Good discussion.

I read somewhere the other day an analysis of the SEC exiting process--(or lack of). However, I don't remember the source. Of course that has been something never subjected to formal testing during recent times (Tulane and GT exited decades ago). A common view out there is that the SEC is so strong, why would any school in their right mind, even consider leaving? Thus, no need for any GoR.
But what the message implied, paraphrasing here immensely, is that leaving the SEC would not be so simple and cost free. If I have this thought correctly, each school in the SEC is tied into all the conference's media deals. This means it is not just the conference "as a whole" signed to each media deal, but rather each and every school in the conference have signatures to all broadcasting and other media agreements which could go as far as bowl tie-ins; and such agreements are multiple, meaning beyond one source, and the expiration dates for each are not uniform. So, while some other conferences have deals struck by the conferences' offices as representatives for their membership, the SEC logs each and every member directly and concurringly into their agreements. So if an SEC conference member breaches any or all agreements, distributions for each are subject to be withheld per each agreement, and the proportional revenue from broadcasting rights could be claimed by other member schools and/or the media outlet for the duration of a given contract. It's not one formal GoR, but a host of differing media contract agreements committed to by each member school.

Article out of Omaha(previously posted in another thread)discussing Nebraska financial situation in the Big Ten at http://www.omaha.com/article/20140209/N ... the-corner

The stuff about Maryland in there is very interesting. Travel subsidy and a front-loaded deal. Nobody would give the writers a straight answer about Nebraska technically making less money over time than Maryland...which pretty much means UMD got a better deal than members #12 and #14.

Freep reprint of USAToday article(previously posted in another thread)discussing Rutgers financial situation as it prepares to join Big Ten next year at http://www.freep.com/usatoday/article/5761371" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

So, just like UMD...they're broke.

It's funny to me how similar the ADs are at RU and UMD, and yet how people perceive the move. You have to spend it to make it, I guess...

Rutgers expresses their travel tab increased 17%.

Wonder what it is for WVU in the B12? I saw comments elsewhere whereby WVU is cutting back in sending bands, cheerleaders, etc. to conference sporting events. If WVU was in the ACC, much of their athletic programs could simply could take bus rides to a number of places.

If this divisional structure holds up, football travel actually might save money with the B1G. PSU and UMD are bus rides, Columbus and Ann Arbor are quicker trips than Cincy, and Indiana and MSU are no further than UL. Those will be their most frequent trip. The bills stack up for hoops and the men's and women's ollies, I'll bet.

Still, it reads like NJ/Rutgers folks are over the moon with this move, and it's hurting them as badly as UMD, whose fans hate this, run a more profitable AD, but are getting massive benefits and discounts to make this move. If people have a right to be pissed about how their money is being wasted in MD, critics of the RU move are getting marginalized. They know they didn't really do well at the table, don't they?

And why wouldn't it?

-further expansion resets configuration
-additional conference games
-internal concerns of certain schools not seeing enough of others
-determinants for CCG qualification change (more scheduling autonomy)

More than anything, I think the third one is what most likely happens, and the Big Ten will "mix it up." Goodbye geography, hello gimmick. If you believe what these guys are saying, they'll be more than able to afford it.

I don't see the Penn State-Maryland-Rutgers cluster being broken anytime soon, but I do see a time when they might be. It's already happened elsewhere in the conference, and the "n00bs" are no better than the legacies...

Have no fear, EGG may be with the B1G--again. Now those stuffy B1G guys are going to think this all through now that Gee is heading WVU once again. Hey, the thought comes from the revealing depths of the tweetering insiders in musket-land.

Now that WVU has well separated themselves from those that can't read, their approval by the AAU is now just awaiting signatures?

NCAA bb tourney needs to hurry up and start.

Honestly, I wouldn't hate this. I don't think the XII would be all that disappointed either to cut ties. However, wouldn't this really tick Pitt off? They can't get an invite into the B1G despite being AAU, but their Backyard Brawl rival gets invited haha

Chicago Trib article with report on initial NLRB ruling in favor of FB player union at private schools like NU.If upheld by the courts will this ruling place NU at a disadvantage in the Big Ten?Link at http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ ... 4823.story" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I don't have a legal degree, but I did sleep in a Holiday Express last night.

Northwestern has already announced they will appeal this ruling.
And numerous "pundits" last night opined that this suit actually DOES HAVE MERIT, and the ruling IS NOT the work of a rogue crack-pot judge.

Will this put Northwestern at a disadvantage ? I doubt it. And here's my thinking....
This has started a protracted legal adventure, and this plaintiff group will likely organize member units at numerous other institutions while this plays out.
There was an ACC team or two (I think Georgia Tech) also involved in CAPA demonstration during this past season in conjunction with their Northwestern brethren.

The NCAA and it's member schools know now that they are "under the gun" to come up with a comprehensive answer to this "play for pay" issue.
They have a bit of time, while these appeals delay the legal process.
I think there is achance that the NCAA member schools adopt some new framework that is compliant wiht labor law, which may end up superseding yesterday's ruling.
Emmert and a lot of college presidents know they are going to have to get out ahead of this issue, now....

It will be impractical for each school to negotiate t's own "Collective Bargaining Agreement".
Perhaps the NCAA will negotiate a CBA with CAPA that applies to all NCAA member schools (perhaps not D-3, since they don't offer athletic scholarships).
Then (as Jay Bilas was describing last night), during hte recruiting process, the schools would negotiate a contract (compliant with the CBA framework)
with each of the student /athletes.

I don't know if this outcome was inevitable even if the NCAA was more favorable toward student athletes' rights concerning the control institutions have over their athletes. But, the NCAA should have at least TRIED to be more fair on these discussions, or at least have meaningful dialogues about them. Instead, the NCAA is so anti-student athlete, no matter how much they spend on advertising claiming otherwise, what were the athletes supposed to do?

From how it sounds from one of the articles, you wonder what collegiate experience you get if you play in one of these major programs. I mean, you're so bound to extraneous rules and arbitrary metrics for merit, are the football players at Northwestern getting the same opportunities at the institution to actually utilize the school, or are they in that "separate but equal" BS where they're actually getting "Northwestern lite?"

Slippery slope.

If the athletes are employees, then the NCAA cannot regulate their pay or eligibility without an anti-trust exemption.

If you give the NCAA an anti-trust exemption and pay players what their worth out of high school it could end up being worse off for 90% of student athletes for the benefit of those 10% that make headlines. The NCAA may have to step in a regulate the scholarship cost for all athletes and limit them to 10K a year, which would obviously put private institutions like Northwestern way behind their cheaper/public school conference mates as their tuition is 5 times that.

This isn't going to end well. For anyone.

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Fan of the Big 12 Conference, the Mountain West Conference and...