ACC/Big 12 Merger

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

Have it on pretty good authority that in five years we're going to be looking at something like this, where each team plays its 9 divisional foes, a rotating game against each of the other two divisions, and then one G5 game.

These are the teams the Big Two will not select (with a few additions), and apparently they want nothing to do with those conferences because of it. The 8-team playoff will consist of the top two finishers in each of these divisions, as well as the top two G5 teams based on a formula similar to NET in basketball.

East
Pitt
Boston College
West Virginia
Syracuse
Cincinnati
NC State
Duke
Georgia Tech
Wake Forest
UCF

West
Cal
Stanford
Colorado
Arizona
Arizona State
Utah
BYU
Washington State
Oregon State
San Diego State

Central
SMU
Texas Tech
TCU
Baylor
Houston
Oklahoma State
Iowa State
Kansas
Kansas State
Louisville

 

[BTisinDC]

Have it on pretty good authority that in five years we're going to be looking at something like this, where each team plays its 9 divisional foes, a rotating game against each of the other two divisions, and then one G5 game.

These are the teams the Big Two will not select (with a few additions), and apparently they want nothing to do with those conferences because of it. The 8-team playoff will consist of the top two finishers in each of these divisions, as well as the top two G5 teams based on a formula similar to NET in basketball.

East
Pitt
Boston College
West Virginia
Syracuse
Cincinnati
NC State
Duke
Georgia Tech
Wake Forest
UCF

West
Cal
Stanford
Colorado
Arizona
Arizona State
Utah
BYU
Washington State
Oregon State
San Diego State

Central
SMU
Texas Tech
TCU
Baylor
Oklahoma State
Iowa State
Kansas
Kansas State
Louisville
Memphis

Where’s Miami?

 

[Ski11585]

As long as we’re with WVU and Cinci I don’t care about the rest.

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

Where’s Miami?

Big Ten

 

[PantherHOG1]

Where’s Miami?

In the SEC or B1G. Along with va tech, Virginia and UNC it appears.

 

[BTisinDC]

Big Ten

I thought they’d go after Fl St. You think they’ll go after 2 Florida schools? Or does the SEC?

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

I thought they’d go after Fl St. You think they’ll go after 2 Florida schools? Or does the SEC?

I don't know; I made all this up while I was heating oatmeal, haha. But I think it would be cool!

 

[pittmeister]

Have it on pretty good authority that in five years we're going to be looking at something like this, where each team plays its 9 divisional foes, a rotating game against each of the other two divisions, and then one G5 game.

These are the teams the Big Two will not select (with a few additions), and apparently they want nothing to do with those conferences because of it. The 8-team playoff will consist of the top two finishers in each of these divisions, as well as the top two G5 teams based on a formula similar to NET in basketball.

East
Pitt
Boston College
West Virginia
Syracuse
Cincinnati
NC State
Duke
Georgia Tech
Wake Forest
UCF

West
Cal
Stanford
Colorado
Arizona
Arizona State
Utah
BYU
Washington State
Oregon State
San Diego State

Central
SMU
Texas Tech
TCU
Baylor
Oklahoma State
Iowa State
Kansas
Kansas State
Louisville
Memphis

Nice job. I would trade Memphis for Houston. I thought about that while eating Captain Crunch…

 

[Pitt2009]

Cool list! I like Pitt’s landing spot. Also, I don’t think there’s any way Cal and BYU are in the same conference.

 

[cashisking884]

Have it on pretty good authority that in five years we're going to be looking at something like this, where each team plays its 9 divisional foes, a rotating game against each of the other two divisions, and then one G5 game.

These are the teams the Big Two will not select (with a few additions), and apparently they want nothing to do with those conferences because of it. The 8-team playoff will consist of the top two finishers in each of these divisions, as well as the top two G5 teams based on a formula similar to NET in basketball.

East
Pitt
Boston College
West Virginia
Syracuse
Cincinnati
NC State
Duke
Georgia Tech
Wake Forest
UCF

West
Cal
Stanford
Colorado
Arizona
Arizona State
Utah
BYU
Washington State
Oregon State
San Diego State

Central
SMU
Texas Tech
TCU
Baylor
Oklahoma State
Iowa State
Kansas
Kansas State
Louisville
Memphis

Too diluted.

You’ve basically taken the worst football tv draws from the ACC and Big East and are having them play 9 games a year against each other.

What network is paying for that?

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Have it on pretty good authority that in five years we're going to be looking at something like this, where each team plays its 9 divisional foes, a rotating game against each of the other two divisions, and then one G5 game.

These are the teams the Big Two will not select (with a few additions), and apparently they want nothing to do with those conferences because of it. The 8-team playoff will consist of the top two finishers in each of these divisions, as well as the top two G5 teams based on a formula similar to NET in basketball.

East
Pitt
Boston College
West Virginia
Syracuse
Cincinnati
NC State
Duke
Georgia Tech
Wake Forest
UCF

West
Cal
Stanford
Colorado
Arizona
Arizona State
Utah
BYU
Washington State
Oregon State
San Diego State

Central
SMU
Texas Tech
TCU
Baylor
Oklahoma State
Iowa State
Kansas
Kansas State
Louisville
Memphis

My predictions:

SEC takes FSU, UNC, UVa, and Miami. Clemson isnt a big enough brand in a big enough market to justify duplicating South Carolina.

Big Ten takes Clemson and Colorado to get to 20.

NC St and VT are right there on the cut line and are right there along with Duke (because of basketball) for further B10 expansion if they want to go past 20.

I can see the ACC and Big 12 forming a football-only league with the divisions being called the ACC and Big 12. The ACC and Big 12 would remain intact for all other sports.

ACC Division
BC
UConn
Syr
Pitt
WVU
Cincy
Lou
VT
NC State
Wake
Duke
GT
UCF
USF
Stan
Cal

Big 12 Division
Iowa St
Kansas
Kansas St
Oklahoma St
Houston
TCU
SMU
Baylor
TT
Arizona
Arizona St
Utah
BYU
Wash St
Colorado St
Oregon St

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

Nice job. I would trade Memphis for Houston. I thought about that while eating Captain Crunch…

Totally forgot about Houston. You are correct; make that swap (the teams, not the breakfast). I edited my original post.

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

Too diluted.

You’ve basically taken the worst football tv draws from the ACC and Big East and are having them play 9 games a year against each other.

What network is paying for that?

C-Dub!

I don't know if there's a great scenario if the big two eventually cede. The leftovers will be somewhat niche. But I do think they would be available via streaming, which seems to be where a lot of this is heading anyway. I won't pretend the money will be similar to even what the ACC is getting now; it wouldn't be.

 

[WillyDavis33]

As long as we’re with WVU and Cinci I don’t care about the rest.

Really? You want to be aligned with these two?

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

Really? You want to be aligned with these two?

He wants this baby back on a permanent basis:

 

[Ski11585]

Really? You want to be aligned with these two?

100%. College football sucks without regional rivalries. I’d rather be in the JV league playing WVU annually than a doormat in the SEC.

 

[HailToPitt725]

100%. College football sucks without regional rivalries. I’d rather be in the JV league playing WVU annually than a doormat in the SEC.

If the ACC, Big 12, and 2-Pac ( ) merged while realigning themselves into geographic divisions, I think the ratings would be good enough to keep our current revenue model afloat.

You hit it exactly on the head; college football is about tradition, rivalries, and regionalism. If us “leftovers” embrace that and lean into it, it can only help us.

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

100%. College football sucks without regional rivalries. I’d rather be in the JV league playing WVU annually than a doormat in the SEC.

Amazes me how many people are content having one special season in 40 years. And, seeing as the disadvantages have only increased, it might be every 80 years now, if we somehow snuck into the Big 2.

Being in a league with teams that make competitive and geographical sense is not a bad thing. No one is suggesting we self-demote ourselves to the MAC.

 

[BTisinDC]

Amazes me how many people are content having one special season in 40 years. And, seeing as the disadvantages have only increased, it might be every 80 years now, if we somehow snuck into the Big 2.

Being in a league with teams that make competitive and geographical sense is not a bad thing. No one is suggesting we self-demote ourselves to the MAC.

I don’t disagree, but I would hope if in the big 2 that the monetary payout would enable them to compete evenly with 90% of the others on a consistent basis.

But I don’t foresee us being invited so it doesn’t really matter.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

If the ACC, Big 12, and 2-Pac ( ) merged while realigning themselves into geographic divisions, I think the ratings would be good enough to keep our current revenue model afloat.

Just out of curiosity, what is the point of merging into one conference but them staying in geographic divisions? If that was such a monetarily beneficial arraignment, why not just stay in the geographic conferences that they are already in?

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

Just out of curiosity, what is the point of merging into one conference but them staying in geographic divisions? If that was such a monetarily beneficial arraignment, why not just stay in the geographic conferences that they are already in?

Realizing that you're left with a bunch of brands that are relatively similar in value so merging in order to allow for geographical division realignment that significantly reduces travel costs - particularly for the non-football sports.

Gonna have to cut costs to offset the lesser revenues. Plus, it would create a more centralized governance, which should help mitigate all these WWF-esque heel turns that are happening now.

 

[HailToPitt725]

Just out of curiosity, what is the point of merging into one conference but them staying in geographic divisions? If that was such a monetarily beneficial arraignment, why not just stay in the geographic conferences that they are already in?

In addition to what @TheWerewolfFromTwilight said above, the idea behind my post is that a ~30-school conglomerate featuring what's left of the ACC, the Big 12, and Oregon State/Washington State would be impossible for the networks to ignore. In other words, we could create power through numbers versus each conference competing with one other.

Perhaps I'm wrong in thinking this way, but I envision us (Pitt + the others) being able to put together a media rights deal in 2027 or 2028 similar to what we're currently making by involving multiple networks and and streaming services, akin to what the Big Ten just finalized. It'd at least guarantee financial stability.

As for the geographic divisions, I just see that as a natural scheduling idea given a nationwide conference with that number of schools.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Realizing that you're left with a bunch of brands that are relatively similar in value so merging in order to allow for geographical division realignment that significantly reduces travel costs - particularly for the non-football sports.

Gonna have to cut costs to offset the lesser revenues. Plus, it would create a more centralized governance, which should help mitigate all these WWF-esque heel turns that are happening now.

And it makes people in Pgh and Louisville care about and watch a Texas Tech/Arizona game. That's a massive benefit.

 

[pittzap]

Have it on pretty good authority that in five years we're going to be looking at something like this, where each team plays its 9 divisional foes, a rotating game against each of the other two divisions, and then one G5 game.

These are the teams the Big Two will not select (with a few additions), and apparently they want nothing to do with those conferences because of it. The 8-team playoff will consist of the top two finishers in each of these divisions, as well as the top two G5 teams based on a formula similar to NET in basketball.

East
Pitt
Boston College
West Virginia
Syracuse
Cincinnati
NC State
Duke
Georgia Tech
Wake Forest
UCF

West
Cal
Stanford
Colorado
Arizona
Arizona State
Utah
BYU
Washington State
Oregon State
San Diego State

Central
SMU
Texas Tech
TCU
Baylor
Houston
Oklahoma State
Iowa State
Kansas
Kansas State
Louisville

In 5 years there will be the NFL model in place. I have THAT on good authority from a college coach. He said he would be extremely surprised if that doesn’t happen; 5 years, maybe 7 at the most. “There has been plenty of talk already.”

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

Realizing that you're left with a bunch of brands that are relatively similar in value so merging in order to allow for geographical division realignment that significantly reduces travel costs - particularly for the non-football sports.

But you already have that. If it falls apart, the east coast schools, in other words, the ACC leftovers, are already geographically aligned. more or less. Certainly far more so than the Big 12 schools are. Adding Cincinnati to the Eastern Leftover Conference might make things marginally better, travel-wise, for Pitt, but it certainly doesn't do that for Georgia Tech or NC State or even Boston College (not that anything really makes travel better for Boston College).

 

[TIGER-PAUL]

In 5 years there will be the NFL model in place. I have THAT on good authority from a college coach. He said he would be extremely surprised if that doesn’t happen; 5 years, maybe 7 at the most. “There has been plenty of talk already.”

Except no ‘salary’ cap. So it’s basically MLB model.

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

But you already have that. If it falls apart, the east coast schools, in other words, the ACC leftovers, are already geographically aligned. more or less. Certainly far more so than the Big 12 schools are. Adding Cincinnati to the Eastern Leftover Conference might make things marginally better, travel-wise, for Pitt, but it certainly doesn't do that for Georgia Tech or NC State or even Boston College (not that anything really makes travel better for Boston College).

Cal, Stanford, and SMU? That's silly to do now, much less when the revenues are a fraction of what they're pulling in with FSU, Clemson, UNC, Miami, etc. in the ACC.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

Cal, Stanford, and SMU? That's silly to do now, much less when the revenues are a fraction of what they're pulling in with FSU, Clemson, UNC, Miami, etc. in the ACC.

Sure, so if what you are suggesting would be for the schools to break off into smaller, more local, conferences then yeah, that might fly. Instead you are suggesting everyone piling into one big giant pile of suck, and then dividing the pile of suck into smaller parts. Why bother with the middle man? If more local is the way to go, why aren't Pitt, West Virginia, Syracuse, BC, Virginia Tech, NC State, Duke, Wake and Cincinnati (or whatever combination of teams are left over) just splitting off and doing the more local thing all on their own? Why do those schools need to be in a league with Oregon State and Texas Tech to do that?

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

Sure, so if what you are suggesting would be for the schools to break off into smaller, more local, conferences then yeah, that might fly. Instead you are suggesting everyone piling into one big giant pile of suck, and then dividing the pile of suck into smaller parts. Why bother with the middle man? If more local is the way to go, why aren't Pitt, West Virginia, Syracuse, BC, Virginia Tech, NC State, Duke, Wake and Cincinnati (or whatever combination of teams are left over) just splitting off and doing the more local thing all on their own? Why do those schools need to be in a league with Oregon State and Texas Tech to do that?

Why would Pitt, who couldn't break the grant of rights if it wanted to, voluntarily leave a conference with Clemson, FSU, etc. in it to form some goofball offshoot conference that pulled in about 1/3 of the revenue as what the ACC is getting? That's hardly an argument against it. That's like asking Oregon State and Washington State this past season why they wouldn't just leave the PAC and try to hook up with the MWC. I am sure they enjoyed receiving more money and being in a better conference for as long as they could pull it off.

And if you're asking from a future perspective, well, these conference contracts expire at different times, etc. This would be a way to delete some of those obstacles. It would also be a way to ensure no one went rogue and tried doing something that wasn't in the entire conference's best interests.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

Why would Pitt, who couldn't break the grant of rights if it wanted to, voluntarily leave a conference with Clemson, FSU, etc. in it to form some goofball offshoot conference that pulled in about 1/3 of the revenue as what the ACC is getting? That's hardly an argument against it. That's like asking Oregon State and Washington State this past season why they wouldn't just leave the PAC and try to hook up with the MWC. I am sure they enjoyed receiving more money and being in a better conference for as long as they could pull it off.

Because we aren't talking about Pitt breaking away from a conference with Clemson and Florida State in it, we are talking about what comes after Clemson and Florida State are gone.

Seems like kind of an important part of the conversation to be missing out on.

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

Because we aren't talking about Pitt breaking away from a conference with Clemson and Florida State in it, we are talking about what comes after Clemson and Florida State are gone.

Seems like kind of an important part of the conversation to be missing out on.

Because it's a model rooted in compromise, unity, and working toward the best overall solutions.

Having all these conferences with conflicting interests and nothing stopping them from going rogue against the overall model is the reason this mess exists.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

Because it's a model rooted in compromise, unity, and working toward the best overall solutions.

So we know there's no chance that is going to happen!

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

So we know there's no chance that is going to happen!

Only five years away.

Five year plans and new divisions
Kade Bell, move those chains
And I wonder; still I wonder
Who'll stop Pitt's BigCC reign?

 

[joeydavid]

Have it on pretty good authority that in five years we're going to be looking at something like this, where each team plays its 9 divisional foes, a rotating game against each of the other two divisions, and then one G5 game.

These are the teams the Big Two will not select (with a few additions), and apparently they want nothing to do with those conferences because of it. The 8-team playoff will consist of the top two finishers in each of these divisions, as well as the top two G5 teams based on a formula similar to NET in basketball.

East
Pitt
Boston College
West Virginia
Syracuse
Cincinnati
NC State
Duke
Georgia Tech
Wake Forest
UCF

West
Cal
Stanford
Colorado
Arizona
Arizona State
Utah
BYU
Washington State
Oregon State
San Diego State

Central
SMU
Texas Tech
TCU
Baylor
Houston
Oklahoma State
Iowa State
Kansas
Kansas State
Louisville

The Divisions are titled incorrectly.

They are the ACC, PAC AND B12 🙄.

 

[Houclone4]

Props Werewolf on figuring out something that makes sense and bringing geography and rivalries into it. And I like that it brings the G5 into it, two teams in fact. This goes against the greedy, better than you, SEC and Big 10.

 

[pittdan77]

East
Pitt
Boston College
West Virginia
Syracuse
Cincinnati
NC State
Duke
Georgia Tech
Wake Forest
UCF

If you're just going have the ACC syphon off a couple of teams that would rather be playing in eastern markets into a division, why not just keep to themselves? There isn't a financial advantage to anyone to marry into that mess if that's your regular schedule.

 

[ChiefJusticeMarshall]

Whoa....whoa...whoa.......you guys don't get it. We are in!!! You saw that "Attractiveness" chart which lists Pitt 28, which is firmly amongst any type of "Big 2 exclusion". We got nothing to worry about. Nothing at all.

 

[happjack]

Way too much deadweight in that conference, need to jettison all the private schools expect Duke, Stanford, Syracuse and depending if they hit the B1G/SEC lottery or not Miami, only 1 school from low populated states so bye to the likes of Kansas State, schools with questionable academics like Louisville should also get the boot.

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

Way too much deadweight in that conference, need to jettison all the private schools expect Duke, Stanford, Syracuse and depending if they hit the B1G/SEC lottery or not Miami, only 1 school from low populated states so bye to the likes of Kansas State, schools with questionable academics like Louisville should also get the boot.

Who the heck do we think Pitt is if we're saying we're too good for Kansas State and Louisville?

 

[Burgh15]

Way too much deadweight in that conference, need to jettison all the private schools expect Duke, Stanford, Syracuse and depending if they hit the B1G/SEC lottery or not Miami, only 1 school from low populated states so bye to the likes of Kansas State, schools with questionable academics like Louisville should also get the boot.

With the direction of college athletics, particularly football, it's comical anytime the word "academics" is mentioned.