SEC to have their own playoff?

[roses04]

Interesting article today from ESPN, there is some very, very preliminary discussions on the SEC having it's own playoff since in their mind " we are by far the strongest college football conference" I guess the SEC was disappointed the NCAA didn't expand to 8 or 12 teams for the playoffs. I am sure the SEC concluded with 12 teams they'd get 8 in and raise more money. The SEC and ESPN are pushing for more playoff games, if the SEC forms it's own tournament, does the Champ play in the BCS Game, or do they simply declare themselves National Champs? Needless to say this is just a preliminary discussion, but if they are bringing up you have to assume that discussion has also taken place informally with ESPN. What was interesting is also talk about the SEC expanding to 9 conference games, what a novel concept 5-10 years after everyone else has done it. I do believe that ESPN wants to push a "super league" , which in the end will be a mistake. I am sure the theory is, look at the NFL, or MLB or NBA, they have teams nation wide 30-36 teams and many fans follow it. Well college is different, there are many Coug, Husky, and Duck fans that root for the Seahawks, but no Coug or Duck will root for the Huskies, or Beaver for Ducks or Bruins for Trojans, the list goes on and on. A super conference in College football will not generate much more interest, maybe more money from ESPN, but probably not more fans, as they will alienate more fans than they create.

If they want their own super league, fine, but I won't watch it, and I hope like hell the rest of the schools don't schedule them.

I do think as little impact that 'the Alliance" between the ACC Big 12, and Pac 12 has had, there is strength in numbers if these conferences stick together. If the Alliance now sticks together it could be the NCCA, which represents all most all of the county, and then a conference ( SEC) that represents just the South.

SEC playoff?

 

[cr8zyncalif]

I guess the SEC thinks it is the baseball equivalent of AAA, with the rest of the country being AA and A. Only difference being that in AAA the players still carry their own luggage. Some of the SEC took over that duty a long time ago.

 

[etowncoug]

Splintering off would be a massive mistake for the SEC. The South lives and breathes SEC football but the rest of the country would just tune out. College Football isn't the NFL or NBA where people are fans of players and the league. It's the MLB where people are fans of teams and come to root for whatever players are wearing the right colors. If you separate the SEC from being the villain everyone else roots against, eyeballs will drop off quickly.

 

[BiggsCoug]

F them all. Last I looked there were 6 more tier 1 research schools in the West. Add them. Make it 18.

Only play each other. Pac 18.

18 schools gives basketball, baseball, etc enough teams to fill a schedule of home and away games.

F the rest of the conferences. Make the Pac great again.

Edit to add…

I *believe* the remaining 6 tier 1 research schools are:
Nevada Reno
Nevada Las Vegas
Hawaii
UC Davis
Colorado State
Montana State

I’d have to double check to make 100% sure tho.

 

[How_did_this_happen?]

F them all. Last I looked there were 6 more tier 1 research schools in the West. Add them. Make it 18.

Only play each other. Pac 18.

18 schools gives basketball, baseball, etc enough teams to fill a schedule of home and away games.

F the rest of the conferences. Make the Pac great again.

Which schools?

 

[PharmaCoug]

F them all. Last I looked there were 6 more tier 1 research schools in the West. Add them. Make it 18.

Only play each other. Pac 18.

18 schools gives basketball, baseball, etc enough teams to fill a schedule of home and away games.

F the rest of the conferences. Make the Pac great again.

Edit to add…

I *believe* the remaining 6 tier 1 research schools are:
Nevada Reno
Nevada Las Vegas
Hawaii
UC Davis
Colorado State
Montana State

I’d have to double check to make 100% sure tho.

What makes you think programs like USC or Oregon would ever want to play in a conference with those schools? Why would we even want to? The wealthier pac-12 programs would probably break-off and create their own super conference with their counterparts from the Big 10, Big 12, and ACC.

 

[BiggsCoug]

What makes you think programs like USC or Oregon would ever want to play in a conference with those schools? Why would we even want to? The wealthier pac-12 programs would probably break-off and create their own super conference with their counterparts from the Big 10, Big 12, and ACC.

Then they can leave.
WSU isn’t in a position to big time many programs.
What wealthier programs are you talking about? It isn’t a long list.

I don’t care if you disagree.

 

[95coug]

F them all. Last I looked there were 6 more tier 1 research schools in the West. Add them. Make it 18.

Only play each other. Pac 18.

18 schools gives basketball, baseball, etc enough teams to fill a schedule of home and away games.

F the rest of the conferences. Make the Pac great again.

Edit to add…

I *believe* the remaining 6 tier 1 research schools are:
Nevada Reno
Nevada Las Vegas
Hawaii
UC Davis
Colorado State
Montana State

I’d have to double check to make 100% sure tho.

Right on all 6, but also add these as R1 schools who also play football, and are within the rough Pac-12 footprint:

Colorado school of mines
UCSD
Utah State

New Mexico and UTEP are also R1, and aren’t too far outside.

Note: I’m not saying add them all for a 21-23 team conference…that would be nuts. I’m just saying they are additional options within the geography.

 

[BiggsCoug]

Right on all 6, but also add these as R1 schools who also play football, and are within the rough Pac-12 footprint:

Colorado school of mines
UCSD
Utah State

New Mexico and UTEP are also R1, and aren’t too far outside.

Note: I’m not saying add them all for a 21-23 team conference…that would be nuts. I’m just saying they are additional options within the geography.

The research list I saw didnt include them. I will take your word for it.

The Pac 12 is first and foremost an academic conference. I don't really have an issue with the conference growing its numbers inside its footprint. Should everyone get in? Prob not. Should there be a conversation about any reasonable fits? Prob so.

IMO, the Pac 12 needs to worry about winning its backyard first. No one on the East Coast cares. Same for the Midwest and the South. They need butts in seats here. Worry about the playoff when ESPN decides to let anyone but the SEC, Ohio State or Clemson in.

 

[Stretch 74]

The research list I saw didnt include them. I will take your word for it.

The Pac 12 is first and foremost an academic conference. I don't really have an issue with the conference growing its numbers inside its footprint. Should everyone get in? Prob not. Should there be a conversation about any reasonable fits? Prob so.

IMO, the Pac 12 needs to worry about winning its backyard first. No one on the East Coast cares. Same for the Midwest and the South. They need butts in seats here. Worry about the playoff when ESPN decides to let anyone but the SEC, Ohio State or Clemson in.

Questions-what additional sports do those schools have? Doesn't the PAC have a rule that you must field a minimum of 16 different sports? My fuzzy memory thinks that is the case. If so, what if some of those schools don't meet that threshold? Does it matter, do they change the rule? Just throwing stuff out there.

 

[BiggsCoug]

Questions-what additional sports do those schools have? Doesn't the PAC have a rule that you must field a minimum of 16 different sports? My fuzzy memory thinks that is the case. If so, what if some of those schools don't meet that threshold? Does it matter, do they change the rule? Just throwing stuff out there.

My count says WSU has 15.

Montana State has 15 teams as well. Men’s and women’s rodeo are in that number.

 

[cr8zyncalif]

Rodeo must be a fun sport at the college level. It would seem to have a lot of specialized animal care attached, though....?

 

[BiggsCoug]

Rodeo must be a fun sport at the college level. It would seem to have a lot of specialized animal care attached, though....?

Pasture, feed store, vet. If WSU has anything it’s animal care.

 

[95coug]

Rodeo must be a fun sport at the college level. It would seem to have a lot of specialized animal care attached, though....?

Pasture, feed store, vet. If WSU has anything it’s animal care.

I'd never given it much thought, but looks like it's got a reasonable following. Not a lot of representation from the east coast, though. For some reason, it amuses me that the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association is headquartered in Walla Walla.

There are a lot of junior/community colleges that are part of it, so I don't know how specialized the animal care really is. Might be that the animals aren't even tended by the schools, but part of local/regional herds. Regardless, WSU would have no trouble taking care of the animals.

Idaho has a team, but looking at the standings they aren't very competitive. They're in a region with Treasure Valley CC, Blue Mountain CC, and Walla Walla CC, and they're a very distant 4th place.

Some other recognizable schools with rodeo teams: UNLV, NMSU, Auburn, Nebraska, Montana, Montana State, Oklahoma State, Kansas State, Wyoming, Colorado State, Arizona (UA), Idaho State, Utah State, Weber State, Iowa State, Texas A&M, Texas Tech.

Oh, and there are men's and women's divisions.

I wonder how much NIL money there is in rodeo?

 

[BiggsCoug]

I'd never given it much thought, but looks like it's got a reasonable following. Not a lot of representation from the east coast, though. For some reason, it amuses me that the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association is headquartered in Walla Walla.

There are a lot of junior/community colleges that are part of it, so I don't know how specialized the animal care really is. Might be that the animals aren't even tended by the schools, but part of local/regional herds. Regardless, WSU would have no trouble taking care of the animals.

Idaho has a team, but looking at the standings they aren't very competitive. They're in a region with Treasure Valley CC, Blue Mountain CC, and Walla Walla CC, and they're a very distant 4th place.

Some other recognizable schools with rodeo teams: UNLV, NMSU, Auburn, Nebraska, Montana, Montana State, Oklahoma State, Kansas State, Wyoming, Colorado State, Arizona (UA), Idaho State, Utah State, Weber State, Iowa State, Texas A&M, Texas Tech.

Oh, and there are men's and women's divisions.

I wonder how much NIL money there is in rodeo?

They use their own horses. It isnt the kind of event where you show up and choose one. That was done recently in jumpers and competitors were furious.

There is an enormous amount of $$$ in horses. If there were NIL $ in rodeo it would only take a handful of ranches or company’s looking for a tax write off before it made A&M take notice. Sponsored by Cinch or Ariat or Justin or Pendleton Whisky? Look out.

 

[BleedCrimsonandGray]

bye felecia...

 

[Flatlandcoug]

Right on all 6, but also add these as R1 schools who also play football, and are within the rough Pac-12 footprint:

Colorado school of mines
UCSD
Utah State

New Mexico and UTEP are also R1, and aren’t too far outside.

Note: I’m not saying add them all for a 21-23 team conference…that would be nuts. I’m just saying they are additional options within the geography.

My daughter is going to the Colorado School of Mines and I've seen their football team. They are good for a DII school, but hot damn, they would get frickin' wrecked playing against Pac-12 level talent. It would be a war crime to have them play in a higher level league.

 

[chipdouglas]

Interesting article today from ESPN, there is some very, very preliminary discussions on the SEC having it's own playoff since in their mind " we are by far the strongest college football conference" I guess the SEC was disappointed the NCAA didn't expand to 8 or 12 teams for the playoffs. I am sure the SEC concluded with 12 teams they'd get 8 in and raise more money. The SEC and ESPN are pushing for more playoff games, if the SEC forms it's own tournament, does the Champ play in the BCS Game, or do they simply declare themselves National Champs? Needless to say this is just a preliminary discussion, but if they are bringing up you have to assume that discussion has also taken place informally with ESPN. What was interesting is also talk about the SEC expanding to 9 conference games, what a novel concept 5-10 years after everyone else has done it. I do believe that ESPN wants to push a "super league" , which in the end will be a mistake. I am sure the theory is, look at the NFL, or MLB or NBA, they have teams nation wide 30-36 teams and many fans follow it. Well college is different, there are many Coug, Husky, and Duck fans that root for the Seahawks, but no Coug or Duck will root for the Huskies, or Beaver for Ducks or Bruins for Trojans, the list goes on and on. A super conference in College football will not generate much more interest, maybe more money from ESPN, but probably not more fans, as they will alienate more fans than they create.

If they want their own super league, fine, but I won't watch it, and I hope like hell the rest of the schools don't schedule them.

I do think as little impact that 'the Alliance" between the ACC Big 12, and Pac 12 has had, there is strength in numbers if these conferences stick together. If the Alliance now sticks together it could be the NCCA, which represents all most all of the county, and then a conference ( SEC) that represents just the South.

SEC playoff?

I feel pretty confident this is an empty threat, seeded to sports journos with the purpose of getting the NCAA to blink. SEC wants an expanded playoff, and are threatening to take their ball and go home if they don't get it.

Even though it's a theater piece of a gesture, if it happened, it would just create regional leagues watched only by those regions. The SEC's constant presence in the existing playoff scheme is drawing fewer and fewer eyeballs, as I showed with some bar charts a couple months back. Not many people care to see Alabama or LSU in the playoff for the 49th time; not a great story.

If nothing else, this continues to put pressure on the NCAA to reorganize. The whole idea of some conferences getting 4 OOCs and others getting 3, and allowing FCS games 9 or 10 games in, and having conferences with disparate numbers of teams, has never made sense.