http://texas.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1363940 The Atlantic Coast Conference and ESPN Wednesday announced a new media rights package that will elevate the per school payout for television and digital revenue tied to football and basketball to roughly $17 million, up from the roughly $13 million per school previously. The contract includes football-only third tier rights revenue. And that's where the future of Florida State in the ACC and whether it would ever seriously consider jumping to the Big 12 could take on a life of its own. The Seminoles are in one of the few states - with a population of 19 million - in which a university could turn its third-tier rights into the school's own television network the way Texas has done in the Lone Star State (population 25.6 million). TOO GOOD TO PASS UP?: One industry source said if Texas can command $300 million over 20 years - $15 million per year in additional TV revenue - for its own network, Florida State should be able to command at least a third that much ($5 million), if not more, in a state with so many television sets and a passion for FSU sports. So before everyone dismisses Florida State ever taking a serious look at jumping from the ACC into the Big 12, consider that. Now, with the contract between the ACC and ESPN being announced Wednesday, the decision of Florida State to stay or go from its current conference home becomes accelerated. Florida State officials could come out at any moment and say, definitively, the Seminoles are not leaving the ACC. And then the latest five-alarm rumor involving potential realignment/expansion in college athletics would be hosed off. MONEY IS AN ISSUE AT FSU: But to determine if Florida State to the Big 12 makes any sense or no sense, you have to look at the current landscape. I've seen where Florida State is so committed to academics in the ACC, it would never leave a conference that averages a ranking of 43 in the 2012 U.S. News and World Report rankings of American colleges and universities. But let me tell you what has the power to make boards of trustees at universities get away from what many would consider logical thinking: money. And at Florida State right now, money is a problem. Warchant.com, the Florida State site on the Yahoo/Rivals network, reported May 4 that Florida State is facing an athletics department shortfall of $2.4 million for the 2012-13 academic year. And that's coming on the heels of back-to-back nine-win seasons for football that included two sold out bowl games. Men's basketball followed a Sweet 16 appearance in 2011 with an ACC Championship in 2012. And baseball has hosted back-to-back NCAA Regionals. RENOVATIONS NEEDED: Combine this success on the field with the fact Florida State's basketball arena and football stadium are in desperate need of renovation, and the Seminoles are probably taking a hard look at the ability to launch their own TV network in the Big 12. Even with the new money from the ACC-ESPN contract, expected to provide an additional $4 million per year in revenue, Florida State is going to be hard-pressed to raise the kind of money needed for a major facility upgrade. And while there's some excitement that the recent success in Florida State sports will help spur a fund-raising drive, there is frustration in the fan base about a five-game home schedule this year against Savannah State, Murray State, Wake Forest, Duke and Boston College. And with only Florida State, Virginia Tech and Clemson finishing in the Top 25, that schedule doesn't figure to get much better. CUTTING BACK: Florida State athletic director Randy Spetman told Warchant.com the answer will be to "cut back our budget next year pretty dramatically." Warchant.com reported the number to cut is $2 million on top of the nearly $500,000 taken out of last year's operating budget. Could money end up being a driving force as Florida State decides whether to remain in the ACC? After having conversations with people dialed into the administration at Florida State, there appears to be a sense that the board of trustees at FSU might be willing to explore all options. A message left for board of trustees chairman Andrew Haggard at his law firm on Wednesday wasn't immediately returned. DISGRUNTLED FSU FANS: There is no doubt there is a growing sentiment in the Florida State fan base that a conference move to the Big 12 might be worth exploring. Many FSU fans have expressed their discontent on message boards and in social media. They complain about the perception that ACC commissioner John Swofford, the former athletic director at North Carolina, caters to UNC basketball coach Roy Williams and Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski. They complain about the ACC adding Syracuse and Pittsburgh - two schools that have been more prominent in basketball than football for some time. They complain about the ACC football officiating, including calls in last season's 35-30 loss at Clemson that many Noles' fans felt cost FSU a shot at the ACC title. But those are fans and message boards right? Fans don't matter in these equations right? Wrong. FANS MATTER: Ask Texas A&M athletic director Bill Byrne about reading the sentiment of the fan base and lining up on the right or wrong side of that sentiment. Byrne initially voiced support for staying in the Big 12 when a fan movement helped persuad A&M's board of regents to vote for a move to the Southeastern Conference. Same for Missouri chancellor Brady Deaton, who was actively trying to save the Big 12 as the head of the Big 12 board of directors, when his own regents board advised Deaton to recuse himself from the post because the regents were ready to go in a different direction. Again, Florida State could come out today or tomorrow and say a move from the ACC to the Big 12 is utterly preposterous. But until that happens, there is reason to pay attention. The ego stroke Florida State would get launching its own network in the Sunshine State because of its third-tier rights capability in the Big 12 would give the Seminoles something the Florida Gators and Miami Hurricanes could not match. COMPETING WITH GATORS: Florida is barred from having its own network in the SEC. Miami doesn't have the audience. If the financial models for a network come back favorable for FSU, the Seminoles could compare a $17 million payout in the ACC to a $19 million annual payout in the Big 12 and probably stack at least $5 million per year on top from its own network. Suddenly, Florida State would be able to generate TV revenue on par with the Gators, who could earn upwards of $20 million per year once the SEC adjusts its TV deals with Texas A&M and Missouri included. And FSU would have a recruiting tool the Gators couldn't match. And if Texas is any indication, some of the money from an independent network can be paid back to the university for academics. Texas has pledged $5 million per year from the Longhorn Network back to academics for the first five years of its independent deal with ESPN. And for all the jokes about the Longhorn Network still not receiving wide distribution, that's an ESPN problem, not Texas'. ESPN's checks to the Longhorns are not bouncing. FSU HAS A PRODUCT TO SELL: In order to launch a TV network, you have to have inventory. You have to have strong football, so you can create a ton of shoulder programming. You have to be relevant in basketball and baseball, a check mark for FSU. The Olympic and non-revenue sports have to be strong, and FSU can boast that as well as evidenced by its Top 10 finish in the Director's Cup the last two years. Another common argument against Florida State joining the Big 12 is that it wouldn't be politically strong enough to sit at the table with Texas and Oklahoma. If you have your own television network in the state of Florida, you just got a seat at the grownups' table. And then you have to consider where the Big 12 would be on expansion. And if you were listening carefully when new Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby was introduced and was asked about expansion, he didn't talk about "a geographic footprint" the way interim commissioner Chuck Neinas did. Bowlsby talked about an "electronic footprint." Totally different. BOWLSBY'S LEGACY: And credit Neinas for getting the Big 12 to agree to a 13-year granting of TV rights back to the conference as part of the league's revised, 13-year, Tier 1 rights deal with ABC-ESPN, which should be finalized shortly. That will keep schools from being able to leave the Big 12 with their TV rights, effectively barring such a defection. What does that leave for Bob Bowlsby's legacy? With the Big 12's TV deals essentially done and a 13-year granting of rights bonding the current 10 members in the league for that length of time, does Bowlsby look at expansion as his legacy? For weeks and months, I had been told the Big 12 was good with 10 schools. Nine conference football games. Home-and-home in basketball league games. Good. No need for a Big 12 championship football game because it would only risk knocking a possible undefeated or one-loss team out of a national title shot with an upset. But last week I talked to some people who said, "Well, if it's the right two." And that was different from what I had heard before. I was also told that studies had been done looking at what value might be added if any of the original members of the Big East (Louisville, Cincinnati, etc.) would bring to the Big 12, and that report did not come back favorably, sources said. That leaves some interesting candidates who could probably benefit from having the ability to launch their own network. The most likely to benefit from such an opportunity would be Notre Dame and Florida State. The Big 12 has repeatedly indicated to Notre Dame it could bring its non-football sports to the Big 12 and keep football as independent, allowing the Irish to keep their football contract with NBC while launching a Tier 3 network. So far, Notre Dame has indicated it's just fine. We'll see if Florida State does the same.
I think the carousel is done spinning for now. Big East is about to ink its deal, looking good so far. Hope NBC wins the bidding, their sports network is underrated.
If new BCS playoff takes shape, what does Notre Dame do? The rumors around Florida St. wanting out all circle around the idea that the ACC doesn't have the history to support teams making the playoff dance out of that conference. I can't imagine ND would go to the ACC if that's a real concern. Read more: http://aol.sportingnews.com/ncaa-fo...cc-expansion-wants-out-big-east#ixzz1uZMf4e00 Louisville athletic director Tom Jurich wants out of the Big East, and has expressed that desire to the conference’s board of directors, sources close to the situation told ESPN.com’s Andy Katz. Jurich, sources said, wants to be transparent and with that in mind, told the board that the Cardinals want to be in either the Big 12 or the ACC. Connecticut has said that it wants to remain in the Big East, but privately, sources told ESPN.com, UConn would like to join the ACC along with Notre Dame. Louisville AD Tom Jurich wants out of the Big East and into either the ACC or Big 12, sources say. (AP Photo) Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby said last week that he’s not yet prepared to make any decisions about expansion, but did say that any decisions will be made on the basis of an “electronic footprint” rather than a “geographical footprint." Notre Dame, meanwhile, has stated publicly that it is committed to remaining an independent. But, as the BCS postseason playoff model is formed, the Irish could reconsider their stance. Big East commissioner John Marinatto is out and has been replaced by interim commissioner Joe Bailey. Bailey said he is not a candidate for the permanent job.
Ah this is so stupid. To me the solution is obvious. Florida State and Notre Dame should go to the Big East for all sports. That league suddenly looks good for football again and can get a great media deal with NBC. Save the Big East! I'm sure with Notre Dame and Florida St committing to the Big East you would no longer need to worry about Louisville wanting out.
I don't understand this argument. I understand the money argument because the ACC is just not a football conference. But a 12-0 Florida State is going to be in the top 4 in the country. The issue hasn't been the ACC being undervalued - it's that none of the ACC teams ever manage to go 12-0. I can see it being a problem in the current system - a 12-1 SEC and a 12-0 Big12/Big10/Pac12 team would jump them in the top 2; but in a 4 team playoff, it actually alleviates that problem because it's unlikely they would fall out of the top 4.
But who has a more likely chance of getting snubbed - an 11-1 ACC FSU team or an 11-1 Big XII FSU team? I think it's the former.
Certainly true - but if you're in the Big12, it's would also be harder to go 11-1 than it would for the same team in the ACC. I just think the problem for FSU (and Clemson and VaTech, etc) is not the conference but the quality of their teams. Going to a more difficult conference is a great national title solution for a team that dominates its own conference but doesn't get respect (TCU, Boise, etc). But it doesn't seem to be a solution for a team that goes 8-4 or 7-5 every year. I think the financial motives make a ton more sense and would think that would be the driving factor in any of this, though all those motives were the same last year when they voted to up their own exit fees.
Have you seen Florida State's schedule this year: Murray State Savannah State Wake Forest Clemson USF NC St. Boston College Miami Duke VA Tech Maryland Florida My understanding is that a lot of what is driving this is similar to what drove it for Mizzou and A&M and others...that the alumni/fans WANT them to leave. They're losing money in the ACC and talking about cutbacks in the program. Even under the new media deal, they're breaking even at best. The fans don't want to hear about cutbacks..so that leads to discussing how green the grass might be elsewhere. They have to keep up with Florida in order to compete for the same recruits....cutbacks in the program don't help.
Absolutely - all of the financial and other issues make sense. It's the idea that it's being driven by being left out of the playoff picture that doesn't make any sense to me. All of the above is true in the current BCS system too.
Please consider for a moment what they are fearing. We are going to a four team playoff soon. It's unclear how it will be decided, but if you HAVE to win the division, it gets a little less complicated. If you don't have to though it is really troubling. FSU's fear is that winning the ACC may not mean enough to get them into that playoff. If you have let's say the following: Alabama 12-0, Texas 11-1, Oregon 10-2, Florida (SEC) 10-2, Boise State 11-1, FSU: 10-2, Oklahoma 10-2, Houston, 11-1, Notre Dame 11-1 and USC 10-2, Ohio State 10-2. Does Florida State make it into the playoff as an ACC champion? If you have to win your conference to get in, is an ACC team going to get in over a Big 10, Big 12, Pac 10 or SEC school? Are they even going to get in over Boise State? What if you DON'T have to win your division? The problem is that the ACC might have too bad of a reputation right now to even support a playoff spot for a good record holding FSU. (The same would apply to the Big East schools outside of Boise State imo) If they go undefeated, sure. Odds are they make it. But is a 1 loss Florida State going to get in ahead of a 2 loss conference winning Texas or Oklahoma that won a Big 12 featuring 3 of the top 15 teams in the country? A conference winning 2 loss Ohio State? USC?
In this scenario, no - they don't make it. But the ACC is terrible. If they are going 10-2 in it, they don't deserve to be in a playoff, and if they were in a better conference, they'd be 8-4 or 7-5 and out of it anyway. Yes, they need a better record in the ACC than in another conference - but they also get a much easier schedule to do it with. Their problem is not that the ACC prevents them from getting into a playoff. It's that they suck so much that they can't even dominate a mediocre ACC. That's not fixed by going to a better conference. And that same problem is in place - in a much bigger way - right now with the BCS. A 12-0 FSU right now is likely to get jumped by a 11-1 Big12 or SEC school. So it's hard for me to see how changing to a playoff is what's freaking them out about a national title opportunity - that problem exists in much bigger form now. And they haven't been remotely good enough to be in that discussion anyway for a decade.
http://articles.orlandosentinel.com...d-espn-conference-switch-fsu-ad-randy-spetman FSU AD Randy Spetman on Big 12 rumors: 'We're committed to the ACC'
But if they go undefeated in conference with two tough non-conference losses? I think that's what they're looking at. In the ACC, they'll need to be perfect all season long whereas other conferences that's not the case. I agree it sounds silly based on their recent history, but I understand it.
Sure - but that problem exists now with the BCS. They knew they were in that same boat last year when they re-upped with the ACC. I don't see how that's a bigger problem in a playoff system than in the current system. Right now, they could go 13-0 and *still* be left out of a national title discussion. If anything, 4 teams making it gives them a bigger margin for error.
All parties are silent....until they both come out on the very same day to say there's nothing to see here Let's see what the alumni response is, because this feels a lot like Mizzou all over again....except far worse because Florida State's athletic department is losing money. Remember, Dodds can't say anything that remotely sounds like they're interfering with the ACC. By way of reminder: "We are committed to the Big 12 and its success today and in the future." -- R. Bowen Loftin, President, Texas A&M University.
Now THIS makes far more sense as a rationale for FSU to look away from the ACC than being left out of a playoff scenario. http://floridastate.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1364755 FSU BOT Chair blasts ACC, opens door for Big 12 Until now, everyone officially associated with Florida State has publicly supported the recently announced television deal between the Atlantic Coast Conference and ESPN/ABC. That is no longer the case. In an exclusive interview with Warchant.com, Florida State Board of Trustees Chairman Andy Haggard blasted the agreement that will net each ACC school approximately $17 million per year through 2026-27. While the new deal will result in an increase of nearly $4 million per school from the old contract, some of the terms have resulted in harsh criticism from Florida State fans and alumni. It has also drawn the ire of FSU's Board of Trustees' Chair. "It's mind-boggling and shocking," said Haggard. "How can the ACC give up third tier rights for football but keep them for basketball?" Haggard is referring to the fact that the ACC surrendered all third tier television rights for football to ESPN/ABC but kept them for men's basketball. That arrangement will likely result in substantial revenue for schools with a strong basketball following like North Carolina and Duke.On the other hand, it will do very little for schools with a more traditional football following like FSU, Clemson, Virginia Tech and Miami. "It continues the perception that the ACC favors the North Carolina schools," noted Haggard. Haggard added that he has received numerous emails from FSU fans and alumni since the deal was announced and estimates that about 95 percent are unhappy with the ACC's deal and how it will impact Florida State. This overwhelming criticism over the ACC's handling of the new TV deal and FSU's recently announced financial shortcomings (projected $2.4 million deficit for 2012-13) have only added fuel to rumors of a potential move to the Big 12. Haggard confirmed that as far as he knows there has been no contact between FSU and the Big 12 regarding possible expansion. However, he makes it very clear that he and the Board of Trustees would be more than open to exploring the possibility if it would mean additional revenue to the school. "How do you not look into that option," asked Haggard. "On behalf of the Board of Trustees I can say that unanimously we would be in favor of seeing what the Big 12 might have to offer. We have to do what is in Florida State's best interest." It has been reported that the new Big 12 television deal with ESPN/ABC will be result in each school receiving approximately $20 million per year. Were FSU and fellow ACC member Clemson to join the Big 12 that figure would go even higher. The SEC's new TV deal with Texas A&M and Missouri joining the conference is expected to be worth well over $20 million annually per school. "With the SEC making the kind of money it does it's time to act," said Haggard. "You can't sit back and be content in the ACC. This is a different time financially. This isn't 10-15 years ago when money was rolling in." Of the few who still support FSU staying in the ACC, most cite the number of well-regarded academic institutions within the conference. However, Haggard scoffed at the idea that the ACC somehow helps FSU's academic reputation. "No FSU graduate puts on his resume or interviews for a job saying they are in the same conference as Duke and Virginia," he said. "Conference affiliation really has no impact on academics." Haggard concluded that he will be speaking with FSU president Eric Barron and Athletic Director Randy Spetman about the best way to proceed in exploring options outside of the ACC.
"It's mind-boggling and shocking," said Haggard. "How can the ACC give up third tier rights for football but keep them for basketball?" Did we know about this when the contract was revealed? Either way, ACC is ****ed unless they somehow pull a Big XII.
Yeah and it is ridiculous. It basically lets the basketball schools get a huge chuck from their football brethren's revenue pie and then go out and bake their own for basketball. It's amazing. FSU should be furious. It's basically FSU, VA Tech, Clemson and Miami subsidizing the contract with their football power.
