(07-30-2021 03:35 PM)johnintx Wrote:  Regardless, OU played 41 11:00-11:30 games in a ten year period. Alabama only played 11. LSU played 8. OU will have to play some 11:00 games, especially against non-marquee opponents. That's understandable. But surely it won't be a third of its schedule.

The statistic from the tweet isn't quite what OU would be concerned about, though, because that's 41 total early games in 10 years, not 41 early home games.

(07-30-2021 12:13 PM)orangefan Wrote:  The new CFP will eliminate Contract Bowls, which have been been one bright line division with G5. ...

Relations with Bowls have not been hammered out, so the CFP may, but then again, if they do, that may postpone the start until 2026.

A system in which there is some form of Affiliate Bowl relationship between the Big Ten, PAC-12 and the Rose Bowl, the SEC and the Sugar Bowl, and the ACC and the Orange Bowl could be extended to a relation between the New Big 12 and the Cotton Bowl ... but for an appreciable step down in money.

On the other hand, this is quibbling over details and doesn't take away from the overall point, because it would turn the "CFP Affiliate Bowl" conferences from looking like a "bright line" ... "you have a contract or you don't" into being a continuum ... "well, these three have great contracts, and this one has a pretty good contract, and at least this one has a contract, even if not for as much money, ..." ... which would still constitute an increase in the fuzziness of the boundaries.

Also note that the PAC-12, Big Ten and ACC may agree to continue to count the Big12 for their P5 mandates provided the eight stay together, which is the only thing I can think of that they can really do to "take collective action", as the PAC-12 has called for, that would encourage the Remaining Eight to stay together without getting involved in tortious interference of their own.

Of course, as they say, history may not repeat, but it often does echo: having a fuzzy boundary between the power conferences and "the rest" was also the case for the last years of the old Big East, which was formally AQ but widely understood to constitute the borderline.

(07-30-2021 03:57 PM)Frog in the Kitchen Sink Wrote:  

(07-30-2021 02:16 PM)Captain Bearcat Wrote:  

(07-30-2021 12:47 PM)HawaiiMongoose Wrote:  

(07-30-2021 12:29 PM)Frog in the Kitchen Sink Wrote:  

(07-30-2021 12:24 PM)HawaiiMongoose Wrote:  They may be waiting for the remaining eight members to vote to add two replacement schools. At that point they can say their departure won’t diminish the conference’s existing TV deal over its remaining life and won’t adversely affect the conference’s other contractual arrangements or autonomy status, and can propose that they be allowed to leave early in exchange for paying exit fees only.

So could the big 12 put off voting on the replacement schools?

I think they could, but I don’t think they will. The short-term cost of splitting conference income 12 ways instead of 10 (assuming they only add two for now) can be somewhat mitigated by only paying partial shares to the replacements until UT and OU leave. And by being onboarded early the replacements will have an opportunity to upgrade their recruiting and raise their competitive performance level before the bidding for the next TV contract begins.

In addition, right now their additions are obvious.

It's entirely possible that the ACC could add WVU and UC, weakening the conference and taking an expansion option off the table.

I doubt the ACC does that right now, but the landscape is fast-moving. Who knows what the media landscape will look like in 2 years?

The Big 12 should strike now while they're still the clear #1 option for UC, Houston, etc.

I can see that, but I can also see the presidents saying, "how much do we lose out on making a move early, again?"

The B12 should not lose sleep over the possibility of ACC grabbing WVU and UC to take those options for the B12. That move simply does not add enough value for the ACC to potentially chew up an expansion slot that it is obviously saving for ND. That said, if ND does reverse its position on joining a conference, UC and WVU would certainly be strong candidates to join with ND.

(07-30-2021 05:03 PM)orangefan Wrote:  

(07-30-2021 03:57 PM)Frog in the Kitchen Sink Wrote:  

(07-30-2021 02:16 PM)Captain Bearcat Wrote:  

(07-30-2021 12:47 PM)HawaiiMongoose Wrote:  

(07-30-2021 12:29 PM)Frog in the Kitchen Sink Wrote:  So could the big 12 put off voting on the replacement schools?

I think they could, but I don’t think they will. The short-term cost of splitting conference income 12 ways instead of 10 (assuming they only add two for now) can be somewhat mitigated by only paying partial shares to the replacements until UT and OU leave. And by being onboarded early the replacements will have an opportunity to upgrade their recruiting and raise their competitive performance level before the bidding for the next TV contract begins.

In addition, right now their additions are obvious.

It's entirely possible that the ACC could add WVU and UC, weakening the conference and taking an expansion option off the table.

I doubt the ACC does that right now, but the landscape is fast-moving. Who knows what the media landscape will look like in 2 years?

The Big 12 should strike now while they're still the clear #1 option for UC, Houston, etc.

I can see that, but I can also see the presidents saying, "how much do we lose out on making a move early, again?"

The B12 should not lose sleep over the possibility of ACC grabbing WVU and UC to take those options for the B12. That move simply does not add enough value for the ACC to potentially chew up an expansion slot that it is obviously saving for ND. That said, if ND does reverse its position on joining a conference, UC and WVU would certainly be strong candidates to join with ND.

Right now if I were to put a wager on it Cincinnati has a better shot at forcing the issue with the ACC because they have a strong football team.

WVU was in a much better position 10 years ago with its FB program but doesn't have the pull today that it did. They had their coach leave for Houston of all places.