PAC 12 Realignment Talk Mega Thread (All 12 threads merged)

[meanJewGreen]

13 minutes ago, Mike Jackson said:

I understand why losing SMU would bother a Mean Green fan.  But I don’t get the affinity for Rice and Tulane?  Why do you hate losing them?  It is unfortunate overall but I think the days of smaller private universities playing above FCS will be over by 2032 or shortly after.  So any FBS private university program not in a P5 conference today will be operating at huge disadvantage.  The private schools named for their city or region have a better shot of making it because they gain regional support easier.  

Rice- easy drive for a game, Texas school. Usually fun games

Tulane- they beat USC in the SUgar Bowl, New Orleans is a fun destination

[TIgreen01]

I’m for any scenario where the private elites(in their own minds) split off and form their own league.  The southwest needs an Ivy League for smu to take all their money to.  So sick of seeing these schools get included in scenarios where it is clear they don’t pass muster without a billionaire in the shadows greasing the league presidents pockets.

[El Paso Eagle]

16 minutes ago, DentonLurker said:

With the added travel costs with the cross-nation conferences, I'm starting to wonder if a good solution would be to let football and maybe basketball stand on their own while having sub-"conferences" that are more regional for all the other sports. I just don't know how this cross-nation model is going to be sustainable in the long run for sports other than football or basketball. Maybe I'm underestimating the $'s the conference affiliations are going to bring into the schools, but with most schools only balancing budgets with the student tax I just don't see how schools will be able to fund the cross-nation model for long.

Agree with this completely. The problem is most presidents and alums making big donations are very arrogant and elitist. And they probably feel they're too good to play even the "other" sports based on a regional format.

[El Paso Eagle]

For those thinking the PAC, in any new form, will remain a "P5"

 

Edited August 7, 2023 by El Paso Eagle

[emmitt01]

47 minutes ago, El Paso Eagle said:

For those thinking the PAC, in any new form, will remain a "P5"

 

But don't they know SMU and Tulane might be in the PAC soon??!   I can't believe they'd risk losing the chance to sell all 300 of those tickets. 

[GrayEagle]

I've got a headache trying to figure all of the possible scenarios that could evolve from the dissolution of the Pac 12.  We have the best possible commissioner taking on this fight.  I'm just going to sit back and trust in Mike Aresco.  He'll get the best deal for the AAC and I'll wait and see what he can do.

 

[TheColonyEagle]

1 hour ago, El Paso Eagle said:

For those thinking the PAC, in any new form, will remain a "P5"

 

This is why all of the: “they’ll just pluck MWC and AAC teams” talk is foolish. 
 

The bowls aren’t waiting around for the PAC. They don’t have to. This is yet another example that proves the PAC has zero leverage. 
 

So let’s all go jump to a conference with no TV deal, no name teams, no media exposure and no bowl tie ins.  But they have *squints*:

“AQ status?”

For how much longer? 

Edited August 7, 2023 by TheColonyEagle

[UNTLifer]

How about them Rangers?

[UNTcrazy727]

1 hour ago, meanJewGreen said:

Rice- easy drive for a game, Texas school. Usually fun games

Tulane- they beat USC in the SUgar Bowl, New Orleans is a fun destination

I don't think anyone has used the word "fun" to describe Rice football in a long time lol 

[NT80]

9 hours ago, Green Otaku said:

 

Which ones? I've only ever heard of the comcast overpayment that's $50m. 

It’s not another $50m, but Holiday Bowl is suing PAC12 for a lost $8-10m+ when UCLA backed out during Covid in 2021. 
 

https://apnews.com/article/holiday-bowl-lawsuit-ucla-pac12-ab50937a07cb98b6e23a21e3dd2695b5

[MeanGreen22]

Pac has that loser stench. Good luck to anyone that wants to join that ship. 

[Green Otaku]

1 minute ago, NT80 said:

It’s not another $50m, but Holiday Bowl is suing PAC12 for a lost $8-10m+ when UCLA backed out during Covid in 2021. 
 

https://apnews.com/article/holiday-bowl-lawsuit-ucla-pac12-ab50937a07cb98b6e23a21e3dd2695b5

I read somewhere the $50m will be divided among the 12, and payable over a few years. The holiday bowl will go to court most likely, even if they pay some of that the PAC will have $220m+ if they withhold distributions for teams this year. However I haven't been able to confirm if they are doing that anywhere. 

[MeanGreenGlory]

1 hour ago, El Paso Eagle said:

 

Aresco has a new list of numbers to call!

[Green Otaku]

This will be a real litmus test to how strong the P5/A5 label is. If we think about it logically the PAC4 has 0 leverage. They have 4 schools, no schedule for next year, no media rights deal, etc. They are the ones that need saving not the AAC or the MWC. In theory we should hold all of the cards and be able to dictate what can and can't be possible, all it takes is for each conference to hold strong. You also have to know that if they poach a few teams to save their immediate future they will always be looking for a way out/be the first ones out if the chance comes up. 

In theory that's how it should work, but we all know that reality is a different thing. 

[bstnsportsfan3]

1 hour ago, emmitt01 said:

But don't they know SMU and Tulane might be in the PAC soon??!   I can't believe they'd risk losing the chance to sell all 300 of those tickets. 

wow, you think Tulane will sell 250 tickets? because I know the number for SMU won't be over 50

[meanJewGreen]

39 minutes ago, UNTcrazy727 said:

I don't think anyone has used the word "fun" to describe Rice football in a long time lol 

lol i mean fun as in usually close games between the two of us 

[keith]

Apple wants sports content.  If the Pac-x crumbles they are going to be blocked if everyone is in the Big12, MWC or AAC. They will probably make a deal to keep the Pac-x together with their pick of teams from the MWC and AAC and make it financially attractive for them. This would worst case scenario IMHO for the AAC. 

[NT80]

33 minutes ago, Green Otaku said:

This will be a real litmus test to how strong the P5/A5 label is. If we think about it logically the PAC4 has 0 leverage. They have 4 schools, no schedule for next year, no media rights deal, etc. They are the ones that need saving not the AAC or the MWC. In theory we should hold all of the cards and be able to dictate what can and can't be possible, all it takes is for each conference to hold strong. You also have to know that if they poach a few teams to save their immediate future they will always be looking for a way out/be the first ones out if the chance comes up. 

In theory that's how it should work, but we all know that reality is a different thing. 

It’s a huge undertaking to go from 12 to 4 teams.  The conference staff (if they haven’t bailed too) will have to re-work all conference agreements and sponsorships.  I don’t see how they survive on name alone!?!

[wardly]

I just don't see the PAC 4 going after any AAC programs. Stanford will go independent, as probably Cal, although with their debt they might be better off just dropping football. OSU and WSU will merge with the MWC under the PAC banner and shed Hawaii, SJSU, and Nevada Reno. If I was Wyoming I would look hard at dropping down to the Big Sky. SMU will sit tight because they have no other place to go.

[MeanGreenGlory]

Aresco did an interview this morning with a Memphis sports radio station where he addresses a lot of questions. 
 

He said he didn’t want to talk about specifics because so much is in motion right now and anything can change, but here are a few takeaways:

1. He doesn’t seem to think the PAC4 have much leverage. He acknowledges AAC schools could decide to go to a revived PAC, but makes the point: Why risk it? You have great National exposure that pays well in a stable conference with major markets. You would leave that to go to an unknown streaming-only deal?

2. Offers up that the AAC would be a great landing spot for the forgotten four and that the AAC would work with ESPN to make something appealing happen there *if* the four schools are interested. 
 

3. Said P5 will probably become P4. Still wants to eliminate this nomenclature. 
 

4. Says football is driving all of this. Full stop. Travel is less of a factor than it has been in the past because flights, charters, etc. make travel easier. 
 

5. His ability to articulate reality and continually strive to make the conference better is refreshing. 
 

6. Said rumors spread like crazy about this stuff and a lot of it is made up. 
 

7. He sounded more tired than usual. Makes me think he was working long hours over the weekend. 
 

Full interview here: https://sports56whbq.com/shows/sports-56-mornings/657-mike-aresco-on-sports-56-mornings

[Green Otaku]

22 minutes ago, NT80 said:

It’s a huge undertaking to go from 12 to 4 teams.  The conference staff (if they haven’t bailed too) will have to re-work all conference agreements and sponsorships.  I don’t see how they survive on name alone!?!

It will all come down to what kind of deal they can cobble together, the money has to be there to entice teams. Taking a guess they would have to offer something around $12m for that to entice AAC teams. The legacy teams make $7m, so if the deal was $10m is that really enough to jump? I think you would need a little more than that. 

[Mike Jackson]

13 minutes ago, wardly said:

If I was Wyoming I would look hard at dropping down to the Big Sky.

🤔 Interesting, according to many people on this board, I thought Wyoming was a slam dunk positive add to our out of conference schedule.  

Stanford and Cal probably should go independent.  They can put their other sports into a regional conference that doesn’t  sponsor FBS.  Actually the MWC, AAC, and Sun Belt probably should reorganize themselves to separate football membership from the other sports.    For instance the Sun Belt members for everything but football should be SMU, Texas State, Rice, UTSA, Tulsa, Tulane, UNT, La Tech, Louisiana, Louisiana Monroe, Arkansas State, Wichita State.  If these schools a pragmatic instead of arrogant it is a no brainer.  Let's us all get those as many of the good basketball and other sports athletes concerned and their quality of life during the season.  How valuable is the scholarship to a great instution like UCLA if sports travel forces you major in General Studies or Liberal Arts to maintain eligibility and scholarship?

 

[NT80]

7 minutes ago, Green Otaku said:

It will all come down to what kind of deal they can cobble together, the money has to be there to entice teams. Taking a guess they would have to offer something around $12m for that to entice AAC teams. The legacy teams make $7m, so if the deal was $10m is that really enough to jump? I think you would need a little more than that. 

Smut and Tulane’s interest is all based on the PAC title.  But does that still mean anything now?  And like Aresco said you’re risking stability for an unknown streaming-only media that requires subscriptions to make $.  Is Dallas going to buy a PAC streaming subscription to see Smut play in Pullman?  No. 

[ColoradoEagle]

7 minutes ago, Mike Jackson said:

For instance the Sun Belt members for everything but football should be SMU, Texas State, Rice, UTSA, Tulsa, Tulane, UNT, La Tech, Louisiana, Louisiana Monroe, Arkansas State, Wichita State.  

Woof.

[GMG_Dallas]

1 hour ago, bstnsportsfan3 said:

wow, you think Tulane will sell 250 tickets? because I know the number for SMU won't be over 50

They're trying!