2012 College Football

[ghost]

You're not seriously going to hold out Spurrier as an example of what to do, are you?  He's the OG douchebag.

[Rasix]

Can you guys not do this again? Please.

[ghost]

Sorry man.  We'll knock it off.  We're too much alike and like to argue about minutia. 

[01101010]

What it really boils down to is the

a) Kiffin is was and will always be an asshole.
b) Who gives a shit, it's USC.

I hate Notre Dame with a fiery passion, save for one game a year.

[ghost]

My wife and her dad are huge USC fans, so I man up and pull for them so I can stay married.  It's tough though, because I royally hate Kiffin. 

[Paelos]

I think USC is a complete QB fail factory that produces dipshits who read their own press clippings.

[ghost]

They do tend to have success in the NCAA though.  You can't equate what happens in the NFL to their graduates.

[01101010]

They do tend to have success in the NCAA though.  You can't equate what happens in the NFL to their graduates.

I ...what? I can't even...

[Ingmar]

Let me translate that into English for ghost.

The performance of USC's quarterbacks once they hit the NFL is irrelevant to the discussion at hand.

[Paelos]

The PAC-10 was also dogshit for a decade. I'm actually excited that they are improving in a lot of areas. Oregon, ULCA, Arizona, Stanford, etc. I'd even toss the Beavers in there for upset potential, and I like the fact that Leach is at Washington State.

[ghost]

Sorry.  Had to run see a couple of patients and royally fucked that one.  What Ingmar said.  

Also, USC did win a national title with one of these shitty quarterbacks you're talking about.  And they've won several Heismans, two with quarterbacks. 

[Paelos]

EDIT: Rasix said to stop doing this

[ghost]

Looks as though the Big East is getting dropped in the lurch.  The ACC is close to a deal with the Orange Bowl, which would leave the Big East without a major bowl tie in.  They also have no conference championship sponsor and no TV deal.  Look for Louisville, UConn, South Florida, and Rutgers to bail at the first reasonable opportunity.  It may, in reality, be too late for them unless they want to try and latch on to the Big 12.  The SEC might look at Rutgers but they wouldn't tough South Florida or Louisville as they already have those markets sewed up.  I suppose UConn is a possibility too.  It really would be goofy to see UConn or Rutgers in the Southeastern Conference. 

[cmlancas]

Looks as though the Big East is getting dropped in the lurch.  The ACC is close to a deal with the Orange Bowl, which would leave the Big East without a major bowl tie in.  They also have no conference championship sponsor and no TV deal.  Look for Louisville, UConn, South Florida, and Rutgers to bail at the first reasonable opportunity.  It may, in reality, be too late for them unless they want to try and latch on to the Big 12.  The SEC might look at Rutgers but they wouldn't tough South Florida or Louisville as they already have those markets sewed up.  I suppose UConn is a possibility too.  It really would be goofy to see UConn or Rutgers in the Southeastern Conference. 

The thing that blows my mind is the ACC is the biggest bunch of shenanigans in college football right now.  They have two teams:  Clemson and FSU who are anywhere near competitive right now.  And, their track record over the past five years is a fucking joke.

I know I get my panties in a wad about the Big East, but they really do get shit on over and over.  Who's talking about Pitt's roflstomp of VaTech?  Fucking nobody.

[ghost]

The Big East really fucked up by not highly encouraging all of it's members to field D1 football squads back in the 70s and 80s.  The ACC isn't a strong football conference on the field, but it is a pretty fierce business opponent.  I don't see it losing to the Big 12 in the oncoming war for who is the fifth wheel (literally) in the big conference showdown. 

[ghost]

Here's an interesting article written about the nuclear bomb that the SEC is getting ready to drop on the college football landscape, aka The SEC Network.  

Once the third-tier rights are rolled back in, SEC fans would get every game all year long in every sport for less than a single pay-per-view game of their favorite school costs right now.  

What kind of revenue are we talking about then?

At $2 a month in the SEC footprint, an SEC Network would do $720 million a year.

At $3 a month, still less than Comcast SportsNet Washington and the New England Sports Network presently charge subscribers, the SEC Network would bring in over a billion dollars a year.

Once this happens, it's going to be all over for the rest of the college football world.  The University of Texas is going to rue their douchiness regarding the Longhorn Network.

[cmlancas]

The Big East really fucked up by not highly encouraging all of it's members to field D1 football squads back in the 70s and 80s.  The ACC isn't a strong football conference on the field, but it is a pretty fierce business opponent.  I don't see it losing to the Big 12 in the oncoming war for who is the fifth wheel (literally) in the big conference showdown. 

ACC keeps losing and no one will give a shit about their product, lessening their business leverage.  NBC's ratings of ND games are a good example of this.

[ghost]

Bullshit.  They've never had a strong football component and have managed to do very, very well.  And Notre Dame is still a money making machine.  They are still the weakest of the "Big Four", but add Notre Dame as a full time member and Texas and you have a very formidable conference.

[ghost]

Here's another article, discussing the stability (or lack thereof) of the college football landscape.  

The author agrees with me, to an extent, that what happens with Texas will dictate any future dominoes that fall.  I really find this business with Notre Dame interesting.  I almost think that Notre Dame will need that conference affiliation going forward, meaning full affiliation.  I suspect that this is just a trial balloon to see how the big money donors will respond, and possibly is viewed as a nice middle step to try and ease those big donors into the idea of being in a conference.  I can't imagine that the Longhorn Network or anything that Notre Dame will do will come close to the types of dollars you'll eventually see thrown around for the conference "networks", i.e. Big Ten Network clones.

The author feels that the Big 12 is done with expansion, and I agree with that, however I feel that their position is much more precarious.

With the new television money locked in, any Big 12 addition would have to be worth over $20 million per year. Put simply, there is no available team that makes sense. With the ACC teams locked in, this means talk of Florida State to the Big 12 is dead. So is talk of any other ACC school coming along with Florida State. With the ACC schools locked up and Notre Dame gone, who could the Big 12 add?

Louisville or BYU are probably the best two options.

Neither of these schools is worth anywhere near $20 million a year.

[cmlancas]

Bullshit.  They've never had a strong football component and have managed to do very, very well.  And Notre Dame is still a money making machine.  They are still the weakest of the "Big Four", but add Notre Dame as a full time member and Texas and you have a very formidable conference.

ACC was dominant in the 90's and early 00's with FSU, Clemson, VaTech, Wake Forest, and GaTech.  I fail to see how your argument makes any sense when compared to facts. 

And Notre Dame football is a joke lately:  their marginal seasons the last ten years,  the lack of big wins, and their nigh-worthless bowl bids reflect this.

I really wonder if you're trolling, to be honest.

[ghost]

They weren't dominant.  Competitive is a better word.  And I don't think I'd hang out Wake Forrest and VaTech as examples of dominance.  Florida State is the only dominant team, over an extended stretch, that the ACC has had in football.  The strength of the ACC has always been the basketball portion of the conference and, much like the Big Ten, the elitism that seems to come with being a member of the ACC.  

The ACC still remains a very viable player in the football world, as is evidenced by their outmaneuvering  of their opponents with the Notre Dame deal, regardless of this lack of success.  Florida State, Miami, Virginia Tech, Clemson, UNC, Virginia....all of these schools are in valuable markets and are valuable to their schools regardless of how they do on the field.  Notre Dame still remains one of the most marketable teams in the country.  They sell out wherever they play and even had something like 35,000 people go to see them in Ireland.  Just wait-  when Notre Dame's deal is up in 2 or 3 years (I don't remember when it's done) they will get a huge deal.  They may even do a network, like Texas.  

In all honesty, I think you're missing the point-  on the field success doesn't matter as much for the ACC or Notre Dame and their financial dealings.  The schools appear to be able to work well together and have put together a good financial sharing package and a gigantic buyout.  This is much, much more stable than the Big 12 where everyone is just waiting for the next guy to move, like a pistol duel (fitting for the old west, eh?).  The Big East is   and the Big 12 will be the next domino to fall.  

[Paelos]

Until they break up the SEC stronghold on college football at the top end, the performance of the rest of the conferences is a moot point, imo.

Other than for me to chuckle at every year when I hear "THIS IS THE ACC'S CHANCE TO PROVE IT ON A NATIONAL STAGE." Right before they get owned across the board by week 3.

Also, if this was the 4 team playoff year, the Big 10 would already be eliminated from contention in before October.

[01101010]

Also, if this was the 4 team playoff year, the Big 10 would already be eliminated from contention in before October.

As it should be. 

[ghost]

Until they break up the SEC stronghold on college football at the top end, the performance of the rest of the conferences is a moot point, imo.

Once the SEC Network hits it will never matter again. 

Performance on the field is moot, but there's more to it than that.  The idiocy of the Big 12 pandering to Texas proves that you have to have more going on with your conference than simply wins.  Looking at the remaining four conferences (ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, PAC-12) it is pretty clear that the PAC-12 and Big Ten are financially and structurally fine and will be included in the "Big Four" when it happens.  The Big Ten is about more than football and the PAC-12 is benefited by geography.  The battle really comes down to Big 12 verus ACC and the ACC has more intangibles. 

[Paelos]

I think the Big 12 and ACC would be dissolved, tbh. I'd do 4 conferences of 8 teams. Have everyone play each other (7 games), do 4 cross conference games, and 1 traditional rivalry. Also, have a promotion/demotion system for last team in each conference.

North - Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Purdue, Missouri
South - Texas, OU, Arkansas, LSU, Alabama, Auburn, A&M, Oklahoma State
East - Georgia, Florida, Florida State, South Carolina, Clemson, Miami, Virginia Tech, West Virginia
West - Stanford, USC, Oregon, Arizona, Cal, UCLA, Boise State, Utah

The rest of the larger programs would be organized into the subtier 8's in North, South, East, West, with the champions making it into the big boy conferences.

The programs that survive on paycheck games from the bigger schools get eliminated or move to FCS. Make it impossible for teams to schedule themselves. Have the NCAA pull the schedules ala the NFL. No more cupcakes. No more paying for losses. No more crap.

[ghost]

If you're going to do 4 conferences it would be either the ACC or the Big 12, not both.  Well, not unless the Big East pulls it out of their ass.

SEC
PAC-12
Big Ten
ACC or Big 12

[cmlancas]

I think the Big 12 and ACC would be dissolved, tbh. I'd do 4 conferences of 8 teams. Have everyone play each other (7 games), do 4 cross conference games, and 1 traditional rivalry. Also, have a promotion/demotion system for last team in each conference.

North - Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Purdue, Missouri
South - Texas, OU, Arkansas, LSU, Alabama, Auburn, A&M, Oklahoma State
East - Georgia, Florida, Florida State, South Carolina, Clemson, Miami, Virginia Tech, West Virginia
West - Stanford, USC, Oregon, Arizona, Cal, UCLA, Boise State, Utah

The rest of the larger programs would be organized into the subtier 8's in North, South, East, West, with the champions making it into the big boy conferences.

The programs that survive on paycheck games from the bigger schools get eliminated or move to FCS. Make it impossible for teams to schedule themselves. Have the NCAA pull the schedules ala the NFL. No more cupcakes. No more paying for losses. No more crap.

I would like something close to this, but programs like Texas Tech, Oregon State, Tennessee, Iowa, Kansas, Kansas State,  Cincinnati, Louisville, VaTech, and GaTech get left out.

All of those teams have been top 10 or played BCS games in the last ten years.

[cmlancas]

They weren't dominant.  Competitive is a better word.  And I don't think I'd hang out Wake Forrest and VaTech as examples of dominance.  Florida State is the only dominant team, over an extended stretch, that the ACC has had in football.  The strength of the ACC has always been the basketball portion of the conference and, much like the Big Ten, the elitism that seems to come with being a member of the ACC.  

Wake has had a marked decline since the late 90s, but VaTech made a national championship (where they got spanked, but still).  Do you really find the ACC that far ahead in basketball?  Big East seems to have the upper hand in basketball from my perspective.

And don't get me wrong...I love the Blue Devils.

[Ingmar]

I don't see them doing anything that drastic, in part because if you want to keep all the other sports as is in terms of conference, etc., which I'm sure most places do, now you're adding yet another layer of bureaucracy on top of everything.

[ghost]

I think the ACC is the better bet for long term survival since Pitt, Syracuse and Notre Dame have moved to the ACC from the Big East.  With the addition of Syracuse and Pitt the ACC is a much, much better basketball conference too.  Sure you have UConn and Louisville, but there really isn't much else after that.  Maybe Villanova, but nobody is consistent.  The ACC is much better top to bottom and has UNC and Duke, two of the four premier teams in the history of the sport.

[ghost]

Lane Kiffin is fucking ridiculous.  What a douche. 

http://youtu.be/VFTJ_SdXm4g

[Paelos]

What pissed him off there?

[01101010]

What pissed him off there?

He doesn't like chatting about player injuries.

[Paelos]

Yeah UGA's gone to a policy now where they don't talk about suspensions.

College coaches as a whole I think are getting sick of the media. That being said, Mark Richt is certainly more polite about it than Kiffin.

[Ingmar]

Given we don't know the circumstances of the player that got asked about (or even which one) I find it hard to get too far up his ass about that, and I hate USC as much as any 10 people.