Law, is that you?
The playoff appearance is that acceptable ROI for many SEC/B1G donors funding their NIL collectives
Making the playoff is all they need to justify giving their $$$ away so of course, they are going to dangle that carrot in front of the P2 Conferences with the biggest brands and most fans
Ans still, there are people on this board that think the P2 is a made up term…lol
1 Like
As NIL evens some things out, no I don’t honestly believe the top four in the SEC and/or the Big10 automatically deserve spots in a sixteen team playoff. Come on. The propaganda is good, I’ll admit but corrupt rankings starting pre-preseason aren’t a validation.
Part of the reason I believe that Saban is pushing so hard for “a return” to how things used to be is that there is a small window for teams like Alabama that do not have the funding to go toe to toe with Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and any other schools with alums that can spend millions a year to get players through the portal and NIL. I say a small window because teams like Alabama, Miss State, etc… are showing cracks. Being in the SEC helps but it won’t forever. Too many classes where they get outbid, repeatedly by teams like Miami and Texas Tech and they are no longer “Alabama”, they are just another “good” team in the south east.
3 Likes
This is exactly why a school like Houston can zoom up to the top 20% in football and basketball.
We are already there in Basketball and we have he rich donors + large market to do it in Football
6 Likes
The centimillionaire & billionaire alumni & fans at places like UT, ATM & Texas Tech are going to keep making huge “NIL” contributions to pay their players over and above the agreed upon ~$20 million base-line “player compensation” allowed under the pending court ruling.
This will not change anything as their pride & egos along with their huge disposable funds will just keep on keeping on. It’s a well established track record going back 50+ years.
1 Like
What is different now is the teams that were able to shield their under the table/bag man systems through connections or politics no longer have the edge they once had. It opens the door for many others.
2 Likes
If by “many” others, you mean that there are many other colleges which have centimillionaire & billionaire alumni & fans that are willing to contribute tens of millions of dollars annually to their college’s athletics program…then I would agree.
It’s just that I’m not so sure of how many such folks there are out there. I just don’t see the alumni & fans from places like Harvard or Princeton or Stanford or Rice doing that.
1 Like
Bingo. The so called blue bloods, osu, michigan, georgia, USC, ucla, bama, miami, uta, atm, ole miss, Tennessee etc have all done it since college sports became popular. The notion of an amateur athlete never existed but for the Olympic sports. Well even T&F has been about payments under the table.
uta is a prime example for it. We have been told about the so called “allure” to play for uta. If this was true then why is uta’s nil pot so massive? NIL made under the table payments legal.
Indeed if a g5 $Billionaire alumni donor decided to buy all the best players he could.
1 Like
Do Big 12/ACC have any cards to play here? From what I’ve read SEC/B1G have all the power to decide format of the next playoffs.
It’s a zero sum game. By giving in to any ACC/Big 12 demands without getting something equally important in return, SEC/B1G would appear weak and would he giving up a huge advantage for nothing.
Big 12/ACC can complain all they want, I just don’t see how SEC/B1G can give in to B12/ACC demands without appearing weak and losing a lot of face. In fact giving in would be a huge blow to prestige and power or SEC/B1G, and an equally huge boost to ACC/B12 power and prestige. It could even put B12/ACC at the same power level as the SEC/B1G.
I think the best possibility here is that B12/ACC accept 2 autobids but then demand a set, clearly laid out criteria when the B12 and/or ACC would he guaranteed a 3rd spot, and even a 4th spot even if they meant SEC and/or B1G have to give up their 4th guaranteed spot!
1 Like
Cards to play?
Most of the BIG12, acc and G5 schools have spent $B’s to stay relevant for FBS Div I status. Repay all these costs for all of the schools. This will equal to $B’s. We are a great example of it. We spent a ton to build:
New football
Renovated Hofheinz now Fertitta Center
new baseball facilities
Without these improvements we would have never landed in the BIG12.
The same can be said for UCF, Cinci and many others. Are the big10 and sec willing to pay for that?
The sec and big10 want to secede/create their own league?
A class action lawsuit will follow. You can be sure of it.
The big10 and sec have no leg to stand on to demand four versus two for the BIG12 and acc.
This is the time to stand firm and make it crystal clear to them. Enough is enough.
1 Like
All conferences agreed to give SEC/B1G the right to decide structure of the next playoffs. I am not sure your point is valid.
Also just because schools invested billions doesn’t mean they deserve playoff access. There was no agreement to that effect.
Thanks to support from ESPN, SEC/B1G have so much power.
1 Like
It is not the point. $B’s were invested to keep playing in FBS Div I football. The sec and big10 want to leave? Pay up NOW.
Compromise? Not at that ransom price.
…and where does this end? Absolutely not.
The big12 , Acc and ND do have power bc they have to sign off on a format.
There is also political pressure from Cody , the Texas tech guy who is connected along with congressman who gave the sec backlash saying “you want nil help but want 4 bids , greed”. The political climate has turned against the sec and big doing whatever they want. So I think they cave bc the alternative is not getting 4 auto bids. All they have to do is agree and they get their 4 and us our 3. The Acc, ND and big12 along with others called them out bc their secret is to grab the 4 , give us 2 then they grab all at large spots making it a 5 to 2 end result which is unacceptable. It’s unacceptable bc with nil smu or tech or any other can become a power over the traditional powers and it’s why the sec and big want to stack things in their favor to reduce the nil effects.
Bb is an ex. This yr the sec had a ton of at large bids vs yrs ago when they had 3 so things change so we can’t let them stack the deck against us.
Basically the sec is getting what they want plus they want more secretly in those at large spots and we caught them.
I think they back down bc right now, if they accept a 4, 3, they get 4 and if they whine then they risk losing the 4 auto spots.
The difference now is public opinion is against them and they feel the heat. Saban basically back down bc of Cody who is connected politically.
I think we win this time which is why the Acc and big 12 fought bc they know the tide has turned.
Like Chris said lawsuits would happen if a breakaway attempt is made.
1 Like
Exactly. Anybody agreeing to a four, four, two, two format wants the p2 to break away? Why because agreeing to this validates that the p2 is it and everone else is scum. It paves the way for them to break up,
Doesn’t matter. For every Fertita and Cody that UH and TT have, Texas, Bama, Michigan, USC, tOSU, etc have multiple wealthy boosters and donors. Just look at Okie State, they had Boone Pickens in their corner and still didn’t have the power to change anything or get any advantage.
Any attempt to remake college football which results in these schools having to make sacrifices will put their alumni and boosters into overdrive to protect their interests.
SEC/B1G didn’t get all the Crown Jewels of CFB under their umbrella to then turn around and treat B12 and ACC as equals.
ACC/B12 have a much harder fight on their hands than you may think. SEC/B1G/ESPN will demand and get their pound of flash and gallon of blood in return for any concessions they make toward B12/ACC.
I am not sure what the lawsuit will be on, if there is a breakaway. What if SEC/B1G don’t breakaway but form a scheduling agreement where they only play each other in nonconference games?
I just read that Louisville offered nonconference games to 2 SEC schools, both said no thanks. The SEC/B1G don’t even have to make it official. Their individual schools can adopt a policy of only scheduling B1G/SEC and G6 schools for noncon games, what do B12 and ACC do then?
With the big12 at 9 conference games and the sec prob going to 9 , whether we play each other matters less bc the playoffs will resolve it. The big 12 and Acc could play non conf games against each other if needed but it’s not needed if a 16 team playoff happens.
The lawsuit would be antitrust collusion to the harm of others or other and lawyers will find a way to make a breakaway not happen.
The nil happened bc of lawsuits and the sec and nick saban want antitrust immunity bc they know it’s there as a threat to them if they did decide on a breakaway.
Congress could even declare athletes employees and then even tax athletic depts if push came to shove. Greg S , the sec , commish specifically stated lawsuits as a threat when asked about a breakaway.
1 Like
Is the big10 and sec = MAFIA?
That is exactly it. You miss one crucial point. Most of these schools are public schools.
The fans uproar will be unprecedented if they want to break away. You can about one lawsuit? There will be more lawsuits than any law firm can dream off.
That’s my point. SEC/B1G don’t have to do anything that leaves them open to legal jeopardy, and yet they can do many things that will hurt the Big 12 and ACC.
Suppose the SEC/B1G, enforce a 4-4-2-2-1-3 playoff. What argument will the ACC/B12 make to prevent that?
“Your honor we know we gave SEC/B1G the power to set the structure of the next playoff, but because they’re doing something we don’t like we would like it blocked?”
Don’t get me wrong, I am not in anyway opposed to the SEC/B1G being blocked, based on my years experience as a management consultant, the legal situation is rarely as clean, cut, and dried as people usually think. It took me a while to accept that lawyers can make the most convoluted arguments. And shockingly I have personally experienced situations where we went in thinking there is no way we lose this, only to be blindsided by opposing counsels arguments and losing the case.
How can they enfore a four-four-two-two cfp if the BIG12 and acc are againt it?
How?
By force? Of course not.
Again how?
By the way the Fletch movies were pretty good.
1 Like
Unless the B12/ACC can show that they agreed under duress to sign over power to SEC/B1G to decode the next playoff format, I dont think B12/ACC have any legal case to block any playoff format the SEC/B1G produce.
It’s not valid to say you agreed to something but would now oppose the outcome of that agreement because you don’t like the outcome. Unless you can show that you agreed in the first place because you were under duress. That’s why any contract you may sign when you have a gun pointed at your head, has no legal standing.
1 Like