Around the Big Ten

[entropy]

Rutgers>>>> cuse

[Dr. Strangelove]

This will sway the minds of some in Maryland:

Gary Williams supports move

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/terps/tracking-the-terps/bal-excoach-gary-williams-says-move-to-big-ten-would-help-university-of-maryland-20121118,0,3014814.story

[Hannibal]

"because the revenue is a zero sum game"

When Maryland plays Wake Forest, Duke, Boston College etc they get lousy ratings as you'd expect. .

Which is exactly what's going to happen when they play Rutgers, Indiana, Purdue, and/or Minnesota. Maryland is going to re-calibrate their schedule so that their games aren't any more interesting than they are now, because that's what teams are doing. When A&M went to the SEC, you replaced A&M vs Oklahoma with A&M vs Florida. You replaced A&M vs Texas with A&M vs Alabama, an obvious net loss. Then A&M, who traditionally used to play one good OOC game, went full on Kansas State with their OOC schedule.

In the meantime, you are going to replace a Michigan vs Indiana with a Michigan vs Maryland. Then you are going to split the massive amount of revenue generated by an average Big Ten school and share it with a shitty program that generates nothing remotely resembling that level of revenue.

It's a zero sum game, where a few people benefit from having a bigger empire -- namely, Jim Delaney and Fox (co-owner of the BTN), along with the shitty programs that suddenly get a slice of a bigger pie. The native members of the Big Ten lose.

[Wild Hoss]

The reason why the ACC doesn't have that kind of a deal is because the region doesn't give enough of a shit about college football to justify it. If the ACC tried to get onto cable systems and DirecTV, those carriers would tell them to go fuck themselves. Have you noticed that satellite provideres aren't carrying the PAC-12 network? That is also why the TV contract for the ACC with Disney isn't nearly as lucrative. You only get the cable carriage fees if the local cable agrees to carry it and pass along that fee to its customers, which is far from a given. The Longhorn Network wasn't even a slam dunk in the state of Texas. The BTN will be a much harder sell for Maryland and the DC era.

Yes...the one metric that keeps getting glossed over is that these programs suck. There is no way around it, and there is no amount of palmgreasing or backroom fanagling that will change it. They are bad products.

[hack]

Portrays Syracuse as running on fumes, which very well could be. Dunno, but those numbers are compelling.

[Dr. Strangelove]

I can look at those two programs and view them as underachieving relative to their states' amount of talent. It's very possible either can better reach their potential in the B1G. The Mid-Atlantic does not care about CFB as much as the Midwest or South. There's no guarantee it will will always be that way or that it can't become MORE popular than at present.

Rutgers fans would be delirious with enthusiasm over the move. Maryland would be split.

I think they are probably right that this move would increase the BTN's revenue and the upcoming national contract enough so that each school will make more money than at present. Even being split 14 ways instead of 12. And sets things up for the ACC to become unstable so that there's one last effort to nab Notre Dame or shake loose UNC.

[hack]

Why UNC? And presumably you mean in football only? There's no way UNC's basketball team changes a thing.

[WM Wolverine]

Syracuse is located in up-state NY and doesn't come close to capturing the NYC market like some think. It's a long drive to NYC, its a tiny private school plus I see them having a very difficult time regaining their past success (especially in B10)...

The B10 is a brand, Delaney wants his brand to be as profitable, popular and powerful as possible. B10 is competing against the SEC, ACC, Big XII for power and dollars. Capturing the NYC/NJ, Philly, Baltimore & DC markets would give the B10 a ton of leverage when the B10 puts its media rights on the open market. What's good for the B10 is good for M, PSU, Illini, Neb, etc.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Guy who runs InsideMDSports says he's heard that Georgia Tech has also expressed interest. Dunno about that. Barring a surprising move by Maryland's BOT it seems like they will be in. After that, who knows

Hack- UNC is a very strong brand in a large state that prefers college sports to professional. They are a very, very long shot. But they might be the biggest feasible addition if Notre Dame is lost forever. They would not move unless the ACC was crumbling around them.

[WM Wolverine]

GT is the one making the calls to the B10 reportedly. Agree, #14 spot is yet to be offered as there isn't much reason to when a better option could open itself up and they can have Rutgers on a moments notice.

[lineygoblue]

Well, if there's a choice ...

GT >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Rutgers

[WM Wolverine]

Depends if Rutgers delivers NYC... Remember there is a lot more to this than just football. It's money, athletics, money, academics (research), money, recruiting, money, power and money.

[THE_WIZARD_]

GT would be a far better choice than Merryland or Rutgers. The ATL market is not as big as the NYC market or DC but ATL and that area is RABID about college sports. Add in the fact that GT is more relevant than either in football (sorry Rutgers) and it is a win win. A bit of a stretch geographically but that doesn't seem to be an issue these days. GT is also a very good school.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Maryland to vote tomorrow at 9 AM. Vote expected to be close. Under Armour founder Kevin Plank is heavily pushing the move amongst the Trustees. If they accept, Rutgers could join this week as well.

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/_/id/8649670/maryland-terrapins-regents-vote-big-ten-move-monday

[Dr. Strangelove]

According to a television executive familiar with the Northeast corridor, the move could ultimately be worth as much as $200 million annually for the Big Ten in cable subscription fees. This is a Pollyannaish figure that's unlikely to ever materialize, but it shows the scope of the potential value. The interesting part, considering the current cable climate, is that the potential move also comes with considerable risk.

There are an estimated 15 million available households in the New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington D.C. markets. If the Big Ten Network got on basic cable in all those places, which is an enormous long shot, the per-household figure by the time Rutgers and Maryland joined the league would project in the neighborhood of $1.25 per month. That would equate to about $200 million per year.

The risk comes because none of that money is guaranteed. Considering the struggles the Pac-12 has had with DirecTV and the distribution issues surrounding the Longhorn Network, it's clear cable subscribers automatically handing over distribution is far from a given. (The Lakers have struggled to obtain distribution in Los Angeles this season, yet another sign of a new era in cable TV.)

"It's a long fight," the television executive, who has no connection to the move, said of the Big Ten cashing in on Maryland and Rutgers. "That's the potential. There's a lot of negotiating to happen before that."
While getting all 15 million homes is unlikely, this could potentially be a $100 million annual television windfall for the Big Ten. (That figure doesn't include the additional money that will come from the added markets and games when the Big Ten negotiates its next television contract in 2017.) It's estimated that the Big Ten's annual payout could increase to between $30-35 million per year, nearly double the ACC's $17 million payout.

Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/201...#ixzz2Cco6y9tX