Arkstfan

Every contract can be broken. Only question is how much will it cost you to do it. The GOR simply says the Big XII owns the rights to telecast each school's home games through the 2024-25 academic year. Big XII has in turn sold the Tier 1 and Tier 2 rights to Fox and ESPN and turned Tier 3 back to each school. So we already know there is some part of the TV rights that do not belong to the Big XII and can go to the new league. As a general principle all the Big XII is entitled to is the stream of payments from Fox and ESPN. If a school leaves, ESPN and Fox still have the right to pick Tier I and II of the departed school and Big XII still gets paid. What becomes interesting is potential liability on the part of the Big XII. Supposedly the agreement provides that a school forfeits their share of the payments from Fox and ESPN but a court may not agree that the financial hit is consistent with any economic harm and require Big XII to pay a portion to the departee so that it isn't an unconscionable penalty. I'm not sure a grant of rights is quite the bulletproof vest it has been touted to be. If ESPN and CBS think OU for example is worth increasing the SEC rights fee by more than OU's share of Big XII TV and they get to move part of their content over for free (Tier III) it can be cost effective. If a court says forfeiting all of the payment is too extreme, they could potentially move at little to no cost.

Not like we've not seen this movie before. Nebraska. Oh woe is us, the Big XII won't share TV money equally. Never mind they profited nicely from the unequal sharing and by all accounts never tried to end it. Texas A&M. Oh woe is us, UT has its own TV network and the money isn't shared fairly. But of course they also by all accounts never tried to change the system and supposedly they were offered partnership in LHN and declined it, then it become untenable. Why I'm Leaving the Big XII Episode Three coming to a sports page near you.

OU doesn't have the votes to expand. If I were wagering, my wager would be OU is just beating the drum to get fans and supporters stirred up to create cover for OU "having no choice" but to defect the Big XII.

This is just a nutty rant. You got panty-wadded because I said a list that includes a bunch of schools that were in the Sun Belt when the Sun Belt was holding you back from scheduling good games and being serious about athletics is a load of bull. If you read what I wrote, I specifically said if the discussion were about playing more regional schools I'd nod my head in agreement, what I specifically challenged (that means I pointed out) was the idea that playing FIU, FAU, WKU, MTSU is "more special" now. That's stupid and you know that but instead you want to rant on me. Fine. You have the same capacity to influence scheduling and realignment as I do so your wish means about as much as bird droppings. You perceive you've moved upward, you moved upward by joining a school UNT blocked from entering the Sun Belt. No the Sun Belt didn't offer you Texas opponents, but that's UNT's fault. Your president had indicated he would make the motion to admit UTSA and when new business came upon the agenda he chose to remain silent, everyone was ready to support UTSA to help you get a regional rival and UNT made the decision to not support them.

Here's the rub. Boren says a third of the presidents agree with him about expanding. Even if you round up, that's four. It takes eight votes to expand.

I call bull when I see it. When someone says this list is better than that list and there is that much overlap... that's bull. I don't argue UNT is better off facing regional schools but don't blow smoke up my hiney claiming playing those schools is better now because of a patch. If the list had been the nearest Sun Belt vs nearest CUSA, I nod my head in agreement and move on but please this blame Sun Belt for your ills meme is pathetic and deserves being called out.

One of my favorite message board comments of the 2014 season came from the ULM board. "ASU has had five different coaches and Todd hasn't beaten any of them" which then led into an extended rant.

So basically what you just said is... It was terrible awful horrible to play FIU, FAU, WKU, MTSU when the patch was Sun Belt but if the patch says CUSA they are great opponents you want to play. And people wonder how it is that business can dump the same crap in a prettier box and get people to pay double for it.

I view the realignment whining about the same way I view most realignment whining and boasting. It's a load of horse dung. Realignment had a minimal impact USM. The realignment impact was in the schools moving to FBS to backfill. FAU doesn't get a conference home if the WAC doesn't take Sun Belt schools. Troy doesn't get a conference home but for that. ULM is still floating along as a football only and still playing in the Southland in other sports. Texas State and UTSA don't have a conference home and don't reclassify but for the WAC needing bodies. USM starting in 1994 didn't have a losing record again until the 2012 season. In 1994, there 107 schools in FBS (UNT was in the SLC). Counting Charlotte, there are now 129. That is 22 new schools in FBS competing for talent since the start of that winning season streak. Of the 22 only Idaho, Boise State, Buffalo, UConn, and UMass are not in the CUSA footprint. That's 17 new schools in the CUSA footprint and EIGHT members of CUSA were not playing FBS football in 1994 when that streak started. There is more competition for talent. Throw in AState and ULL paying competitive coaching salaries and multi-millions on facilities in the past few years and USM just has to fight far harder to land quality players. But that isn't even the biggest factor. Larry Fedora leaves USM. He has recruited a spread option team that depends on speed and tempo. The average age of Fedora and his coordinators was 48. USM hires Ellis Johnson who has one year as a Division II head coach and three years as an FCS coach and his best record as a head coach was 6-6. They put him in charge. They take Tommy West from UAB as defensive coordinator and Ricky Bustle to be OC. If you haven't repressed your Sun Belt memories Bustle fizzled at ULL and he was a run between the tackles own the line of scrimmage guy. The average age of the head coach and coordinators was 58.3 years old. USM basically said we despise what gave us a 12-2 record and we are going to do the exact opposite. Realignment didn't cause that stupid decision, placing the muzzle of the loaded shotgun against their foot and pulling the trigger caused it. Spare me the blame realignment crap the author spouts. USM made a stupid hire and is paying the price. Arkansas is making the same transition with far more resources and recruiting advantages and they are 2-14 in the SEC after two years of that.

The school financial aid office calculates based on Federal guidelines but they aren't super explicit. The risk for schools going to the high end is the NCAA determines that they were overly generous and gave impermissible aid in doing so. Quick way to rack up 200+ violations per semester. AState backed its number down to $4k. The highest permissible per our financial aid office was $5300 but the school opted for the lower number so the amount paid would be uniform between in-state and out-of-state students.

You already drug four other Sun Belt schools with you and only one (WKU) had much success against AState. Little late to close the barn door now. I get the whole you get to play local schools: UTSA (a school UNT blocked from joining the Sun Belt), Rice, UTEP and Tulsa that's all good for you. But the meme of how dreadful the Sun Belt is/was ought to be beneath UNT fans.

​Yes it was effin hell on you guys getting four bowl berths, being on ESPN, winning auto bids to NCAA post-season, probably couldn't have ever afforded a new stadium in the Sun Belt either. The Sun Belt defectors have averaged one more conference win per year since leaving the lesser competition of the Sun Belt. We never forced you to shoot yourself in the foot. Gets pretty disgusting seeing the Belt blamed for your ills.

We were in the one winning season in a decade situation. We had one winning season 1992-2004 and went 42-104-1 UNT is on a 35-85 streak, three years shorter than AState with a slightly better win percentage than AState had. But what is being glossed over is we were winning fans over BEFORE we went on this run. Season ticket sales up six consecutive seasons, started when we were losing. Merchandise revenue up four consecutive seasons (expect it to be five when the current fiscal year ends) started while we were losing. You had no Texas opponents, we had no one in Arkansas as an opponent in football and unlike UNT, we can't schedule an in-state FBS in non-conference. AState and UNT each were about as far from the nearest conference football opponent at just over 300 miles. Losing makes it harder, not impossible.

​So four straight years of winning had the coffers overflowing at UNT resulting in a new stadium? Season ticket sales I'm sure went well up also. That's why UNT season ticket sales increased last year. AState has increased season ticket sales six straight years, that includes increases after consecutive 4-8 seasons. It's easy to make an assumption that winning cures all but the data doesn't prove that it all but guarantees it. I'm a realist that's why I say winning is a tool, not the goal.

4) SMU's AD returns calls when called by FBS AD's seeking games. AState's AD was recently quoted as saying a number of former Sun Belt schools wouldn't extend the courtesy of returning calls when he was trying to get games.

Winning doesn't guarantee you will sell tickets or raise money and there are plenty of P5 schools who are terrible but sell a lot of tickets and make a lot in donations.

​Winning is a gimmick to make money. It's important to you so they try to field a team that wins, but this about dollars more accurately tens of millions of dollars, winning is a hook. Follow the money.

Contract terms. AState receives $0 for going to Dallas, SMU receives $0 for going to Jonesboro. If one of the schools wants to buyout that requires a check for $700,000. I'm not sure that scheduling AState home and home indicates a program is on the rocks. The two-time defending SEC East champs play in Jonesboro this year. Miami (FL) comes in 2017, Big XII member Iowa State in 2025 along with home/home deals with Tulsa, Utah State, Toledo and UNLV.

You know the best tool ever made for getting donations? Shoe leather. Some years back I allowed my alumni association membership to lapse ($48) one day one of the ladies from the association called and asked if she could stop by the visit. Dropped in talked various AState stuff and walked out with a $48 check. Former director of the booster club calls, he is going to be in town can he stop and visit at the office. We talk athletics for a time, when it is over I've signed a pledge card doubling my donation (since increased two more times). Current booster club director calls, he is going to be in town and wants to show me the plans for the renovation, I beg off because I'd already thought about it and wasn't going to spend $4k for four tickets (I have 8 that cost me $3100 as it is), but I wasn't going to risk getting talked into.

Few thoughts. Army. I've not done it in a year or two but last time I checked they had fewer southern players than Navy or Air Force. They don't seem to recruit the south well, they also don't play much in the South. Scheduling names. It's fun and all but what is the core business for intercollegiate athletics? Promote the school to potential students, keep alums connected, sell tickets, win donations (and if you are making a profit, who cares if you do the first two if you aren't dependent on the school's money?) To truly further the goals you have to develop a base that comes to see your team, not the visiting team. Winning isn't everything, it isn't even the only thing but it does help further the goals and makes marketing easier, otherwise you are left with school pride and minor league baseball gimmicks to sell tickets.

Kentucky was calling everyone just about because the dates were so close they were under pressure. We weren't able to accommodate the dates. Tried to do one further down the road but without the time pressure they wanted us to play our home game in Memphis or Nashville. USM had to shift a game, I think BYU to make it work.

I would submit that $1 million isn't that much money and it really isn't $1 million to UNT because part of that has to be used for league operating expense.

When we fired our prior AD a couple of reporters who sort of almost cover us were on Twitter asking why AState fired the guy who hired Gus Malzahn. I just tweeted them the link to an earlier story I had done on reporting booster club fund-raising over his decade at AState. A friend shared a text exchange with our ticket sales guy. Friend wanted him to send material to his brother-in-law. Near immediate reply that he would take care of it. Within an hour a second text saying packet was in the mail. Friend says "He is a Hog ticket holder who complains about the drive and cost". Reply. "Thanks, I'll pay extra attention because I LOVE a challenge. I'm going to do my best to get him." And yes it is common for a fan to have the cell number of at least one athletic staffer. You have an issue, they will give it to you and tell you to call any time you have a problem. I bitched out our AD because the bathrooms were locked immediately following a game. I sent the text in the stadium and within 30 minutes had a call from him wanting details.

Well played.

Losing sucks. USM lost 25% of their season ticket base by going 0-12, 1-11. Build it and they will come is not a proven success story. Nearly every school that has moved to I-A/FBS the same year as UAB or later is below the "established" G5 level in budget subsidy and attendance with the schools starting from scratch generally faring worse. http://arkansasstate.scout.com/story/1545609-it-s-not-easy-being-new?s=334 New facilities are fun for fans but there is a limited time when they can be new. You have to seize the interest to sell something else.