Conference Realignment: When Do They Ask the FANS What THEY Want?

[Charles Fischer]

Through all of these decisions about changing conferences...the fans of the schools involved are never asked.  We are told..."this is about money, so...."

 

 

A FishDuck photographer moved to Oklahoma nearly a year ago, and he told me that he has not met a single Sooner fan who wanted to leave the Big-12.  Not one!  He shoots pics for Oklahoma often, and thus is in contact with tons of their fans between work and socially since he lives close to Norman.

 

A former FishDuck writer told me, as another major Oregon told me...who both have TONS of UCLA fans as friends in SoCal, that NONE of them wanted to leave the Pac-12.  In fact a big USC fan I know has told me the same thing!  Now I know that many Trojan fans in the forums have rejoiced at the move, but tons of other USC fans are not happy with it.

 

I would bet that a HUGE majority of the fans at the schools impacted by conference realignment would be against it.  But who are they?  

 

Just the ones paying the freight

for the whole damn thing!

 

 

[Charles Fischer]

To repeat what is buried in another thread....."Which conference would you want to join?  The B1G or the Big-12?"

 

[Duckhart]

Doesn't really matter to me big 10 or 12. 

My wish is that the Pac can continue on, much like The Big 12 has once they lost TX&OK by expansion. 

 

[David Marsh]

On 7/29/2023 at 11:46 AM, Charles Fischer said:

To repeat what is buried in another thread....."Which conference would you want to join?  The B1G or the Big-12?"

 

B1G because the big-12 is boarderline irrelevant. And I don't even care about any of the teams there. Sure an occasional OOC game would be fun ... But not a conference load. 

 

I'll take Oregon v WSU over Oregon v anything Big-12 on a seasonal basis. 

 

But I'd rather choose PAC. 

 

So gun to my head... B1G.

[Duckhart]

Oregon versus Baylor, OSU, TCU & BYU wouldn't be so bad....Schools and Stadiums are closer in size to b12 versus b10.

I woke the midwest for years and Mich/OSU/WIS look at Oregon like we do Boise State.

[The Kamikaze Kid]

To me the elephant question in the room is why not just make a national football specific league set up. Couldn't the main schools in play and the media companies just come up with divisions set up by geography like pro leagues. With a systematic view instead of the helter skelter patch work we have now, it seems everybody would come out better financially and conferences could stay intact as they've been for all other sports.

 

If football is the driving force to all this over the top realignment it seems to me it would be best to separate it from traditional college sports.Local rivalries are the lifeblood of college football. How amped up are SUC fans going to get for the annual battles with Minnesota and Iowa? Will UCLA vs Northwestern or Purdue even move the needle for TV ratings? A Western Division of a National College Football league would keep traditional match ups intact while receiving a good revenue share of a national league. 

 

I'm so tired of wading through all of these survival scenarios that none of which sound like an ideal ending.

[Mike West]

Seems to me the fans in the PAC12 chose this path long ago.  USC bolstered themselves leaving this conference in my opinion.

 

If PAC12 fans filled stadiums and watched games every season, would DirectTV have ignored us?

 

Avid fans don't like the moves made recently, but they clearly aren't enough.  It's a simple fact that the West Coast prefers the NFL, not college football (and even that is sketchy).

 

I'm also curious why OU fans don't like the move to the SEC (no longer the big fish in a small pond?) 

 

One last thing;. I don't think USC is going to have problems recruiting like we will moving forward. As long as we're a PAC12 property, we are going to see elite players forsake us.  We no longer have a national stage- or in this age the kind of national presence kids want to have.

 

And players really don't care what PAC12 fans have to say about it.  

 

[Charles Fischer]

On 7/29/2023 at 12:36 PM, Mike West said:

As long as we're a PAC12 property, we are going to see elite players forsake us.  We no longer have a national stage- or in this age the kind of national presence kids want to have.

I disagree.  Lanning is putting together the most talent-laden Oregon team ever, and if we make the Playoffs?  The league we are in does not matter.  (As mighty USC was back-in-the-day, or Clemson in a weak ACC years ago)

 

Our brand is big, and will remain so as long as we keep winning.  Oregon will be fine.

 

[DanLduck]

I honestly think this is a relevant question. College ball has always been more regional. I don't think it survives being forced to being national.

 

The forced emphasis on a national championship has totally ruined a team having a good season and ending in a fun bowl game, for players and for fans.

 

Attendance is still important for schools athletic budget, and it's been on a steady decline now for years, across all teams and conferences. 

 

With rising costs, families and fans have to be more discretionary with their spending. I think that this $$$ driven realignment push will alienate fans.

Especially when coupled with NIL and transfer craziness. 

 

I want to stay put, remain Pac12. 

 

If college football becomes NFL lite, I think it hurts fans. I think it would be wise for those deciding to acknowledge that. 

The NBA has suffered greatly in viewership due to fans unhappiness. The same could happen to CFB if fans were riled enough.

 

IE: watching our Ducks play the marquis teams of B1G would get alot of eyes, but against the likes of Rutgers, Indiana, etc, not so much.

 

I want the joy of facing my CAL friends after a beat down, or boldly grinning at my WSU supporting brother after we spank them. And I really get excited at the thought of Lanning starting another 12-0 run against the Dawgs!

 Beating Baylor leaves me, meh.

 

Come on George K, deliver the goods.

Healthy $$ media contract, add SDSU and maybe others and let's go kick some Big12 butt!

[Washington Waddler]

On 7/29/2023 at 12:14 PM, The Kamikaze Kid said:

To me the elephant question in the room is why not just make a national football specific league set up. Couldn't the main schools in play and the media companies just come up with divisions set up by geography like pro leagues.

          Because the common goal between them (to make $$) falls apart once geographic priorities come into play:  college demands all reference back to where they are; an unchangeable situation. Sports media demands are area-oriented, and based upon dense markets (lots of colleges) and continuous viewing eyes unaffected by beddy-bye time zone issues.
 

     Even with a national conference, that sports media-driven sliding-scale cost analysis problem doesn’t go away:  the west is always going to get less, and the rest of the country more.

 

     At one time, it didn’t matter. When national broadcast tv ran the show there weren’t any contractual negotiations between them and colleges because sports represented but one slice of there financial pie. ABC, etc did what they wanted, picked the games they wanted, because their bottom line wasn’t dependent upon them.

 

     Enter sports exclusive cable/satellite companies and all that changes: we stop being a national viewing audience and become regional, based upon the financial realities of sports media. They may offer a lot, but beware of what you become addicted to; I can’t remember the last time I watched ESPN, and as little of Fox as I can get away with.

 

     I get the feeling that people out here are slowly waking up to this. I don’t think forced immigrant sports fans will be any happier than the real ones: always dreaming of the homeland, or their bygone regional conference.

 

     Interestingly, there is a past cable tv model that offers a possible solution to this. It’s called community access tv. Similar to the Fed in the 1970’s requiring cable stations to offer a local viewing option (irregardless of cost) if they wanted a license, enough area sports fans coming together to demand equal treatment to any other area in the country could  force the Fed to revisit the licensing requirements for sports media, thereby undermining their CFB conference contract cycle.

 

     Pie in the sky? Probably. In a capital-driven society like ours (which I prefer), it’s very hard to create level playing fields. Nevertheless, pursuit of a national model is a worthy cause to try and keep our regional identity.

Edited July 30, 2023 by Washington Waddler
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[OregonDucks]

The UCLA fans/alumni that I know are not happy about the move but are also aware how much their AD needs the money.  
 

The USC alumni that I know seem to be thrilled about the move and do not mind that they stabbed their former conference mates in the back.  

[crazyjeff]

Sometimes I feel like we are headed towards two major conferences: the ESPN conference and the FOX conference. I think much of the realignment we have seen over the past few years has been encouraged by the media.

[Cacker Guy]

On 7/29/2023 at 1:00 PM, DanLduck said:

The forced emphasis on a national championship has totally ruined a team having a good season and ending in a fun bowl game, for players and for fans.

Yes!!!  I wish we could go back, but I doubt we can.

 

On 7/29/2023 at 1:00 PM, DanLduck said:

College ball has always been more regional.

 

The traditions and the rivalries are great.  For sports other than football as well.  Plus travel time and costs are lower, which helps athletic departments and "student-athletes." 

[Mike West]

On 7/29/2023 at 12:44 PM, Charles Fischer said:

I disagree.  Lanning is putting together the most talent-laden Oregon team ever, and if we make the Playoffs?  The league we are in does not matter.  (As mighty USC was back-in-the-day, or Clemson in a weak ACC years ago)

 

Our brand is big, and will remain so as long as we keep winning.  Oregon will be fine.

 

 

I really doubt the SEC and Big Ten are going to watch this conference disintegrate and give it an automatic bid in the playoffs for very long.  When MWC teams defeat us on a regular basis, that means its curtains.  That is coming my friend.  USC leaving put us on thin ice.  Who will watch any of us outside of Oregon-UW, Oregon-Utah, Utah-UW?  The Ohio State-Michigan game draws three Oregon-UW games on TV.  Three of our best matchup.  

 

Kids change schools on a dime.  They want to play now.  Elite kids want as large a TV audience they can attract.  From a business standpoint, Oregon is education and NIL deal strong.  That Georgia loss last year didn't scare off this class, but if the TV exposure diminishes, and every if playoff is a repeat of last September, do you really think five star kids are going to consider the fine education, excellent NIL deals and a family atmosphere attractive?

 

I am quite certain we missed out on three five star studs this year because of this debacle.  Close isn't good enough.  USC is going to draw more eyeballs next year than they would staying in our conference.  They already surpassed us this year in recruiting, and its only summer.  We are 3 time zones from the hotbed of talent in this country.  Lanning is good, but my brother, a soiled conference, diminishing eyeballs, and no Nattys speak louder than "we'll make it to the playoffs".  

 

We have one shot.  An undefeated, butt whupping, eye opening undefeated season this year.  At least one win in the playoffs, and hopefully a Natty.  That will keep them interested.  Because I totally believe the PAC12 is done as an elite conference.  Nobody wants to say it, but it is as clear as day the rest of the country no longer respects the PAC12.  

 

That is a huge obstacle to overcome.  I don't like being negative, but I've felt this way since I found out USC and the Presidents turned ESPN down.  

[Charles Fischer]

On 7/29/2023 at 6:43 PM, Mike West said:

When MWC teams defeat us on a regular basis, that means its curtains.  That is coming my friend.  USC leaving put us on thin ice. 

Oh my....we should just give up now. 

 

Oregon....

[Charles Fischer]

On 7/29/2023 at 6:43 PM, Mike West said:

I am quite certain we missed out on three five star studs this year because of this debacle. 

We have 20, that is twenty....that is TWENTY verbals and it is not even August 1st!  We are ranked No. 6 in the nation for our recruiting class on Rivals, and we will finish in the top ten, my friend. 

 

The window on the remaining scholarships is tight, and when Oregon has the season that I believe we will?  The conference won't matter, because we're OREGON.

 

You'll see.

[Nevada Dawg]

Yesterday, the host of the Dawgnation Daily podcast raised the specter of continuing an automatic playoff spot for PAC with but 9 teams, arguing against  it. Now Dawgnation doesn't have the strict  rules of civility that FishDuck Forum does, so I challenged him calling him everything but a Dolt. Then I asked  him if a (9-2 or 10-1) Independent like Notre Dame deserves a bid. Now this is a podcast, but he  will think about it, and knowing his chain of logic, will conclude "hell yes" and justify it because it is Notre Dame.  So that makes more  sense than including a 10-1 or 9-2 PAC champion?

 

I'm basically siding with Mr.Fishduck here but a little more broadly. A very good 9-2 or 10-1 Pac champion still deserves an automatic berth  at the 12 team playoff table IMHO, whether it is Oregon, Stanford, Arizona or whomever!

[OceaniaDuck]

In an ideal world, the PAC continues on, Oregon stays put and USC/UCLA are convinced to come back home (with penalty fees for backing out of B1G agreement paid for by the conference). The PAC gets a media deal that everyone can live with for the time being and we're all one big happy family again (minus Colorado unfortunately).

 

Down the road, the PAC adds SDSU and the conference will be thriving moving forward.

 

Back to reality - Oregon stays put, and GK needs to hire someone with relevant experience help him close the PAC-12 media deal asap before other teams start to leave the conference. If Colorado can go back to its original home, I'm sure the same can happen in USC/UCLA's case if they find out they weren't a good fit in the B1G after all.

 

I want to see the PAC survive and USC/UCLA come back even though the conference would have to pay any penalty fees and negotiate uneven revenue distributions among its members.

 

Worst case scenario - Oregon needs to ramp up talks with the B1G to let them in.