Recruiting Forum Football Talk IV

[Orangeburst]

Might as well add Oregon.

I guess the Rose Bowl bids won't change. As long as there is a PAC 12

 

[Devo182]

And the networks will keep adding tiers as long as fans keep paying for them.

And there's the rub. You're going to have waay less national attention when you take away entire regional conferences. Why would they even care any longer, outside of hardcore fans?

And yet the conference stations will gain REGIONAL viewers, by merely adding more teams/viewers, but the national audience/overall will suffer and hurt the relevance of the sport.

Nascar 2.0 type decisions, just in reverse. Just embarrassingly short-sighted.

 

[Volbucky]

That guy sounds like a sissy that likes to too many commas

 

[MarcoVol]

Is this when we do the commies vs. capitalism thing that every debate on this board turns into?

 

[Orangeburst]

And there's the rub. You're going to have waay less national attention when you take away entire regional conferences. Why would they even care any longer, outside of hardcore fans?

And yet the conference stations will gain REGIONAL viewers, by merely adding more teams/viewers, but the national audience/overall will suffer and hurt the relevance of the sport.

Nascar 2.0 type decisions, just in reverse. Just embarrassingly short-sighted.

And how are fans to travel to games?

 

[UpstateVol613]

 

[BigSteve09]

NCAA should just come out and say they're ditching policing universities and NIL, and are going to put together 2 CFB leagues. 1) 64-team league divided into 4 conference of 2 divisions each, 2) lesser league also divided geographically.

Anyone with a brain can see that NIL, the portal, TV money, everything, is pointing towards the mega-conferences being REAL CFB, and every player worth their salt is going to try to get to those. More money, more exposure, they will continue seeking that.

The coaches already do it and have been doing it for years. 99% of coaches, especially successful coaches, don't just stay at some Sun Belt or MAC school for years and years. They want to get more money, or compete at the highest level - on the field and in recruiting. Their staffs do the same thing. It was only a matter of time until players did and now they are. There's even a free agency at the very top of the current arrangement. The sport's most elite have players shuffle around.

If the NCAA invites their 64 teams and has a media plan that pays as much or more, those 64 teams will go with it. Not much the rest of the programs can do. They can work in relegation if they want to or have x amount of seats in a (16 team) playoff for teams from the lesser league.

 

[Devo182]

Lol people won’t check out.

So droves of marginal Cal and Wazzou St fans will keep watching and attending games when they're subjected to playing San Jose St and Eastern Washington as their big game of the year?

Could you imagine if UT was relegated to playing in a conference with App St and Furman? Yes...people would still love UT...but I can guarantee attendance would drop by 50%. Merch sales would drop even further. Donations would fall through the groundfloor. Fans would stop watching national games, because we wouldn't be in the race at any point during the season...even for a small bowl game. Same as the CWS once we were knocked out...literally no one gaf by then.

This is a quick route to killing a sport of national relevance imo.

 

[Devo182]

NCAA should just come out and say they're ditching policing universities and NIL, and are going to put together 2 CFB leagues. 1) 64-team league divided into 4 conference of 2 divisions each, 2) lesser league also divided geographically.

Anyone with a brain can see that NIL, the portal, TV money, everything, is pointing towards the mega-conferences being REAL CFB, and every player worth their salt is going to try to get to those. More money, more exposure, they will continue seeking that.

The coaches already do it and have been doing it for years. 99% of coaches, especially successful coaches, don't just stay at some Sun Belt or MAC school for years and years. They want to get more money, or compete at the highest level - on the field and in recruiting. Their staffs do the same thing. It was only a matter of time until players did and now they are. There's even a free agency at the very top of the current arrangement. The sport's most elite have players shuffle around.

If the NCAA invites their 64 teams and has a media plan that pays as much or more, those 64 teams will go with it. Not much the rest of the programs can do. They can work in relegation if they want to or have x amount of seats in a (16 or 24 team) playoff for teams from the lesser league.

I'd love that. But does the NCAA have ANY power to do that? It feels like the conferences have all the power. Commissioners are just going berserk with no one to stop them as far as I can tell.

 

[BigSteve09]

So droves of marginal Cal and Wazzou St fans will keep watching and attending games when they're subjected to playing San Jose St and Eastern Washington as their big game of the year?

Could you imagine if UT was relegated to playing in a conference with App St and Furman? Yes...people would still love UT...but I can guarantee attendance would drop by 50%. Merch sales would drop even further. Donations would fall through the groundfloor. Fans would stop watching national games, because we wouldn't be in the race at any point during the season...even for a small bowl game. Same as the CWS once we were knocked out...literally no one gaf by then.

This is a quick route to killing a sport of national relevance imo.

That will matter to those fans. Sadly, the rest of the CFB world will move on. I see it all the time during the season - ain't nobody watching, tweeting about, posting about, or getting excited for those late Pac-12 kickoffs with middling teams like that.

I'm like the only person I know that stays up to watch the Hawaii get-back games on some obscure online-only feed.

 

[LA Vol]

And all this is going to look pretty stupid once people start checking out.

Donor fatigue is already setting in. Donors are getting hit left and right for money for facility improvements in every major sport, ticket prices are going up, academics need funding for new programs and buildings-- and now NIL is added to the mix. The networks and conferences are making bank, and fans and donors are expected to pay more and more for an experience many are finding less rewarding.

 

[BigSteve09]

I'd love that. But does the NCAA have ANY power to do that? It feels like the conferences have all the power. Commissioners are just going berserk with no one to stop them as far as I can tell.

The only power that they have left is in lobbying and traditional connections across industries. Once Sankey figured that out, the NCAA was screwed. Now everyone knows how weak and clueless they really are. Once businessmen started taking AD and conference commissioner spots, the NCAA was done.

Their last whiff would be something like what I said. Aligning their resources, connections, old/new deals, and infrastructure. Then they'd have to hope that the hungry money hippos over the schools and conferences just slide into that plan so they don't have to spend time and money recreating the wheel, and can just get straight to making money.

 

[Devo182]

Soo...on a total sidenote

Does Kasper rethink his Oregon decision now that they appear conference-less?

Just sayin. Always a silver lining

 

[mr.checkerboards]

Donor fatigue is already setting in. Donors are getting hit left and right for money for facility improvements in every major sport, ticket prices are going up, academics need funding for new programs and buildings-- and now NIL is added to the mix. The networks and conferences are making bank, and fans and donors are expected to pay more and more for an experience many are finding less rewarding.

Yes, For me personally I think the trip to Knoxville last October is my last for awhile. That trip was expensive enough and now prices are just going up and up and up. Losing a whole day and spending a couple grand for something that only lasts a few hours isnt worth it. I'll stick to my recliner all day coverage, cheaper beer and shorter bathroom lines.

 

[mr.checkerboards]

Lol people won’t check out.

Every decision in this entire country is based on maximizing money for those who already have the majority of it. From sports all the way to healthcare to tax law. And it frequently screws regular people, or in this case, fans. Yet people (and fans) continue to go along with it.

There will never be significant change until decisions are made on other criteria. Which will never happen. Bc ya know, money. The thing that ruins everything.

I think youll be surprised

 

[BigSteve09]

Yes, For me personally I think the trip to Knoxville last October is my last for awhile. That trip was expensive enough and now prices are just going up and up and up. Losing a whole day and spending a couple grand for something that only lasts a few hours isnt worth it. I'll stick to my recliner all day coverage, cheaper beer and shorter bathroom lines.

The conundrum is that that (understandable and widely agreed upon) mindset is exactly what is driving the sport to move to what it has become - controlled completely by media contracts.

 

[MarcoVol]

Yes, For me personally I think the trip to Knoxville last October is my last for awhile. That trip was expensive enough and now prices are just going up and up and up. Losing a whole day and spending a couple grand for something that only lasts a few hours isnt worth it. I'll stick to my recliner all day coverage, cheaper beer and shorter bathroom lines.

Park me in a temp regulated room with drinks and food and big screen. And I can watch football all damn day long and never be stressed about traffic or crowds….I’m surprised at myself that I ever even think about going to games anymore.

 

[Jack Burton]

Yes, For me personally I think the trip to Knoxville last October is my last for awhile. That trip was expensive enough and now prices are just going up and up and up. Losing a whole day and spending a couple grand for something that only lasts a few hours isnt worth it. I'll stick to my recliner all day coverage, cheaper beer and shorter bathroom lines.

I don’t think I’ve been to a game in 7 years. Used to be a major focal point in the Fall but now it’s just a distant memory.

 

[Weezer]

Yes, For me personally I think the trip to Knoxville last October is my last for awhile. That trip was expensive enough and now prices are just going up and up and up. Losing a whole day and spending a couple grand for something that only lasts a few hours isnt worth it. I'll stick to my recliner all day coverage, cheaper beer and shorter bathroom lines.

You must not have women in the house....

 

[theutvolunteers]

I wish I could still go to games

 

[Weezer]

Soo...on a total sidenote

Does Kasper rethink his Oregon decision now that they appear conference-less?

Just sayin. Always a silver lining

He reclassified. I'm assuming he's already enrolled.

 

[mr.checkerboards]

You must not have women in the house....

Nope. Its just me, dont have time for that.

 

[BigSteve09]

Park me in a temp regulated room with drinks and food and big screen. And I can watch football all damn day long and never be stressed about traffic or crowds….I’m surprised at myself that I ever even think about going to games anymore.

I already decided to shift my gameday budget to Spyre/Volunteer Club. I'd like to do both, but if I had to choose one...

 

[SugarCC]

As I always have, I blame Roy Kramer.

 

[LA Vol]

And there's the rub. You're going to have waay less national attention when you take away entire regional conferences. Why would they even care any longer, outside of hardcore fans?

And yet the conference stations will gain REGIONAL viewers, by merely adding more teams/viewers, but the national audience/overall will suffer and hurt the relevance of the sport.

Nascar 2.0 type decisions, just in reverse. Just embarrassingly short-sighted.

The thinking is: "more money now!"

The TV sports boom started with small regional sports networks back in the 80s... then the independent regional networks were gobbled up by larger group sports networks like Group W... then ESPN gobbled up all of those before being devoured by the biggest shark of all-- Disney. And now they're back to regional networks within ESPN, with tiers above and below and ABC catching the overflow. The conferences are becoming less geographically aligned; they're a consortium of brands, with everybody trying to aggregate big brands to create desirable matchups and media narratives that can maximize ratings and revenue.

At some point, the common fan will have had enough. And then the kingdom will start to crumble.