(02-07-2019 04:24 PM)YNot Wrote:  ESPN/2/U do not show 24 college football games each week. Also, SEC and PAC Networks do not broadcast 16 games each week. Lots of replays. And, NBC only shows Notre Dame home games (about one every other week) and FOX rarely broadcasts 3 games on a Saturday.

So, there is some overstatement of the inventory slots. Probably more like this:

CBS - 1 (exceptions where they have a night game)
NBC - 0 or 1
Fox - 1 or 2
ABC - 2 or 3
ESPN - 5-8 (1 or 2 on Thursday, 1 or 2 on Friday, 3-4 on Saturday)
ESPN2 - 5-8 (1 or 2 on Thursday, 1 or 2 on Friday, 3-4 on Saturday)
ESPNU - 5-8 (1 or 2 on Thursday, 1 or 2 on Friday, 3-4 on Saturday)
ESPNNews - 2-5 (0 or 1 on Thursday, 0 or 1 on Friday, 2-3 on Saturday)
FS1 - 5-8 (1 or 2 on Thursday, 1 or 2 on Friday, 3-4 on Saturday)
FS2 - 2-5 (0 or 1 on Thursday, 0 or 1 on Friday, 2-3 on Saturday)
CBSSN - 5-8 (1 or 2 on Thursday, 1 or 2 on Friday, 3-4 on Saturday)
SEC Network - 2-5 (0 or 1 on Thursday, 0 or 1 on Friday, 2-3 on Saturday)
ACC Network - 2-5 (0 or 1 on Thursday, 0 or 1 on Friday, 2-3 on Saturday)
Pac-12 Network - 2-5 (0 or 1 on Thursday, 0 or 1 on Friday, 2-3 on Saturday)

So, that means in a given week, there are likely to be about 40-65 broadcast timeslots. So, in some weeks, there might only be 8-10 timeslots available outside of the 32 provided by the P5. Even in a great week where there might be 30-35 timeslots available, half of those are for ESPNNews, CBSSN, and FS2.

For sure, the AAC brings good ratings and a nice value proposition...but, you're looking at a handful of timeslots on ESPN/2/U or FS1 each week...if you're lucky.

To be sure, I just showed capacity, not what is currently occupied. But the point remains, there's not some "surplus" of P5 games out there, and there is a market for the AAC games.

And, of course, it doesn't rule out the prospects of somebody else getting into the game, like a Turner, or NBC deciding to get in at a bigger level. I don't expect either to break the bank for the AAC this round, I would expect them to keep their powder dry to make a run at the SEC or B1G. But it could open the door to additional capacity.

I just think some of the efforts in this thread to downplay the AAC rights are unrealistic.

USFFan