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How bad is the ACC TV contract itself? - Hokie Mark - 07-26-2021 04:43 PM
There are many components of ACC revenue shortfalls - bad Orange Bowl contract, too many small schools, not enough top 25 match-ups, etc. - but the thing we often think about first is the poorly-negotiated TV contract with ESPN. How much is that one deal costing each ACC team? I dug and calculated and dug some more, and I think I have a reasonable estimate: $6.6M per school, per year.
Here's how I came to that conclusion:
https://accfootballrx.blogspot.com/2021/07/what-is-tier-1-cfb-game-worth.html
Keep in mind that the SEC not only is getting market rate (while the ACC is not), but it also has more T1 match-ups than the ACC thanks to more brand-name teams - so it's a two-sided problem which needs to be attacked from both sides, IMO.
RE: How bad is the ACC TV contract itself? - Wahoowa84 - 07-26-2021 05:23 PM
My understanding was that the look-in windows are meant to correct the discrepancy in rates per viewing (T1, T2, T3) category. The ACC made a big deal (protection from unforeseen market increases) out of those look-out windows. It’ll be interesting to see how the discussions have panned out for Phillips.
With regards to the number of games that can be classified as T1 & T2…the problem with the current contract is that ESPN doesn’t seem to have incentive to over-hype (market) ACC football. Also, many ACCN games are T3 content.
RE: How bad is the ACC TV contract itself? - Hokie Mark - 07-26-2021 06:59 PM
(07-26-2021 05:23 PM)Wahoowa84 Wrote: My understanding was that the look-in windows are meant to correct the discrepancy in rates per viewing (T1, T2, T3) category. The ACC made a big deal (protection from unforeseen market increases) out of those look-out windows. It’ll be interesting to see how the discussions have panned out for Phillips.
With regards to the number of games that can be classified as T1 & T2…the problem with the current contract is that ESPN doesn’t seem to have incentive to over-hype (market) ACC football. Also, many ACCN games are T3 content.
That's a common misconception, but the look-ins don't automatically adjust the contract -- the look-ins are opportunities to sign new contracts (e.g. the ACC Network, which came from the last look-in).
As for issues with classifying ACC games games as T1/T2/T3 -- I totally agree with you.
RE: How bad is the ACC TV contract itself? - ChrisLords - 07-27-2021 01:17 AM
(07-26-2021 05:23 PM)Wahoowa84 Wrote: My understanding was that the look-in windows are meant to correct the discrepancy in rates per viewing (T1, T2, T3) category. The ACC made a big deal (protection from unforeseen market increases) out of those look-out windows. It’ll be interesting to see how the discussions have panned out for Phillips.
With regards to the number of games that can be classified as T1 & T2…the problem with the current contract is that ESPN doesn’t seem to have incentive to over-hype (market) ACC football. Also, many ACCN games are T3 content.
Yes, the ACCN is loaded with quality games. For the most part 3 games every Saturday all year minus Covid cancellations.
RE: How bad is the ACC TV contract itself? - curtis0620 - 07-27-2021 08:04 AM
ACC should get the Sugar Bowl spot that the Big12 will vacate
RE: How bad is the ACC TV contract itself? - Wahoowa84 - 07-28-2021 11:18 AM
(07-26-2021 06:59 PM)Hokie Mark Wrote:Ouch! So an adjustment to the contract would require…a look-in window plus membership expansion / change in scheduling philosophy (e.g., 9 game conference schedule). ??(07-26-2021 05:23 PM)Wahoowa84 Wrote: My understanding was that the look-in windows are meant to correct the discrepancy in rates per viewing (T1, T2, T3) category. The ACC made a big deal (protection from unforeseen market increases) out of those look-out windows. It’ll be interesting to see how the discussions have panned out for Phillips.
With regards to the number of games that can be classified as T1 & T2…the problem with the current contract is that ESPN doesn’t seem to have incentive to over-hype (market) ACC football. Also, many ACCN games are T3 content.
That's a common misconception, but the look-ins don't automatically adjust the contract -- the look-ins are opportunities to sign new contracts (e.g. the ACC Network, which came from the last look-in).
As for issues with classifying ACC games games as T1/T2/T3 -- I totally agree with you.
RE: How bad is the ACC TV contract itself? - nole - 07-28-2021 11:47 AM
(07-27-2021 08:04 AM)curtis0620 Wrote: ACC should get the Sugar Bowl spot that the Big12 will vacate
Yea, they are going to make that an SEC product. Not ACC
RE: How bad is the ACC TV contract itself? - Win5002 - 07-28-2021 01:20 PM
(07-27-2021 08:04 AM)curtis0620 Wrote: ACC should get the Sugar Bowl spot that the Big12 will vacate
That game doesn't provide a lot of monetary value after an expanded CFP.
RE: How bad is the ACC TV contract itself? - Hokie Mark - 07-28-2021 01:37 PM
(07-28-2021 11:18 AM)Wahoowa84 Wrote:(07-26-2021 06:59 PM)Hokie Mark Wrote:Ouch! So an adjustment to the contract would require…a look-in window plus membership expansion / change in scheduling philosophy (e.g., 9 game conference schedule). ??(07-26-2021 05:23 PM)Wahoowa84 Wrote: My understanding was that the look-in windows are meant to correct the discrepancy in rates per viewing (T1, T2, T3) category. The ACC made a big deal (protection from unforeseen market increases) out of those look-out windows. It’ll be interesting to see how the discussions have panned out for Phillips.
With regards to the number of games that can be classified as T1 & T2…the problem with the current contract is that ESPN doesn’t seem to have incentive to over-hype (market) ACC football. Also, many ACCN games are T3 content.
That's a common misconception, but the look-ins don't automatically adjust the contract -- the look-ins are opportunities to sign new contracts (e.g. the ACC Network, which came from the last look-in).
As for issues with classifying ACC games games as T1/T2/T3 -- I totally agree with you.
Not necessarily - you get paid what you can negotiate. All I'm saying is that it isn't an automatic revenue increase (not to be confused with the standard "escalator", which IS an automatic increase of about $1M to $2M per school per year - and everyone gets that, including SEC schools).
RE: How bad is the ACC TV contract itself? - GTFletch - 08-02-2021 12:28 PM
Let's rewind 10-11 years, shall we? Conference realignment destabilized the college football foundation we had come to know. Talk about 16-team superconferences started dominating the discussion, and soon, survival-of-the-fittest scenarios began unfolding.
The ACC? Many thought the future looked bleak, especially after Florida State and the Big 12 became publicly tangled in a public relations mess that dominated spring meetings in 2012. A few months later, Maryland decided to join the Big Ten and left the ACC reeling.
What is a commish to do? If you are John Swofford, you swat away any doomsday talk and make your league stronger. Since 2012, he has gotten Notre Dame to join in all sports but football, but secured an annual five-game football scheduling agreement and included the Irish in future bowl partnerships; he swapped Maryland for Louisville, a huge upgrade across the board; he got league schools to raise the exit fee to $50 million; and he got them all to sign a grant-of-rights agreement.
But wait. There's more.
On the opening day of ACC Kickoff on Thursday, Swofford and ESPN announced a long-awaited deal with ESPN for an ACC linear and digital network, along with a grant-of-rights extension through 2036 -- essentially stabilizing and securing the conference for the foreseeable future.
"John Swofford made all the right moves," Duke athletic director Kevin White said. "In my behind-the-barn expression, the dart board is no longer jumping. We know where the dart board is. We're pretty frozen."
The ACC has made a remarkable shift over a very short time. Swofford has secured his league's future for the next 20 years, all while completely outmaneuvering the Big 12 -- a conference whose future appears murkiest. The Big 12 spent all summer discussing future expansion and wondering about the prospects for its own television network.
Now the conference is talking about expansion again, Oklahoma president David Boren said as a direct result of the ACC's network news. But any thought about trying to poach an ACC team is not based in reality.
If Florida State or any other team considers leaving over the next 20 years, it would have to pay the ACC a $50 million exit fee plus leave behind its television rights until the grant of rights expires. That's a whole lot of cash to leave on the table to join a league that looks the most unstable and least secure among the Power 5 conferences.
The future ACC Network, years in the making, finally puts the ACC on par with the SEC, Big Ten and Pac-12, which all have their own networks. Having more television exposure is nice, but this is about the money a television network brings in -- money the ACC hopes will allow for even more substantial upgrades to its football product.
We could debate which makes the ACC stronger -- a network or the grant-of-rights extension. They are both big, but the grant of rights should be considered the biggest news to emerge out of this week. With the Big 12 still hemming and hawing about whether to add more teams, extending the grant of rights basically locks ACC schools into place -- and that is the type of stability the league didn't have five years ago.
Given all these developments, the natural expectation should be for the ACC to now make the necessary steps to be more than just a top-heavy football league. After the conference went 13 years between championship game appearances, two ACC schools have played for a title in two of the past three years. Florida State and Clemson continue to carry the flag, but programs like Miami, Louisville, North Carolina and Virginia Tech -- just to name four -- have a responsibility to the league to prove they are top-25 teams capable of contending for championships.
These are exciting times for the ACC. Playing as a stable, unified conference with a network on the way should be only just the beginning. They also provide quite a legacy for the man who has engineered it all.
"I feel great about where it is because we're where we should be," Swofford said. "It feels good to be there. The last 10 to 15 years in college athletics there's been a lot of instability, there's been a lot of rumors, a lot of people who were saying things without any basis about who might be where and why this would happen, and there were all kinds of reasons why a lot of those things would not have happened.
"But I think what this does is totally take the ACC out of any kind of conversation of that nature, and that's a huge plus for the league and for the individual institutions and a huge plus for our ability to truly reach our potential as a league. I think that's already started."
written by Andrea Adelson
ESPN Senior Writer
July 21, 2016
(https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/17118743/john-swofford-solidifies-conference-future-acc-network
RE: How bad is the ACC TV contract itself? - GTFletch - 08-02-2021 12:32 PM
The long-awaited ACC Network will launch by August 2019, with the Atlantic Coast Conference and ESPN agreeing to a 20-year deal and rights extension through the 2035-36 academic year in an announcement made Thursday. The conference's grant of rights makes it financially untenable for a school to leave, guaranteeing in the 20 years of the deal that a school's media rights, including revenue, for all home games would remain with the ACC regardless of the school's affiliation. "The ACC is a great conference, and this increases the national exposure, brings in additional revenue and offers greater opportunity for student-athletes," Clemson president Jim Clements said. "For us and the Florida States and others, it stabilizes the conference long term."
The ACC's new grant of rights also automatically extends Notre Dame's contract with the conference as a member in all sports but football through 2035-36, a source said. If the Irish forgo football independence in the next 20 years, they will be contracted to join the ACC.
The ACC Network will increase the league's overall value. Swofford said the agreements will put the ACC in "the upper echelon of Power 5 conferences" and secure the league's future over the next 20 years.
ESPN's Brett McMurphy and David M. Hale and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
(https://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/17102933/acc-espn-agree-20-year-rights-deal-lead-2019-launch-acc-network)
RE: How bad is the ACC TV contract itself? - GTFletch - 08-02-2021 12:56 PM
(07-26-2021 04:43 PM)Hokie Mark Wrote: There are many components of ACC revenue shortfalls - bad Orange Bowl contract, too many small schools, not enough top 25 match-ups, etc. - but the thing we often think about first is the poorly-negotiated TV contract with ESPN. How much is that one deal costing each ACC team? I dug and calculated and dug some more, and I think I have a reasonable estimate: $6.6M per school, per year.
Here's how I came to that conclusion:
https://accfootballrx.blogspot.com/2021/07/what-is-tier-1-cfb-game-worth.html
Keep in mind that the SEC not only is getting market rate (while the ACC is not), but it also has more T1 match-ups than the ACC thanks to more brand-name teams - so it's a two-sided problem which needs to be attacked from both sides, IMO.
Ok, before I answer this please read the above two post! I think for all the crap folks gave the ACC over the years about not having a TV network....It may be time for some to eat CROW. What I saw last week was what all the SEC and Big12 homers say was going to happen to ACC. However that is not what happened. What DID happen was FOX not cave to OU and basically told them to play Noon games, quit whinning and like it (11AM local) and I also heard that ESPN told Texas that their LHN would not be renewed. So Texas and OU not wanting to be involved with a conference heading in the wrong direction took their ball and joined the SEC sandbox where they will be able to get the TV money they want.
Boy does Commish John Swofford look way better than Bowlsby. I bet FSU fans are happy they only flirted with the BIG12 and decided not to leave the ACC.
Ok to answer your question...to fix the ACC Contract only a few options can really help until we can reup after 2036.
1. Add Comcast as a carrier for ACC Network in 2021 FB season to cash in.
2. 2021 “look-ins”: we need to cash in.
3. 2026 “look-ins”: we need to cash in.
4. 2031 “look-ins”: we need to cash in.
5. Do not renew the sublicensed agreement for ESPN games to RSN after 2026-27.
--Add 2027-28 games to ACC Network to strengthen inventory. (MFB & MBB) for "Look-ins"
IMHO if you look at the per-school payouts for fiscal 2020 the ACC is about to move into 3rd place. Something people would have scoffed at a mere five years ago when speaking of the ACC.
In terms of per-school payouts for fiscal 2020:
— Big Ten: $54.3 million
— SEC: $45.5 million
— Big 12: $37 million to $40.5 million
— Pac-12: $33.6 million
— ACC: $30.9 million to $37 million (and $10.8 million to Notre Dame)
Bottomline the ACC will jump to 3rd when Comcast carries the ACC Network! We have come a long way and have to keep fighting the fight, but the foundation for long term success has been accomplished!
RE: How bad is the ACC TV contract itself? - nole - 08-02-2021 01:26 PM
(08-02-2021 12:56 PM)GTFletch Wrote:(07-26-2021 04:43 PM)Hokie Mark Wrote: There are many components of ACC revenue shortfalls - bad Orange Bowl contract, too many small schools, not enough top 25 match-ups, etc. - but the thing we often think about first is the poorly-negotiated TV contract with ESPN. How much is that one deal costing each ACC team? I dug and calculated and dug some more, and I think I have a reasonable estimate: $6.6M per school, per year.
Here's how I came to that conclusion:
https://accfootballrx.blogspot.com/2021/07/what-is-tier-1-cfb-game-worth.html
Keep in mind that the SEC not only is getting market rate (while the ACC is not), but it also has more T1 match-ups than the ACC thanks to more brand-name teams - so it's a two-sided problem which needs to be attacked from both sides, IMO.
Ok, before I answer this please read the above two post! I think for all the crap folks gave the ACC over the years about not having a TV network....It may be time for some to eat CROW. What I saw last week was what all the SEC and Big12 homers say was going to happen to ACC. However that is not what happened. What DID happen was FOX not cave to OU and basically told them to play Noon games, quit whinning and like it (11AM local) and I also heard that ESPN told Texas that their LHN would not be renewed. So Texas adn OU not wanting to be involved with a conference heading in the wrong direction took their ball and joined the SEC sandbox where they will be able to get the TV money they want.
Boy does Commish John Swofford look way better than Bowlsby. I bet FSU fans are happy they only flirted with the BIG12 and decided not to leave the ACC.
Ok to answer your question...to fix the ACC Contract only a few options can really help until we can reup after 2036.
1. Add Comcast as a carrier for ACC Network in 2021 FB season to cash in.
2. 2021 “look-ins”: we need to cash in.
3. 2026 “look-ins”: we need to cash in.
4. Do not renew the sublicensed agreement for ESPN games to RSN after 2026-27.
--Add 2027-28 games to ACC Network to strengthen inventory. (MFB & MBB)
IMHO if you look at the per-school payouts for fiscal 2020 the ACC is about to move into 3rd place. Something people would have scoffed at a mere five years ago when speaking of the ACC.
In terms of per-school payouts for fiscal 2020:
— Big Ten: $54.3 million
— SEC: $45.5 million
— Big 12: $37 million to $40.5 million
— Pac-12: $33.6 million
— ACC: $30.9 million to $37 million (and $10.8 million to Notre Dame)
Bottomline the ACC will jump to 3rd when Comcast carries the ACC Network! We have come a long way and have to keep fighting the fight, but the foundation for long term success has been accomplished!
What planet are you on?
It boils down to this. The SEC has $15 million a year more than the ACC......BEFORE the SEC expansion. That figure is expected to rise to a $40 million a year revenue gap.
There is NO win in there for Swofford or the ACC. The ACC is falling behind.....and it's getting worse, not better.
RE: How bad is the ACC TV contract itself? - curtis0620 - 08-02-2021 01:34 PM
I hear the Big12 is looking for teams.
RE: How bad is the ACC TV contract itself? - ChrisLords - 08-02-2021 02:30 PM
(07-27-2021 08:04 AM)curtis0620 Wrote: ACC should get the Sugar Bowl spot that the Big12 will vacate
Why wouldn't that become an SEC vs. B1G bowl? They may have to drop the Outback bowl or some lower bowl but I don't see why the Sugar wouldn't want the 2 biggest conferences in their bowl.
RE: How bad is the ACC TV contract itself? - Hokie Mark - 08-02-2021 02:45 PM
(08-02-2021 02:30 PM)ChrisLords Wrote:(07-27-2021 08:04 AM)curtis0620 Wrote: ACC should get the Sugar Bowl spot that the Big12 will vacate
Why wouldn't that become an SEC vs. B1G bowl? They may have to drop the Outback bowl or some lower bowl but I don't see why the Sugar wouldn't want the 2 biggest conferences in their bowl.
...because Big Ten #1 is tied into the Rose Bowl and the SEC would want better than Big Ten #2 (or, in reality, #3)?
RE: How bad is the ACC TV contract itself? - Statefan - 08-02-2021 03:59 PM
The ACC's big bowl problem is called Duke, WF, Boston College.
When the SEC looks for a bowl, the bowl knows that the chance of ever getting stuck with Vandy is damn near zero.
When the ACC looks for a bowl the bowl know that is probably a 10-15 % chance to get WF, Duke, or BC.
Because of the small alumni and football fan bases, they can only put so many butts into the seats even if they are 11-1.
You are also dealing with a socio-economic class of alums and fans that don't match regular football fans and in turn many will not change certain holiday plans if that plan is substantially better than going to the Orange or Sugar Bowl. Meaning if a Duke clan has plans to be in Europe at the same time, they are likely not cancelling their trip as a FSU, Clemson, UNC, or VT fan might.
RE: How bad is the ACC TV contract itself? - random asian guy - 08-02-2021 06:09 PM
(08-02-2021 12:56 PM)GTFletch Wrote:(07-26-2021 04:43 PM)Hokie Mark Wrote: There are many components of ACC revenue shortfalls - bad Orange Bowl contract, too many small schools, not enough top 25 match-ups, etc. - but the thing we often think about first is the poorly-negotiated TV contract with ESPN. How much is that one deal costing each ACC team? I dug and calculated and dug some more, and I think I have a reasonable estimate: $6.6M per school, per year.
Here's how I came to that conclusion:
https://accfootballrx.blogspot.com/2021/07/what-is-tier-1-cfb-game-worth.html
Keep in mind that the SEC not only is getting market rate (while the ACC is not), but it also has more T1 match-ups than the ACC thanks to more brand-name teams - so it's a two-sided problem which needs to be attacked from both sides, IMO.
Ok, before I answer this please read the above two post! I think for all the crap folks gave the ACC over the years about not having a TV network....It may be time for some to eat CROW. What I saw last week was what all the SEC and Big12 homers say was going to happen to ACC. However that is not what happened. What DID happen was FOX not cave to OU and basically told them to play Noon games, quit whinning and like it (11AM local) and I also heard that ESPN told Texas that their LHN would not be renewed. So Texas adn OU not wanting to be involved with a conference heading in the wrong direction took their ball and joined the SEC sandbox where they will be able to get the TV money they want.
Boy does Commish John Swofford look way better than Bowlsby. I bet FSU fans are happy they only flirted with the BIG12 and decided not to leave the ACC.
Ok to answer your question...to fix the ACC Contract only a few options can really help until we can reup after 2036.
1. Add Comcast as a carrier for ACC Network in 2021 FB season to cash in.
2. 2021 “look-ins”: we need to cash in.
3. 2026 “look-ins”: we need to cash in.
4. Do not renew the sublicensed agreement for ESPN games to RSN after 2026-27.
--Add 2027-28 games to ACC Network to strengthen inventory. (MFB & MBB)
IMHO if you look at the per-school payouts for fiscal 2020 the ACC is about to move into 3rd place. Something people would have scoffed at a mere five years ago when speaking of the ACC.
In terms of per-school payouts for fiscal 2020:
— Big Ten: $54.3 million
— SEC: $45.5 million
— Big 12: $37 million to $40.5 million
— Pac-12: $33.6 million
— ACC: $30.9 million to $37 million (and $10.8 million to Notre Dame)
Bottomline the ACC will jump to 3rd when Comcast carries the ACC Network! We have come a long way and have to keep fighting the fight, but the foundation for long term success has been accomplished!
This.
I don’t understand why people keep comparing the ACC with the SEC and the BIG. The ACC football viewerhship and attendance just can’t match with those of the SEC and the BIG. This is like fans of a G5 team complaining about their program not winning a national championship.
I am not a big fan of the current media deal but extending the GOR was a right move to save the conference.
RE: How bad is the ACC TV contract itself? - GTFletch - 08-02-2021 07:40 PM
(08-02-2021 01:26 PM)nole Wrote:(08-02-2021 12:56 PM)GTFletch Wrote:(07-26-2021 04:43 PM)Hokie Mark Wrote: There are many components of ACC revenue shortfalls - bad Orange Bowl contract, too many small schools, not enough top 25 match-ups, etc. - but the thing we often think about first is the poorly-negotiated TV contract with ESPN. How much is that one deal costing each ACC team? I dug and calculated and dug some more, and I think I have a reasonable estimate: $6.6M per school, per year.
Here's how I came to that conclusion:
https://accfootballrx.blogspot.com/2021/07/what-is-tier-1-cfb-game-worth.html
Keep in mind that the SEC not only is getting market rate (while the ACC is not), but it also has more T1 match-ups than the ACC thanks to more brand-name teams - so it's a two-sided problem which needs to be attacked from both sides, IMO.
Ok, before I answer this please read the above two post! I think for all the crap folks gave the ACC over the years about not having a TV network....It may be time for some to eat CROW. What I saw last week was what all the SEC and Big12 homers say was going to happen to ACC. However that is not what happened. What DID happen was FOX not cave to OU and basically told them to play Noon games, quit whinning and like it (11AM local) and I also heard that ESPN told Texas that their LHN would not be renewed. So Texas adn OU not wanting to be involved with a conference heading in the wrong direction took their ball and joined the SEC sandbox where they will be able to get the TV money they want.
Boy does Commish John Swofford look way better than Bowlsby. I bet FSU fans are happy they only flirted with the BIG12 and decided not to leave the ACC.
Ok to answer your question...to fix the ACC Contract only a few options can really help until we can reup after 2036.
1. Add Comcast as a carrier for ACC Network in 2021 FB season to cash in.
2. 2021 “look-ins”: we need to cash in.
3. 2026 “look-ins”: we need to cash in.
4. Do not renew the sublicensed agreement for ESPN games to RSN after 2026-27.
--Add 2027-28 games to ACC Network to strengthen inventory. (MFB & MBB)
IMHO if you look at the per-school payouts for fiscal 2020 the ACC is about to move into 3rd place. Something people would have scoffed at a mere five years ago when speaking of the ACC.
In terms of per-school payouts for fiscal 2020:
— Big Ten: $54.3 million
— SEC: $45.5 million
— Big 12: $37 million to $40.5 million
— Pac-12: $33.6 million
— ACC: $30.9 million to $37 million (and $10.8 million to Notre Dame)
Bottomline the ACC will jump to 3rd when Comcast carries the ACC Network! We have come a long way and have to keep fighting the fight, but the foundation for long term success has been accomplished!
What planet are you on?
It boils down to this. The SEC has $15 million a year more than the ACC......BEFORE the SEC expansion. That figure is expected to rise to a $40 million a year revenue gap.
There is NO win in there for Swofford or the ACC. The ACC is falling behind.....and it's getting worse, not better.
I guess we will see what the actual dollars are when the following happens:
1. Add Comcast as a carrier for ACC Network
2. 2021 “look-in”
RE: How bad is the ACC TV contract itself? - Wahoowa84 - 08-02-2021 08:24 PM
(08-02-2021 03:59 PM)Statefan Wrote: The ACC's big bowl problem is called Duke, WF, Boston College.
When the SEC looks for a bowl, the bowl knows that the chance of ever getting stuck with Vandy is damn near zero.
When the ACC looks for a bowl the bowl know that is probably a 10-15 % chance to get WF, Duke, or BC.
Because of the small alumni and football fan bases, they can only put so many butts into the seats even if they are 11-1.
You are also dealing with a socio-economic class of alums and fans that don't match regular football fans and in turn many will not change certain holiday plans if that plan is substantially better than going to the Orange or Sugar Bowl. Meaning if a Duke clan has plans to be in Europe at the same time, they are likely not cancelling their trip as a FSU, Clemson, UNC, or VT fan might.
Some consolation…the more that the CFP expands, the value of bowls wane. The ACC always struggled with contracting with top bowls.