SEC against Big 12/ACC Championship Game Change

[TheMoody1]

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - The Big 12's hopes for permission to hold a football conference title game with just 10 members just got more complicated.
SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said Sunday morning here that the his league will not support a proposal by the Big 12 and ACC that would deregulate conference football title game rules. Currently, conferences must have at least 12 members and two divisions to hold a title game. The Big 12 would like the option of holding a football title game with its current 10 members after playing a single-division round-robin schedule.
If the vote doesn't pass, the Big 12 could eventually face a scenario where it might be forced to expand despite an absence of top candidates. The absence of a conference title game in 2014 played a role in the Big 12 not making the College Football Playoff and may have factored in Oklahoma falling from a third seed to No, 4 in the final rankings this year.
Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby was still hopeful Sunday of some kind of agreement.
"I do not think full deregulation will be accepted but it seems we might have a compromise that might work," Bowlsby said in a text message.
He declined to offer details but added that if the Big 12 "could get a situation where we are not forced to play divisions and are not forced [to] expand, we will be OK."
Sankey's declaration puts the current proposal on shaky ground.
"The legislation currently identified, those proposals are not something we are inclined to support," Sankey said. "We do have an interest in understanding the Big 12's current situation - that if they have an interest in a championship game or finding if there's another alternative legislatively that can be pursued."
The vote is scheduled for Wednesday as part of the NCAA convention in San Antonio. Each of the power five conferences count as two votes. The group of five conferences have one vote each.
An amendment by the Big Ten that would force conferences to have two divisions with the champions meeting regardless of size. The Big 12 has opposed the amendment..
ACC commissioner John Swofford said Sunday that he thought the deregulation proposal would pass easily about a year ago.
"We'll just have to see now," Swofford said.
Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany has raised concerns that the ACC might use deregulation to circumvent current conference title game rules.
"Obviously, it's a bigger issue for the Big 12 than it is for anyone else," Swofford said. "We've been very supportive of what Bob Bowlsby has put forward and his desire to have some freedom there from Day 1.
"But it's based mainly on philosophical beliefs on that fundamental autonomy for the conferences than any real desire for what we would do."

[ASUTodd]

I mean, if the Big12 needs another team, I know this really good team up in Boone that could help....

[/\PP ST/\TE GRAD 09]

I mean, if the Big12 needs another team, I know this really good team up in Boone that could help....

Our basketball and even baseball teams would get smacked in the Big 12. Football would do slightly but not much better. It will be awhile before we move out of the Sun Belt IMO.

[AppState89]

I would go after NDSU....5 in a row is damn good....

[ASU8]

Houston and Boise State.

[EastHallApp]

Houston is a slam dunk obvious choice. Think they would like BYU too but not sure BYU wants them. But I'm sure they could find another fairly appealing option if they had to. Memphis maybe?

[TheMackAttack]

I would argue that Houston is obviously a team the Big 12 wouldn't want. They are going to want to add markets. BYU and Cincinnati are probably the best choices. Boise State and Memphis in the next tier.

[T-Dog]

Houston isn't getting into the Big 12. They subsidize a ridiculous percentage of their athletics and most importantly, have four no votes, 40% of the membership, against them in state.

Cincy is the top choice, BYU is there but with some logistical issues like Sunday competition and their own TV network. Crazy enough, I've also heard UConn mentioned ahead of schools like Memphis and Houston.

[EastHallApp]

The TV market and heavy Texas membership issues both make sense, but then again wouldn't the same issues have been relevant for TCU? Thought I'd read a while back that ESPN was pushing for the Big 12 to add Houston, but maybe not.

[T-Dog]

TCU was a replacement for Texas A&M and was a perfect fit academically and athletically. Houston is far from that.

[Yosef10]

Everything I've read has Houston pegged as the Bug12s top choice with BYU next on the list. The TV market thing doesn't really hold water with the Big12 seeing as they added WVU.

[WVAppsfan]

Texas rules the Big 12 and they are not letting one more Texas team in the conference. The real move is an eastern team or two to add to the digital footprint of the conference. Plus allow a travel partner for WVU.

[Saint3333]

Houston isn't getting into the Big 12. They subsidize a ridiculous percentage of their athletics and most importantly, have four no votes, 40% of the membership, against them in state.

Cincy is the top choice, BYU is there but with some logistical issues like Sunday competition and their own TV network. Crazy enough, I've also heard UConn mentioned ahead of schools like Memphis and Houston.

When looking at % subsidized you may want to add what Big 12 revenue would do to that number.

The bigger issue is as mentioned the Texas based Big 12 members that don't want another mouth to feed from a recruiting perspective.

[WVAppsfan]

UCN brings nothing to the table for football, but by virtue of men and women basketball they bring a lot. But in football? NOTHING. UC Brings less than nothing to the table. My best wish would be for FSU and Clemson to jump the ACC and go West. But the buyout makes that very unlikely. And the thought of adding North Dakota State to the mix? Why? What TV market does Fargo have?

[WVAppsfan]

Everything I've read has Houston pegged as the Bug12s top choice with BYU next on the list. The TV market thing doesn't really hold water with the Big12 seeing as they added WVU.

What does that mean? Hold water? I look forward to your explanation. The Pittsburgh market is enough of one I think. The Washington DC area as well. I will assume that you understand geography.

[Yosef10]

First off, jeez you got testy when WVU was brought up.

TV ratings isn't what got WVU into the Big12. The conference being on the edge of collapse got them their invite.

[TheMackAttack]

Everything I've read has Houston pegged as the Bug12s top choice with BYU next on the list. The TV market thing doesn't really hold water with the Big12 seeing as they added WVU.

West Virginia did add TVs, the whole state of West Virginia (nearly 1.8 million people) and Pittsburgh (the 23rd largest media market in America). Houston adds the exact same number of televisions to the conference as you would add if you made me the 11th member. Zero. BYU and Cincinnati are probably the top choices with Memphis, UConn, UCF, and USF further down the list.

[EastHallApp]

I don't think academics have much of anything to do with conference expansion. That might get mentioned in press releases, but it's mostly a red herring IMO. And even if it did, the Big 12 isn't exactly the most elite league in that department.

[Yosef10]

Everything I've read has Houston pegged as the Bug12s top choice with BYU next on the list. The TV market thing doesn't really hold water with the Big12 seeing as they added WVU.

West Virginia did add TVs, the whole state of West Virginia (nearly 1.8 million people) and Pittsburgh (the 23rd largest media market in America). Houston adds the exact same number of televisions to the conference as you would add if you made me the 11th member. Zero. BYU and Cincinnati are probably the top choices with Memphis, UConn, UCF, and USF further down the list.

How does a university in a city of north of 2.2 million people not add TVs compared to WVU? And are there not major media markets in and around the region, just like Pittsburgh to WVU?

[bigCasu]

I think the idea behind posting this article was more about which direction the Sun Belt is going. Idaho and NMSU might not be going anywhere for at least two years.


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