Super-Conferences may be coming sooner than we think

[jadennis]

Nice work EA. But I still think FSU is a more marquee program with broader appeal and more success per capita.

One question: How can ND's FB program be worth 101 million and their entire Ath Dept not even have enough (80 mill) worth to make the top 10? Are their other sports losing 20 mill +?

I would love to see any athletic departments breakdown on profits and losses for each sport.  There may be one floating around, but I've never seen it.

I do remember a number of years ago seeing that Georgia's gymnastics team was on the verge of becoming the first and only woman's program at Georgia to ever break even. 

[eagleair89]

Nice work EA. But I still think FSU is a more marquee program with broader appeal and more success per capita.

One question: How can ND's FB program be worth 101 million and their entire Ath Dept not even have enough (80 mill) worth to make the top 10? Are their other sports losing 20 mill +?

have no idea.................but then accounting was never my strong suit............

[eagleair89]

I would love to see any athletic departments breakdown on profits and losses for each sport.  There may be one floating around, but I've never seen it.

I do remember a number of years ago seeing that Georgia's gymnastics team was on the verge of becoming the first and only woman's program at Georgia to ever break even. 

Auburn does print and mail out a annual report for the Ath. Dept.  Seen it myself......my Jack-a-lope brought it to me.....seriously.

 

[AUChizad]

http://blog.al.com/solomon/2010/04/slive_sec_internally_studies_e.html

Slive: SEC is internally studying expansion
By Jon Solomon -- The Birmingham News
April 26, 2010, 5:26PM

SEC Commissioner Mike Slive says the conference remains comfortable with its status quo of 12 members, but is internally discussing expansion in case other leagues add schools.

During a meeting today in Birmingham with editors and reporters from the Southeast Region of the Association Press Sports Editors, Slive said the SEC hasn't talked to any potential new schools and doesn't plan to do so.

"Given the success we've experienced over the past decade, we are comfortable in the position in which we find ourselves," he said. "Having said that, if there's going to be a significant shift in the conference paradigm, the SEC will be strategic and thoughtful in order to maintain its position as one of the nation's premiere conferences."

The Big Ten is considering expansion and could be the first domino to fall in a new landscape for college athletics. It's possible the 11-member Big Ten, which has its own lucrative television network, could expand to 12, 14 or 16 schools.

Penn State coach Joe Paterno recently said he favors the Big Ten adding three members. The largest Bowl Championship Series conferences are currently the SEC, Big 12 and ACC, with 12 schools each.

Slive did not specify what would constitute a significant shift in conference realignment that would trigger the SEC to expand.

"I don't know if I can define it. I'll know it when I see it," he said. "Is one league expanding by two, three or four a paradigm shift? I don't know. Is two leagues expanding a paradigm shift? I don't know."

When asked if the SEC is being proactive or waiting to see what the Big Ten does, Slive said the conference is only talking internally about the advantages and disadvantages of expanding. He declined to say if the SEC has compiled a list of schools that would fit or what factors the SEC might look for should it expand.

SEC teams have won the past four national titles in football, and the conference has lucrative television contracts with ESPN and CBS that provides wide TV exposure.

"That doesn't cry out for change," Slive said. "Even though I might not be able to define it at the moment, we have always been known to be a creative league, be on the cutting edge. Thanks to my predecessors, and hopefully some of the things we've done, we're still on that level. We're not going to allow ourselves in any way, shape or form to be anything less than what we are now."

[JR4AU]

One of the things most people miss about all this "conference expansion" talk is what it's actually about.  What it's not about is creating more powerful/competitive conferences.  What I mean is it's not about the SEC exchanging teams like Vandy for Va Tech (an example I heard).  It's about expanding the TV market.  Which almost assure us that teams like Miami and FSU won't be joining the SEC as the SEC already has that TV market, and it won't add more TV revenue.  What you might see is teams like Maryland, North Carolina or WVU join the SEC, or maybe a couple of "mid majors" from up in the MAC.  The Big Ten isn't really concerned with creating a "super conference" in terms of powerful teams.  They're looking to cut in to the TV revenue generated by the SEC the last few years.  One quick way to do that is to get ND to join, and get that TV package ND enjoys all on it's own, and the national appeal of ND.  If they want to go to 16 teams, watch them start looking west to add teams.  All I hear on the radio, and on the net is about creating these "super conferences" in the name of making them stronger from top to bottom.  The driving force behind any conference expansion or realignment, is TV revenue, not creating a more legitimate conference or national champion.  Its the same line of thinking that has created so many bowl games.  You may think most of them are stupid and meaningless, and they are in terms of declaring a champion of anything...and sometimes it's very mediocre football.  However, they still play them because there's a profit in it from TV.