(01-21-2023 03:41 PM)World Wide Swag Wrote:  I don't think anyone is disputing that they're going to make more money and access bigger markets. But USC and UCLA are putting themselves at a considerable competitive disadvantage. Think about if USC makes the conference championship, they have to travel ~2,000 miles to play Michigan or Ohio State in Chicago or Indy for a shot at a bye in the CFP? That will be a road game for them.

I get it more for UCLA because their bottom line was hurting. But this will cost USC berths and byes in the CFP. If you're a USC fan, are you OK with that knowing that your admin is getting $25M or so more per year from your media deal to spend on who knows what while you're missing out on the CFP and traveling to West Lafayette and Iowa City for road games instead of Seattle and Phoenix? That seems like it could get old fast. USC would have been able to stamp their ticket to the expanded CFP virtually every year going forward in the Pac.

Yes, I think they take the $25M, and the NIL deals, and the merch deals, and the additional visitors to SoCal, and the the mostly full stadiums.

UCLA and USC were ok with the Rose Bowl being played in their back yard. Times change. There weren't many complaints from the Big Ten on that location. Further, I bet future B1G championships will occasionally be played in the Rose Bowl (unfortunately, for Indianapolis).

The Big Ten will do what they can to ease the scheduling for them. PAC was never as cozy as the original Big Ten or SEC anyway, and now, more of those trips will be by air. It won't be easy, but we do live in an age where parents drive their kids ~4 hours to participate in youth sports.