C Rod

Today's YahooSports article from Ross Dellenger contains a sentence that jumped off the screen when I read it, and it's worth discussing. Up to this point, I thought the discussions with Air Force were to replace a departing member like Memphis; however, from the quote above and how quickly he engaged with AF, Pernetti seems open to expanding the AAC beyond the current 14 football schools. Does Pernetti have a vision for a 15 or 16-team AAC? If the answer is yes, seeing how conferences typically like to keep things equal, a 16-team league seems more attractive, with eight teams in the East and eight in the West. WEST: Air Force, Tulsa, UNT, UTSA, Rice, Tulane, Memphis, UAB EAST: Army, Temple, Navy, Charlotte, ECU, USF, FAU, and a SunBelt school like Liberty, App State, or Georgia State with the Atlanta market? Divisions like this would tighten the travel footprint for all sports, saving everyone money. What do y'all think?

LMAO. Vito got fooled earlier this week with a fake Pete Thamel account saying Memphis was headed to the PAC. I'm glad our local journalist takes time to double check breaking news before passing it along.

I sure hope you're right.

Here's an exciting thought: move the student section and DJ ADHD into the wing section and call them the WingNuts. This section will be exclusive for students, creating a festive environment that's sure to attract attention. Run a ribbon of LED lights around the wing that flash and pulsate to the music, and have t-shirt canons fire t-shirts into the wing after every score. Put our dance team up there grooving to the music to help create a party-like atmosphere that keeps everyone engaged and excited. If you watched last night's App State broadcast, you'll recall that their endzone section was wild, with students sliding down a muddy hill all game long. The ESPN sideline reporter and the camera guy even joined in on the fun, and the TV booth discussed it at length. It created energy and excitement, and the cameras loved it. Next, replace the current student section with our massive band. Seriously, put the band directly behind our opponent's bench and beat them down with the sweet sound of Fly Like an Eagle. Make it impossible for them to communicate on the sidelines and watch as they scream at one another in confusion. We're a music school damnit, so let's feature our band front and center on TV, harassing and frustrating our opponents relentlessly. Keep the opposing fans section next to Boomer so they'll continue to leave games with Grade 1 concussions and PTSD.

Sigh. At the very least I hope we’re able to renegotiate full-share distribution after Memphis, Tulane, and UTSA leave for the PAC.

Dope! I bet you pull Max Koochie with that van. Alright, I'll see myself out.

Sure the building is 31 years old but it's not like the city of San Antonio has left it for dead. SA continues to pump millions of dollars into the facility for improvements. The Alamodome just completed a $20 million dollar facelift for the 2025 Final Four. I haven't been this year but I hear from those who have that it looks great. https://marmonmok.com/projects/alamodome-2025-final-four-renovations/

It's beginning to feel that way. The thought of UTSA passing us by to the PAC and making double the TV revenue dollars than us makes me sick. Not to mention the recruiting advantage UTSA would have moving forward. Then watching Air Force join the AAC as full-share member while we chill here making half-share. 🤮

Exactly. Personally I think Amazon is the way to go because millions of people already subscribe to Amazon Prime for the online shopping and free two day delivery service. The new streaming football content is just an added perk at this point for Amazon Prime subscribers.

I expect the new PAC 12 TV deal to be a 3-pronged approach of a national broadcast network, a cable network, and a streaming service. The groundwork has already been established for a sizable media deal. Who's the national broadcast partner? The CW https://pac-12.com/news/2024/5/14/pac-12-football-be-featured-nationally-across-cw-network-fox-sports-2024.aspx Who's the cable network? TNT https://www.dailylobo.com/article/2024/07/breaking-down-the-mountain-west-broadcast-deal-with-tnt And the streaming service? Either Amazon or Apple Seattle-based Amazon already has Thursday Night NFL football so why not add Saturday PAC 12 games to their live sports inventory? I'm sure California-based Apple will also want a bite of the action too since they were already involved in the last round of failed PAC 12 negotiations. It wouldn't surprise me if a competitive bidding war developed between the two streaming giants.

Careful Matt. It's best not to question nor speak negatively about our Dear Leaders. Otherwise, the GoMeanGreen Gestapo might knock on your door.

I see the GMG.com admins also deleted the "What an Indictment of Caponi..." thread.

When we were in the Sun Belt we were hardly ever on TV, Fouts was crumbling, and the conference revenue distribution was so sad it was comical. When we were in CUSA, the top-tier teams left, Judy ran the bus into the ditch, revenues fell dramatically, and our games were on Facebook, beIN sports, and sometimes ESPN+ with amateurs running the broadcast. And now we're in the AAC... with the top-tier teams leaving again, the next media deal estimated to be lower than it is now, and an opportunity to join a storied 100+ year PAC 12 conference that want's to be the best of the rest. We should not apologize for demanding more from our school's administration and coaches.

I'm on the same train of thought as you. Yesterday I posted that UNT and UTSA are better as a package deal, than standalone additions to the PAC. I never thought I'd find myself agreeing with an SMU fan but here we are...

Posted just today via NY Times/The Athletic... https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5776229/2024/09/18/pac-12-aac-mountain-west-realignment/

Our commissioner met with reporters in Memphis this afternoon. I'm reading the tea leaves here but his defiant "I actually don't care" attitude it a bit of tell. Seems to me like he knows Memphis has one foot out the door... AAC commissioner Tim Pernetti: 'I actually don't care' what Pac-12 is meeting about

Same here. I'm sure the PAC paid TV network consultants top dollar to game out different scenarios and then assign and estimate value for each. I would love to peek behind the curtain to see those numbers.

ESPN published an inside look on how the PAC 12 pulled one over on an over-confident MWC. https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/41260683/inside-look-pac-12-conference-rebuild-add-four-teams And it appears the final amount the PAC will pay the MWC is still to be determined... So potentially the PAC 12 will have to cover the additional $10M per school which would be $40M over the initial $110M+. Damn, we're talking potentially $150M+ in fees just for Boise St, SDSU, Fresno State, and Colorado State when everything is all said and done.

And right on cue! 🤮

In terms of PAC realignment, UNT and UTSA are better as a packaged deal than standalone schools. Where UNT lacks in recent football success, UTSA can point to their two conference championships. Where UTSA lacks in basketball success, UNT can point to our recent NIT championship and NCAA tournament win. Taking both schools together expands the TV market footprint to both South Texas and DFW. Separated by 4 hours of drive time, we're natural travel partners. Plus a healthy rivalry is brewing between the schools that has room to grow as long as conference realignment doesn't muck it up.

Sure, everyone is going to have to deal with it. However we’re in a stronger position to recruit against our conference peers in both football and basketball as full-share members. Let’s say the PAC TV deal comes in at exactly the same amount as the current AAC deal, $8-10 million per year. We would be stupid to stay in the AAC receiving half-share if the new PAC offered us full-share from day 1. It may be a lateral move for Memphis, Tulane, and USF because they’re already in the top-tier of the AAC. But that doesn’t make it a lateral move for us if the PAC comes calling offering full-share media rights. Plus, let’s not forget those three schools are looking for the first opportunity to jump ship from the AAC to the ACC when the time comes.

Thanks @Green Otaku, I stand corrected on UNT receiving half-shares for the entire time of the deal. I've searched but haven't been able to find published specifics on the ramp up schedule. Unfortunately this still doesn't solve the dilemma we're about to find ourselves in. What dilemma you ask? Exhibit A: House vs NCAA Whether we like it or not, schools directly paying athletes via NIL is coming in the very near future and could happen as early as next fall. As the above linked ESPN article states, this antitrust settlement is currently on hold as the the judge in the case waits for both the plaintiffs and the NCAA to address her concerns. The lawyer for the plaintiffs has already signaled they are fine making the requested changes, so now we wait for the NCAA to agree. The NCAA has very little leverage so I expect them to begrudgingly agree. So what does this mean for us? Once this antitrust settlement takes hold, schools will have the green light to pay their athletes directly through NIL dollars. Those NIL dollars will come from revenue generated from ticket sales and you guessed it... TV media deals. For G5 teams, the vast majority of the NIL money will come from their TV media deals. Now let's consider the fact that UNT, UTSA, Rice, Charlotte, FAU, UAB, and Army are currently receiving half-shares in the AAC while the other seven AAC schools (Memphis, Tulane, USF, Temple, Tulsa, ECU, & Navy) are receiving full-share revenue deals. We're essentially playing in a two-tiered G5 conference for the foreseeable future, and unfortunately UNT is in the bottom tier when it comes to revenue share and being able to pay our athletes. Talk about a huge competitive disadvantage within our own conference! To further my point, read this article titled: TEMPLE AD FACES CRITICAL DECISIONS AS REVENUE SHARING APPROACHES

San Antonio Express News editorial board has strong feelings about the new PAC 12 "roaring back to life." The article is behind a paywall but the screenshot says it all. https://www.expressnews.com/opinion/editorial/article/utsa-pac-12-expansion-19762573.php