Duckboy33
Well-Known Member
They don’t need media partners to pay for expansion, they just need the numbers to match up in terms of potential revenue. It’s all based on the future contract. They know they have the advantage when they renegotiate with a bigger market.
The SEC now is just regional, so the ratings outside the South aren’t very large. There isn’t much room to grow their tv viewership in the South any more. The B10 is looking for NFL type numbers. Getting schools physically located in each region significantly raises the revenue numbers.
Georgia Tech brings in a top 5 tv market in Atlanta. It also gives the B10 a recruiting platform in Georgia. Same with Miami. Big tv market, and a big recruiting market. UNC does the same thing. FOX will spend significantly more for the B10 knowing they will have teams located inside those big markets.
Notre Dame is a national brand, but it doesn’t move the dial in overall recruiting for the B10 (Indiana isn’t a hot bed of talent, and they already got a school there). The B10 would love them, but at this point they aren’t worth more than Miami or other large market teams.
I mean you need media partners to pay of expansion otherwise everyone is taking a paycut until the next TV contract. Universities are much less likely to vote for expansion when you tell them it's going to decrease their revenue.
I don't agree about the SEC. Their schools get huge ratings. They're going to be fine.
TV networks pay for eyeballs. ND brings eyeballs. That's why they're more valuable than GT or Miami. I agree that the Big Ten will try to get closer to that NFL map by adding schools in the south. FSU and Miami are very likely IMO. The Big Ten would love to have UNC but the SEC is going to make a push to expand their map into NC/VA IMO. Clemson also remains a possibility. I understand the argument for GT but I don't buy it. They just don't penetrate the market enough for it to matter. I don't hear any buzz around GT (Pun intended) and there's a pretty clear reason for it IMO.