Speaking of the Mountain West....
I think the last part of that tweet touches on something that could be beneficial to the Sun Belt throughout all of this.
We have been in this place for 40 years. Failure to leverage back to back national championships and go on a quick decline until Fran 1.0 was hired showed that the previous administration could care less about football. Trauth does not care about it and the fan base has done nothing to demand anything different than what we have been getting. Students keep paying to subsidize an inferior product while saying nothing about it. So here we are.It’s embarrassing that we’ve put ourselves in a place where the thought of being mentioned as a replacement for the Big 12 is laughable.
I still think Tech and OSU bolt leaving the others to scramble elsewhere and the Big 12 to crumble away. Even if the Big 12 somehow miraculously survives, it will be seen as somewhere between the G5 and P5 (4?).
This is 100% correct.I 100% believe that TXST could have been as good as App St over the years and CCU last year and still be a Big XII longshot.
Coincidentally I ran across this article just 15 min after I posted that. Which suggests ESPN is controlling this whole thing basically:I think the last part of that tweet touches on something that could be beneficial to the Sun Belt throughout all of this.
ESPN probably has more influence over realignment and college football in general than anyone realizes, or at least cares to acknowledge.
ESPN has the rights to SBC and AAC games. The SBC and ESPN just reached an extension that will see a 50% increase of games on the linear Disney channels (ABC/ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU) with at least 40% of those games being on Saturdays. The financials of that deal haven't been released but I can't help but wonder if the timing of that extension is coincidental with this realignment news or not.
I think the ESPN-affiliated leagues may have a leg up on the leagues mostly affiliated with other media companies. ESPN may do what they can to make realignment more of a success for their leagues.
Then why is ESPN expanding their coverage of the SBC?Coincidentally I ran across this article just 15 min after I posted that. Which suggests ESPN is controlling this whole thing basically:
Big 12 on the brink: Texas’ cash grab, the Pac-12’s next move, the CFP’s future and ESPN’s master plan
It has been four days since the thunderous news from the Southern Plains. Texas and Oklahoma appear SEC-bound sooner rather than later; the Big 12 churns toward liquefaction; and the Pac-12 is open…www-mercurynews-com.cdn.ampproject.org
I don't understand your question.Then why is ESPN expanding their coverage of the SBC?
thats one school that never should have been born in the 1st place. period.UTSA will always have an advantage over TXST thanks to "marketz".
My personal thoughts on a potential “new normal”post the creation of super conference(s) and why the 2026 game will likely be cancelled.Not sure they have to make any changes to their out-of-conference schedules other than replacing previously scheduled SEC games.
Big 12 plays a 9-game conference schedule and SEC plays 8, so if anything they'll be looking to add more games. I wonder if UT will start playing FCS teams again, they quit after the last round of realignment but FCS games are a staple of most SEC teams' schedules.
You answered my question, thanks. However this does not support the theory that Disney and ESPN is working towards cornering the big boys in college football without regard for everybody else.I don't understand your question.
SBC churned out a good season last year from a viewership standpoint by all accounts, ESPN decided to extend the contract and add more linear games.
Think w/ 16 teams, it has to be 9. If they go 4x4 pods, that's 3 vs your pod, 2 vs each other pod, which gives you a H/H w/ everyone in the conference every 4yrs. That's what I've seen referenced the most.Big 12 plays a 9-game conference schedule and SEC plays 8
Maybe they see us as the SEC Lite (SBC: the Diet SEC?)? We have a similar footprint and the SBC does play decent football. Maybe that footprint watches the most college football? I dunno, I’m just grabbing at anything here.You answered my question, thanks. However this does not support the theory that Disney and ESPN is working towards cornering the big boys in college football without regard for everybody else.
So true and so sad. They were no basically a community college when I was at SWT but they just added water (and a good coach and AD) and developed a program where there was none before- as did Ga State, USA, Coastal, FIU, Florida Atlantic, UCF- all with greater success in the short time they’ve been in business.Your comment is soooo Bobcat. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve got no love for UTSA. But let’s be honest . . . all we do where they’re concerned is talk shite. We arrogantly act like we’re sooo superior to that program. Yet, in the time that they’ve existed, all they’ve done is lapped us, like 2 or 3 times.
They have more wins than us.
They have more bowl appearances than us.
and in head to head competition, we’re 0 fer against them.
”On your left…” “BEEP .. BEEP.”