i think we are all quite clear that this whole thing is about television money. television money, ultimately, boils down to being able to deliver ratings. delivering ratings means being in a geographic location where there are lots of tv sets (or, in rare cases, having a national following).
what this means, long term, is that the "have" and the "have-nots" are going to be distinguished not by their commitment to winning and their excellence on the field, but by whether they are fortunate enough to be part of a conglomerate of schools that will be attractive to television.
this is why the b12 is in deep trouble. ou and nu have storied programs with long winning traditions in football. yet, if major markets like those dominated by mizzery and CU are no longer part of the conference, the next tv contract for the b12 will be much less lucrative for the member schools. money matters when you are trying to be a major power.
some of the schools that have been traditionally able to dominate may find themselves on the outside looking in. less television time. less television money. less press. etc.
and, non-superpower schools that have long benefitted from traditional associations with power conferences are in even worse shape. you wouldn't want to be iowa state, ksu, or baylor from the b12 right now. the weak sisters are going to struggle mightily if all this goes down. and, if you are ksu for example, you've managed a great deal of relatively recent success on the field. yet, that won't help save them.
and, i admit, i will miss the tradition of the big 8. it was a cool conference. those big 8 titles with darian at the helm were far more satisfying than the b12 championship was for me, probably because of the long history.
but, i guess those days are gone.
i suspect ou is going to come out just fine--- they are just too good and too well-backed to not find a home that works-- maybe even an expanded sec? but, what about the fuskers? would an expanded b10 take a chance on them? if not, they are going to be in trouble.
we have to seize the opportunity while we can. and we should be thankful, for once, that the rocky mountain population has grown so dramatically in the last 25 years. without that explosive growth, we'd be in a far worse position in the coming re-alignments.
what this means, long term, is that the "have" and the "have-nots" are going to be distinguished not by their commitment to winning and their excellence on the field, but by whether they are fortunate enough to be part of a conglomerate of schools that will be attractive to television.
this is why the b12 is in deep trouble. ou and nu have storied programs with long winning traditions in football. yet, if major markets like those dominated by mizzery and CU are no longer part of the conference, the next tv contract for the b12 will be much less lucrative for the member schools. money matters when you are trying to be a major power.
some of the schools that have been traditionally able to dominate may find themselves on the outside looking in. less television time. less television money. less press. etc.
and, non-superpower schools that have long benefitted from traditional associations with power conferences are in even worse shape. you wouldn't want to be iowa state, ksu, or baylor from the b12 right now. the weak sisters are going to struggle mightily if all this goes down. and, if you are ksu for example, you've managed a great deal of relatively recent success on the field. yet, that won't help save them.
and, i admit, i will miss the tradition of the big 8. it was a cool conference. those big 8 titles with darian at the helm were far more satisfying than the b12 championship was for me, probably because of the long history.
but, i guess those days are gone.
i suspect ou is going to come out just fine--- they are just too good and too well-backed to not find a home that works-- maybe even an expanded sec? but, what about the fuskers? would an expanded b10 take a chance on them? if not, they are going to be in trouble.
we have to seize the opportunity while we can. and we should be thankful, for once, that the rocky mountain population has grown so dramatically in the last 25 years. without that explosive growth, we'd be in a far worse position in the coming re-alignments.