11 at No. 6, No. 10 at No. 7, and No. 9 at No. 8.).

For the 2024 and 2025 seasons, the four quarterfinal games and two playoff semifinal games will be played in bowls on a rotating basis. The 2024 quarterfinals will take place in the Fiesta Bowl, Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl, while the Cotton Bowl and Orange Bowl will host the semifinals. The 2025 quarterfinals will take place in the Cotton, Orange, Rose and Sugar Bowls, while the Fiesta and Peach Bowls will host the semifinals.

The national championship games will be played Jan. 20, 2025, in Atlanta, and Jan. 19, 2026, in Miami. The CFP's management committee continued to discuss lingering issues such as the media rights agreement, campus hotels for the first-round games, and how the expanded playoff will coexist with December commencement and exams.

The commissioners also continued to explore the possibility of starting the season at Week 0, but there was a consensus that if that change were agreed upon, it wouldn't be feasible until at least 2026.

uh, oh...


‘The Next Wave Is Coming’: Expansion, Realignment and What’s at Stake for Power 5 Conferences

How do the Big 12, Pac-12 and ACC keep up while generating millions less than the SEC and Big Ten? Some believe all three of them cannot coexist successfully.

Quote:A subset of seven schools in the 14-member conference has coalesced over what many of them describe as an untenable situation. Officials from the seven schools, led by Florida State and Clemson, have met a handful of times over the last several months, with their lawyers examining the grant-of-rights to determine just how unbreakable it is.

Per the grant-of-rights, each ACC school gives ownership of its broadcasting rights to the league in a deal with ESPN that runs through 2036. If a school breaks the deal, the ACC will continue to own the TV rights of any of that school’s home games, according to the contract.

The ACC’s options are quite limited, both for the group of seven and the league as a whole:

1. Seek additional revenue from ESPN. This is a long shot given the network’s current situation. ESPN, in the midst of a wave of personnel cuts, is also negotiating for deals with UFC/WWE, the NBA and Pac-12. While commissioner Jim Phillips and a few ACC presidents met recently with the network over this issue, no significant cash infusion appears imminent.

2. Secede from the league. Some of the schools, possibly the most frustrated lot such as FSU and Clemson, could pay the $120 million exit fee and hope they can break a grant-of-rights agreement that most attorneys—though maybe not their own—say is airtight. That then leaves a very big question: Where do they go? The SEC and Big Ten seem quite comfortable with their current membership, but potential western realignment could trigger them to expand more.

3. Create another league. If the seven agree to dissolve the current grant-of-rights agreement (we don’t know yet if this is a possibility), they may add a couple of more schools and begin their own association in hopes of it being more lucrative. This comes with its own issues, of course. You’d need a broadcast partner or private equity to fund such an endeavor. And, as one official asks, “Will it really be that much more lucrative?”

And now it will start to happen. Sorry, you are no longer wanted-leave now. The airport gang nor the collapse of the SWC will not look so bad.

https://www.si.com/fannation/college/cfb...ms-analyst

I've always through there would be 64 teams-4 16 team conferences. But the USC/UCLA ridiculous blew away that logic. Can't wait for those key swim meets at Rutgers for USC...

(05-30-2023 12:25 PM)texowl2 Wrote:  And now it will start to happen. Sorry, you are no longer wanted-leave now. The airport gang nor the collapse of the SWC will not look so bad.

https://www.si.com/fannation/college/cfb...ms-analyst

I've always through there would be 64 teams-4 16 team conferences. But the USC/UCLA ridiculous blew away that logic. Can't wait for those key swim meets at Rutgers for USC...

Say it with me...

Relegation

(05-30-2023 01:45 PM)gsloth Wrote:  

(05-30-2023 12:25 PM)texowl2 Wrote:  And now it will start to happen. Sorry, you are no longer wanted-leave now. The airport gang nor the collapse of the SWC will not look so bad.

https://www.si.com/fannation/college/cfb...ms-analyst

I've always through there would be 64 teams-4 16 team conferences. But the USC/UCLA ridiculous blew away that logic. Can't wait for those key swim meets at Rutgers for USC...

Say it with me...

Relegation

RELEGATION!

I’m totally with you on this gsloth. It’s a fair way of doing it… divvying up the hoards of money brought in by the P5. But it has absolutely no chance of becoming reality. Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, Michigan and Texas could all go 6-6 for 5 years in a row and they will insist that their brands are worth multiples more than Vanderbilt, South Carolina, Texas Tech, Rutgers and Minnesota. And they are probably right. But this arrogance may drive the formation of the ultimate super conferences. 20-30 big name teams that command the biggest $$ and TV markets. Everybody else sits at the kiddie table.
Please enjoy watching “Super League: The War for Football” on AppleTV+. It portends what we have in store for us here in the USA.

San Diego State is playing an interesting game of footsie with the PAC and Big XII. Notifying the MWC they might leave, but haven't decided yet has made things more interesting this week. The spurned MWC has announced it won't play nice "at this time" and is informing SDSU they consider them gone. Meanwhile, PAC TV deal negotiations keeping things up in the air. Looks like more moves are a'comin' as we ease on down the road....

(06-20-2023 08:12 AM)GoodOwl Wrote:  San Diego State is playing an interesting game of footsie with the PAC and Big XII. Notifying the MWC they might leave, but haven't decided yet has made things more interesting this week. The spurned MWC has announced it won't play nice "at this time" and is informing SDSU they consider them gone. Meanwhile, PAC TV deal negotiations keeping things up in the air. Looks like more moves are a'comin' as we ease on down the road....

I read that the exit fee doubles if San Diego State isn't gone by July 1st, so the Aztecs may not have an official home.

(06-20-2023 11:05 AM)Ourland Wrote:  

(06-20-2023 08:12 AM)GoodOwl Wrote:  San Diego State is playing an interesting game of footsie with the PAC and Big XII. Notifying the MWC they might leave, but haven't decided yet has made things more interesting this week. The spurned MWC has announced it won't play nice "at this time" and is informing SDSU they consider them gone. Meanwhile, PAC TV deal negotiations keeping things up in the air. Looks like more moves are a'comin' as we ease on down the road....

I read that the exit fee doubles if San Diego State isn't gone by July 1st, so the Aztecs may not have an official home.

Oh, boy, this is getting to be a hoot! San Diego State tells MWC "Just kidding" about leaving, but....

Mountain West claims San Diego State has left conference, owes exit fee as sides remain at odds, per report. San Diego State is attempting to get out of paying an exorbitant exit fee to stay in the MWC

Colonial Athletic Association changes name to Coastal Athletic Association
The name change comes in the wake of recent expansion

Quote:The association of schools located in nine states along the Atlantic seaboard announced the change on Thursday to reflect its recent expansion, with members spanning from Massachusetts to South Carolina. The league still will be referred to as the CAA and continue to use the same conference logo.

"Our new name is reflective of the conference’s continuity and unity, as well as each institutions’ commitment to be United in Excellence," CAA Commissioner Joe D’Antonio said in a statement.

In the past two years, the CAA has added five new members to push its membership to 14 institutions, the highest in its nearly 40-year history. Hampton, Monmouth, North Carolina A&T and Stony Brook came aboard for the 2022-23 academic year, and Campbell joined this year. James Madison left last year to join the Sun Belt and play a higher level of football (FBS) .

The other schools in the association are the College of Charleston, Delaware, Drexel, Elon, Hofstra, North Carolina-Wilmington, Northeastern, Towson and William & Mary.

The CAA has has produced 18 national team champions in five different sports and 33 individual national champions.

The name change will carry over to the league’s football conference, which will be called the Coastal Athletic Association Football Conference but continue to be referred to as the CAA Football Conference. It has 15 members in 10 states from Maine to North Carolina.

Also in the league are Albany (N.Y.), Maine-Orono, New Hampshire, Richmond, Villanova, Delaware, Elon, Hampton, Monmouth (N.J.), Rhode Island, Stony Brook, Towson and William & Mary.

Twelve of the CAA’s current 15 football members have made the playoffs since 2015, and the league has had multiple teams in the FCS playoffs for the past 31 years.