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Topic: Conference Realignment & The MAC, Big 10

Topic: Conference Realignment & The MAC, Big 10

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carlspackler
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Conference Realignment & The MAC, Big 10

Posted: 3/29/2016 1:48:23 AM

This article's from somebody who says their in media and that TV money and expectations will lead to separate divisions for power 5 and group of 5 conferences. (And that there will only be four of each type.) Also says there could be some shuffling between conferences like the MAC and Big 10.

Interesting offseason read at least.

http://www.thechaosindex.com/cest-la-tv-college-football-... /

GoCats105
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RE: Conference Realignment & The MAC, Big 10

Posted: 3/29/2016 8:18:13 AM

Iowa State to the MAC for football. Oooooooooooooooooook.

The Optimist
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RE: Conference Realignment & The MAC, Big 10

Posted: 3/29/2016 8:29:14 AM

Interesting reading about the #MACtion part.

Also, very interesting to hear this guy talk about surprise winners and surprise losers. Ohio is a state with multiple major TV markets. OSU is obviously controlling most of it, but the state is big enough to support more than one program.

Last Edited: 3/29/2016 8:35:25 AM by The Optimist

I've seen crazier things happen.

Casper71
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RE: Conference Realignment & The MAC, Big 10

Posted: 3/29/2016 9:35:19 AM

And, yes, Ohio can have two programs. The MAC schools divide most of the rest of the pie so the obvious winner is Cincinnati. Why do you think they have pumped hundreds of millions into athletics lately? They WANT in with the P%...I don't think any MAC team can make that jump. Of course, the jury is still out on UC.

L.C.
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RE: Conference Realignment & The MAC, Big 10

Posted: 3/29/2016 10:19:11 AM

I would agree with the article that the realignment isn't done, and that there will be more surprises to come. As for what those surprises might be, his guesses are as good as anyone's, but I don't think anyone's guesses are going to be very good.

One place I disagree is that he seems to presuppose an ever increasing pot of money for college football, and I'm not convinced that will be the case. With the head-injury information that keeps becoming a part of the picture, it's certainly possible that we will see a decreasing pot of money in future years, How would changing that assumption change his predictions?

�We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.� ― Epictetus

colobobcat66
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RE: Conference Realignment & The MAC, Big 10

Posted: 3/29/2016 11:47:55 AM

I think he may be putting too much importance on population figures and not enough on how much of a professional sports town it is. How many people in NYC or Boston care primarily about college football versus the pros? He does talk about Nebraska and Notre Dame being in a different universe so he gets it somewhat.

The relegation thing has been brought up before, but I can't get my hands around that when I think about home and home series among other things. Interesting to think about though.

He says the big boys aren't going to be moved down, but stuff happens. Can you imagine if Michigan or USC moved down?

I also wonder how many of the lower tier teams like Wake Forrest, Vandy and NW are protected contractually from being kicked out?

I don't think any of this bodes well for the have nots, but maybe there's something in it for us.

Last Edited: 3/29/2016 12:14:52 PM by colobobcat66

Pataskala
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RE: Conference Realignment & The MAC, Big 10

Posted: 3/29/2016 12:52:53 PM

I think the older, more established schools are well-enough entrenched with their fan base that they don't have to worry about being relegated to "lower" conferences, no matter how poorly they do or how big the TV market. I think TV market is largely a factor in lateral moves among conferences -- which is exactly why MD and Rutgers are in the Bigtenfinity -- and is the major factor in moving up, which is probably why Boise isn't getting invites to join the Pac 12 or Big 12.

College football in general and the big schools in particular also will need to deal with declining attendance at games. Part of the reason is TV; with every game being on TV somewhere (over-the-air, satellite/cable, or Internet) there's less reason for fans to show up. Nevertheless, the price of tickets at big schools is skyrocketing. Even if the TV money makes up for lost revenue, lots of empty seats on a Saturday afternoon is downright embarrassing to the bigger schools and their snob conferences (e.g., MiamiF [http://coachingsearch.com/article?a=Rick-Neuheisel-rips-M... ]).

We will get by.
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We will get by.
We will survive.

OhioStunter
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RE: Conference Realignment & The MAC, Big 10

Posted: 4/3/2016 11:25:57 PM

It will be interesting to see what Final Four ratings will be this year since it is on TBS and not the traditional CBS. Why is that important to this discussion? Because what if conferences try to broadcast their own big games on their own networks? Would an OSU-Michigan game have that much of a drop-off in viewership (ad dollars) if it aired on the Big Ten Network vs. ABC?

Even Monday night juggernaught MNF moved off of ABC to cable.

If a good game is on, viewers are more apt to find it, no matter what channel it is on. If conference networks can sell their own ads, they can really set the market on income for their own games.

Getting on ESPN/ABC/CBS is no longer the only outlet for fans to watch their teams, so if conferences can figure it out and get viewers to follow, it really changes the landscape of college sports.

Bobcatbob
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RE: Conference Realignment & The MAC, Big 10

Posted: 4/4/2016 10:51:50 AM

Gotta give this guy credit for enthusiasm. Not only is he proposing a whole new model for college sports, he is also positing that all the major players (and they're the only ones that count) get behind a single "fix". The only way this system is substantially reformed is by legislation at the federal level and even I don't want to see that.

Pataskala
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RE: Conference Realignment & The MAC, Big 10

Posted: 4/4/2016 12:50:48 PM

OhioStunter wrote:

Most of the conference networks are run by or in conjunction with one of the major sports nets. B10 is tied with Fox; SEC, ACC and Longhorn are ESPN. As part of the deal, the primary games (i.e., the ones with the most interest) usually wind up on a major net and the conference nets get secondary games.

We will get by.
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We will survive.

OhioStunter
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RE: Conference Realignment & The MAC, Big 10

Posted: 4/5/2016 12:16:14 AM

Pataskala wrote:

OhioStunter wrote:

Yep. But why do the conferences need Fox or ESPN affiliations? Why not cut out the middle man distributor? Ad money will go will the viewers are. Viewers will go wherever the big games are. In about 5 years, the whole viewing model for college sports will change.

Only one OHIO
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RE: Conference Realignment & The MAC, Big 10

Posted: 4/7/2016 8:46:46 AM

Very interesting article. Some of the comments were as well, as one guy talked about the importance of customer data. I think we can all agree somehow more change is coming...

The Optimist
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RE: Conference Realignment & The MAC, Big 10

Posted: 4/7/2016 8:55:12 AM

Interesting to think about the statements made in this article again after reading the article about our bowl game $$$.

I've seen crazier things happen.

Jeff McKinney
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RE: Conference Realignment & The MAC, Big 10

Posted: 4/7/2016 3:47:00 PM

As I read thru this article, I realized that I'm just not very interested in this stuff any more. I did watch the playoff games this year, but with only moderate interest.

Schools like Ohio should withdraw from the arms race. Compete against other peer institutions and aim for conference titles. If there is a new playoff for schools like Ohio, aim for that. Get a handle on budgets and be who we are.

The Optimist
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RE: Conference Realignment & The MAC, Big 10

Posted: 4/7/2016 3:56:01 PM

Jeff McKinney wrote:

I view Ohio State as more of a peer than Eastern Michigan.

I've seen crazier things happen.

bobcatsquared
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RE: Conference Realignment & The MAC, Big 10

Posted: 4/7/2016 4:14:08 PM

I view Ohio State as more of part of professional football.

colobobcat66
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RE: Conference Realignment & The MAC, Big 10

Posted: 4/7/2016 6:16:31 PM

Jeff McKinney wrote:

I have to agree with you in principle. We have lost the arms race and it's become more professional. Probably better to play for a championship among equals.

Bcat2
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RE: Conference Realignment & The MAC, Big 10

Posted: 4/7/2016 6:29:28 PM

colobobcat66 wrote:

Jeff McKinney wrote:

I have to agree with you in principle. We have lost the arms race and it's become more professional. Probably better to play for a championship among equals.

Sage Wisdom X 2.

+1

"Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men." JFK

Monroe Slavin
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RE: Conference Realignment & The MAC, Big 10

Posted: 4/8/2016 1:47:04 AM

The Optimist wrote:

Jeff McKinney wrote:

I view Ohio State as more of a peer than Eastern Michigan.

Confirming that you are an Optimist.

And need glasses.

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The Optimist
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RE: Conference Realignment & The MAC, Big 10

Posted: 4/8/2016 8:11:46 AM

The phrase Mr. McKinney used was "peer institution."

When I was at Ohio a few years ago, none of the fellow classmates I met told me they applied to Eastern Michigan when they were applying to colleges. Many told me they considered Ohio State. Some got in, some did not.

If you are looking at this from an academic perspective, wouldn't you be looking at similar "schools" to our own? Personally, I want to play programs similar to our own University.

Ohio State is miles ahead of us athletically. As an higher education institution, I don't believe they are miles ahead of us. They have better statistics in many areas, but overall as academic institutions we are on the same playing field. Athletically, we are also on the same playing field. We are both D-1 institutions and I don't have any desire for that to change.

People say "we've lost the arms race." It seems to me we've had more success in athletics in the past 10 years than in the 30 years preceding. Seems to me we are gaining ground, not losing ground. Worried about the money? Didn't we just swing a profit in a bowl game for the first time? Things aren't getting worse for us like so many here want you to believe... For as much fuss as there is about a "split" so far the changing landscape has been nothing but green for Ohio.

I've seen crazier things happen.

Jeff McKinney
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RE: Conference Realignment & The MAC, Big 10

Posted: 4/8/2016 9:05:00 AM

Optimist: Let me correct my use of "peer institution". I meant schools on our level of athletic institutional committment. I looked at the list of our peer institutions and most of them are Power 5 schools except for New Hampshire and Rhode Island.

I was also referring to football only. The landscape is different for basketball. It's vastly different for other sports.

bobcat2nc
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RE: Conference Realignment & The MAC, Big 10

Posted: 4/8/2016 7:47:50 PM

The Optimist wrote:

Hence the BA moniker of The Optimist.

The Optimist
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RE: Conference Realignment & The MAC, Big 10

Posted: 4/8/2016 10:06:40 PM

bobcat2nc wrote:

The Optimist wrote:

Hence the BA moniker of The Optimist.

Funny story... I originally chose "The Optimist" name to be ironic. I felt many of the views presented on BA were pessimistic to the point that a realistic person could come across as unreasonably positive.

Over the years, I've certainly played to the moniker and presented some views that were absurdly optimistic. In this case, I'm drawn back to my roots.

Is anyone capable of presenting a logical or facts-based argument that our success the last decade in athletics has not been better than our success in athletics in the decade before to that, or the decade prior to that?

We've had more success on the national level than we've ever had. Yes, we haven't won the MAC Championship some obsess over. However, we've had high-profile wins that have elevated the reputation of our program far beyond where we were a decade ago.

Supposedly, the environment for college athletics 20 or 30 years ago was superior for OHIO to what we have today. That's garbage. We were terrible 30 years ago. We went 1-10 in 1986. We went 6-6 in 1996. 10 years back? 9-5.

I hear a lot of whining about how much better college athletics used to be. You may have moral objections to the "arms-race" but don't try to justify your moral reservations with the belief that this hasn't been a good thing for Ohio Athletics.

I've seen crazier things happen.

L.C.
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RE: Conference Realignment & The MAC, Big 10

Posted: 4/9/2016 7:43:52 AM

The Optimist wrote:

...

People say "we've lost the arms race." It seems to me we've had more success in athletics in the past 10 years than in the 30 years preceding. Seems to me we are gaining ground, not losing ground. ...

The Optimist wrote:

...We've had more success on the national level than we've ever had. Yes, we haven't won the MAC Championship some obsess over. However, we've had high-profile wins that have elevated the reputation of our program far beyond where we were a decade ago....

It would be interesting if someone could develop a measure of the status of a program, that would include several things, such as overall winning percentage, conference winning percentage, conference championships, high profile wins, rivalry wins, and program enhancements in terms of additional facilities. I have no doubt at all that Ohio would rank considerably higher today by such a measure than they would have a decade ago, or two decades ago. A better question, though, would be how that advancement compares to other programs. Is Ohio in the top 10% in terms of programs that have advanced the most? I suspect the answer would be yes.

�We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.� ― Epictetus

Robert Fox
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RE: Conference Realignment & The MAC, Big 10

Posted: 4/9/2016 8:59:26 AM

The Optimist wrote:

Well said. +1

Last Edited: 4/9/2016 8:59:42 AM by Robert Fox

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