No so fast: Lee Corso dishes on new UH coach and how mascot tradition got

Cougar Football
1

CM: The University of Houston’s campaign to join the Big 12 Conference was rejected. Will the school be able to eventually get into one of the Power Five conferences?

LS: No and the reason is, there’s a limit to how many teams they can take because they split the money television-wise and don’t want anyone else to go in. But the University of Houston is in good shape where they are now in the American Athletic (Conference).

CM: What are your thoughts on the new head coaches both at the University of Houston (Major Applewhite) and at the University of Texas (Tom Herman)?

LS: Texas is one of the five best coaching jobs in America and Hermann is going to be terrific. He’s proven it here in Houston. With Applewhite, Houston was smart. They got stability and there’s no question that’s going to help them.

Both of these guys will be successful. I don’t think Houston will be quite as good without (quarterback Greg) Ward. Man, he was something. But (Kyle) Allen from Texas A&M should be a good player and (defensive tackle Ed) Oliver is one of the best defensive players in America. There’s no question about it.

3 Likes
2

Can’t help but agree with everything he said…The reality is that we probably will never be a P5 school, but at my age I will just do what I can to support the program by going to as many games as I can…Go Coogs…

2 Likes
3

If the only reason why they won’t let us in is because they don’t want to share the money than the playoffs system needs to change. That reason alone nullifies the power 5 name. It’s got nothing to do with academics, student body size, or anything that clearly marks as a distinction between two football teams ability to win.

I agree. They don’t want to share their money. But that doesn’t mean we and other schools don’t deserve the same

3 Likes
4

That is why we should all refuse to call them that. I tend to refer to them as Money 5 or put power in quotes when writing.
Money is better though as it automatically get the point across to those not indoctrinated .

1 Like
5

Every time I read about the P5 and how they do not want to share the money, etc. I ask one question, Who is paying?

ESPN/FOX/CBS/etc. are paid from two sources.
-From Comcast, Direct TV, Dish, etc.
-From Advertisers
Oh, and their parent companies sell shares on the stock market.Thus Disney is not happy with the losses that ESPN is having. To bad.

Cord cutting is hurting the ESPN/FOX/CBS, etc. with the new political network, ESPN being hurt the most. Sports and politics do not mix and has rightly cost them big bucks. I still have till February to completely cut Direct TV but I have already cut most of ESPN, ESPN2, CBSS, FOX, etc.
Why? I have no desire to watch P5 teams play unless they involve UH.

So this brings us to the second source of revenue, advertising.
P5 in FB and P5+BE in BB are packaged and marketed to the advertisers. Billions of dollars (in today’s money) over many decades has been spent developing these P5 Brands and the highest ratings are given to the marquee games involving the best brands.

You have in P5 FB and P5+BE BB the apparel manufacturers spending hundreds of millions to the elite programs to wear their logo. Then you have UPS, Coca-cola, GM, Ford, GEICO, Allstate, State Farm, etc. who pay top dollar to have ads on the P5 FB games. The G5 games command a smaller audience and are packaged as a second or third tier to be sold to advertisers for way less than the P5 ads. Then you have a NIKE, Under Armour, Adidas who give uniforms and pay the P5 teams to wear them while G5 teams must pay for their uniforms.

So is ESPN, FOX, CBS, etc. who together along with the apparel mfgs.,created the P5 in FB and the P5+BE in BB going to ad teams that need developing their brand or reduce like creating a Super 4 in FB?

It is not just about the greed of the P5 teams, It is about the greed and maximizing advertising profits by the media and maximizing advertising audiences by the advertisers.

6

If UH manages to show up in two more NY6 bowl games in the next 4 years it will cement our reputation as a national power. That will do more to enhance our position than any other single factor.

7

They?? Who is THEY? It is clear from Corso’s comments he meant Big 12…Texas and OU are going to bail in 5 or 6 years…They are NOT renewing the GOR…Where do they go? Likely the BIG because thats where the money is…When BIG expands, PAC 12 is going to react…And we have made certain, through years of meetings and talks that when PAC expands, our school will be a top target…It isnt happening now, it isnt happening 2 years from now, but it WILL happen in 5 or 6 years…

8

I don’t understand the ‘split the money television-wise’ line - The B12 members weren’t going to split their individual take with the new members, ESPN and Fox would have had to pay the new members the same amount they were paying existing members. The B12 members wouldn’t have lost money, in fact, they may have made money charging an entry fee for new members their first few years. It was ESPN and Fox who were most opposed to expansion and who knows what deal they made with the conference in that regard.

I think the only way to break this system is through lawsuits. I had heard Utah was threatening to sue and got invited to the P12 because of it…maybe that was a hearsay but probably our only recourse, especially now that ESPN is pushing the G5 championship. Crock of sh…

Sue for the PUF while we’re at it!

9

Utah had Senator Orrin Hatch in the Senate who started making threats of a Senate investigation in regards to Utah being left out of the BCS after going undefeated. Shortly after, Utah was added, the BCS bowls added a G5 exception, and Hatch dropped his threats. We currently don’t have anyone with that type of power to make that type of threat, not that it matters as the new NY6 bowl/playoff system was voted on and “approved” by all conferences.