Conference realignment "Rumors" "tweets" "etc"

[USF_Bullsharks]

B12 also losing AAU members in TX/OU, which ACC losing non-AAU members in FSU/Clemson. Interesting dynamic. Iowa St. was AAU until recently.

SEC will have 6: TAMU/Vandy/UF/Mizzou + TX/OU

B1G all but Nebraska (even Johns Hopkins)

ACC will have 8.5: UNC/Duke/UVA/GaTech/Miami/Pitt + Cal/Stanford + ND

B12 will have 5: Kansas + 4C

Speculation a few more borderline/underperforming schools may lose AAU membership which includes Mizzou, Oregon, and Kansas. Georgia, FSU, VaTech, NCSt, all "close" - but even crossing the finish line does not automatically trigger an invite. 

[CF is NFL Jr]

1 hour ago, Cubanbull said:

Anything could happen and as you said it will come down to who is ESPN willing to pay more for. To split the B12 contract with FOX or own the whole thing as they do with the ACC.

Presidents are the ones who make the decisions and academics matter to th3. Utah and ASU were hesitant to go into N12 and had ACC being more aggressive they could have ended up taking both of them.

Is funny that you say the B12 has a solid tv deal and mention their GOR. ACC has a GOR and a longer contract with their own network. I really don’t think one is much different from the other. I do know both Utah and ASU get students from California, not having a team in B12 from there will hurt them.

Wont be surprised if the B12 and ACC become basically a minor SEC and BigTen with one being more concerned about academics than the other.

There are actually 6 current ACC schools with AAU, 7 if you count ND. That will go up to 8;9when Cal and Stanford join.

The B12 has five. But four of those are the recent PAC schools. Only Kansas from nonPAC is AAU

Yes, but the ACC GOR is under attack the ESPN deal subject to a renewal in 2025.  It was adding Cal and Stanford that was a big reason for sending FSU over the edge.  Prior to that I think the idea of West Coast teams in the ACC was unthinkable.  It still seems a bit strange as the ACC is really an East Coast League.   

As for AAU if less than half of your conference is AAU then does it matter?  The B12 definitely has a more middle America truck stop - blue collar vibe.  The ACC with a more East Coast vibe with Duke and UVA type feel.  But in the end money will dictate.  Most programs just need the cash to survive and try to be competitive.  

I think those teams not already in the P2 are going to settle in and focus trying to make the final cut for when conferences cease to exist and 2 super leagues are created.  We all know that is where this is all heading 

[WoolyBully]

2 hours ago, CF is NFL Jr said:

But in the end money will dictate. 

Yep, if there's one thing that washes away the doesn't-know-a-shrimp-fork-from-a-dessert-fork, blue collar stench when sitting across the table from Piper & Poindexter, it's a tall stack of foldin' green.  I think "culture" is grossly overrated when it comes to college football. Going forward, it's about national brands, and revenue streams. I'm betting that a few AAU logos will reside in G5land for some time to come, post the next shoe drop. This is the business of athletics. 

[UCF_rustbucket]

2 hours ago, CF is NFL Jr said:

Yes, but the ACC GOR is under attack the ESPN deal subject to a renewal in 2025.  It was adding Cal and Stanford that was a big reason for sending FSU over the edge.  Prior to that I think the idea of West Coast teams in the ACC was unthinkable.  It still seems a bit strange as the ACC is really an East Coast League.   

As for AAU if less than half of your conference is AAU then does it matter?  The B12 definitely has a more middle America truck stop - blue collar vibe.  The ACC with a more East Coast vibe with Duke and UVA type feel.  But in the end money will dictate.  Most programs just need the cash to survive and try to be competitive.  

I think those teams not already in the P2 are going to settle in and focus trying to make the final cut for when conferences cease to exist and 2 super leagues are created.  We all know that is where this is all heading 

Well said. And while the academics is enticing, the costs aren't. The costs to leave (either the ACC or the Big 12) just to go to a pretty equal conference.

And geography is better for the 4 corners in the Big 12 than in the ACC in this era of nationwide conferences. The majority of the conference is in the Southwest/Texas/Great Plains. It's really just UCF, Cincy, and WVU as outliers. It's reversed in the ACC where they'd join up with the current 3 outliers while everyone is on the east coast.

[Outlaw]

2 hours ago, UCF_rustbucket said:

Well said. And while the academics is enticing, the costs aren't. The costs to leave (either the ACC or the Big 12) just to go to a pretty equal conference.

And geography is better for the 4 corners in the Big 12 than in the ACC in this era of nationwide conferences. The majority of the conference is in the Southwest/Texas/Great Plains. It's really just UCF, Cincy, and WVU as outliers. It's reversed in the ACC where they'd join up with the current 3 outliers while everyone is on the east coast.

I have read Utah has no exit fees included when they joined the b12. I am not sure about AZ, ASU, and Colorado though. 

My perfect version of realignment would be for the ACC  to  add Utah, USF, Tulane, and one more academic school that is decent in sports it would be a great academic conference. ND should just join fulltimem but they get to have their own cake and eat it to so no need for them to join for college football.  Honestly don't think we get an ACC invite anytime soon.

Edited June 28 by Outlaw

[Rocky Style]

6 hours ago, CF is NFL Jr said:

It was adding Cal and Stanford that was a big reason for sending FSU over the edge.

I look at it more the other way around.  FSU was always going to leave, so they tried to add what they could to prepare for it.  

[WoolyBully]

Do we have reason to believe that Utah is pining to leave the Big XII? Going from the Big XII to the soon-to-be-gelded ACC is very much a lateral move. Don't see the advantage. Gotta be honest, not sure about the value of an "academic conference" when it comes to the business at hand. 

[MMW]

10 hours ago, WoolyBully said:

Do we have reason to believe that Utah is pining to leave the Big XII? Going from the Big XII to the soon-to-be-gelded ACC is very much a lateral move. Don't see the advantage. Gotta be honest, not sure about the value of an "academic conference" when it comes to the business at hand. 

I kind of do.  I think it gives a league an identity.  Geography seems not to matter anymore

[Rocky Style]

1 hour ago, MMW said:

Geography seems not to matter anymore

It does to fans, but fans don't matter anymore.

[Outlaw]

43 minutes ago, Rocky Style said:

It does to fans, but fans don't matter anymore.

It doesn't even matter what the fans think anymore. The only people the power universities  and conference makers care about are big donors, NIL collectives, and their fans willing to pay players.