ChiefsPlanet - MU ****The official NEW new conference realignment thread.****

Article from yesterday about a committee Clemson has to long into their options.
http://cemetery-hill.com/2012-articl...he-way-in.html

CLEMSON, SC - Clemson Athletic Director, Dr. Terry Don Phillips, has announced the formation of an Athletic Advisory Committee. The committee is composed of 10 successful business leaders with strong ties to Clemson who will provide advice to the department from a strategic planning standpoint. The committee had a two-day meeting earlier this week.

"The nature of college athletics is changing in every area," said Phillips who has been Clemson's Athletic Director for nearly 10 years. "These changes are effecting how Clemson Athletics does business. It is a blessing to have access to successful business leaders who have and are facing similar issues in their industries.

"I have asked these Clemson loyalists to advise us as we strive to take our program to the next level. The candid and productive conversations we had and will have focus on key issues and strategies that will make Clemson athletics as good as it can be."

The Athletic Advisory Committee is composed of:

-discussion leader Harry Frampton, Vail, Colorado

-Steve Bond, Georgetown

-Jim Bostic, Atlanta

-Jim Brown, Florence

-Ray Cash, Seneca

-Tom Chapman, Atlanta

-Charles Dalton, Pickens

-Rich Davies, Charlotte

-Helen Hill, Charleston

-Rodney Williams, Greenville.

"Clemson is one of the top athletic programs in the nation," said Frampton. "We have only one agenda - how to help Clemson Athletics go to the next level.

"Every area of major college sports is being challenged - competition, academic success, student/athlete welfare, compliance, finances, brand marketing and conference structure. Clemson needs to lead change, not react to it.

"This Athletic Advisory Committee is not a decision making body, we are advisory. Clemson has very capable administrators and Boards to make decisions. We commend Terry Don and his staff for involving motivated business leaders in their strategic planning."

The next meeting of the Athletic Advisory Committee is scheduled for June 18 and 19."

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What does this committee mean? Well this quote from Clemson AD accurately describes it

"The nature of college athletics is changing in every area," said Phillips who has been Clemson's Athletic Director for nearly 10 years. "These changes are effecting how Clemson Athletics does business."

This scratches the surface or eludes to what our opinion is- College football is now an arms race; get "all the way in" the game or keep out. Kind of like say, Syracuse, Pitt, Duke or UNC. They are in a game; the difference is their game is basektball. Their game will never fully showcase ACC football so it's a respected national brand. Syracuse and Pitt's 848 football fans they will bring to Death Valley don't excite Clemson fans.

For ACC commissioner John Swofford and his gang their game is basketball plain and simple. Their motivations keep the ACC one dimensional, dumb down the competition in football and keep the prize football horses Clemson, VT, FSU and Miami off the race trac. Hire the worse college football officials money can buy and let the SEC, Big 12, Pac 12 and Big 10 stomp a mud hole in the ACC on national stages.

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Some say the knock on Clemson and FSU is they "play down to their comeptition" They're more right than they know. This crowd thinks it's because the team isn't focused. My view is they only get challenged properly 1/4 of the year.

For instance Clemson; these are the games that raise your heart beat when you see the schedule
-Auburn
-FSU
-VT
-GT
-South Carolina

The rest of the scehdule Clemson should win 8-9 times out of 10. Wake, Duke, NCST etc. It's my belief a Clemson team playing tougher teams week in and week out would bring the best out in our Tigers. Getting clipped at the ankles by a Jack Russell terrier playing Wake Forest won't make you better. They aren't the standard for Clemson in football. What happened when the SEC got "all the way in"? Their football product got better. Then the Big 10, Big 12, Pac 12 etc all are trying to duplicate their success. If the SEC ran their conference like Swofford they would have no national championships in a row. Instead they are piling them up.

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How does the ACC get better in football?

Two choices-

A- Fire John Swofford and his "baby blue mafia" and get them out of control.

B- Bring in Notre Dame and Penn St to round out the ACC with 16 teams.

I won't waste another word neither of those will happen.

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The real answer-

Clemson and Florida State pack their bags and tell Swofford "good luck with your basketball football teams"

The committee Clemson formed has a release to say what it is. The very fact that they have formed one could also be a sign they are taking a close look at everything. Rumors of the Big 12 expanding east billow in more smoke by the day.

This is the prize. This is from nine months ago and now is a done deal-

"The Big 12 plans to announce a 13-year/1.17 billion deal with Fox Sports in a teleconference today, according to John Ourand of the Sports Business Journal.

That figure would pay the league $90 million a year and, combined with a current deal with ESPN that pays the Big 12 $60 million per year, should be plenty to satisfy the league's powers, especially once additional conference revenue from basketball and football BCS berths are factored in. "

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15,216,064 reasons for the Big 12 to want Clemson and Florida St and 15,216,064 reason they should want the Big 12.

Conferences are expanding literally. Regional add on teams aren't attractive any more. These conferences want new areas and new eyeballs to watch their product like say Texas A&M and Mizzou to the SEC. The money those two footprints brought was a no brainer.

15,216,064 is the number of "households" in the states of South Carolina, Florida and Georgia; the prevailing TV viewing states Clemson and Florida State fans watch their football. These numbers indicate a huge opportunity for the Big 12 to garner TV money and tier TV $$$.

As long as Texas and Oklahoma have a say they won't look to crappy teams to make their conference better. Clemson and FSU bring football money, eyeballs and fans that love their schools. Rumors of WVU AD Oliver Luck being the guy to take the Big 12 commissioner job make things even more interesting. Luck is a mover and shaker and there are whispers he wants Clemson and FSU.

Before you quickly dismiss Clemson and FSU and their likelihood to jump off the All Carolina Conference think about how much this make sense. Before you start in on travel remember that conference expansion will involve new areas to their footprint and the tv money will out weigh fans traveling for an away game.

A Big 12 network means big money for each team in it. If say NBC/Comcast were to get back in the college football business Big 12 teams could have an exclusive network to broadcast their games. If a guy like Oliver Luck were in charge of the Big 12 you can guarantee relevance and big time TV money will job #1.

For Clemson and Florida St they can hope John Swofford brings in Notre Dame and Penn St or just say good bye and let him pick up the pieces while he sees how an all baskeball conference works out for him. We aren't saying this happens but with the day of the super conference coming soon it's time to listen.