The SEC Commissioner has balls

[50 yd line RR]

What does ‘go for the research dollars’ mean ? Moronic. Talk about not having a shred of a fragment of a clue

Big Ten Conference Schools get more in research grants than any other conference. If you guys think this is all about football you don’t have a clue.
Football is a big part of it but it’s not everything. Do you think Rutgers would have ever been taken into the BIG if they didn’t check all the other boxes? Not in a million years!

 

[Knight Shift]

IMO the combination of NIL driving college free agent player moves added to the big conferences getting more and more powerful is still a move in the wrong direction. The table is set for more power to be aggregated to the already powerful. Especially the ever increasing money for the "Haves" will drive better facilities faster than the "Have Nots" adding an ever increasing advantage in recruiting too.

Even if the door is open to a Championship the growing advantage to the "Haves" is IMO going to make them an opportunity in name only.

I'm afraid eventually we'll have the B1G, SEC and 75 UCONNs. Even if I enjoy UCONN in that position I think we'll all miss games like a competitive Pitt-Pedd State game.

Just seems to me we're going to have 2 or 3 major conferences and the rest will be AAA conferences feeding talent to the big ones every year. To me that sucks.

I get your point - but I think the Big East collapse was a reshuffling. Changes now look like we've passed an inflection point where the B1G and SEC will only get stronger and richer and the rest of the schools will be like the college minor leagues for reasons I just outlined above.

You're seeing just another re-shuffle. I'm afraid we've changed the paradigm.

I'm less concerned about the B1G/SEC and the minor leagues and more concerned about the impact of NIL, which you addressed above in reply to @rutgersguy1 . He makes some good points on the other side, as usual

I don't remember at what point my interest in the NBA and the NFL waned to the point where I only watch the NFL playoffs and the super bowl, and I never watch the NBA, but it may reach that point with college football. I hope not though, because I have run out of sports, and the Mets are not enough. I'll probably take up needlepoint or knitting to fill my time. But I'm not throwing in the towel anytime soon. I may just knit one. 😜

 

[BeantownKnight]

I get your point - but I think the Big East collapse was a reshuffling. Changes now look like we've passed an inflection point where the B1G and SEC will only get stronger and richer and the rest of the schools will be like the college minor leagues for reasons I just outlined above.

You're seeing just another re-shuffle. I'm afraid we've changed the paradigm.

I understand why you see things that way now. We're at the very beginning of a very big change. But, to imagine that this means no more change forever, well .. I just don't agree with that.

Power, wealth, influence and everything else that has caused these changes - along with that which that these changes will bring - will have a particular shelf-life. It might be longer than what some suspect - or shorter - but the pendulum will eventually swing the other way. As others have pointed out, it's cyclical. Those with that power, wealth, and influence will fight to keep it for as long as possible but considering that there are a greater number of schools/conferences/consumers/etc that don't have it, well - they'll only be able to fight that for so long. Cracks will eventually form, less expensive alternatives will sprout up here and there, etc. And, when faced with that existential threat, these oligopolies will eventually need to change again. Hopefully, at that time, RU once again lands in the right spot.

 

[Panthergrowl13]

I read it differently. Matt Hayes, the writer of the article, is urging Sankey to take that role.

I think Panthergrowl has it right: The SEC is staying at 16 because ESPN is not going to pay the SEC to raid the ACC. From ESPN's perspective, that would be like paying somebody to take money out of your left pocket and put it in your right.

I get the feeling that if they go the super conference route. They will have to include a lot more teams. Right now there are a lot of very good programs that are not in the BIG or SEC.
If you make it to exclusive you are going to lose college football fans. Personally if a super conference was formed and RU wasn’t in it I wouldn’t follow it.
For a lot of fans and alums out there, when the music stops if their school dosent have a chair. They will not follow either.

I totally agree with your conclusions.

If 2 Super Conferences would form (maybe 40 schools total) leaving out the majority of the country, interest in college football would plummet and would only be relegated to the portion of the Nation which would have a dog in the race.

My analogy would be something akin to NHL Hockey (National Interest and TV viewership).
For the cities that have NFL Hockey Programs (NY,NJ,Pittsburgh etc) it is a big deal and who wins the Stanley Cup is a big deal. However, for most of the nation that don't have Hockey Programs, they could care less.

HAIL TO PITT!!!!

 

[RUforlife]

And they didn’t leave to go to the SEC either!! If the SEC is the best football conference and it’s “ “ALL” about football why didn’t they go to the SEC?
Maybe the BIG offers just a little bit more than football? Yeash!!!

Perhaps the SEC didn't value them as high as the B1G. Texas is an academic institution equivalent to USC and UCLA and they chose the SEC over the B1G. Again, these decisions are totally based on football money, nothing else.

 

[rutgersguy1]

Perhaps the SEC didn't value them as high as the B1G. Texas is an academic institution equivalent to USC and UCLA and they chose the SEC over the B1G. Again, these decisions are totally based on football money, nothing else.

I've always said it's a combination of multiple variables whether you get added to a conference or not but I suppose if you're a big dog school that can be reversed. As in which conference you choose to go has multiple variables.

I agree Texas fits better the academic profile of multiple schools. On the other hand Texas is a football mad school in a football mad state so culturally they fit the SEC better. So I think weighing all that the SEC seems like a reasonable destination. I don't know that it's the same for every institution though. Some universities and their presidents may balance both sides of that equation a little more equally. It's not like you're losing out by choosing the B10 and it's some consolation prize. BTW Texas almost went to the PAC12 (not a top football conference) if not for LHN so like I said it's multiple variables that come into play.

UNC would be a good one of interest to see what they'd do when free of the GOR. A past chancellor has said the SEC and B10 have been options in the past when things were a little unstable. They have the academic fit of the B10 and aren't football mad but it's also a southern school so it would be interesting to see which way they'd go.

 

[Scarlet_Scourge]

SEC with ESPN leave the Big12 for dead to become the 1st super conference and when the Big Ten and Fox do teh same with the Pac-12, they clutch their pearls and project their asses off.

 

[Southern Gentleman]

I live in the burbs north of Dallas. Frisco/McKinney to be exact. Many neighbors show their support for their college Alma Mater (or team they grew up rooting for) via decorated stones, flags, etc. Now granted, this is not very scientific, but B1G flags are more prominently displayed than any other conference. In my small little hood alone you see OSU, PSU, Michigan, Rutgers (me), Nebraska, MSU, Iowa, Wisconsin, etc. We are invading the south. Oh and my neighbor has a USC flag so we can count him now too.

Please don’t be so cavalier in talking about invading the South.

 

[50 yd line RR]

Perhaps the SEC didn't value them as high as the B1G. Texas is an academic institution equivalent to USC and UCLA and they chose the SEC over the B1G. Again, these decisions are totally based on football money, nothing else.

Texas, Florida and Vanderbilt are the exceptions in the SEC. In the BIG they would be the norm.
I agree with RG1 it will be interesting to see where UNC and Virginia go when the time comes.

 

[Arizona Knight]

Please don’t be so cavalier in talking about invading the South.

Well played sir!

 

[fsg2]

I totally agree with your conclusions.

If 2 Super Conferences would form (maybe 40 schools total) leaving out the majority of the country, interest in college football would plummet and would only be relegated to the portion of the Nation which would have a dog in the race.

My analogy would be something akin to NHL Hockey (National Interest and TV viewership).
For the cities that have NFL Hockey Programs (NY,NJ,Pittsburgh etc) it is a big deal and who wins the Stanley Cup is a big deal. However, for most of the nation that don't have Hockey Programs, they could care less.

HAIL TO PITT!!!!

40 teams wouldn't leave out most of the country, especially since they'd be teams with the largest fanbases and/or media markets. How many P5s are there now, around 60?

Hockey is a bad analogy since it's a fifth rate sport. Plenty of cities don't have NFL or MLB but still watch.

I don't actually hope for other conferences to become irrelevant, and my own personal interest would plummet, just don't think those arguments hold water.

 

[Shelby65]

Big Ten Conference Schools get more in research grants than any other conference. If you guys think this is all about football you don’t have a clue.
Football is a big part of it but it’s not everything. Do you think Rutgers would have ever been taken into the BIG if they didn’t check all the other boxes? Not in a million years!

You're completely uninformed. Research funding has nothing to do with what conference they are in. UVA/UNC "go for the research dollars" and join the Big10 makes no sense. The Big10 schools do not have better access to funding or more success due to conference affiliation. Greater research activity relates to faculty expertise and science infrastructure, not who the football opponents are.

It may or may not be true that the Big10 does more research spending (sure, 14 teams but show your math anyway), but irrelevant to conference choice. It doesn't matter to Michigan's research activity that Ohio State is in the same conference and Stanford isn't, or any other school.

2021 NIH funding data (just one sponsor, but a very big one ... $35+ billion in 2021 total funding).

Duke #3
Stanford #8
Michigan #9
Pitt #11
UCLA#12
Washington #16
UNC #17
Vanderbilt #19
etc.

 

[RUScrew85]

Your point about haves and have nots and all the rest are real and true. My point is in history we’ve seen teams and schools that are have nots and facing tough structural and financial odds emerge and have meaningful accomplishments.

As long as there is a path for those meaningful accomplishments (expanded playoffs etc) then I think that will continue to happen.

With all the angst about NIL, portals etc..I’ve always said limited roster spots, limited playing time and even more limited starting time will allow for solid contributing good talent to be squeezed out to programs down the totem pole. So with a good coach and that kind of talent who knows what can be accomplished as long as you give them a path for it. Championships are probably a bridge too far but playoff appearances and advancement, I think is quite possible. IMO that’s meaningful. It’s good or the health of the sport too.

Yep. We're mostly in agreement. We'll see if we're just experiencing more change or an inflection point as time passes.

 

[WhichReligionIsRight]

Huh, a good portion of the country is moving to the South. College football is a Southern sport. The B1G is sitting in the rust belt where the population is moving to the South. Outside of OSU the college football playoffs have been dominated by Southern schools. Don't get me wrong, the B1G will always be a player, but to say the B1G will win in a direct competition with the SEC, not buying it.

If I'm an SEC fan, I am bullish on projected growth in the South. I would also trumpet performance on the field and recruiting territories.

However, the Big Ten has far bigger and richer media markets. The gap will likely narrow over time, but the Big Ten has a huge demographic advantage. The SEC is on roughly equal financial footing with the Big Ten only because their top football programs have outperformed the Big 10.

 

[RUScrew85]

Were people saying the same thing in 2011-12 when the Big East collapsed as a football conference, and RU was relegated to the AAC?

Look at where RU is know.

And Cincy and UCF. Things evolve.

We have NILs, free agency, and even more TV money this time around.

Evolution or Inflection point. Time will tell.

In ten years we may look even luckier than we thought just a couple of years ago.

 

[RUScrew85]

I understand why you see things that way now. We're at the very beginning of a very big change. But, to imagine that this means no more change forever, well .. I just don't agree with that.

Power, wealth, influence and everything else that has caused these changes - along with that which that these changes will bring - will have a particular shelf-life. It might be longer than what some suspect - or shorter - but the pendulum will eventually swing the other way. As others have pointed out, it's cyclical. Those with that power, wealth, and influence will fight to keep it for as long as possible but considering that there are a greater number of schools/conferences/consumers/etc that don't have it, well - they'll only be able to fight that for so long. Cracks will eventually form, less expensive alternatives will sprout up here and there, etc. And, when faced with that existential threat, these oligopolies will eventually need to change again. Hopefully, at that time, RU once again lands in the right spot.

I hope it's cyclical because I'm afraid we might have closed the door on nationwide competitive college football.

 

[50 yd line RR]

You're completely uninformed. Research funding has nothing to do with what conference they are in. UVA/UNC "go for the research dollars" and join the Big10 makes no sense. The Big10 schools do not have better access to funding or more success due to conference affiliation. Greater research activity relates to faculty expertise and science infrastructure, not who the football opponents are.

It may or may not be true that the Big10 does more research spending (sure, 14 teams but show your math anyway), but irrelevant to conference choice. It doesn't matter to Michigan's research activity that Ohio State is in the same conference and Stanford isn't, or any other school.

2021 NIH funding data (just one sponsor, but a very big one ... $35+ billion in 2021 total funding).

Duke #3
Stanford #8
Michigan #9
Pitt #11
UCLA#12
Washington #16
UNC #17
Vanderbilt #19
etc.

If you think academics has nothing to do with this you are “completely uninformed”. I’ll say it again! If it was all about football Rutgers would never be in the Big Ten!!!
One other thing, if I was the president of a major university this is something I might want to provide for my students and faculty.
It might be a little overrated like like the article says. Then again it might not.

Big Ten Expansion and the CIC: Are the Academic and Research Benefits of Joining the Big Ten Overblown?

Big Ten Expansion and the CIC: Are the Academic and Research Benefits of Joining the Big Ten Overblown?

www.maizenbrew.com

 

[Shelby65]

If you think academics has nothing to do with this you are “completely uninformed”. I’ll say it again! If it was all about football Rutgers would never be in the Big Ten!!!

I'm not saying academics is irrelevant. I'm saying your "go for the research dollars" point makes absolutely no sense and shows that you don't know anything about how sponsored research works.

 

[Mr Magoo]

If you think academics has nothing to do with this you are “completely uninformed”. I’ll say it again! If it was all about football Rutgers would never be in the Big Ten!!!

You are absolutely correct and you can take it a step farther. If it was about football AND academics, we wouldn’t be in the B1G either. It was mostly about location.

 

[BeantownKnight]

I hope it's cyclical because I'm afraid we might have closed the door on nationwide competitive college football.

Oh - make no mistake, the door is closing. Moreso today than it was yesterday (or the day before, etc.). And, depending on what we see out of realignment over the next few years, it might get even worse. But, I would think that reaching stability in this regard is in the best interest of those with the most to lose (i.e. the biggest conferences, media, etc.). That will happen before the door is closed entirely. And, depending on your forecast, it will stay like that for a few years or more.

I think that, during this time, a majority of the teams playing today will have to be satisfied with a minor bowl game at best (not a conference championship, not the playoffs, etc.). Power will be consolidated at the top - even more than it is today. But, eventually, there will be enough momentum to start pushing things back in the other direction. That's the cyclical nature I was referring to.

 

[Shelby65]

If you think academics has nothing to do with this you are “completely uninformed”. I’ll say it again! If it was all about football Rutgers would never be in the Big Ten!!!
One other thing, if I was the president of a major university this is something I might want to provide for my students and faculty.
It might be a little overrated like like the article says. Then again it might not.

Big Ten Expansion and the CIC: Are the Academic and Research Benefits of Joining the Big Ten Overblown?

Big Ten Expansion and the CIC: Are the Academic and Research Benefits of Joining the Big Ten Overblown?

www.maizenbrew.com

Did you even read the article ? It plainly says the CIC doesn’t provide research funding. So for the last time, ‘going for the research money’ is complete nonsense.

 

[50 yd line RR]

Did you even read the article ? It plainly says the CIC doesn’t provide research funding. So for the last time, ‘going for the research money’ is complete nonsense.

First of all I never said “go for the research dollars”. I said there’s more to it than football!
Research dollars are a nice benefit.
Academics are very important to the Big Ten.
If you read the article you would know there is not a big pot of money, but they do help members through the process. Which saves a lot of time and money! Not to mention the benefits to the students.”
Even without a grab bag. Whenever you have a mutual aid society with the resources of the CIC, it is a tremendous aid to all parties involved.”
Next time you want to respond to one of my posts please get the context of what I’m saying!
I don’t come here to argue with people.
peace out dude!

I