Jon Joseph

B1G and SEC teams in home and home series. Games that move the needle. Playing the B12 OOC for the next 6 seasons will not bring Oregon in as the 7th most-watched team in the nation as was the case in 2022 playing Georgia. Oregon must keep its brand in the public eye. Won't happen when playing in Lubbock and Waco, Texas, and in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Many Pac-12/10 teams have upcoming H+H series with the SEC. Many are in the 2nd game in a series: Utah vs Florida and Arizona at Miss. State. I think Mullens really dropped the ball with B12 teams being the big P5 opponent for the next 6 seasons.

B1G Basketball. No cigar.

Is that you, Larry?

Terrific take David, thank you. Financially CFB is a Power 2, The SEC and B1G have so distanced themselves financially there will be no catching up for the ACC, B12, and the Pac-12. In many ways, CFB has been taken over by ESPN, (SEC) and FOX (B1G.) ESPN engineered the move of Oklahoma and Texas to the SEC and FOX did the same bringing UCLA and USC into the B1G. I believe this consolidation first began when the then commissioner of the SEC convinced the then Pac-10 and the B1G that college football needed 1 True Champion. Thus, came the BCS, followed by the Playoff (BCS x 2) and the coming 12-team Playoff that IMO is certain to go to a 16-team field once ESPN's exclusive Playoff broadcast rights expire after the 2025/26 season. And with the BCS the Rose Bowl became the equivalent Playoff-wise to the Peach Bowl. Before the BCS the SEC was nowhere near the football behemoth it is today. The BCS did not lift all boats, it lifted SEC boats. And B1G commissioner Jim Delaney with his idea for a conference sports network that was owned and operated, in part, by FOX was a home-run business decision and brought FOX into being a major player in the broadcast of CFB. The B1G is also the beneficiary of being located in time zones with the largest population size and having member schools with huge numbers of living graduates. Unlike the SEC the B1G has won but 1 Playoff tile and the B1G has not won the CBB tourney since 2000. But it doesn't matter. The B1G is being paid big time notwithstanding a lack of on-field and on-court success. The Pac-12 has been mismanaged for a decade plus. While the B1G and the SEC benefitted from terrific leadership from its commissioners the Pac-12 enabled a follow-the-B1G, spendthrift commissioner to run amok. The Pac-12 presidents completely failed as business people making, starting with the agreement to join the BCS, with one baffling business decision after the other. Academic arrogance in part led to the Pac-12 making the death-stroke business decision not to end the B12 as a conference move into the central time zone, save the financially insolvent Pac-12 Network and with the ACC locked into a bad media agreement with ESPN, leaving it, the SEC and the B1G as the 3 power conferences able to negotiate new media deals. Being asleep at the business switch and allowing the B12 to go first with its new media rights deal resulted in the loss of conference bell cow USC and its UCLA, Los Angeles market brother to the B1G. While the concept of national conference diversity is an excellent thought; well, that ship has sailed. Further, Pac conference partners, CAL and Stanford, once competitive in football and basketball, seem to have institutionally thrown in the towel. As is true in all big businesses today it is every man for himself. Oregon must look out for itself and not be left behind in a futile attempt to prop up a failed enterprise. The B1G will come calling for the Ducks and UW. Entry will be as a member with a reduced B1G revenue share but still favorable when compared to what the Pac-10 commissioner is trying to piece together. A patchwork fix of adding say San Diego State and SMU may keep the conference together but at best the Pac-Whatever will be in a battle for the Bronze Medal. Oregon, with Division Street at its side, will be competitive in the B1G in both football and basketball. Travel will be mitigated by 'creative' scheduling that will have Oregon, UW, UCLA, and USC (and possibly Nebraska and Iowa) being permanent opponents in football and weighting basketball competition and nonrevenue sports competition to these 4 or 6 teams. Thanks again, David. In business as in all things in life, you reap what you sow. Sad to say but Oregon leadership was among the 'board of directors that allowed Larry to operate outside of any reasonable business control and oversight.

Exactly and thanks for the feedback. Making money off a Revolutionary War Hero? Hats off to you Sir.

I think it is more like 3 when you add Penn State but Oregon defeated Ohio State the last time it played the Buckeyes in Columbus and certainly would not play all 3 in the regular season. And it would on occasion play one of the 3 in Eugene. I expect if it was just Oregon and UW being added that Oregon would play UW, SC, and UCLA every season. Go to a six-team pod model (Nebraska and Iowa) and travel would not be all that bad. Especially if the pods were 'weighted' for non-revenue sports. Clemson id in a long-term terrible media deal and along with FSU will be off to the SEC ASAP. I think the Ducks would start out closer to 45M to 50M a season with all games through a six-year period beginning in 2024, on linear TV (FOX, CBS, NBC, and the B1G Network) and great coverage as a member of the B1G Network.

Happy to see the SEC going to 9 conference games. Think it is weak for the ACC to stay at 8 conference games. I guess that A+M, Texas, and Oklahoma are permanent opponents? Thanks David.

What's the SEC's bottom line? 8 or 9 conference games? And the permanent opponents? I thought this matter was still under discussion in the SEC.

As I noted above I believe travel could be much reduced by using a pod system. A possible benefit of going with the B1G now is not being the beta site for a streaming entity. Although streaming could turn out to be positive and profitable.

These GIFS are killing me! Laugh out loud funny including the prior ball buster.

The B1G has 3 football programs, Michigan, Ohio State, and Penn State that are competitive every season. The B1G is ridiculously overrated in basketball. I think Oregon in both football and basketball (especially once 25-year-olds are no longer eligible) would be very competitive in the B1G. I think Division Street gives Oregon a better NIL program than almost every B1G team. And I also think the money would be there to keep Lanning on board and to hire a quality replacement for Altman when the time comes. And to date, I'm not worried about Lanning's ability to recruit against the LA schools. Especially so if the Ducks end up in the B1G. The B1G question for me is how much of a media revenue haircut would Oregon have to take compared to SC and UCLA? Nebraska joined the B1G at a lesser revenue share as did Rutgers and Maryland. I see the Power 2 each ending up with 20 to 24 teams and at least being a de facto Super Conference.

I do not disagree BUT 'We need the dues.'

This could be one reason the Pac-10 media deal is dragging on. What does GK come up with thus setting the floor price for the addition of Oregon and UW? Look at the eyeballs actually watching football games and not the media market (as you have so accurately done Charles) then pencil in the additional travel costs and I think Oregon should get not less than $40 to $50M with a guaranteed year-by-year ramp-up. I also think that with 18 members it would behoove the B1G to go to three, six-team permanent football opponents and double the number of games for non-revenue sports pods This would really help control travel costs. West - Oregon, UW, Nebraska, Iowa, SC, and UCLA. But the money decision will be made by FOX and not the B1G. Not certain who would bring a suit but the B1G presidents could also be concerned in regards to an anti-trust suit. If this does happen then I imagine that AZ, ASU, CU, and Utah would be off to the B12 but again, how much additional B12 money will ESPN/FOX be willing to spend?

Jordan drops back, kicks and that's the ball game folks.

Let the NIL bidding begin.

Forbes does a combined ranking every year of all colleges and universities, public and private in the USA every year. Proud to say my alma mater, Bowdoin College, finished #14 last year. When I attended I did very little to lift the school's academic excellence. I did lift many the cup from a keg. I believe the 1st president of Georgia was a graduate of Yale and brought with him the Bulldogs as the school's mascot. The name UGA for the mascot is perfect. (Please correct me if I am in error.)

2nd time ever in Tourney history that 2 'little guys' play one another in the Final 4. Play SDSU and you best be ready for a brawl game.

Great take about it being far easier to field a strong basketball team than a strong football team. As to education? I'm not certain about Alabama but I believe that Georgia is ranked higher academically than Gonzaga. Last night evidenced why Gonzaga players, including Drew Timme, stick around and excel in the WCCC. UConn was far deeper and far more athletic than Gonzaga, IMO, UCLA with the 2 important players it was missing would have defeated the Zags by at least 7 to 10 points. Gonzaga in most years would be a middle-of-the-pack team in the Big East. And if the Zags do go to the B12 it will not be pretty on the basketball court. As to NIL? One reason Miami is playing Texas today is because of the kid Canes' booster Ruiz bought in from K State.

IMO, the Pac-10 should be on its knees hoping SDS says 'YES" to the Pac and not to the B12. As to the Aztec's success in football and basketball, the coach is spot on. I want to hear no beefing about academics from CAL and Stanford especially. 2 schools that can no longer compare to SDS on the field and on the court.

Great take. After last night in Las Vegas, I think Coach Few has gone into hibernation for the rest of the winter. There is a Power 2 financially. But a Power 1 when it comes to football and that is clearly the SEC. And I more than agree that the SEC has performed better than the B1G in the Tournament. The B1G has big money based mostly upon a huge number of living graduates and its teams benefit financially from being located in the eastern and central time zones. The B1G has 3 teams that play very good to excellent football and the conference year after year is vastly overrated basketball. This season, I have generally seen the best CBB being played in the Big East. Last night's win by FAU, the UConn beat down of Gonzaga and the other teams it has played in the tourney, as well as the play of San Diego State and Creighton, show how often wrong the AP top 25 basketball poll is and how erroneous is any number of seeds the Committee comes up with. For the most part, the football playoff (BCS x 2) Committee has gotten it right. Future SEC member Texas could defeat Miami today and win the whole darn thing.

Great post, thank you. You never know the hour or the day. As a 76-year-old I read Jon's tribute to his baseball coach with great interest. I wish I had reached out to any number of my coaches before they passed. Not surprisingly all of the fine men who helped develop me as an athlete and a person are gone. If you have coaches that helped you who are still walking on this mortal coil do reach out. I did chide Jon for earlier referencing Arizona president Robin Robert's interview with Dennis Dodd which Jon opined was approved by the conference. I expressed my opinion that the interview was scatological, and went out of its way to credit the B12 for jumping ahead of the Pac-10 with its media deal. I also called out Roberts for the off-the-cuff and off-the-wall namedrop of Oregon having been invited to the B1G. Totally inaccurate information. Jon's reply to me: University presidents often go out-of-bounds when in front of a microphone or when giving an interview that involves athletics. In regards to FOX being in the new conference media deal mix? I trust Jon's and John Canzano's sources and not the Denni Dodd-like rumor mill. Thanks, again for the post.

With the Elite 8 games being played today and tomorrow only two Power 5 conferences have the opportunity to make the Final 4, the B12 and the ACC. Texas vs Miami in the Elite 8 game means that a B12 or ACC team will head to Houston for the Final 4. Kansas State will be in the Final 4 if it defeats FAU. Although having seeds galore, no Power 2 team from the SEC and the B1G made the Elite 8. And no number-one seed will play in the Final 4. The B1G has not won an NCAA basketball title since the year 2000. Pathetic when considering the number of teams the B1G sends to the Tournament season after season. $8.2M a year Kentucky coach John Calipari has rarely parlayed his always highly-rated roster into championships. Last evening 5 seed San Diego State (hopefully a soon-to-be Pac conference member) started 4 seniors and 1 junior in its victory over overall number 1 seed Alabama. Darren Perkins delivered a terrific article this week on the need for Oregon's NIL arm, Division Street, to step in with NIL money for the basketball program. However, many of the teams that recruit and depend upon 'one and done ' players straight out of high school do not have the chemistry to succeed come Tournament time. I imagine Coach Dana Altman is paying attention. I hope so. Players like four-year guard Pritchard, now with the Celtics, are solid gold come Tournament time. Meanwhile, expect the SEC and B1G to continue to be overrated season after season.

Et tu Mandel? Stewart is closing in on Dennis Dodd's territory. With its refusal to play on Sunday and Utah in the Salt Lake City market, BYU does not make sense for the Pac-10.

It's off-season so let the nonsense flow. I thought a guy like Stewart Mandel knew better. He is moving toward Dennis Dodd territory.

No number 1 seeds in the Final 4. No Power 2 teams in the Elite 8. 2 P5 teams at most in the Final 4. San Diego State starting 5. 4 seniors and a junior.