Despite being universally acknowledged as the best G5 conference, the polls have yet to reward the Sun Belt for its excellence.

https://howlraiser.com/2024/07/01/when-w...-its-owed/

If ole Money Bags hadn't left for Tulane I think Troy would be more highly regarded but that's neither here nor there and same for JMU. I do think we are close to getting that bid though. App St. has the perfect schedule to get them there. Heck Troy plays Memphis and win against them and a solid run in the Sun Belt where we go 7-1;8-0 could easily have us there.

I think we need to brand the heck out of #FunBelt and starting calling ourselves as #5un Belt with a 5 to show we are a power 5 conference now in football haha.

(07-02-2024 10:13 AM)Troy_Fan_15 Wrote:  If ole Money Bags hadn't left for Tulane I think Troy would be more highly regarded but that's neither here nor there and same for JMU. I do think we are close to getting that bid though. App St. has the perfect schedule to get them there. Heck Troy plays Memphis and win against them and a solid run in the Sun Belt where we go 7-1;8-0 could easily have us there.

I think we need to brand the heck out of #FunBelt and starting calling ourselves as #5un Belt with a 5 to show we are a power 5 conference now in football haha.

Watch out there... I made an SB6 logo and got blasted here.

Hot take here, but pretty much the only reason why, in my opinion, the Sun Belt isn't getting a lot of flowers for its accomplishments is simply because of where we play. We play mostly in the southeast, and you're not going to see ESPN undermine its investments in the SEC by giving more airtime to congratulate Coastal Carolina for being the best team in South Carolina in terms of win records, etc. You're not going to see them give any flowers to App State, and so on.

Regarding schools like Boise State, a school that is predominantly riding off stuff it did nearly 20 years ago, they're a safe pick for the media. Why? Half their conference is garbage. Let's be serious here. If Coastal Carolina, App State, James Madison, Georgia Southern, Marshall, Old Dominion, or any other Sun Belt team played a Mountain West conference schedule, based on bowl performances and out-of-conference play, we'd have a conversation about how good the Mountain West really is.

A more insidious reason no one wants to talk about or give us our flowers is that it undermines a lot of the unspoken rules and systems in place. For instance, no one gives a **** about the MAC anymore, even though it used to be called the cradle for coaching. They recruit at a low level, have maybe one or two good teams each year, play in a geographically irrelevant area for recruiting, and are practically an FCS conference masquerading as a G5. The same goes for Conference USA. Most of these schools are just not good, don't recruit well, and lack excellence outside of one or two teams.

The Mountain West and the Sun Belt, to an extent, are exceptions. The American has a few schools regarded as excellent, like ECU and Memphis. Recently, Tulane and South Florida have gained hype. But by and large, the Sun Belt is seen as an SEC conference for the G5. We recruit the well, have some of the highest levels of recruiting (in terms of the conference whole), and have better conference stats year in and year out. We send a surprising number of guys to the league and are basically the unspoken talent farm for the SEC, Big Ten, and other power conferences.

If the Sun Belt were given its flowers, ESPN would have to negotiate us a higher payout, or the Sun Belt could take its talent and product elsewhere, like Fox or a piecemeal media rights deal with everyone else except ESPN. ESPN isn’t trying to pay us any more than they absolutely have to. They're making cuts and manipulating things behind the scenes, like with the Pac-12 and the ACC, to keep their costs down.

So, the reason we don't get our flowers in terms of praise is that acknowledging our success would mean dealing with a Sun Belt that could become a power league if given the right resources. And that harms the power conferences and networks, especially ESPN.

(07-02-2024 10:50 AM)Unknownghost Wrote:  Hot take here, but pretty much the only reason why, in my opinion, the Sun Belt isn't getting a lot of flowers for its accomplishments is simply because of where we play. We play mostly in the southeast, and you're not going to see ESPN undermine its investments in the SEC by giving more airtime to congratulate Coastal Carolina for being the best team in South Carolina in terms of win records, etc. You're not going to see them give any flowers to App State, and so on.

Regarding schools like Boise State, a school that is predominantly riding off stuff it did nearly 20 years ago, they're a safe pick for the media. Why? Half their conference is garbage. Let's be serious here. If Coastal Carolina, App State, James Madison, Georgia Southern, Marshall, Old Dominion, or any other Sun Belt team played a Mountain West conference schedule, based on bowl performances and out-of-conference play, we'd have a conversation about how good the Mountain West really is.

A more insidious reason no one wants to talk about or give us our flowers is that it undermines a lot of the unspoken rules and systems in place. For instance, no one gives a **** about the MAC anymore, even though it used to be called the cradle for coaching. They recruit at a low level, have maybe one or two good teams each year, play in a geographically irrelevant area for recruiting, and are practically an FCS conference masquerading as a G5. The same goes for Conference USA. Most of these schools are just not good, don't recruit well, and lack excellence outside of one or two teams.

The Mountain West and the Sun Belt, to an extent, are exceptions. The American has a few schools regarded as excellent, like ECU and Memphis. Recently, Tulane and South Florida have gained hype. But by and large, the Sun Belt is seen as an SEC conference for the G5. We recruit the well, have some of the highest levels of recruiting (in terms of the conference whole), and have better conference stats year in and year out. We send a surprising number of guys to the league and are basically the unspoken talent farm for the SEC, Big Ten, and other power conferences.

If the Sun Belt were given its flowers, ESPN would have to negotiate us a higher payout, or the Sun Belt could take its talent and product elsewhere, like Fox or a piecemeal media rights deal with everyone else except ESPN. ESPN isn’t trying to pay us any more than they absolutely have to. They're making cuts and manipulating things behind the scenes, like with the Pac-12 and the ACC, to keep their costs down.

So, the reason we don't get our flowers in terms of praise is that acknowledging our success would mean dealing with a Sun Belt that could become a power league if given the right resources. And that harms the power conferences and networks, especially ESPN.

The Sun Belt just got a 300% raise and is not far from removed getting zero TV money for their product. You want everything right now. This is not ESPN's first rodeo. They will compensate accordingly in increments as we build a better product. ECU is not an excellent school. They have sucked for a decade. And Memphis sicked all but this last decade in football. I don't know where you come up with this crap. You're too focused on what everyone else is getting and doing. SBC went from crappiest to top league pretty much overnight. The guys that write the checks are going to want to see if we can sustain that over time AND grow the fanbase and ratings to go along with it. Has nothing to do with trying to keep us down.

Remember the AAC did not suddenly get $7M per team. They took a huge paycut down to $7M per team from the Big East money most of them were getting. The new schools are being compensated at a level close to what we are. There's no conspiracy. We do better, we'll get more as long as there is more to get. And I imagine the AAC will get negotiated down if they continue to finish 3rd or 4th G5, until their next negotiation. Leaving ESPN will be the dumbest move we can make, should that come to pass. Nobody promising a better deal has their exposure for sports and the extra Saturday time they give us is worth more than what we're making. Weekday games kill attendance for schools that actually have fans. Better left to the MAC and CUSA and their empty stands.

(07-02-2024 11:11 AM)MUther Wrote:  

(07-02-2024 10:50 AM)Unknownghost Wrote:  Hot take here, but pretty much the only reason why, in my opinion, the Sun Belt isn't getting a lot of flowers for its accomplishments is simply because of where we play. We play mostly in the southeast, and you're not going to see ESPN undermine its investments in the SEC by giving more airtime to congratulate Coastal Carolina for being the best team in South Carolina in terms of win records, etc. You're not going to see them give any flowers to App State, and so on.

Regarding schools like Boise State, a school that is predominantly riding off stuff it did nearly 20 years ago, they're a safe pick for the media. Why? Half their conference is garbage. Let's be serious here. If Coastal Carolina, App State, James Madison, Georgia Southern, Marshall, Old Dominion, or any other Sun Belt team played a Mountain West conference schedule, based on bowl performances and out-of-conference play, we'd have a conversation about how good the Mountain West really is.

A more insidious reason no one wants to talk about or give us our flowers is that it undermines a lot of the unspoken rules and systems in place. For instance, no one gives a **** about the MAC anymore, even though it used to be called the cradle for coaching. They recruit at a low level, have maybe one or two good teams each year, play in a geographically irrelevant area for recruiting, and are practically an FCS conference masquerading as a G5. The same goes for Conference USA. Most of these schools are just not good, don't recruit well, and lack excellence outside of one or two teams.

The Mountain West and the Sun Belt, to an extent, are exceptions. The American has a few schools regarded as excellent, like ECU and Memphis. Recently, Tulane and South Florida have gained hype. But by and large, the Sun Belt is seen as an SEC conference for the G5. We recruit the well, have some of the highest levels of recruiting (in terms of the conference whole), and have better conference stats year in and year out. We send a surprising number of guys to the league and are basically the unspoken talent farm for the SEC, Big Ten, and other power conferences.

If the Sun Belt were given its flowers, ESPN would have to negotiate us a higher payout, or the Sun Belt could take its talent and product elsewhere, like Fox or a piecemeal media rights deal with everyone else except ESPN. ESPN isn’t trying to pay us any more than they absolutely have to. They're making cuts and manipulating things behind the scenes, like with the Pac-12 and the ACC, to keep their costs down.

So, the reason we don't get our flowers in terms of praise is that acknowledging our success would mean dealing with a Sun Belt that could become a power league if given the right resources. And that harms the power conferences and networks, especially ESPN.

The Sun Belt just got a 300% raise and is not far from removed getting zero TV money for their product. You want everything right now. This is not ESPN's first rodeo. They will compensate accordingly in increments as we build a better product. ECU is not an excellent school. They have sucked for a decade. And Memphis sicked all but this last decade in football. I don't know where you come up with this crap. You're too focused on what everyone else is getting and doing. SBC went from crappiest to top league pretty much overnight. The guys that write the checks are going to want to see if we can sustain that over time AND grow the fanbase and ratings to go along with it. Has nothing to do with trying to keep us down.

Remember the AAC did not suddenly get $7M per team. They took a huge paycut down to $7M per team from the Big East money most of them were getting. The new schools are being compensated at a level close to what we are. There's no conspiracy. We do better, we'll get more as long as there is more to get. And I imagine the AAC will get negotiated down if they continue to finish 3rd or 4th G5, until their next negotiation. Leaving ESPN will be the dumbest move we can make, should that come to pass. Nobody promising a better deal has their exposure for sports and the extra Saturday time they give us is worth more than what we're making. Weekday games kill attendance for schools that actually have fans. Better left to the MAC and CUSA and their empty stands.

Alright, so it's not about wanting everything right now. Let's get that out of the way. We're in a situation where any Group of Five conference that isn't serious about its on-field product or its media negotiations will end up being considered the new FCS. Given last year's ratings, we're far closer to a power league than a Group of Five league. This isn't debatable—the statistics don't lie.

People want to see consistency. What else do they want? Hell to start serving ice water? At our level, consistency is nearly impossible in almost every sport. For example, Troy lost their head football coach despite him saying this is the toughest, most SEC-like conference outside the SEC. That high praise meant nothing because he took a pay increase at a school in a trending-down conference. Marshall lost their head women's basketball coach, even though she could have continued to succeed and earn more money. Coastal lost Jamie Chadwell, who was trending down anyway, and our track and field coach who produced Melissa Jefferson, now on the U.S. Olympic team.

App State and James Madison both lost their basketball coaches. Louisiana lost their softball coach. Waiting for consistency is insane. Maintaining quality sports is the job of the athletic director, and we have a decent one now. But even the best AD can't compete if a bigger paycheck is offered elsewhere. This isn't about wanting everything now; it's about setting up the conference so that when the ACC gets raided or realignment happens, we're ready.

We need the resources to keep coaches and maintain a quality product. Talking about ECU and Memphis, we need to give more resources to existing schools so they can hire better coaches and produce better products. Alternatively, we could add teams that people want to talk about. Memphis, despite being mostly crappy, is still talked about. ECU brings baseball strength, and although their football program is uncertain, they have history. Consolidating mid-major talent, like the Big Ten and SEC, would be smart if we had the resources.

ESPN has shown no indication of being fair to the conference. They’ve published articles undermining the Pac-12 and ACC, likely to facilitate realignment. They gave the Pac-12 a horrifically low offer and are likely influencing the ACC’s decline. ESPN’s hands are deep in the playoff system, possibly pushing for the collapse of certain conferences.

They're the ones putting us on weekday games, with premier rivalries like Coastal Carolina vs. App State on Thursday night. Their halftime coverage ignores the game and focuses on playoff teams. They've contributed to the P5/G5 cultural divide. Say what you want about Fox, but they only have one major conference, the Big Ten, in their portfolio. If we teamed up with Fox and other media companies, we could avoid downplaying ourselves to fit ESPN's Midwest-heavy portfolio.

Fox has more money to throw around. Unless ESPN offers something mind-blowing, a 300% increase from half a million to 1.5 million per school isn't impressive. It does nothing for me, especially when we need to maintain consistency and competitiveness. We should look at other media companies' offers to negotiate better with ESPN in 2031.

I won't quote reply as to not make the page unnecessarily long but man, that's just a lot of wishing and incorrect assumptions, Unknownghost.

Tv ratings - that's demonstrably false. The Sunbelt did not have a game in the 101 most watched games of 2023. Even the MWC (plus PAC 2) and AAC had 6 each. ACC had 26 and Big 12 had 24. So not only *not* the top G5 but nowhere closer to P5 than G5.

https://footballscoop.com/news/the-101-m...all-season

ESPN does have a history of burning those who won't play their game. They killed the old Big East after they turned down their TV deal. But that's not 100% apples to apples what happened here. The PAC had the same $31M per team per year offer that the Big 12 eventually signed. But the PAC turned them down because they wanted $50M. In the months after turning the deal down, all the media companies tightened their belts to reduce spending. The PAC doomed themselves.

Fox doesn't just have the B1G, they also have about a third of the Big 12 deal and are the MWC's partner. If they want the Sunbelt they'll definitely make it work but it's not like they have a fat $10M waiting for you either.

The SB is on the rise but you're overestimating the value. If the numbers were truly there, one of the media companies would up their offer to lock you in before a competitor does. It's not some grand conspiracy to keep the sun belt down. It's just business. No one else is ready and willing to throw some huge deal your way so why would ESPN need to up their bid without a competitor? My guess is that in the next media deal, the sun belt goes up and AAC comes down both close to the current MWC number of ~$4M per team.

(07-02-2024 12:54 PM)space orange Wrote:  I won't quote reply as to not make the page unnecessarily long but man, that's just a lot of wishing and incorrect assumptions, Unknownghost.

Tv ratings - that's demonstrably false. The Sunbelt did not have a game in the 101 most watched games of 2023. Even the MWC (plus PAC 2) and AAC had 6 each. ACC had 26 and Big 12 had 24. So not only *not* the top G5 but nowhere closer to P5 than G5.

https://footballscoop.com/news/the-101-m...all-season

ESPN does have a history of burning those who won't play their game. They killed the old Big East after they turned down their TV deal. But that's not 100% apples to apples what happened here. The PAC had the same $31M per team per year offer that the Big 12 eventually signed. But the PAC turned them down because they wanted $50M. In the months after turning the deal down, all the media companies tightened their belts to reduce spending. The PAC doomed themselves.

Fox doesn't just have the B1G, they also have about a third of the Big 12 deal and are the MWC's partner. If they want the Sunbelt they'll definitely make it work but it's not like they have a fat $10M waiting for you either.

The SB is on the rise but you're overestimating the value. If the numbers were truly there, one of the media companies would up their offer to lock you in before a competitor does. It's not some grand conspiracy to keep the sun belt down. It's just business. No one else is ready and willing to throw some huge deal your way so why would ESPN need to up their bid without a competitor? My guess is that in the next media deal, the sun belt goes up and AAC comes down both close to the current MWC number of ~$4M per team.

I didn’t mean tv ratings I was referring to conference ratings like Massey (iirc) and others that had us closer to P5 in terms of performance etc

(07-02-2024 12:54 PM)space orange Wrote:  The SB is on the rise but you're overestimating the value.

Just a reminder - the Big 12 does not having a winning record against the SBC in football during the 2020's.

(07-02-2024 12:54 PM)space orange Wrote:  I won't quote reply as to not make the page unnecessarily long but man, that's just a lot of wishing and incorrect assumptions, Unknownghost.

Tv ratings - that's demonstrably false. The Sunbelt did not have a game in the 101 most watched games of 2023. Even the MWC (plus PAC 2) and AAC had 6 each. ACC had 26 and Big 12 had 24. So not only *not* the top G5 but nowhere closer to P5 than G5.

https://footballscoop.com/news/the-101-m...all-season

ESPN does have a history of burning those who won't play their game. They killed the old Big East after they turned down their TV deal. But that's not 100% apples to apples what happened here. The PAC had the same $31M per team per year offer that the Big 12 eventually signed. But the PAC turned them down because they wanted $50M. In the months after turning the deal down, all the media companies tightened their belts to reduce spending. The PAC doomed themselves.

Fox doesn't just have the B1G, they also have about a third of the Big 12 deal and are the MWC's partner. If they want the Sunbelt they'll definitely make it work but it's not like they have a fat $10M waiting for you either.

The SB is on the rise but you're overestimating the value. If the numbers were truly there, one of the media companies would up their offer to lock you in before a competitor does. It's not some grand conspiracy to keep the sun belt down. It's just business. No one else is ready and willing to throw some huge deal your way so why would ESPN need to up their bid without a competitor? My guess is that in the next media deal, the sun belt goes up and AAC comes down both close to the current MWC number of ~$4M per team.

Agree with the money part but there is no denying the on field part. However I would also say I have seen little to no promotion of the Sun Belt by ESPN. I understand not wanting to wasting money but something does not grow unless it is watered. To the OP the Sun Belt in polls oddly has been left out when on field results say other wise. We were the only G5 with a winning OOC in 2023, was one game short of having a winning or .500 record against every G5. All losses to CUSA were to the top three or four teams two of which were by ODU and two games were within four points. CUSA was not close to us in any other metric. One of two G5's to have a .500 or better record against a P5 and tied with the most P5 wins. Also the MAC wins against Iowa St and Cincy are little less impressive than OSU and Baylor. This also has not been a new thing and we are not "rising" we have been one of the top two G5's for IIRC for the last four or five years. Last year, unlike most years, it was not even close. To the OP's point it is beyond odd of the lack of any recognition media wise and or reflected in polls. The on field results are there that is all that should matter.

(07-03-2024 12:34 AM)CoachMaclid Wrote:  

(07-02-2024 12:54 PM)space orange Wrote:  The SB is on the rise but you're overestimating the value.

Just a reminder - the Big 12 does not having a winning record against the SBC in football during the 2020's.

If you exclude BYU sure, but add them in and the Big 12 has a winning record. Still doesn't change the TV ratings for the SBC which is what determines what ESPN/Fox will pay.

(07-03-2024 09:02 AM)space orange Wrote:  

(07-03-2024 12:34 AM)CoachMaclid Wrote:  

(07-02-2024 12:54 PM)space orange Wrote:  The SB is on the rise but you're overestimating the value.

Just a reminder - the Big 12 does not having a winning record against the SBC in football during the 2020's.

If you exclude BYU sure, but add them in and the Big 12 has a winning record. Still doesn't change the TV ratings for the SBC which is what determines what ESPN/Fox will pay.

I have to agree presently. The SBC reminds me of the WAC back in the day when they were putting a ton of points on the board and beating some marquee teams. Before the split, they were getting more airtime. Two years ago, after beating a couple of Top 10 teams, the SBC was on the tongue of several sportscasters.

If we continue to take down the Titans and some of the more notable programs up their game, the viewership will come. Never to the extent of the P4 though. At least not in my lifetime.

(07-05-2024 06:04 AM)HD76 Wrote:  

(07-03-2024 09:02 AM)space orange Wrote:  

(07-03-2024 12:34 AM)CoachMaclid Wrote:  

(07-02-2024 12:54 PM)space orange Wrote:  The SB is on the rise but you're overestimating the value.

Just a reminder - the Big 12 does not having a winning record against the SBC in football during the 2020's.

If you exclude BYU sure, but add them in and the Big 12 has a winning record. Still doesn't change the TV ratings for the SBC which is what determines what ESPN/Fox will pay.

I have to agree presently. The SBC reminds me of the WAC back in the day when they were putting a ton of points on the board and beating some marquee teams. Before the split, they were getting more airtime. Two years ago, after beating a couple of Top 10 teams, the SBC was on the tongue of several sportscasters.

If we continue to take down the Titans and some of the more notable programs up their game, the viewership will come. Never to the extent of the P4 though. At least not in my lifetime.

ESPN doesn't even promote the SBC games that great, not near to the extent of the P4 so not sure how we can expect to magically command more casual viewers. You see the P4 games promoted several times during commercial breaks, during our games, and dedicated segments of the halftime show. It's a loser's game.

(07-05-2024 08:20 AM)TealNation Wrote:  

(07-05-2024 06:04 AM)HD76 Wrote:  

(07-03-2024 09:02 AM)space orange Wrote:  

(07-03-2024 12:34 AM)CoachMaclid Wrote:  

(07-02-2024 12:54 PM)space orange Wrote:  The SB is on the rise but you're overestimating the value.

Just a reminder - the Big 12 does not having a winning record against the SBC in football during the 2020's.

If you exclude BYU sure, but add them in and the Big 12 has a winning record. Still doesn't change the TV ratings for the SBC which is what determines what ESPN/Fox will pay.

I have to agree presently. The SBC reminds me of the WAC back in the day when they were putting a ton of points on the board and beating some marquee teams. Before the split, they were getting more airtime. Two years ago, after beating a couple of Top 10 teams, the SBC was on the tongue of several sportscasters.

If we continue to take down the Titans and some of the more notable programs up their game, the viewership will come. Never to the extent of the P4 though. At least not in my lifetime.

ESPN doesn't even promote the SBC games that great, not near to the extent of the P4 so not sure how we can expect to magically command more casual viewers. You see the P4 games promoted several times during commercial breaks, during our games, and dedicated segments of the halftime show. It's a loser's game.

But I’m the bad guy for suggesting that we at least shop around….because Lord forbid that I don’t want my favorite college team to be a glorified farm team while lesser comp/conferences get the glory of ESPN promotion etc

The commissioner has to be doing this if he’s serious about growing the league

This issue is especially poignant because the eventual collapse of the ACC will leave us with the pick of the litter in terms of G5 teams to build our own league into something akin to a Power 5 league. On-field ratings, like Massey or other metrics, show we are closer to a Power 5 than any G5 conference, maybe except for the Mountain West.

Point being, we have the product on the field, and it’s getting better. Boise State might be in the Mountain West, but is Boise State single-handedly giving each school like New Mexico, San Diego State, or Nevada $7 million in media rights money? No, it’s not. If we’re sticking with ESPN for some reason, we need a competitive offer or at least a solid negotiation tactic.

If ESPN isn’t going to increase our payout by at least two times, then we need to explore other options. Let’s be real, $1.5 to $2 million in this inflated economy is nothing. I don’t care if it's a 300% increase from what we used to get; it's not enough. Inflation is killing us all. We need something closer to the upper single-digit millions and an increased media appreciation package—better coverage, favorable press releases, the whole nine yards.

If ESPN won’t negotiate fairly, we can go to Fox and piece together deals with CBS Sports Network, NBC, and others. Not every team in the Sun Belt is great, but we only have two terrible teams, and half our conference is in SEC territory. That would understandably be an issue for ESPN. Why give positive press to Louisiana when they’re trying to hype up LSU?

With Fox, they have full ownership of the Big Ten rights, partial ownership of the Big 12, and deals with some Mountain West teams. None of their assets are in the South, so there’s no conflict of interest. Fox Sports 1 and Fox may not be as widespread as ESPN, but if they’re making joint streaming deals, we wouldn’t have to worry about ESPN Plus.

Quite frankly, the mouse isn’t giving us good value. Someone mentioned above that when the best on-field G5 conference gets no love, you have to question the partnership. The MAC stays with ESPN because that’s their only revenue stream, but we’re in the Southeast, filled with athletic talent. Our schools send guys to the league, and we have competitive games against Power 5 teams.

If you gave Coastal Carolina a $10 million deal, maybe $15 million at the most, you’d see a school become a power school in two or three years. Good coaches, recruiting talent, and the same goes for most of the good Sun Belt Conference schools.

I believe we’re being held back by ESPN. They don’t want us to make money because it would lead to our progress and consistency. We need a better situation. Until then, this will be our reality.

(07-05-2024 08:53 AM)Unknownghost Wrote:  

(07-05-2024 08:20 AM)TealNation Wrote:  

(07-05-2024 06:04 AM)HD76 Wrote:  

(07-03-2024 09:02 AM)space orange Wrote:  

(07-03-2024 12:34 AM)CoachMaclid Wrote:  Just a reminder - the Big 12 does not having a winning record against the SBC in football during the 2020's.

If you exclude BYU sure, but add them in and the Big 12 has a winning record. Still doesn't change the TV ratings for the SBC which is what determines what ESPN/Fox will pay.

I have to agree presently. The SBC reminds me of the WAC back in the day when they were putting a ton of points on the board and beating some marquee teams. Before the split, they were getting more airtime. Two years ago, after beating a couple of Top 10 teams, the SBC was on the tongue of several sportscasters.

If we continue to take down the Titans and some of the more notable programs up their game, the viewership will come. Never to the extent of the P4 though. At least not in my lifetime.

ESPN doesn't even promote the SBC games that great, not near to the extent of the P4 so not sure how we can expect to magically command more casual viewers. You see the P4 games promoted several times during commercial breaks, during our games, and dedicated segments of the halftime show. It's a loser's game.

But I’m the bad guy for suggesting that we at least shop around….because Lord forbid that I don’t want my favorite college team to be a glorified farm team while lesser comp/conferences get the glory of ESPN promotion etc

The commissioner has to be doing this if he’s serious about growing the league

This issue is especially poignant because the eventual collapse of the ACC will leave us with the pick of the litter in terms of G5 teams to build our own league into something akin to a Power 5 league. On-field ratings, like Massey or other metrics, show we are closer to a Power 5 than any G5 conference, maybe except for the Mountain West.

Point being, we have the product on the field, and it’s getting better. Boise State might be in the Mountain West, but is Boise State single-handedly giving each school like New Mexico, San Diego State, or Nevada $7 million in media rights money? No, it’s not. If we’re sticking with ESPN for some reason, we need a competitive offer or at least a solid negotiation tactic.

If ESPN isn’t going to increase our payout by at least two times, then we need to explore other options. Let’s be real, $1.5 to $2 million in this inflated economy is nothing. I don’t care if it's a 300% increase from what we used to get; it's not enough. Inflation is killing us all. We need something closer to the upper single-digit millions and an increased media appreciation package—better coverage, favorable press releases, the whole nine yards.

If ESPN won’t negotiate fairly, we can go to Fox and piece together deals with CBS Sports Network, NBC, and others. Not every team in the Sun Belt is great, but we only have two terrible teams, and half our conference is in SEC territory. That would understandably be an issue for ESPN. Why give positive press to Louisiana when they’re trying to hype up LSU?

With Fox, they have full ownership of the Big Ten rights, partial ownership of the Big 12, and deals with some Mountain West teams. None of their assets are in the South, so there’s no conflict of interest. Fox Sports 1 and Fox may not be as widespread as ESPN, but if they’re making joint streaming deals, we wouldn’t have to worry about ESPN Plus.

Quite frankly, the mouse isn’t giving us good value. Someone mentioned above that when the best on-field G5 conference gets no love, you have to question the partnership. The MAC stays with ESPN because that’s their only revenue stream, but we’re in the Southeast, filled with athletic talent. Our schools send guys to the league, and we have competitive games against Power 5 teams.

If you gave Coastal Carolina a $10 million deal, maybe $15 million at the most, you’d see a school become a power school in two or three years. Good coaches, recruiting talent, and the same goes for most of the good Sun Belt Conference schools.

I believe we’re being held back by ESPN. They don’t want us to make money because it would lead to our progress and consistency. We need a better situation. Until then, this will be our reality.

You realize that we will be "farm" teams regardless of who we have a TV deal with right?

(07-05-2024 09:51 AM)Bobcat2013 Wrote:  

(07-05-2024 08:53 AM)Unknownghost Wrote:  

(07-05-2024 08:20 AM)TealNation Wrote:  

(07-05-2024 06:04 AM)HD76 Wrote:  

(07-03-2024 09:02 AM)space orange Wrote:  If you exclude BYU sure, but add them in and the Big 12 has a winning record. Still doesn't change the TV ratings for the SBC which is what determines what ESPN/Fox will pay.

I have to agree presently. The SBC reminds me of the WAC back in the day when they were putting a ton of points on the board and beating some marquee teams. Before the split, they were getting more airtime. Two years ago, after beating a couple of Top 10 teams, the SBC was on the tongue of several sportscasters.

If we continue to take down the Titans and some of the more notable programs up their game, the viewership will come. Never to the extent of the P4 though. At least not in my lifetime.

ESPN doesn't even promote the SBC games that great, not near to the extent of the P4 so not sure how we can expect to magically command more casual viewers. You see the P4 games promoted several times during commercial breaks, during our games, and dedicated segments of the halftime show. It's a loser's game.

But I’m the bad guy for suggesting that we at least shop around….because Lord forbid that I don’t want my favorite college team to be a glorified farm team while lesser comp/conferences get the glory of ESPN promotion etc

The commissioner has to be doing this if he’s serious about growing the league

This issue is especially poignant because the eventual collapse of the ACC will leave us with the pick of the litter in terms of G5 teams to build our own league into something akin to a Power 5 league. On-field ratings, like Massey or other metrics, show we are closer to a Power 5 than any G5 conference, maybe except for the Mountain West.

Point being, we have the product on the field, and it’s getting better. Boise State might be in the Mountain West, but is Boise State single-handedly giving each school like New Mexico, San Diego State, or Nevada $7 million in media rights money? No, it’s not. If we’re sticking with ESPN for some reason, we need a competitive offer or at least a solid negotiation tactic.

If ESPN isn’t going to increase our payout by at least two times, then we need to explore other options. Let’s be real, $1.5 to $2 million in this inflated economy is nothing. I don’t care if it's a 300% increase from what we used to get; it's not enough. Inflation is killing us all. We need something closer to the upper single-digit millions and an increased media appreciation package—better coverage, favorable press releases, the whole nine yards.

If ESPN won’t negotiate fairly, we can go to Fox and piece together deals with CBS Sports Network, NBC, and others. Not every team in the Sun Belt is great, but we only have two terrible teams, and half our conference is in SEC territory. That would understandably be an issue for ESPN. Why give positive press to Louisiana when they’re trying to hype up LSU?

With Fox, they have full ownership of the Big Ten rights, partial ownership of the Big 12, and deals with some Mountain West teams. None of their assets are in the South, so there’s no conflict of interest. Fox Sports 1 and Fox may not be as widespread as ESPN, but if they’re making joint streaming deals, we wouldn’t have to worry about ESPN Plus.

Quite frankly, the mouse isn’t giving us good value. Someone mentioned above that when the best on-field G5 conference gets no love, you have to question the partnership. The MAC stays with ESPN because that’s their only revenue stream, but we’re in the Southeast, filled with athletic talent. Our schools send guys to the league, and we have competitive games against Power 5 teams.

If you gave Coastal Carolina a $10 million deal, maybe $15 million at the most, you’d see a school become a power school in two or three years. Good coaches, recruiting talent, and the same goes for most of the good Sun Belt Conference schools.

I believe we’re being held back by ESPN. They don’t want us to make money because it would lead to our progress and consistency. We need a better situation. Until then, this will be our reality.

You realize that we will be "farm" teams regardless of who we have a TV deal with right?

Eh debatable, if we get a better rights deal it would offset a lot of coaching transfers unless the schools drop serious dough for both the buyout and just salary just by nature of having more funds

If the deal includes more TV coverage, while yes NIL will still be a thing the increased exposure would sway some kids to play for us a little bit longer

(07-02-2024 10:16 AM)GSUdpb Wrote:  

(07-02-2024 10:13 AM)Troy_Fan_15 Wrote:  If ole Money Bags hadn't left for Tulane I think Troy would be more highly regarded but that's neither here nor there and same for JMU. I do think we are close to getting that bid though. App St. has the perfect schedule to get them there. Heck Troy plays Memphis and win against them and a solid run in the Sun Belt where we go 7-1;8-0 could easily have us there.

I think we need to brand the heck out of #FunBelt and starting calling ourselves as #5un Belt with a 5 to show we are a power 5 conference now in football haha.

Watch out there... I made an SB6 logo and got blasted here.

There's a joke/meme that would fit here with the guy in There's Something About Mary who was all about "7-Minute Abs" but flipped out at the thought of 6-minute abs. I don't know that the joke is, but I bet it could be really funny.

How about we just sign with whomever pays us the most and gives us the most games on TV whenever the current contract runs out?

There. I just saved everybody another month’s worth of posts.