(06-18-2022 11:12 AM)Lurker Above Wrote:  

(06-18-2022 08:38 AM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  I’ve heard a lot of people say that Clemson and Florida St are more valuable to ESPN in the ACC than the SEC. This is only true if ESPN controls them both and is getting a discount rate on ACC content. If The ACC moves to another network and suddenly FOX/NBC/CBS have advertising access to southern college football fans, ruining the ESPN monopoly, then that’s not such a good deal for the mouse.

In order to maintain control of the south I think ESPN is going to have to facilitate the move of the ACC’s top brands to the SEC.

At that point it won’t matter who has the rights to the ACC—it will be so stripped of market share that ESPN won’t care if they retain it on the cheap or if someone else does.

The value of Clemson and FSU playing their SEC neighbors cannot be underestimated and would dwarf whatever value ESPN still had to pay the ACC. Those two schools playing any of the top half or more of the current SEC16 would be bank. That would be 5 games per year against the historical better SEC teams every year. Half of those games would be against schools that have been rivals, or at least geographical adversaries in recruiting, for generations. Look at the map. Fans would certainly travel and not only fill stadiums but parking lots around stadiums for generations to come. It would be must see tv.

Sankey would be a damn fool to let the B1G inside the SEC footprint. If anyone inside the SEC headquarters thinks it's a good idea to allow the B1G to get UNC or UVA they should be shown the door yesterday. Creating a lawful monopoly across the South must be the prime directive. Claim the value pieces while such are affordable. The end game is not Texas and OU. The end game is owning one half of a NFL lite league.

As of right now ESPN does own 30/64th of the P5 plus 5/12th of Notre Dame football and all of the rest of the Irish Athletic department (except Ice Hockey).

This, of course does not include the Big 12 rights that ESPN shares with FOX until 2025.