OT - USC and UCLA to Big 10

[Walter]

Twitter is running with the rumor that North Carolina, Florida State, Clemson, and Virginia are negotiating to join the SEC. ESPN is trying to void their TV deal with the ACC

 

[GMUgemini]

Twitter is running with the rumor that North Carolina, Florida State, Clemson, and Virginia are negotiating to join the SEC. ESPN is trying to void their TV deal with the ACC

Man, if UNC disassociates from Duke over TV revenue money, nothing in college athletics is sacred anymore.

 

[phoenix-arizona]

CFB should just create a few regional super conferences and then have a promotion relegation system to drop teams down to lower conferences.

 

[bravesfan]

Man, if UNC disassociates from Duke over TV revenue money, nothing in college athletics is sacred anymore.

It's everyone for themselves at this point...

 

[HoopsAdmin]

Money has finally ruined everything. Won't be long before the A10 is considered second division with no chance to compete against SEC, B1G, XII/PAC schools. No more true March Madness.

 

[phoenix-arizona]

Good way to spin off the NIT--NCAA tournament for the Golden level conferences and then NIT for Silver level conferences.

 

[tblack33]

Wild that it ended up being TV money for schools, and not NIL money for players that caused all the mayhem in college sports..

 

[GMU79]

Man, if UNC disassociates from Duke over TV revenue money, nothing in college athletics is sacred anymore.

True, and a shame, but as a Carolina fan since 1970, ruining Coach K's final game at Cameron, and beating him in his final game in the Final Four is a great way to end it.
Obviously, a purely personal take. ymmv.

 

[Pikapppatri8]

Twitter is running with the rumor that North Carolina, Florida State, Clemson, and Virginia are negotiating to join the SEC. ESPN is trying to void their TV deal with the ACC

Well this is turning into a dumpster fire.

 

[Patriot8]

I think that UVA and VT would face some resistance from the state government if one tried to leave without the other. Same deal with UNC leaving NCST behind.

 

[Walter]

I think there will be some colleges that decide to de-emphasize athletics. I could see Cal, Stanford, Rice, NW, WF, Vandy, and, maybe, Duke. I know some of those schools (Vandy) are investing heavily in athletics now, which makes sense if you are part of the Big 10 and SEC, but if Cal and Stanford are left out of the SEC / Big 10 jumbo conferences, why bother? There isn't enough money outside of the SEC/Big 10 jumbo conferences to make sullying your academic image worth it. Sullying = the professionalization of college sports. (Not my view, but the view of the presidents of these "elite" universities.)

 

[Quentin Daniels]

Man, if UNC disassociates from Duke over TV revenue money, nothing in college athletics is sacred anymore.

They'd still play annually, just not twice a year. USC & Clemson still play annually, as do UGA & GA Tech.

 

[GMUgemini]

I think there will be some colleges that decide to de-emphasize athletics. I could see Cal, Stanford, Rice, NW, WF, Vandy, and, maybe, Duke. I know some of those schools (Vandy) are investing heavily in athletics now, which makes sense if you are part of the Big 10 and SEC, but if Cal and Stanford are left out of the SEC / Big 10 jumbo conferences, why bother? There isn't enough money outside of the SEC/Big 10 jumbo conferences to make sullying your academic image worth it. Sullying = the professionalization of college sports. (Not my view, but the view of the presidents of these "elite" universities.)

Speaking of professionalization, there has to be a point at which more money is pointless unless you are sharing that revenue with players. What are B1G schools going to do with $100 million in TV revenue per school if they aren’t going to pay their players? Admin bloat, bigger salaries for their coaches, more pointless athlete perks like on-demand massage service (with optional happy ending) service in their dorms? Honestly think the ADs are seeing their own dollar signs (bigger TV contract equals more AD salary) than anything to do with positioning their athletic departments in the best place.

 

[psyclone]

Speaking of professionalization, there has to be a point at which more money is pointless unless you are sharing that revenue with players. What are B1G schools going to do with $100 million in TV revenue per school if they aren’t going to pay their players? Admin bloat, bigger salaries for their coaches, more pointless athlete perks like on-demand massage service (with optional happy ending) service in their dorms? Honestly think the ADs are seeing their own dollar signs (bigger TV contract equals more AD salary) than anything to do with positioning their athletic departments in the best place.

Does it all go to the university's athletic dept? There isn't a university in the US that isn't seeking to enlarge their endowment. Since most schools actually have to underwrite their varsity sports, there wouldn't be any objections to having their sports underwrite the academic functions. $100 million could be consumed rather quickly if it goes into a general fund.

 

[bravesfan]

I think that UVA and VT would face some resistance from the state government if one tried to leave without the other. Same deal with UNC leaving NCST behind.

Same was said about UCLA and Cal. People were shocked it happened.

 

[GMUgemini]

Does it all go to the university's athletic dept? There isn't a university in the US that isn't seeking to enlarge their endowment. Since most schools actually have to underwrite their varsity sports, there wouldn't be any objections to having their sports underwrite the academic functions. $100 million could be consumed rather quickly if it goes into a general fund.

UCLA Foundation has $5.1 billion in assets, and had over $400 million in contributions in 2021. They aren’t exactly hurting for money over there.

None of the schools chasing the B1G and SEC cash cow are hurting for funding, nor do any of the schools underwrite their athletic departments.

 

[Five Two]

This is from the LA Times, so take it FWIW, but this 2020 article about UCLA's football spending says the athletic dept ran an $18.9M deficit for 2019-2020 (pre pandemic lockdowns) that "The department had to secure an interest-bearing loan from the university to cover the gap."

UCLA football remains success-starved, but no program is eating richer

As the centerpiece of a department facing a growing deficit, UCLA football has gorged itself on food spending that has no rival nationwide.

www.latimes.com

 

[GMUgemini]

This is from the LA Times, so take it FWIW, but this 2020 article about UCLA's football spending says the athletic dept ran an $18.9M deficit for 2019-2020 (pre pandemic lockdowns) that "The department had to secure an interest-bearing loan from the university to cover the gap."

UCLA football remains success-starved, but no program is eating richer

As the centerpiece of a department facing a growing deficit, UCLA football has gorged itself on food spending that has no rival nationwide.

www.latimes.com

That’s exactly what I’m talking about. The football team spent almost $6 million on food alone for the team…

 

[Pikapppatri8]

What does this mean for non-power conference football programs?

I can see pressure on basketball programs - but basketball has an easier investment-return profile.

If you are outside the P5 conferences - football (Div I) is going to be more expensive but have diminishing returns. What will all the SBC, CUSA, AAC, and MAAC football programs do in this new environment?

 

[Pikapppatri8]

Same was said about UCLA and Cal. People were shocked it happened.

Agreed money - big money - is driving this train.