$8M as a base is lower than the $10M I thought was realistic but for 27 months notice I guess that makes sense. I'd be interested to see how it officially scales from $8M to $18M but doubt that'll be public.

Would this start effective immediately for the other 13? I assume this is App State, Marshall, and Old Dominon's way of showing at least some short term commitment to this conference.

Yes--very important Question.

Effective immediately or possibly July 1st, 2027?

I'm not sure they have made it immediate. Tons of legal challenges if they did. I would be interested in knowing when it goes into effect, though.

(10-16-2026 03:08 PM)Johns1124 Wrote:  I'm not sure they have made it immediate. Tons of legal challenges if they did. I would be interested in knowing when it goes into effect, though.

Maybe but I'm not sure what the legal challenge could be? The conference voted and passed it in accordance with their bylaws..

(10-16-2026 03:17 PM)Troy_Fan_15 Wrote:  

(10-16-2026 03:08 PM)Johns1124 Wrote:  I'm not sure they have made it immediate. Tons of legal challenges if they did. I would be interested in knowing when it goes into effect, though.

Maybe but I'm not sure what the legal challenge could be? The conference voted and passed it in accordance with their bylaws..

Well, again, I have not seen the formal contract. But when the schools joined the SB the exit was 5 mil. Granted, they have the ability to raise it, but they need a grace period for the schools who do not want to stay at the inflated/new exit fee to find a new home and make their intentions known.

If not you would have every conference out there raising to outrageous amounts to keep the schools they have there.

This is essentially just saying we need longer notice. If a school was leaving for $5M they will likely leave for $8M with more notice.

(10-16-2026 03:20 PM)Johns1124 Wrote:  

(10-16-2026 03:17 PM)Troy_Fan_15 Wrote:  

(10-16-2026 03:08 PM)Johns1124 Wrote:  I'm not sure they have made it immediate. Tons of legal challenges if they did. I would be interested in knowing when it goes into effect, though.

Maybe but I'm not sure what the legal challenge could be? The conference voted and passed it in accordance with their bylaws..

Well, again, I have not seen the formal contract. But when the schools joined the SB the exit was 5 mil. Granted, they have the ability to raise it, but they need a grace period for the schools who do not want to stay at the inflated/new exit fee to find a new home and make their intentions known.

If not you would have every conference out there raising to outrageous amounts to keep the schools they have there.

Not really, they could have left like the p[D]ukes before the meeting. Problem was they likely didn't find a home, so were afraid of going Indy. If it is effective immediately, it is definitely not outrageous.

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That 27 month number looks nice n paper, but when is the last time anyone waited that long to leave a conference? We'll see negotiated exit fees going forward and I seriously doubt anyone will pay less than $10M. Keep in mind that's 5 years or more of current conference distributions to leave, and I'm pretty sure the TV contract is locked in for several more years. I like the SBC overall, but the penalty to leave is now unreasonable.

(10-16-2026 03:26 PM)JTApps1 Wrote:  That 27 month number looks nice n paper, but when is the last time anyone waited that long to leave a conference? We'll see negotiated exit fees going forward and I seriously doubt anyone will pay less than $10M. Keep in mind that's 5 years or more of current conference distributions to leave, and I'm pretty sure the TV contract is locked in for several more years. I like the SBC overall, but the penalty to leave is now unreasonable.

UCLA/USC to the B10 was like 2 years I believe.

If something like the rumored Pac East, with a lot of moving parts actually has any legs, I don't think a two season buildup is unreasonable honestly

(10-16-2026 03:08 PM)Johns1124 Wrote:  I'm not sure they have made it immediate. Tons of legal challenges if they did. I would be interested in knowing when it goes into effect, though.

I think by immediate they mean if ODU/App/Marshall/Whomever not named JMU wanted to leave they would be committed to the new fee. The Sun Belt cannot feasibly apply these fees to JMU if that's what you were thinking

LMAO, I can tell you how it scales because NO ONE is going to give more than 2 years notice:

27 months: $8mm
26 months: $8.1mm
25 months: $8.2mm
24 months: $18mm

This seems reasonable. The biggest issue in realignment at present is teams join conference only to watch its current membership all flee around them. People forget that when MTSU and FIU first left the Sun Belt in 2011, they did so to join a CUSA that had UCF, Memphis, Houston, and SMU among its membership. All four of those schools left within a year. East Carolina followed a year after that.

What the SBC is saying is if you want to leave now, fine. Pay us a lot of money. But membership in that league you are moving to may change rapidly and you might be better waiting to see what it looks like first.

A 27 month notice plus typical Athletic Calendar situations means someone who wants to pay just $8 million couldn't leave until July 1, 2029. Is there anyone here who honestly thinks the AAC is going to look like it does now then?

(10-16-2026 04:00 PM)2Buck Wrote:  LMAO, I can tell you how it scales because NO ONE is going to give more than 2 years notice:

27 months: $8mm
26 months: $8.1mm
25 months: $8.2mm
24 months: $18mm

Everything I understand is that for a 13 month notice it would be about $13 Million and $18 Million to leave at end of Athletic year. We all know JMU wants to leave on July 1, so they saved $13 Million by announcing early.

(10-16-2026 03:26 PM)JTApps1 Wrote:  That 27 month number looks nice n paper, but when is the last time anyone waited that long to leave a conference?

Southern Miss, Marshall, and ODU waited five years before leaving C-DOA. Or maybe it just seemed like eternity.

(10-16-2026 04:10 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  

(10-16-2026 04:00 PM)2Buck Wrote:  LMAO, I can tell you how it scales because NO ONE is going to give more than 2 years notice:

27 months: $8mm
26 months: $8.1mm
25 months: $8.2mm
24 months: $18mm

Everything I understand is that for a 13 month notice it would be about $13 Million and $18 Million to leave at end of Athletic year. We all know JMU wants to leave on July 1, so they saved $13 Million by announcing early.

I will give 2 bucks for JMU to.leave after football season. 3 at the end of the year.

(10-16-2026 03:26 PM)JTApps1 Wrote:  That 27 month number looks nice n paper, but when is the last time anyone waited that long to leave a conference? We'll see negotiated exit fees going forward and I seriously doubt anyone will pay less than $10M. Keep in mind that's 5 years or more of current conference distributions to leave, and I'm pretty sure the TV contract is locked in for several more years. I like the SBC overall, but the penalty to leave is now unreasonable.

Pretty sure the SBC has a look in next year. My thought is that the $8 mil figure with 2 years notice will be about what we expect to make in the next contract. It's just a hunch but $4 mil per year will be double what we are getting now.

(10-16-2026 04:21 PM)Georgia_Power_Company Wrote:  

(10-16-2026 03:26 PM)JTApps1 Wrote:  That 27 month number looks nice n paper, but when is the last time anyone waited that long to leave a conference? We'll see negotiated exit fees going forward and I seriously doubt anyone will pay less than $10M. Keep in mind that's 5 years or more of current conference distributions to leave, and I'm pretty sure the TV contract is locked in for several more years. I like the SBC overall, but the penalty to leave is now unreasonable.

Pretty sure the SBC has a look in next year. My thought is that the $8 mil figure with 2 years notice will be about what we expect to make in the next contract. It's just a hunch but $4 mil per year will be double what we are getting now.

Pretty much.

Its also partially designed to remind everyone that realignment often changes things radically. App and Marshall aren't getting into a league with Memphis and South Florida. There's just zero chance. They can get into a league without them. The exit fee wait period is simply hey, we've got a TV look in coming up. Lets look at that. The AAC may implode sooner, lets see that play out.

This is designed to ward off a PAC 12 East push. That's a lot of money to play Volleyball games in Boise

(10-16-2026 04:21 PM)Georgia_Power_Company Wrote:  

(10-16-2026 03:26 PM)JTApps1 Wrote:  That 27 month number looks nice n paper, but when is the last time anyone waited that long to leave a conference? We'll see negotiated exit fees going forward and I seriously doubt anyone will pay less than $10M. Keep in mind that's 5 years or more of current conference distributions to leave, and I'm pretty sure the TV contract is locked in for several more years. I like the SBC overall, but the penalty to leave is now unreasonable.

Pretty sure the SBC has a look in next year. My thought is that the $8 mil figure with 2 years notice will be about what we expect to make in the next contract. It's just a hunch but $4 mil per year will be double what we are getting now.

I thought our media deal was a 10 year straight-through deal with no look in or renegotiation period. At least that is what I was told by the Troy AD a few years back. Are we sure there is a renegotiation period?

Watch all of this come full circle.

The ACC will lose a bunch of schools. The ACC will then absorb the best among the American and Pac-12 to try and stay as a "Power 4." The American will then have to deal with the "conference composition clause" within their ESPN deal, meaning the TV money will decline.

Then schools like ECU, Charlotte, FAU, North Texas, Temple, Tulsa, UAB, and possibly JMU will be looking for the next best conference before the ship sinks further, ala the Pac-12 remnants inviting the rest of the MWC and the western American schools.

It'll be CUSA all over again.