This can't be true. Schools like Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Indiana, Purdue, Illinois, etc... need out-of-conference wins to be bowl eligible. Bowl games are something to sell recruits and the extra practice time builds the programs.

How many years will Maryland, Iowa State, Kansas State, Boston College, etc... sit at home with 4 or 5 wins knowing a regular-season home game against Ball State or Bowling Green could be the difference in making their program competitive?

(07-27-2020 09:51 PM)Wedge Wrote:  It would, if P5 conferences played 10 conference games and if teams still had to win 6 games to be bowl eligible.

On the other hand, if lower-tier bowl games really wanted to have 5-7 Big Ten teams instead of 7-5 MAC teams, they would push for the elimination of the 6-win requirement.

The P5 may not be in the NCAA in a few years. So NCAA rules wont matter.

To be frank, the NCAA sets rules ex post facto, to codify what the P5 want or rather what they are already doing. They write rules for things that don't need rules, then have to hand out waiver exceptions like candy. When they find they are giving them out more than they want, they change the rules to map a bit closer to what is actually going on. The NCAA leads by trailing.

(07-26-2020 10:30 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(07-26-2020 10:15 PM)Wedge Wrote:  

(07-26-2020 02:50 PM)bullet Wrote:  https://www.sportico.com/2020/leagues/co...234609788/

Found this link below the article in the link in the ESPN revenue thread.

"...Simply put, the money is too great for the P5 schools not to replace a non-conference game with an extra conference game or two. More conference games equate to more television revenue.

I don't see this happening in the near term. No team that sees itself as a playoff contender will agree to play 10 conference games while the SEC is playing only 8.

Now if the SEC is the mover on this, everyone else could then be comfortable about matching the SEC with 10 conference games. But I don't see that happening, either, unless the requirement of 6 wins for bowl eligibility is eliminated. SEC teams that are usually under .500 in conference play want to keep open the possibility of getting bowl eligible by winning 3 or 4 non-con games.

The SEC will play 9 conference game when it gets paid to. We aren't giving away anything for free. The details haven't been released on the new contract for T1 with ABC/Disney and ESPN's updating of the contract for T2. For the money offered I wouldn't be surprised if that 9th conference game is baked into that raise.

The information should have come out on July 21 when we were to have had the rescheduled Spring Meeting but that one was canceled too. I suspect Sankey will sit on the details until he needs a boost.

In order to continue to pay out more money, ESPN has to be assured that they will get return.
There are some pieces of their puzzle that are not in the correct locations to maximize profits for ESPN and for the conferences represented.
Conference make-ups will be overhauled by the 2026 season.

(07-27-2020 09:53 PM)chess Wrote:  This can't be true. Schools like Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Indiana, Purdue, Illinois, etc... need out-of-conference wins to be bowl eligible. Bowl games are something to sell recruits and the extra practice time builds the programs.

How many years will Maryland, Iowa State, Kansas State, Boston College, etc... sit at home with 4 or 5 wins knowing a regular-season home game against Ball State or Bowling Green could be the difference in making their program competitive?

Presidents would rather have money. Secure ADs would rather have money. Coaches would rather have the wins.

(07-27-2020 12:00 PM)Stugray2 Wrote:  The B1G going to 10 is because the fan demand is for conference games.

However, there will then be pushback from schools about the notional {*} requirement to play a P5 OOC every year. And at the same time, the excuse from the small stadium schools that their OOC P5 opponents don't generate as much revenue at home so they need to be allowed to buy an FCS game when they only have 4 conference home games goes out the window when everyone has 5 conference home games every year.

So while there would be a reduction, it seems likely to average out to less than the predicted drop of one Go5 buy game per school.

{* Though how they handle the pushback on that at present is by having a relatively elastic definition of P5 OOC game.}