ESPN is being forced to pay them full shares right now. But now are they going to want to in 2027….

Seems to me that one thing we hardly ever talk about is exactly what is the ACCs use to ESPN. Scenario #1, ESPN goes all in as close to exclusive as they can to the SEC. In that one they will have made a deal to move the ACC national teams to the SEC and maybe representatives to at least attempt to deliver the NOVA/VA/NC market to the SEC. That would take FSU, Clemson, maybe Miami and the NOVA/VA/NC 4. That would effectively lock out the Big 10 from competing any further south. Scenario #2 ESPN sees they are about to lose significant market share to the Big so they increase the ACC money to hold the conference together until they can get Scenario #1. Like always, just a guess but a guess following the money.

However, the difference being that ESPN doesn't try to proactively protect any ACC schools and discontinues its partnership in the ACCN as a way to either save money or reallocate resources. Basically ESPN leaves the decision up to the SEC on whether it wants any members from the ACC or not because both parties know that ESPN will pay the SEC just about whatever the SEC wants regardless of the decision. Plus, since the NCAA re-org is going on right now and the pay-to-play idea is being floated out there, it is possible that ESPN may not want to force the SEC to add new members, who may be forced to leave soon after joining because they either don't want to participate in the pay-to-play model or they can't financially afford it. The big unknown with the pay-to-play model is which sports could be impacted by that decision. If the schools can limit it to either just football or the 3 revenue sports, then more schools may be willing to participate in it. However, if all the sports are impacted by it, then more schools may have to think long and hard on just how committed they are to it.

The big is clearly a national conference right now considering the vast footprint, coast to coast. The SEC is not quite there yet and they are ESPN's only product. That seems to me to be a tremendous disadvantage to ESPN. So proactively shutting the Big out of the lower Mid Atlantic and Southeast may be more of a driver than we previously thought.

may assume the TV model is based on the old way of doing things where state representation is the main driving factor. If the TV model continues its shift to the rating model, then may not matter the shape of the conference footprint. The SEC could generate higher ratings than the Big Ten even though the Big Ten is a "national conference."

streamers want leagues that are coast-to-coast. The big boy streamers even want sports/leagues with international appeal.

the way we want it. For example, if the Big Ten and SEC decide to opt for the pay-to-play model for all the sports they sponsor, then the number of schools interested in participating in that model will be smaller than if it is limited to 1 sport, 3 sports, or maintain the current status quo. ESPN and/or the streamers may not find a 20 team collegiate pro league all that appealing because it is missing "something" that caused people to fall in love with college athletics or it does't have the same "magic" that exists in the other pro leagues out there.

This far down the road. At this point, the biggest improver of ratings for the Big seems to be getting into that mid Atlantic/SE market and the biggest improver for the SEC is to add that mid Atlantic area first and to keep the Big out of the SE.

to add members in states it already has members in or not. As far as keeping the Big Ten out of the Mid-Atlantic and/or Southeast regions, the Big Ten is already in those regions when you look at which states Big Ten alumni live in. At least the recent trend shows that southern states are growing because more people are relocating there from the other regions and I don't think that trend will change any time soon. Hence why I am suggesting there is still a difference between the 2 models. Under the rating system the Big Ten could get paid the same amount in VA, NC, SC, GA, and FL as it would if it had members physically in those states. I will say the addition of the 4 Pac schools does suggest that the old model is still the more influential model. However, it is unclear how long that will remain the case. Given everything else going on within the NCAA, this may be the best time for the Big Ten and SEC to slow play their next moves. It will give time for the dust to settle which could paint a clearer picture on the direction the future is heading in now.

And yea I am including a lot of "old" media at this point. Do you doubt that say the B10 network would have a lot more access to Florida markets if the current FSU radio and ACC Network stations switched to B10Network?

doesn't already have affiliates in those states and people in those areas are not listening to satellite radio. I did take a look at the radio affiliates for Virginia Tech Sports Network and Michigan Sports Network and both networks seem to have affiliates in their state and maybe 1-2 neighboring state. So adding FSU to the Big Ten may not help a Wisconsin fan living in Bowling Green, FL to listen to the Badgers play on the radio unless the fan has satellite radio. No to TV because it is very likely the BTN is currently available in the same areas as the ACCN. The only thing that it would change is the rate the Big Ten would get paid at which is the main difference between the 2 models.

And the other tweets are showing the heavy hand from ESPN as we knew/expected.

to reassess the value of the $. So I guess technically the terms for anything past 2027 haven't been set.

that changes the dynamics of everything. If truly unilateral it would also confirm John Swofford to be the moron many have believed all along.

did not make it clear what was signed when but, if Phillips had a hand in signing he would get the same blame, IMO.

however an extension was referenced in 2021 so both could be involved.

of the presidents, including FSU. This must be known to the schools.

always a way out and this may be the way. I would bet there are others.

Nicole Auerbach @NicoleAuerbach Lawyer says that Jim Phillips signed an amendment in 2021 that gives ESPN until February 2025 to decide if it wants to extend its contract with ACC beyond 2027. 10:21 AM · Dec 22, 2023 · 24.2K Views

in filing. Both FSU's claim and ACC response are interesting reads, long but, interesting. FSU also alleges there were not proper votes/approvals to your other post. I can say having now read both I have lots of questions that depending how answered could lead to criticisms of one or both parties. I think it will be interesting to see a court sort through both claims and I think it is much more likely having read things this could get ugly not only for ACC HQ and FSU but, for a number of other ACC schools and ESPN. Battle lines are now being drawn. I am surprised they picked the Friday before Christmas as that seems more conducive to burying a story but, I guess the counter argument could be this is a naturally extended news cycle. We can all grab egg nog, popcorn, etc. and watch the festivities. I think reading the claims on both sides the question is no longer whether FSU is really leaving just when it might be and what it might cost them, if anything.

People say the deal he led is bad $-wise now people are worried it will open up and get less. People say the deal is too long (prompted 2036 GOR) but the top schools would already be gone if not very soon if it were shorter.

contended money, length of term, etc. is dependent on many things and tried not to criticize. However, IMO, if Auerbach's tweet and the FSU lawyer's contention is accurate it raises a variety of questions, concerns, criticisms, etc. of Swofford as well as ACC member institution's leadership. The mismatch in terms of years and ESPN's unilateral ability to not renew, IF TRUE, is a massive problem IMO and a fairly significant omission and betrayal.

I wasn’t sure if it was ever going to happen, but we actually agree on something. Swofford wasn’t a smart commissioner and his mismanagement of the conference’s media rights laid the path of destruction for the ACC. Merry Christmas.

be we agree, however, my post did say IF accurate so we still have to see what plays out. IF what is alleged as far as mismatch of contract and GOR as well as unilateral option for ESPN then it would appear Swofford was more concerned with his job than the talking point of conference stability and options for an orderly wind down of affairs. I want to see more real details and how the court proceedings move but, based on Auerbach's tweet I have many more questions and possible reservations than I did just yesterday. Merry Christmas to you as well!

been concern about both, but I am not sure the risk of him getting fired was all that high. At least I think he would have to do something huge to lose the protection of the Carolina Cartel. Given that he was coming towards the end of his working years, I do think he had a large enough ego that he wanted to be darn sure that the history books remember him as being the commissioner who brought a conference network to the ACC. Based on Nicole's tweet, it appears he was willing to do whatever it took to check that box even if it meant agreeing to a horrible deal with ESPN and lying to the members to ensure their compliance.

and legacy is probably a much better choice of words than job. If he actually lied to members, the lawsuit will be a court slam dunk and that legacy blown up. If true, he would revert to the Tranghese/Scott level of commissioners. If information was disclosed, then things get dicey because the schools and their leaders would appear just as desperate for a TV deal and have kept their mouths shut until they no longer liked the deal. This can go a number of ways and there is a risk that all look bad in the end. The final question in all of this is where in the hell is Jim Phillips? Surely one of his first orders of business would have been to gain a complete understanding of existing league contracts and none more important than the league TV deal. Finally, before all is said and done ESPN is exposed on multiple levels from current leadership to former president John Skipper. Dirty business it seems everywhere and causes me to consider I might need to reconsider my following of collegiate athletics.

he wasn't the only person at ACC HQ guilty of it. You are probably right that Phillips has reviewed everything regarding the ACC's current situation including the TV contract(s) and GOR. If he discovered anything that raised any concerns/alarms for him, then his first thought was probably "What in the H-E-double hockey sticks have I gotten myself into here?" Then his next move, assuming he didn't need to change clothes, would be talk to the other upper brass and legal team at HQ to make sure he was reading the documents and assessing the situation correctly. If he received confirmation that he was correct, then his first thought was probably "What are the legal ramifications for the ACC if this information ever became public knowledge?" It is likely any scenario given wouldn't be good news for the ACC and maybe even ESPN, so a potential (natural?) reaction/decision would be to try to play ignorant for as long as possible and hope it never sees the light of day. At least I don't think anything good would have come from Phillips exposing the situation, even if it is the right thing to do here, because only more harm than good could come from it. You might even say it could be/would be career suicide if Phillips had done the right thing. You are right that this could play out so that Swofford, the ACC, and ESPN could all look bad if it is definitely proven that shadiness was used by any/all parties involved to get the ACCN and GOR deals done. Depending on what information becomes public knowledge, I guess it could prompt the DoJ and other federal entities to see if any federal laws were broken in the process. Even though the other conferences weren't directly involved in the 2 deals, they could get a little nervous because the federal government could always decide to expand its inquiries which could bring the current collegiate structure down like a house of cards.

known it was not clean, however, the filth appears to rise to new levels on a regular basis these days. On another matter, I believe Mercury has reidentified in the new person of DMV Gobbler.

signed up on 12/15. DMVG doesn't have the typos... But he does have the bad grammar, lack of capitalization and smugness of Mercury fo sho!

You’d have a much easier time here