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Conference realignment

This is all just so dumb. Nothing but a big money grab by universities leadership, who care nothing about student athletes having to travel cross country to play now. Also care nothing about all of the other students, whose rates and fees they will continue to jack up to help pay for all of this travel.

But man, the football budget and the boosters will be happy, I guess. Cause that is the reason these universities exist, right?
 
This is all just so dumb. Nothing but a big money grab by universities leadership, who care nothing about student athletes having to travel cross country to play now. Also care nothing about all of the other students, whose rates and fees they will continue to jack up to help pay for all of this travel.

But man, the football budget and the boosters will be happy, I guess. Cause that is the reason these universities exist, right?
Majority of football programs bleed money, ours included. I love Spider football and would hate to see it dropped but its typically a money drain for school like ours though a major source of pride. For many schools it is worth it alone for that investment. There is a whole cottage industry build around your school constantly being publicized. Take this board or any message board for example. UR is getting free publicity right now as we discuss things related to UR.

If you want to argue that indirectly it brings more money to the school fine (dubious argument as well) but the fact is most schools lose money operating a football program at the division I level. Virtually every other athletic program out there not making p5 TV money is in the red. The problem isn't so much these bigger schools doing it because the money is there. What's worse is the next tier of schools that spend boatloads of money thinking they will ever be able to generate that type of revenue and publicity.

Lets be honest with ourselves, do we as a university really need to charter basketball flights to St. Louis, Dayton or Olean for a weeknight basketball game when there are dozens within busing distance of the same quality? I get how conferences work, and don't get me wrong I enjoy college sports as much as the other but the system has jumped the shark. Think I read JMUs athletic budget is upwards to 60m dollars a large chunk of which comes from student fees. How many millions of dollars have we spent on upgrading our basketball and athletics program at the expense of other things at the school? Only to be outspent exponentially by other programs.

College athletics is a two way street. Athletes are the main part of the show for sure but part of the reason we watch is the ties to the school. I think one thing lost in all of this is if you took the exact same teams and had the kids play each other, but without wearing their respective teams apparel would you watch it? I doubt I would. Would that not mean that the school is also providing value to the athletes brand? No offense to anyone on our team but the reason I watch them play is because they want to be a part of UR and play basketball. Just add the basketball component to it I really couldn't care less, just go play minor leagues at that point and see how much NIL money can be raked in doing that. To me this has been a failure of a billion dollar professional sports industry using a system originally designed as part of the college experience as a full blown minor league system at the expense of tax payers, college students and fans and a major part of the rising costs of college.

I suppose I will still watch and consume, but big time college sports is making several of the same mistakes NASCAR made to try and sustain itself and will end up alienating many of the fans that helped make it what it was.
 
No real developments, but good overview of the Big 12-Pac-12 situation here...they could be willing to take the rumored four plus Oregon and Washington. Would the Big 10 then consider Stanford and Cal? Probably hinges on Notre Dame's decision and then whether the Big 10 wants the Bay Area market or pick off some ACC programs if the media rights issue can be managed.

 
Gonzaga to the Big XII?

That seems odd - I would think they join PAC before Big12. And they don't really need a conference - other than the TV Money will go through the roof for them. But they are a lock for the tourney every year where they are at and last few years - been knocking on the door of final four and national title. I could see Mark Few retiring when and if this happened.
 
I think the B12 is more stable than the PAC. Better leadership and, it appears, a better future TV deal. Good article in the WSJ about B12's President the other day. The PAC commish has lost the plot, if he ever had it.
 
As we have all seen, nothing is about geography anymore. Plus the PAC is a “has-been” and the Big12 is “where it is at” for college hoops. I am sure Zag supporters are all for joining a power conference.
 
the Pac12 is still a good conference, imo. top is still strong, and others can bounce back. I'd rather be there if I was Gonzaga ... money aside.
 
I will never get used to this constant conference realignment
Agree but just as players can move freely year to year and not have to sit out a year this is another sign of the times. Today such and such conference is the place to be but tomorrow may get a better offer................
 
I think conferences are becoming more and more irrelevant. One of my fraternity brothers
still thinks of the “Old ACC”, as if Maryland was still there, and Clemson, Fla. State, and Miami
don’t have one foot out of the door.
Soon it will be games that pay. Not necessarily conference games. Duke vs. Kansas, Kentucky vs.
Baylor, and so on.
Both Richmond and VCU make out like bandits in their rivally, But they are in the same conference-NOW.
 
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