Andy Staples SI article on Big Six conferences breaking away

[KillerFrog InD KitchenSink]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/andy_staples/07/25/loot/index.html?eref=sihp&sct=hp_t12_a2


Thanks to a confluence of factors, major college football is more valuable than ever as a television commodity. But it's only valuable at the top end. No network is going to fork over nine figures a year to televise Sun Belt Conference games. More than ever, it's clear the six power conferences aren't only in a different financial league than the other five FBS conferences. They're playing an entirely different sport. When all the new rights deals kick in, the gulf between the haves and have-nots will grow even wider. The haves all will be able to afford actual cost-of-attendance scholarships for their athletes, which will cost about $3,000 more per athlete, per year. The have-nots won't. So that issue could be the one that cleaves the bottom five conferences from the FBS. Or it could be the issue that drives the big six to create something similar to the LOOT.

 

[Gunner]

How much money will it take before they stop belittling the smaller conferences, smaller schools. It is an outrage.

AD greed and TV promoter offenses, nothing to do with the sport, just their stupid ever ceasing thirst for more money.

 

[TCUdirtbag]

We may not even know yet how big our move to the Big East may be. Of course, on the other hand it may be crucial for the BE to show it can catch up with some of the AQ conferences in revenue and wins in the next few years. A BE BCS championship would be very helpful.

 

[Delmonico]

How much money will it take before they stop belittling the smaller conferences, smaller schools. It is an outrage.

AD greed and TV promoter offenses, nothing to do with the sport, just their stupid ever ceasing thirst for more money.

We ain't moving to the Big East because del Conte wants to visit Piscataway.

 

[KillerFrog InD KitchenSink]

I've always wondered if "non big-6" conferences aren't undervalued as TV products, both by Staples in this article and by the TV execs. I mean if you look at TV ratings- bowls, regular season, whatever- there really isn't that much difference once you control for time, channel, etc, with the exception of some special teams and games.

 

[TopFrog]

How much money will it take before they stop belittling the smaller conferences, smaller schools. It is an outrage.

AD greed and TV promoter offenses, nothing to do with the sport, just their stupid ever ceasing thirst for more money.

You should get some investors to go in with you and back televising Sunbelt and WAC games.

 

[Despite the odds Frog]

NCAA will concede some power to keep all the teams under its "supervision" - Big public schools will never lose. They will always win. I'm glad TCU won the Rose Bowl, it gives TCU the ability to be mentioned and considered and most likely not left out if the super conferences do occur or if this does occur, to not be left out from big six moving under its own umbrella. But you never know. All this makes me nervous...right when we become AQ every thing is not on solid ground, typical.

 

[Duquesne Frog]

NCAA will concede some power to keep all the teams under its "supervision"

Not sure why you put that sentence in future tense ...

 

[Despite the odds Frog]

Not sure why you put that sentence in future tense ...

True. But for that joke you will be put on probation for the 2009 season and will lose any post priviledges for that year.

 

[West Coast Johnny]

So Boise gets left behind, but Tech gets a seat at the big boys table? Doesn't seem fair.

 

[mtmedlin]

I dont know...I guess I just dont have a problem with it. Not every college can afford a football team and the networks cant afford to pay every school like kings. Sooner or later the Big 6 conferences will get tired of making concession. The Non AQs need the AQs, not the other way around. There are a few more teams I hope get moved up before the split (ECU, Houston, Nevada, Boise) but overall I dont think there will be more then 72 total if a new league is formed.

 

[mtmedlin]

So Boise gets left behind, but Tech gets a seat at the big boys table? Doesn't seem fair.

I think Tech deserves it alot more then teams like Washington St, Duke and Wake Forrest. Here are teams who are in AQ conferences that for most seasons cant get 30K fans to a game. With that said, I think Duke and Wake may be screwed if the ACC does get raided. Washington St on the other hand holds the honor of having the lowest attendance of any AQ team and yet they will cash nearly $25 million a year once the Pac12 network is started..... while a team like ECU is 44th in the nation and is ahead of teams from all 6 AQ conferences. To me that is THE most unfair.

 

[Duquesne Frog]

True. But for that joke you will be put on probation for the 2009 season and will lose any post priviledges for that year.

What's that, NCAA? I'm buried in this ball-pit filled with money! I couldn't quite make out what you said!

 

[Texas Otto]

I dont know...I guess I just dont have a problem with it. Not every college can afford a football team and the networks cant afford to pay every school like kings. Sooner or later the Big 6 conferences will get tired of making concession. The Non AQs need the AQs, not the other way around. There are a few more teams I hope get moved up before the split (ECU, Houston, Nevada, Boise) but overall I dont think there will be more then 72 total if a new league is formed.

mt please don't take offense but you crack me up when you talk about the haves and have nots as if USF had actually been wround for 115 years like TCU and SU rather than lucking into a seat at the big boys table thanks to a midnight raid by the ACC. Just sayin!

:laugh:

 

[Houston Frog]

You should get some investors to go in with you and back televising Sunbelt and WAC games.

This tickled me

 

[Leap Frog]

How much money will it take before they stop belittling the smaller conferences, smaller schools. It is an outrage.

AD greed and TV promoter offenses, nothing to do with the sport, just their stupid ever ceasing thirst for more money.

I agree with Gunner, and the prediction that when we became AQ'S, we would start looking down our noses at the non- AQ's.

 

[froginaustin]

I agree with Gunner, and the prediction that when we became AQ'S, we would start looking down our noses at the non- AQ's.

Some of us look down our noses at most AQs, too.

:laugh:

 

[damnyankeephrog]

We ain't moving to the Big East because del Conte wants to visit Piscataway.

Or Providence.
Next week, I'll be on my boat in Newport, RI. I'm planning on wearing the colors around the Hotel Viking for the BE Football Coache's Conference/media day. Might be fun.

 

[mtmedlin]

mt please don't take offense but you crack me up when you talk about the haves and have nots as if USF had actually been wround for 115 years like TCU and SU rather than lucking into a seat at the big boys table thanks to a midnight raid by the ACC. Just sayin!

:laugh:

Otto, As I have said before I am a lifelong fan of Notre Dame, since I grew up in Indiana but I graduated from USF. Nobody likes how we got into the AQ conference level but weve proved we belong. We arent the best but we definitely belong. If I were to look at the 50 year drought that TCU went through, many would have made comments about yall. I am glad TCU is here now and is a great addition to the BE but in 10 ears we have been in Div 1 football, I like what we have done and have no issue talking about others who dont deserve to be here. (as mentioned in my post that followed) Heck, if were so insignificant and underserving, then how did we beat the mighty TCU when we had only been playing Div 1 football for 4 years?

 

[Houston Frog]

Otto, As I have said before I am a lifelong fan of Notre Dame, since I grew up in Indiana but I graduated from USF. Nobody likes how we got into the AQ conference level but weve proved we belong. We arent the best but we definitely belong. If I were to look at the 50 year drought that TCU went through, many would have made comments about yall. I am glad TCU is here now and is a great addition to the BE but in 10 ears we have been in Div 1 football, I like what we have done and have no issue talking about others who dont deserve to be here. (as mentioned in my post that followed) Heck, if were so insignificant and underserving, then how did we beat the mighty TCU when we had only been playing Div 1 football for 4 years?

Pretty sure "Texas Otto" is a Syracuse fan