33laszlo99

one. If The B1G grows beyond twenty (very likely) it would not surprise me to see some obtuse configuration like 23 teams in four divisions: 6,6,6, and only five Out West. Or 25 teams with seven Out West. I doubt that anyone, anywhere knows what these conferences will look like in their next iteration, but I suspect that tidy symmetry is not on the list of "must-haves."

in their home stadium. RD1: top eight seeds get a bye. Middle eight are at home vs bottom eight. RD2: top eight seeds are at home vs RD1 winners. Finish with neutral sites.

Don't try to read into it. These things we hear in public forums are likely a faint representation of the kissing-up going on behind closed doors.

from data, stats, charts, and records. But they can generate surprising insights and maybe provoke some new conversations. Thanks for all the good work.

With NIL environment they should continue to thrive. NBC certainly wants them to take on a challenging home schedule. But you are right about survival against the SEC for ND.

"He clearly doesn’t know... " I'm pretty sure Mr. Thomas knows, as we all do, that ND is less powerful than the P2. ND can, however, make a move that would stimulate other programs to act more quickly and secure a seat before the music stops. Visualize dominoes. "ND can take maybe one... " Maybe the number is zero; maybe six. Doesn't make/break a deal. "The SEC won’t agree... " The SEC would give Greg Sankey's right arm and Vanderbilt's Med school for a six-game package with ND.

But the real answer comes by comparing VT to others who are also in the running. And the question is complicated when we look beyond individual programs and start to compare pairings or groupings of schools. Is UVa/Miami more attractive than VT/Clemson, UNC/GT? Will SEC and B1G fight over UNC/UVa? How many schools can be involved overall? Will the sequence of movement control the final outcome? That was the case in the death of The PAC 12. We all have our predictions, fragile as they are. If you find yourself with time to ponder this subject: list all of the teams you believe are candidates. Include possible properties out west. Use whatever criteria you deem appropriate. (Don't try to be objective, not possible, that's okay.) I change my mind almost daily on my "Most Likely" result. For a while now, I have been consumed with the changing/growing role of media companies asserting their fiscal muscle, particularly in college sports. It's too important to be left out of any realignment calculation.

to be expanded. That stresses profitability. Also, those out-of-conference games boost the W-L record of The SEC overall, but for the weak teams in particular. Teams that are perennially winless will lose support. A stand-alone conference earns a .500 record, always, looking only "average." That is why I believe P4 and maybe all BCS conferences will form two competing sides compelled by media contracts seeking to form the best overall viewership. International reach will influence the decisions. Realignment will need to be settled ahead of the next round of contracts.

** Edited by 33laszlo99 at 3/9/2026, 10:34:37 PM

everyone else that comes into view. This is all a consequence of Ed O'Bannon's lawsuit against UCLA for not paying him while he was on the Bruins' swim team. The court declared that the NCAA had no right to suppress his earning of money just because he was a college student. That made it necessary for NCAA schools to find a realistic way to comply with the judgement without also committing anti-trust behaviors. It's an impossible tightrope. It is akin to a Hollywood screenwriter (the Judge) writing' "Ten thousand soldiers charged down the hill on horseback." Now give that to the director (NCAA) and let him do his part of the job. ** Edited by 33laszlo99 at 3/8/2026, 7:40:12 PM

requires tens of thousands of pages. (State taxes are not this extreme, I suppose.) But not a single tax law has been ever dreamed up to make taxes "fair." It is always to benefit one group or individual over all others. And Stech, the "integrity" you seek requires only that we all follow the same rules and provide penalties that are certain and severe. We have lost that. "Fairness" is a fantasy. Lesser programs can decide to continue competing against more powerful rivals or gather themselves into a new collection of like programs. There is no "fix" for the disparity of resources.

will be forced to grow up. They can't allow NFL lust to wreck their budgets.

The NFL plays on Thursday evening, all day Sunday, and on Monday evening during the Fall/Winter season. What will the networks do for content the rest of the week and the rest of the year? NFL reruns? Yes, the cost of NFL content will grow. But carriers will not pay so much that it becomes unprofitable. If the whole package requires that the cost be spread among more carriers, fine. They will each buy their respective piece of the pie and compete against each other week by week. The non-NFL sports content will attract competitive bids and will also increase. This is not a zero-sum situation. I see so much fear expressed on this board and elsewhere that the P2 will "BREAK AWAY." Not happening. The B1G and SEC don't trust each other, don't like each other and cooperate only to the extent necessary. The respective media companies harbor similar enmities. If college sports splinters, it won't be by conferences, it will be by media blocs. This will be the driver for aggressive pursuit of college football rights as well as realignment. Newly bulked-up Paramount (CBS) will be a drunken sailor in the live sports market.

And it occurs to me that there is no time for NDSU to beg out of their 2026 commitments. So even though The Bison will be official MWC members they will not be playing a MWC schedule. Unless there is a MWC team already on the NDSU schedule by coincidence, then The Bison will be playing an all-OOC schedule. I think the first two seasons of a FBS promotion are "provisional status" anyway, so I guess it just don't matter. Glad to have some actual realignment news to break up the stream of ND gossip.

report, even in a "house organ." Twenty-eight Athletic reporters were surveyed about specific predictions for next season. Then each of the 28 provided a "bold prediction" of his own. This one-paragraph guess may be the product of perhaps five seconds of thorough consideration by a reporter who has no incentive to offer a serious answer. If he has a "real" prediction he'll print it in his own column.

kind of move. ND makes overtures to both P2's so that neither side can take them for granted, nor can ACC/ESPN. Purely strategic.

There are some who may call that a "blow out," but Tide fans can smile knowing in our hearts that it was all just a bad dream.

somewhat satisfactory format. In American college football there is only the infuriatingly stupid format; the clumsy, confusing format; and the unfair, poorly conceived format. We might as well use the machine that picks lottery numbers. This is not new. Post-season polls were unpopular (But fine by me). The BCS was unpopular (but fine by me). The four-team bracket was unpopular (But fine by me). The twelve team bracket continues the pattern. These reform efforts will become increasingly crazy when ESPN starts getting assaulted by the other networks, including some who have not yet entered the fray. This subject, and many others discussed here, seem to quickly devolve into a reason to bludgeon Notre Dame. I don't suggest that such a line of thinking be censored. But it can become tedious. Notre Dame has shown, apart from its football success, a gift for manipulating the college football powers-that-be. Congratulations to them. I think it will fail them in the near future, just MHO.

But college asked him, at his age, to be more than he wished to be. He demanded to supervise every minute detail. That's part of why he was able to replace assistants so easily, so often. NIL and transfer portal overwhelmed him. I am disappointed that The Tide has seemed to slip a little (who knows for how long). But fans need to simply show some gratitude.

Saban bailed-out when he did. Money schools in The SEC, like TX, T-A&M, Florida, Georgia, will have no trouble keeping up. We'll see if Ole Miss can be consistent annually. Or is this just a fluke? Same question applies to Indiana and perhaps Texas Tech. The good news (at least for me) is I think The SEC has finally realized that they need to expand the footprint beyond the Southeast. I expect to see two very large conferences who will require additional media partners (streamers).

Those same rich programs will now return to their old ways if the extended playoffs demand it. We lose the equalizing effect of NIL. I'm sure somewhere, somebody will be tracking the change in injury stats as the season drags-on.

Friday: Primetime & Late Night Saturday: Noon, Afternoon, Primetime & Late Night A hundred media companies can put-out their content in these windows simultaneously but they are sharing the audience. We always check for the count of viewers after a weekend of games, which is fine. But looking at the "share %" of the greater (total) audience matters as well, and so do Nielsen MSA's. I think that, right now, TV execs are throwing their weight around like never before for sports content. They are more viciously competitive than ever. The battle of the P2 conferences and talk of a P1 will be replaced by the struggle among the "P" networks. The possibility of a P1 conference will come up again when the current bulk audience "ages-out" (boomers), and sports content loses value.

an individual conference. For The B1G, suppose they get their best three teams in a 12 or 16 place bracket. Are they at a disadvantage to an SEC who has five teams on the bracket? I don't see it. If The B1G could have a 4th, 5th, 6th team, they might have some low-value bragging rights, but the realistic chance for a championship lies among those top three. I'll reconsider this opinion when I see a championship go to a team that occupies fourth place conference rank after the regular season.

football game, if two schools agree to accept invitations, if a media company is willing to buy rights, who do we (or who does the NCAA) think we are to get in the way? It's just more football that we can choose to watch or to ignore. Every year we see calls to eliminate these pesky bowl games. Your objection is different in that you just question them on the grounds of NCAA rules. But why? I say, "Line-up and kick-off."

building, it will be paid for. Debt free!!

season they played home games at Wrigley Field and other oddball locations. They don't go for huge crowds. The new building is built for 38,000 I think.

Week", things changed. CBS bought-in to The B1G media deal hoping to make up for what they lost. They have made it known that they are disappointed with their place in the pecking order for top games. I believe Paramount intends to correct the situation by acquiring WBD. With the fast-approaching era of outside investment in conferences and internation streaming by media companies, look for long-term GoR's and performance-based media payouts. Realignment will occur for the next few years. After these new arrangements are in place realignment will become prohibitively expensive. As for ESPN and The BigXII, ESPN allowed Fox to take 26 FB games because ESPN did not have enough broadcast windows required to keep all of the content for themselves. Streaming will solve that problem. Disney will need help (possibly Netflix, who is bidding against Paramount for WBD).

programs in this footprint forever. ESPN cannot entirely stop them, so they will need to minimize the damage by relocating their most valued schools in The SEC. It indicates The ACC will lose a substantial chunk of their top membership. The SEC is not eager to expand (only 2?), but it will be necessary. Currently The Big XII is shared by ESPN (primary partner) and Fox (26 FB & 63 MBB) so that seems to satisfy both P2's. The expansion focus remains on ACC schools. The next consideration: will the residual ACC schools wish to continue as a group, or will some Louisville, Pitt, etc. and the three Western members choose to hook-up with Big XII? The Big XII may, or may not seek ACC properties, who knows? But Big XII schools might be safe from poaching unless The SEC sees a need to enlarge their footprint in the West or Fox feels a need to get access to more Texas-based content. SEC targets could be Az, Az St, Colo, Kansas. Utah makes no secret of their hopes of B1G membership. Watch-out if WBD ends up in Paramount hands, CBS has been itching to grab college content (maybe buying-up Fox inventory). It will almost certainly accelerate realignment.

are now in the territory of "every man for himself." The SEC has a serious desire for UNC and UVa. But UVa is not a sure thing for SEC; and I suspect that UNC no longer has any bargaining power for tag-alongs. We're past that.

go back to the street, where it avoids the pesky taxes and "glamour" appeal of corporate operations. The Mob can still capture players, but it would not be necessary by the top levels of the system. Small-time actors will always try to run local operations. But they can be "disenfranchised" by the enforcement hierarchy. Too much sports programming is contaminated by betting advise. Let's forbid discussion on the air of point spreads, odds, and anything to do with gambling. Forbid publishing this info as part of schedules. Most activities that help corporations make profit; I'm in favor of. But this one capitalist endeavor I believe belongs on a landline phone or a stroll to the corner bar. It worked very well for a very long time.

FB program and similarly on "Brand." BTW, I anticipate that media players will soon have much more influence in realignment than ever. And that is why realignment may be far from over. I'm watching what happens with the Paramount vs Netflix duel for WBD. If Paramount wins, they will start raining hell in college sports content. ** Edited by 33laszlo99 at 12/18/2025, 5:47:42 PM

provoke a response. But this one of yours was quite surprising. I'm curious about your thinking. Do you think The B1G regrets the addition of MD/RU? Would the conference be improved by the absence of these two? If The ACC added MD/RU, would you disapprove? By unofficial sources they are both moneymakers because of the massive and prosperous ad markets they represent.

conference normies. We make accommodations for them in playoffs, scheduling, ect. Would USC and Michigan warrant favors of that kind? If USC and Mich go Indy, two of them are almost guaranteed to miss the playoffs; and maybe all three of them. Neither of them has the massive national (int'l?) audience that ND has cooked-in. Also I wonder if USC and UM arre really serious. They say 2046 is too long a commitment. That might be long for a media deal, but it is just the GoR. If those guys think they might want to bail in less than twenty years, The B1G should let them go in 2030 when the new media deal lands.

I'm an SEC guy, but I have always admired the way The B1G manages their business. This article shows no indication that Mr. Hayes has a clue about the details. But it's clear that he is 100% against it; so much so that perhaps he fears that it might succeed. From the infallible sources on the web, we can gather that all of the conferences are exploring deals that generate immediate cash infusion. The earliest I can remember was The Big 12, a-ways back. The MWC has been mentioned, as well. We don't know what The B1G will do. We just know that this proposal has been leaked... so what? The writer demonizes B1G for seeking more money. Does he hope to keep his own income static lest we view him as some sort of bloodsucker? I don't mind shining a light on The B1G. If we dare to dismiss them as reckless opportunists, they just might sneak in here, take all the marbles and build their own private playground. SEC, keep your eyes on them, and for Pete's sake try to keep up.

This subject has been circulating on "the boards" for quite a while, now, and longer still behind closed doors. It wouldn't surprise me to find that there have already been plenty of decisions made among PE and the conferences. As to why nobody has actually moved yet, I assume the biggest factor is that the conferences are not yet in their final form. If they act before the pieces are in-place they will need to project valuations on candidate schools and various bundles of candidate schools. I'm sure the school presidents are uncomfortable with that much guesswork. The next round of movement may need to happen first.

As long as media companies make it profitable to add members, conferences will have to consider growing the membership. There is obviously a limit, but who knows what that limit is?

the only reason to field a FB team. Too often realignment discussions focus entirely on the FB W-L record and the TV view count. (Consider Rutgers, Missouri, UCLA) Why do the media companies care about viewership? They actually focus on how to serve their advertisers. Fox has supposedly told the B1G that they want Miami because they like the ad demographic in South Florida. Northwestern and Vanderbilt (and now GA Tech) are pure gold to advertisers. North Carolina and Virginia are coveted by both The B1G and The SEC because one has historical significance and the other has worldwide name recognition as college FB prepares to go global. Pylons will disagree, but college administrators care about the academic image of their conference as a whole and how it reflects on each schools image. Realignment is far, far from over.

Southeastern footprint. They are reluctant to expand into far western geography, partly because non-rev travel can be problematic. If FB is separate then SEC could add the Arizona's, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, etc. which is manageable for FB only. Those non-revs could be in a conference with TX, TAMU, Okla, Missouri, etc. The FB conference could grow with ACC FB schools, whose non-rev programs would become part of one or two new SEC conferences with comfortable geography. A drastic departure from the status quo, but it might allow The SEC to grow to ~28 - 32 FB members. I think it would deliver big cash. ** Edited by 33laszlo99 at 9/18/2025, 3:30:46 PM

membership and separate media deals? ** Edited by 33laszlo99 at 9/18/2025, 11:02:20 AM

realignment, or other non-academic issues?

None of these participants has clean hands. Each conference acts in its own interest. I never thought the original "Alliance" was anything more than a voting bloc to stop The SEC from controlling the playoffs. I have said forever that there is no P2; there is a P1 and another P1. The SEC and B1G are in a bit of a chess match with huge stakes. I just saw a post on another board that proposed an alliance (actually a messy merger) among The SEC, ACC, and XII. The next couple of years will be madness.

The meaning of an SEC/B1G alliance has been, along with "House," the hot topic on message boards for a while now. We have also seen (for years) plenty of ideas about how ESPN might broker an ACC/SEC mini merger to benefit all parties. And the other popular subject has been some possible blending of The ACC and Big XII. Am I the only one to notice the dog that isn't barking: Why not an "alliance" of sorts among The B1G, The XII, along with PayPal, and media partners (including streamers) Not a conference merger by any definition, but a locked-in, long-term schedule, and possible post season FB agreements, and midseason hoops tournaments. This solves a good list of problems for both conferences: 1 Both get the nation-wide footprint they seek without having to grow to 30+ teams each. 2 This gives The B1G the needed regular visibility in Texas? 3 Yormark craves the Northeastern MBB culture and Fox can introduce him to The Big East. 4 Picture The B1G in Miami, GT, maybe FSU. They need only a couple schools in The South. 5 Calford might move to The B1G. 6 If Yormark expands (likely) ACC properties will be available, as well as USF. Big FL markets. 7 The B1G would no long want to poach the Four Corners because they have market access. I think Sankey would secretly welcome this. He wants to add UNC and UVa and seemingly nothing else. Is anybody opining about this; have I just overlooked it?

The FSU, Clemson lawsuits are hindering The ACC's pursuit of private equity dollars. Maximizing their value requires that the conference be "whole." I think those suits are the leverage that got reduced exit costs for the top schools. We'll know for sure if these suit disappear soon.