(09-07-2020 01:33 PM)ThunderDent Wrote: The only problem with that is no one is going to care or put eyeballs on say, Georgia State.
Casual viewers won’t watch Georgia St, but they’ll watch Southern Miss for brand recognition?
Each played one Saturday afternoon game on ESPNU against an SEC opponent. One tripled the other:
8/31 3:30p ESPNU GA ST-TENN 702k
9/7 3:30p ESPNU USM-MISS ST 231k
The correct answer is neither Georgia St or Southern Miss or any MAC/CUSA/SBELT school move any needle in ratings. These ratings were entirely dependent on the SEC team.
(09-07-2020 01:33 PM)ThunderDent Wrote: Even if they are in the biggest market. Markets matter very little in this.
Markets matter because the AAC is an urban league. Part of the institutional fit of the AAC is being urban. University presidents want peers like them.
Moreover, presidents want exposure for their schools in markets they can recruit athletes or students. There’s no way around it - Markets. Matter. If they didn’t, these schools wouldn’t makeup the league’s composition:
Temple - 4 DMA
SMU - 6 DMA
Houston - 8 DMA
USF - 12 DMA
UCF - 18 DMA
Cincy - 37 DMA
Tulane - 50 DMA
Memphis - 51 DMA
Tulsa - 58 DMA
ECU - 100 DMA
The only exception to the rule is ECU. ECU was added for their fan base.
ECU’s average attendance when added? 50,012
Marshall’s today? 23,190
USM’s today? 24,765
(09-07-2020 01:33 PM)ThunderDent Wrote: That’s the whole point of my original post. It’s about brand recognition. And while, yes the university presidents make the final call, it’s money and TV contracts that will drive it. ESPN would say who would draw the eyeballs of the casual fan and make their suggestion, and how much they’d pay for said teams.
Marshall and Southern Miss aren’t those brand recognition teams that would draw the casual viewer (or any other CUSA/MAC/SBELT teams for that matter). Marshall’s ratings below aren’t going to draw ESPN to recommend them for AAC expansion:
Marshall’s bowl game in 2019 (UCF) was the lowest rated involving any P5/AAC team, and ranked bottom-5 overall.
Marshall’s bowl game in 2018 (USF) was the lowest rated involving any P5/AAC team.
Marshall’s bowl game in 2017 (CSU) was the second lowest rated overall.
https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/college...v-ratings/
(09-07-2020 01:33 PM)ThunderDent Wrote: We are all kidding ourselves if we think academics and market matter at this level.
The
actions of AAC presidents have proven otherwise every step of the way. Markets matter and while academics won’t drive decisions, it will always be taken into consideration in a boardroom of university presidents.
The only non-big/midsized market school was added to the oBE when they were drawing 50k on average.
Everyone but Tulsa and Memphis are ranked in Shanghai’s ARWU rankings. Tulsa is 150+ spots higher than Marshall/USM in USNWR. Memphis isn’t far ahead of Marshall/USM but Marshall/USM aren’t drawing 38k in FB or top-10 in BB like Memphis is.
(09-07-2020 01:33 PM)ThunderDent Wrote: We’re kidding ourselves thinking it’s about more than cash flow.
ESPN is the leader, with the greatest sharehold, and the most power.
And the market (meaning their high brass, as well as any other bidders), will tell you how much your teams are worth.
Exposure of the brand for football on ESPN or major network TV does more for the university as a whole (academic/student recruitment) than anything.
Army has this brand. Boise has this brand. BYU has this brand.
The brand you’re talking about doesn’t apply to Marshall, Southern Miss, or any CUSA/MAC/SBELT school.
Marshall had the lowest rated bowl game involving any P5/AAC team in 2018 and 2019. Marshall had the second lowest rated bowl game overall in 2017.
(09-07-2020 01:33 PM)ThunderDent Wrote: Academic standing, endowment, and DMA/location means nothing when it comes to name recognition and worth of TV value for football broadcasts.
And some folks just keep preaching the same things over and over.
They matter to university presidents, who make the decisions. Watch any BOT meeting or league press conference after adding someone. Those things are cited all the time.
Folks preach it because they know how university presidents think, based on actual quotes from university presidents themselves. It’s fans who think otherwise because they want to justify their wishful thinking, and then get blindsided when university presidents decide on something else. It works hook, line, sinker everytime.
And again, no CUSA/MAC/SBELT team is bringing tv value to the AAC when you look at tv ratings.
(09-07-2020 01:33 PM)ThunderDent Wrote: Money talks. And the university presidents will follow it.
Budgets
ODU 44.3 M
UB 40.8 M
GSU 39.5 M
UAB 35.7 M
Marshall 30.6 M
USM 24.2 M
Good point.