AAC Exit Fees

[NTSU52]

So there are all sorts of rumors swirling around right now about how Texas A&M could be leaving the SEC for the Big 10 as early 2026, and a rumor to follow that up is that Texas Tech would be the first choice to replace A&M in the SEC. This would leave a hole in the Big 12. I don’t know if there is ANY truth to any of these rumors but regardless, our athletic department needs to start a fund right now for the AAC exit fees so that we can take tech TTUs place in the Big 12. If we can actually start winning over the next few seasons there should be no reason we aren’t a prime candidate to replace them- if any of this actually happens. 

[SMU2006]

7 hours ago, NTSU52 said:

So there are all sorts of rumors swirling around right now about how Texas A&M could be leaving the SEC for the Big 10 as early 2026, and a rumor to follow that up is that Texas Tech would be the first choice to replace A&M in the SEC. This would leave a hole in the Big 12. I don’t know if there is ANY truth to any of these rumors but regardless, our athletic department needs to start a fund right now for the AAC exit fees so that we can take tech TTUs place in the Big 12. If we can actually start winning over the next few seasons there should be no reason we aren’t a prime candidate to replace them- if any of this actually happens. 

There is a zero percent chance A&M leaves the SEC.  Zero.

And there is a better chance of Texas Tech dropping football than getting an SEC invite.

Edited August 23 by SMU2006

[Meangreen Fight]

8 hours ago, NTSU52 said:

So there are all sorts of rumors swirling around right now about how Texas A&M could be leaving the SEC for the Big 10 as early 2026, and a rumor to follow that up is that Texas Tech would be the first choice to replace A&M in the SEC. This would leave a hole in the Big 12. I don’t know if there is ANY truth to any of these rumors but regardless, our athletic department needs to start a fund right now for the AAC exit fees so that we can take tech TTUs place in the Big 12. If we can actually start winning over the next few seasons there should be no reason we aren’t a prime candidate to replace them- if any of this actually happens. 

Those rumors are absolutely ridiculous.  Without additional changes that would make the transfer a significant financial win for all big brand members of those conferences, it has no chance in hell of happening.  Any source putting out these kind of rumors without extensive supporting evidence isn't worth wasting your time on.  Comic books are more entertaining and slightly less realistic in this case. 😂

Edited August 23 by Meangreen Fight

[Matt from A700]

Regardless, we do need to continue be looking forward. The American may have the best media rights deal of the G5 at the moment, but once renegotiation begins without Cincinnati, UCF, Houston, and SMU the reality will set in that we are in a CUSA 2.0. A bunch of randomly-scattered schools across the country with no notable rivalries. My hopes are still a revived Pac 12 brand with the best of the MWC and us, UTSA, Rice, and UTEP.

[wardly]

1 hour ago, Matt from A700 said:

Regardless, we do need to continue be looking forward. The American may have the best media rights deal of the G5 at the moment, but once renegotiation begins without Cincinnati, UCF, Houston, and SMU the reality will set in that we are in a CUSA 2.0. A bunch of randomly-scattered schools across the country with no notable rivalries. My hopes are still a revived Pac 12 brand with the best of the MWC and us, UTSA, Rice, and UTEP.

None of the pundits I have seen include UNT in this scenario but do mention Rice and UTSA.

[SMU2006]

11 minutes ago, wardly said:

None of the pundits I have seen include UNT in this scenario but do mention Rice and UTSA.

I think North Texas would be included.

I think the eventual endgame would be an East/West "merger" of the MWC/Pac-2 and AAC.

West - Washington State, Oregon State, San Diego State, Fresno State, San Jose State, Boise State, UNLV, Colorado State, Air Force

East -  North Texas, UTSA, Rice, Tulane, South Florida, East Carolina, Memphis, Navy, Army

[NT80]

1 hour ago, Matt from A700 said:

Regardless, we do need to continue be looking forward. The American may have the best media rights deal of the G5 at the moment, but once renegotiation begins without Cincinnati, UCF, Houston, and SMU the reality will set in that we are in a CUSA 2.0. A bunch of randomly-scattered schools across the country with no notable rivalries. My hopes are still a revived Pac 12 brand with the best of the MWC and us, UTSA, Rice, and UTEP.

I like the best of G5 merger idea, but that gets tricky with exit fees and shopping for new media rights deals. 

Any new realignment will be Brand vs Media location.   Is being a Brand better or a school's location better as a quality?   

Brand's can change over time as coaches and players leave and strong teams are no longer strong.  Location can't change but a school's impact on that location varies.  We are a perfect example of being in a huge population area, and  great recruiting area, but not taking advantage of either really. 

[wardly]

2 hours ago, SMU2006 said:

There is a zero percent chance A&M leaves the SEC.  Zero.

And there is a better chance of Texas Tech dropping football than getting an SEC invite.

Also zero chance of FSU/Clemson getting out of the media rights contract with the ACC. A contracts/patent/trademark attorney was a recent guest on the Big Mountain podcast and  after reviewing the media rights contract said that the existing ESPN contract is entirely separate from it and has no bearing on it. He said the AAC media rights contract states that its members relinquish their media rights regardless if they are in the conference or not. In summary he stated that FSU/Clemson are going to have to convince a judge [ the one in N.C, has final say as this is the state in which the original  contract was executed] that the ACC put a gun to their heads and forced them to sign a contract that has made 10's of  millions of dollars for  both schools since its inception.

[SMU2006]

7 minutes ago, wardly said:

Also zero chance of FSU/Clemson getting out of the media rights contract with the ACC. A contracts/patent/trademark attorney was a recent guest on the Big Mountain podcast and  after reviewing the media rights contract said that the existing ESPN contract is entirely separate from it and has no bearing on it. He said the AAC media rights contract states that its members relinquish their media rights regardless if they are in the conference or not. In summary he stated that FSU/Clemson are going to have to convince a judge [ the one in N.C, has final say as this is the state in which the original  contract was executed] that the ACC put a gun to their heads and forced them to sign a contract that has made 10's of  millions of dollars for  both schools since its inception.

Yes.  All reasonable people know this (including FSU and Clemson).  Not only did FSU and Clemson sign the initial GOR they released statements at the time about how great it was the stability of the league and how it ensures, as the FSU president wrote, "no can leave".  Not only did they sign the initial GOR but they resigned it.  TWICE.  Good luck getting a NC judge (ACC headquarters in Charlotte) to buy that they were tricked into the deal.  Its simply not going to work.

The lawsuits are red meat for their fanbases that are mad about the money gap between the ACC and the B1G/SEC.  Nothing more.

Edited August 23 by SMU2006

[MeanGreenGlory]

Given how the PAC12 dissolved in a matter of weeks out of nowhere, I don't consider anything regarding realignment out of the realm of possibility now.

However, what's A&M's incentive to leave the SEC for the BIG10? They're already in one of the two dominant conferences. Unless the BIG10 provides a stellar offer to get into Texas, I just don't see the motivating factor for them to leave the SEC. 

IF—and that's a big if—Texas A&M does leave the SEC, I think the SEC would be more likely to try to backfill with a powerhouse or two from the ACC and attempt to figure out how to break ACC media deal. If that's off the table and the SEC turned to the BIG12 to get another a Texas school, I think Baylor or TCU would fit the bill better than Texas Tech.

If TCU ended up being the SEC pick and we had a stronger recent winning history in football and basketball, I could see us being a legit backfill addition for the BIG12. The BIG12 wouldn't want to lose the DFW presence, and given our location, facilities, and student body/alumni size, we could realistically catch up to the likes of those remaining in the BIG12 with the increased conference/media funding.

So...it's possible, and Mosley & Co. should be preparing for it. Because if it isn't that, then a reconstructed PAC with the best of AAC and MWC is the next best option (and likely more realistic), so either way, we want to be in a great position to be included and take advantage of the next shift. 

Edited August 23 by MeanGreenGlory

[wardly]

4 minutes ago, SMU2006 said:

I think North Texas would be included.

I think the eventual endgame would be an East/West "merger" of the MWC/Pac-2 and AAC.

West - Washington State, Oregon State, San Diego State, Fresno State, San Jose State, Boise State, UNLV, Colorado State, Air Force

East -  North Texas, UTSA, Rice, Tulane, South Florida, East Carolina, Memphis, Navy, Army

No one really wants San Jose State. Everything I have seen has the PAC 2 cherry picking the MWC  6 of the schools you mentioned and adding 2 to 4 AAC programs.The most mentioned are UTSA,Rice,Tulane, and Memphis, but not UNT. I personally think that they will pick the 6 from the MWC getting to 8 programs, and see what happens to the ACC. They can always fill in with a few AAC schools later.

[wardly]

11 minutes ago, SMU2006 said:

Yes.  All reasonable people know this (including FSU and Clemson).  Not only did FSU and Clemson sign the initial GOR they released statements at the time about how great it was the stability of the league and how it ensures, as the FSU president wrote, "no can leave".  Not only did they sign the initial GOR but they resigned it.  TWICE.  Good luck getting a NC judge (ACC headquarters in Charlotte) to buy that they were tricked into the deal.  Its simply not going to work.

The lawsuits are red meat for their fanbases that are mad about the money gap between the ACC and the B1G/SEC.  Nothing more.

Agreed, and I wish you guys luck in the ACC. However I am disappointed  that you dropped us from your schedule. You still need 3 OOC teams and surely we can bring more fans than Houston Christian.

[wardly]

7 minutes ago, MeanGreenGlory said:

Given how the PAC12 dissolved in a matter of weeks out of nowhere, I don't consider anything regarding realignment out of the realm of possibility now.

However, what's A&M's incentive to leave the SEC for the BIG10? They're already in one of the two dominant conferences. Unless the BIG10 provides a stellar offer to get into Texas, I just don't see the motivating factor for them to leave the SEC. 

IF—and that's a big if—Texas A&M does leave the SEC, I think the SEC would be more likely to try to backfill with a powerhouse or two from the ACC and attempt to figure out how to break ACC media deal. If that's off the table and the SEC turned to the BIG12 to get another a Texas school, I think Baylor or TCU would fit the bill better than Texas Tech.

If TCU ended up being the SEC pick and we had a stronger recent winning history in football and basketball, I could see us being a legit backfill addition for the BIG12. The BIG12 wouldn't want to lose the DFW presence, and given our location, facilities, and student body/alumni size, we could realistically catch up to the likes of those remaining in the BIG12 with the increased conference/media funding.

So...it's possible, and Mosley & Co. should be preparing for it. Because if it isn't that, then a reconstructed PAC with the best of AAC and MWC is the next best option (and likely more realistic), so either way, we want to be in a great position to be included and take advantage of the next shift. 

I want some of what you are smoking.

[DentonStang]

1 minute ago, wardly said:

Agreed, and I wish you guys luck in the ACC. However I am disappointed  that you dropped us from your schedule. You still need 3 OOC teams and surely we can bring more fans than Houston Christian.

The conference is pushing for OOC matchups to be no more than 1 total bodybag FCS type tune up and then only P4s for the rest to maximize media returns.  Scheduling UNT will not happen for that reason.

[DentonStang]

11 hours ago, NTSU52 said:

So there are all sorts of rumors swirling around right now about how Texas A&M could be leaving the SEC for the Big 10 as early 2026, and a rumor to follow that up is that Texas Tech would be the first choice to replace A&M in the SEC. This would leave a hole in the Big 12. I don’t know if there is ANY truth to any of these rumors but regardless, our athletic department needs to start a fund right now for the AAC exit fees so that we can take tech TTUs place in the Big 12. If we can actually start winning over the next few seasons there should be no reason we aren’t a prime candidate to replace them- if any of this actually happens. 

People say this kind of thing but put zero thought into how or why these decisions would be made.

Why, in a millions years, would SEC ever add Texas Tech? 

Assuming they needed to add anyone,  Tech is not historically great at football.  They don't have a bigger following than any average mid tier state school.  They have zero media market. They have zero local recruiting. It doesn't add any new territory for any of the above.  They wouldn't generate anywhere near the revenue they take out,  so they are worse than nothing.

What reason are you concluding makes them the choice?  Tech is one of the least likely schools to add to SEC from B12.

[wardly]

27 minutes ago, DentonStang said:

The conference is pushing for OOC matchups to be no more than 1 total bodybag FCS type tune up and then only P4s for the rest to maximize media returns.  Scheduling UNT will not happen for that reason.

Gee, with only a few exceptions we have pretty much been a body bag game for SMU.

[SMU2006]

34 minutes ago, wardly said:

Agreed, and I wish you guys luck in the ACC. However I am disappointed  that you dropped us from your schedule. You still need 3 OOC teams and surely we can bring more fans than Houston Christian.

Best of luck to North Texas.  The American is still a good conference with some intriguing teams.  I do not think we will play in football again, however.  Hope I'm wrong but as Denton accurately pointed out the ACC is pushing every school to only schedule other P4's with one FCS so the Safeway Bowl may finally be at an end 😞

[SMU2006]

42 minutes ago, MeanGreenGlory said:

Given how the PAC12 dissolved in a matter of weeks out of nowhere, I don't consider anything regarding realignment out of the realm of possibility now.

However, what's A&M's incentive to leave the SEC for the BIG10? They're already in one of the two dominant conferences. Unless the BIG10 provides a stellar offer to get into Texas, I just don't see the motivating factor for them to leave the SEC. 

IF—and that's a big if—Texas A&M does leave the SEC, I think the SEC would be more likely to try to backfill with a powerhouse or two from the ACC and attempt to figure out how to break ACC media deal. If that's off the table and the SEC turned to the BIG12 to get another a Texas school, I think Baylor or TCU would fit the bill better than Texas Tech.

If TCU ended up being the SEC pick and we had a stronger recent winning history in football and basketball, I could see us being a legit backfill addition for the BIG12. The BIG12 wouldn't want to lose the DFW presence, and given our location, facilities, and student body/alumni size, we could realistically catch up to the likes of those remaining in the BIG12 with the increased conference/media funding.

So...it's possible, and Mosley & Co. should be preparing for it. Because if it isn't that, then a reconstructed PAC with the best of AAC and MWC is the next best option (and likely more realistic), so either way, we want to be in a great position to be included and take advantage of the next shift. 

None of what you post here has any chance of happening. None of it.

[Meangreen Fight]

4 hours ago, SMU2006 said:

I think North Texas would be included.

I think the eventual endgame would be an East/West "merger" of the MWC/Pac-2 and AAC.

West - 1. Washington State,  2. Oregon State, 3. San Diego State, 4. Fresno State, 5. San Jose State, 6. Boise State, 7. UNLV, 8. Colorado State, 9. Air Force

East -  1. North Texas, 2. UTSA, 3. Rice, 4. Tulane, 5. South Florida, 6. East Carolina, 7. Memphis, 8. Navy, 9. Army

 

A lot depends on the revenue/TV viewing projections Stanford and Cal after their first 2 years in the ACC.  

My Prediction:  After the novelty wears out media executives will start accepting that competitive football & rivalries drive regular season football ratings; their appetite for huge contracts with super-conferences will diminish.  The SEC & Big 10 will either have to trim the fat or go to a permanent unequal revenue sharing model insuring the conference heavyweight brands get the most money regardless of their on the field performance.  I don't think Cal, Stanford and schools in similar situations are prepared to do that and incur the logistics cost of the worst travel schedules in all of College Sport.  A restructured Pac 12 with OSU, WSU, Stanford, and Cal would be at the core.  

[Mean Green 93-98]

4 hours ago, DentonStang said:

The conference is pushing for OOC matchups to be no more than 1 total bodybag FCS type tune up and then only P4s for the rest to maximize media returns.  Scheduling UNT will not happen for that reason.

In fairness, the past few years we have provided you a bodybag FCS type tune up. 

Edited August 23 by Mean Green 93-98

[wardly]

2 hours ago, Meangreen Fight said:

 

A lot depends on the revenue/TV viewing projections Stanford and Cal after their first 2 years in the ACC.  

My Prediction:  After the novelty wears out media executives will start accepting that competitive football & rivalries drive regular season football ratings; their appetite for huge contracts with super-conferences will diminish.  The SEC & Big 10 will either have to trim the fat or go to a permanent unequal revenue sharing model insuring the conference heavyweight brands get the most money regardless of their on the field performance.  I don't think Cal, Stanford and schools in similar situations are prepared to do that and incur the logistics cost of the worst travel schedules in all of College Sport.  A restructured Pac 12 with OSU, WSU, Stanford, and Cal would be at the core.  

Stanford and Cal knew about the increase in travel costs when they moved to the ACC. Why would they go back to the PAC 2? Plus they sighed away their media rights when they joined the ACC.

[DentonLurker]

SMU fans talking like conference realignment experts still gives me a little chuckle. SMU is going to be on the outside looking in when the ACC finally blows up just like most of the country.

[Jonnyeagle]

2 hours ago, DentonLurker said:

SMU fans talking like conference realignment experts still gives me a little chuckle. SMU is going to be on the outside looking in when the ACC finally blows up just like most of the country.

So true

[rcade]

12 hours ago, DentonLurker said:

SMU fans talking like conference realignment experts still gives me a little chuckle.

Same. Who knew that SMU fans were experts on conference media rights contracts and multi-state jurisdictional disputes? They must have stayed at a Holiday Inn last night.

Edited August 24 by rcade

[rcade]

18 hours ago, Meangreen Fight said:

My Prediction:  After the novelty wears out media executives will start accepting that competitive football & rivalries drive regular season football ratings; their appetite for huge contracts with super-conferences will diminish.

My prediction is a 36-team SEC and Big 10 functioning like a collegiate NFL, raking in staggering amounts of money while everybody else is on the outside fighting for tablescraps. And SMU won't be able to buy their way into that club even if they forego all TV revenue until the heat death of the universe.