Just sit back and wait to catch Louisville, Pitt and 2 of VT, Miami, GT and NC State. If I were the B12, I’d be salivating over a potential eastern division that included VT, Louisville, WVU, NC State, Miami, Pitt and UCF. (Please understand that’s if I were the B12, not a VT fan…) ** Edited by hokieZ71 at 4/22/2024, 6:59:28 PM

West Virginia fans wanting Pitt, and UCF fans wanting Miami, but outside of those Big 12 fan bases there probably not a major preference for any of the schools that were mentioned. I seriously doubt there is a lot of salivating going on and more likely a lot of resistance to further expansion within the Big 12 especially after all of the recent additions. Expansion only happens if the TV partners are willing to pay for it and in this extremely tight media rights market nothing is a given. ESPN wasn’t even willing to give the SEC more money for a 9th conference game with lucrative matchups. ESPN could decide not to support expansion in either the Big 12 or the SEC. Fox, wanting the B1G to expand into the southeast, could take FSU and Clemson and stop there. ESPN could then activate the composition clause in the contract reducing the amount of money that they are required to pay the ACC and pass on the unilateral extension option. Now what? ** Edited by WBGV at 4/23/2024, 8:45:48 AM

And I'd feel you'd see the ACC reorganize and cut dead weight. And whatever ESPN was offering the ACC would still be on the table if the all of the football powers were condensed. Cut BC, Syracuse, Wake, Duke, and you all you get is more compelling, higher rated football games on a weekly basis. The money would just be split 9 or 10 ways instead of 14.33 (SMU, Stanford and Cal get nothing right now) If - in your scenario - the SEC, Big Ten and B12 truly don't get support to add schools and stand pat, then the bigger, more profitable ACC schools are still faced with a financial disparity they need to reconcile. And ESPN still needs to pay for content to put on their channels. And I really think the profit the ACC Network brings to ESPN is vastly underestimated in all of this; mostly by Big XII pundits who just like to gloss over the 9 figures of profit the ACCN generates for ESPN. So...reorganize.... If the above doesn't happen, it's because ESPN sees more value in its current ACC contract than you do. Or because P2 expansion is still a thing. Or because Yormark sees value in having a much larger Eastern Coast presence than you care to think is necessary. Or some combination of those factors.

Pitt, Louisville, GT, Miami, VT, UVA, NCST, UNC, SMU, and Calford the same amount of money as they currently pay the ACC. Interesting. I’m not so sure with all of these additions and subtractions that ESPN’s profitability numbers generated by this conference wouldn’t plummet. The TV network partners’ support since they are the ones paying the bills is the crucial factor in all conference realignment.

That's why I put in the qualifier that the P2+B12 do not make any more moves because the money dries up. If you really think ESPN is going to let Fox dip into the Southeast with FSU and Clemson, and not counter....come on.... It's both or none. And I'd lean towards none in this case. In that case, FSU and Clemson would still be in the reformed ACC. And Calford would not be in this league and the tie in with ND probably goes bye bye as well. SMU probably hangs around. So, what you stated in reply was nothing like what I was thinking, which would be FSU Clemson UNC Miami Virginia Tech NC State Louisville Pitt GT UVA (maybe SMU?) ** Edited by hokieZ71 at 4/23/2024, 1:14:15 PM

That's why there are so many podcasts about it from those folks. It's not what most of us (ACC) want and I doubt it's what network execs want either. I want to play those teams, but I also don't want to be hamstrung financially to the point we can't compete for national championships or worry about our rosters being raided constantly.

I don't think this would create the leverage you are hoping for... First, bball media rights are part of the same TV contract for the ACC as football. So all the ACC schools pulling their bball programs out of the NCAA could backfire and create legal liability. If you purposefully take yourself out of the highest level of bball competition, ESPN could have a cause of action and you might end up blowing up your TV contract and voiding the GOR that is keeping everything from falling apart. Second, bball money is an afterthought compared to football money. The ACC payout from the NCAA tournament contract this year is reported to be higher than any other conference at $34 million. That is just over $2 million per school. The football playoff TV contract payout is going to be $13-$14 mill per school per year for the ACC, but $22 mill per school for SEC and Big10. So how much leverage does going after the $2 mill/year from the NCAA tourney contract create when the SEC and Big10 are thinking about how to grow their TV revenue for football that is already orders of magnitude more. Not sure this plays out well for the non P2 schools

much better than I have said it. One question for you, the CBS NCAA 🏀 contract runs out in 2031. So many have said, as long as CBS has the contract the tournament will not expand because they want it done before the Masters, so they can promote the Masters. What I have heard is that once the contract is up, another network like ESPN or Fox will work hard to get it and expand to about 96 teams. The money paid out on the early games will be paid to the NCAA to support Olympic Sports and other Divisions, like most of it is now. However, the Sweet 16 will be paid out to the participating basketball schools that make it, much more like the 🏈 playoff money. Consequently, the 🏀 first schools will finally start making similar money as the 🏈 first schools. This is why Yormark keeps talking about 🏀 and why the ACC will survive, even if they lose the Mag 7. Are you hearing something similar? TIA for your answer.

devalued. Networks will sour to that over time.

The basketball money and number of teams that can play right now seems to be locked by the CBS contract until 2031. They don’t want to expand it because they use it to promote the Masters. I believe once that is up for bid either ESPN or maybe Fox will get it, go to about 96 teams and then the Sweet 16 will be paid out like the 🏈 playoff. That will keep paying for the Olympic Sports and at the same time elevate the money that goes to successful basketball schools. College Football will still dominate, but when something like that happens, 🏀 schools will catch up considerably. ** Edited by Stech at 4/22/2024, 7:44:41 AM

you in the past. :-) but i'm giving this post an A+

of the tournament revenue by more than half with 8 guaranteed invites each. The BIG and SEC can have one guaranteed invite, and share the rest of the money with all the other division one basketball conferences. Love this idea.