Conference Realignment Talk May Only Be Pressure on Notre Dame

by Husker Mike on Mar 10, 2010 7:01 AM CST in Nebraska Husker Football

All the talk about conference realignment as a result of Big Ten (11) expansion may be having it's intended effect. Yesterday, Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick admitted that Notre Dame is rethinking it's football independence. A 14 or 16 team Big Ten might damage the Big East, where Notre Dame participates in most of their other sports. ESPN's Bracketology currently has Notre Dame on the bubble (while SB Nation's own Bracketology has them in), but in with a #12 seed, of the NCAA men's basketball tournament. Would Notre Dame have the resume for an NCAA berth if the Big East wasn't as strong?

So has all this talk about a titanic shift in college football just a power play to push Notre Dame into the Big Ten? Perhaps, though it depends on whether the Big Ten wants to solidify and enhance their position as a premier conference by adding bigger names. Pitt and Rutgers aren't big names, but Notre Dame and Nebraska certainly would be.

One reason why the Big Ten would want to think bigger is the future of the Big Ten network. The Big Ten makes the conference a lot of money...but it still only reaches about 40% of the country. Bigger names make it more desirable to cable subscribers.

The financial success of the Big Ten network has gotten the attention of the Big XII, where the idea of a Big 12 Network has resurfaced. Good idea for non-revenue sports, as a Big 12 Network would increase exposure nationwide. But the Big XII's current TV contracts for football give the Big XII better exposure than the Big Ten or SEC networks, who bump many games to the relatively low-exposure Big Ten and ESPNU networks.

But the money is hard to ignore. And money drives so much of college athletics anymore, it's certainly a realistic proposition.

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Couple Points

The Big XII football deal doesn’t give you more exposure, in fact, you have less. I would consider that more of a knock on the Beebe since he has failed to sell the conference or provide a way to increase the atactability of the Big XII and has instead focused on Texas. I grew up in KC and I could still watch plenty of Iowa games on ESPN, I can’t even watch ISU in Iowa City. On a basketball note, Iowa Wisconsin was on TV, no. 2 Kansas v. no. 5 Kansas State was not (same night). That says it all right there.

I would be more than happy to see Nebraska in the conference. I agree with the big names argument but would expand that Notre Dame would also give us the ability to talk with NBC and perhaps create a deal similar to what the SEC has with CBS. Adding that on top of a renegotiated ESPN contract (because the ratings for yearly matchups like OSU-NU, PSU-ND would be insane) and a continusously expanded BTN would be a financial explosion for the conference and its’ new members.

All in all I really hope this happens. Also, first comment and I really enjoy reading the content you guys put out. Not an NU fan but have alot of respect for the program.

by KC_HAWKEYE on Mar 10, 2010 8:48 AM CST reply actions

"On a basketball note, Iowa Wisconsin was on TV, no. 2 Kansas v. no. 5 Kansas State was not (same night). That says it all right there."

Well – Oklahoma St. vs. Texas A&M was also on on the same night. So it’s not like there wasn’t a Big XII game on, it just wasn’t the highest ranked one.

by Texas Wahoo on Mar 10, 2010 9:20 AM CST reply actions

isn't that the point

that there should be more than one available….?

Right now, there’s one Big 10 channel, but if they add more sports, more content, there’s nothing to say can’t be two or three or four, for that matter.

All I know is this – as an out of state Nebraska alum, the selections that are broadcast SUCK. There is no availability of Big 12 basketball outside the conference geographical area. Why? Oh, because that’s how the contracts are written.

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by Jon Johnston on Mar 10, 2010 9:26 AM CST up reply actions

You think there is much coverage of the Big Ten network outside of B-10 areas?

On satellite, sure. But I venture there aren’t many cable companies in Atlanta and Los Angeles that carry the Big Ten network, except on the Full Monty package.

Only about 40% of the country gets the Big Ten network, and I venture that about half of that are satellite TV customers.

Eventually, cable TV is going to go the route of the dodo bird faster than you can say “Beta VCR”. Already you can download movies from Apple and NetFlix without cable TV. Eventually, all this programming is going to be online and the whole idea of worrying about carriage rights goes away.

by Husker Mike on Mar 10, 2010 9:50 PM CST reply actions