****The Official NEW new new conference realignment & shit talk thread****

[Saul Good]

Let's do it.

[Bambi]

Originally Posted by frankotank

this is my guy right here.
I too scored 4 touchdowns in one game.
you go Al.

Al Bundy is awesome

[Bambi]

Originally Posted by Prison Bitch

I guess we have to debate cable TV contracts in lieu of Mizzery ever accomplishing anything in sports.

It's been a slow offseason in "re-alignment"

[frankotank]

Originally Posted by Bambi

Al Bundy is awesome

I still hook up from time to time with my high school guys. beers flow and once the football talk starts......I'll hook my thumbs in my pants like Al does.....they are immediately like.......we know! we know! you scored 4 touchdowns in one game....now shut the **** up.

[blake5676]

Originally Posted by Prison Bitch

I guess we have to debate cable TV contracts in lieu of Mizzery ever accomplishing anything in sports.

No one on this side of the aisle brags about TV contracts or even really brings it up. People only discuss it bc you and the doe constantly talk about how it's a shitty network that no one wants and is failing miserably.

It takes all of 5 seconds to refute that shit, which is pretty much the only thing I see Mizzou fans doing.

[Prison Bitch]

Originally Posted by blake5676

It takes all of 5 seconds to refute that shit

It takes even less time to notice that I'm not bashing the SEC network nor do I even care about it. So I'm not sure why you're accusing me of doing so.

[KChiefs1]

Can't figure out who was dumber, West Virginia or the Big 12, for this move:

www.charlestondailymail.com
WVU FOOTBALL: As season tickets decline, athletic department adapts to boost sales

By Mike Casazza, WVU Beat Writer
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia University football season ticket sales are as low as they’ve been in nine years, but the Mountaineers are working with, as opposed to against, a supposed obstacle to boost future sales.

As of Wednesday, WVU had sold 28,983 season tickets, the lowest figure at this point since the Mountaineers were at roughly 24,400 in the 2005 season that ended with a Sugar Bowl victory over Georgia. WVU was a little above 33,000 at this time last year.

“One thing it shows is, yes, the numbers are down. There’s no denying that,” said Matt Wells, WVU’s director of sports marketing. “But overall, I think even with it being a down year, our season-ticket base is still stronger than it was 10 years ago.”

The Mountaineers are also a reasonable option on the secondary ticket market, where fans can buy tickets without involving WVU.

“It’s definitely one of the areas where we know there’s competition,” Wells said.

VividSeats.com, an online ticket marketplace, published a report last week showing WVU to have the 20th-most expensive median ticket price in the country ($95) and the fifth-highest in the Big 12. Of the top 25 schools, WVU was No. 24 in average ticket price ($112). VividSeats.com favors the median price because expensive seats can skew the average price whereas the median provides a number in the middle.

The Mountaineers also play only one of VividSeats.com’s 25 most-expensive games this season. The season-opening Chick-fil-a Kickoff Game’s median price is No. 14 in median ($255) and average price ($293) and No. 18 in “get in” price, which is the lowest ticket available to get into the game ($122).

“It’s interesting information,” Wells said. “I know this was just a snapshot, but if you go back and look at 2012, I know based on conversations and information we received from (online ticket marketplace) StubHub, we had several games that would have been listed (in the top 25).

The Mountaineers played host to the same Big 12 opponents that season, but were also a team held in much higher regard following the Orange Bowl blowout against Clemson.

“Pricing is always something we consider,” Wells said. “One of the factors for why we haven’t raised ticket prices the last three seasons is we’re always cognizant of pricing ourselves out of the market.”

The secondary market opens up that possibility, especially in an era where fans have myriad diversions and many have grown to prefer the living room experience. Even Wells admits “we probably can’t compete” with the secondary marketplaces when it comes to fans buying season tickets and going online to sell the tickets to games they won’t attend or when fans avoid season tickets and simply go online to buy tickets to home games they will attend.

The secondary market is also big enough and popular enough now to provide options beyond season tickets. For the six home games, VividSeats.com shows WVU’s get in prices range from $29-$100, while the average price ranges from $71-$187 and the median price ranges from $64-$172.

Home games for one person would cost $311 at the get in price, $670 at the average price and $615 at the median price.

Season tickets through WVU are $1,100 in Touchdown Terrace and $365 in six seating zones around the stadium. Four of those zones require donations of $125, $250, $425 or $500 to the Mountaineer Athletic Club.

Wells said he doesn’t believe the secondary market is that detrimental to season ticket figures, though.

“I feel like the majority of fans who meet that criteria are truly not good targets for us to be season ticket holders,” he said. “I think there are other factors you can point to that impact season ticket sales being down.”

Still, Wells said there are occasions when WVU’s single-game sales are affected by the secondary market. A ticket holder could, for example, sell seats online to the Towson game — or, more severely, a bowl game — for less money or with a better seat than what WVU could offer.

WVU has found a way to benefit from that through a partnership with StubHub.

“The secondary market is not going anywhere,” Wells said. “We could either stick our heads in the sand and act like it doesn’t exist or partner with them and integrate our system.”

The Mountaineers and StubHub are in the second year of a three-year contract that features StubHub marketing and sponsorship, but also a demographic-sharing effort to help the school. Wells said StubHub provides WVU buyer information that the athletic department uses to stimulate future purchases through the university.

Wells called those “warm leads” to find customers and hundreds or maybe thousands of new patrons in the future.

“Previously, we were blind to the buyer,” Wells said. “We knew we had tickets out there on StubHub and if we wanted to, we could go there and look up the section, row and seat and identify the seller, but we had no clue who was buying. Now we have that ability. We can target those buyers with marketing messages, with us making them aware of season tickets being on sale, of single-game tickets being on sale, of mini-packages being on sale, of specific promotions, all in an effort to turn that buyer into our customer.”

Contact sportswriter Mike Casazza at mikec@dailymailwv.com or 304-319-1142.

His blog is at blogs.charlestondailymail.com/wvu. Follow him on Twitter at @mikecasazza.

[KChiefs1]

College Football Mag's are out & here is a story from Athlon:

Athlon Sports
College Football Realignment Winners and Losers for 2014
By Steven Lassan

No surprise: The SEC is a big winner.

A rocky period in college football has recently passed. Conference realignment seemingly dominated the headlines since 2011, forcing changes in membership for every league.

The Big East and WAC are no more in football, and the SEC, ACC and Big Ten have all expanded to 14 teams.

BYU decided to go Independent in football, while Notre Dame joined the ACC as a partial member.

Those are just a few of the changes that have taken place over the last few years.

What has the last few seasons in college football brought in realignment and what is the impact for the future? Let’s take a look at the changes, impact and grades for each of the Power 5 leagues in realignment over the last few years.

Grading College Football’s Conferences in Realignment

ACC
The Changes: The ACC added Louisville (2014), Syracuse and Pittsburgh (2013). Maryland left for the Big Ten (2014). Notre Dame joined as a member in all sports but football and hockey.

The Impact: Maryland was a founding member of the ACC, and the decision to leave for the Big Ten caught some off guard. However, Louisville is a solid all-around addition to the conference and ranks higher on Athlon’s program ranking (No. 29 for Cardinals, No. 40 for Terrapins). Syracuse and Pittsburgh help the ACC increase its footprint in the Northeast.

As a 14-team league, along with the Notre Dame affiliation, the ACC has stabilized after a period of uncertainty. The conference also has a solid bowl setup, including an agreement with the Orange Bowl. Having a period of 10-15 years without any changes would help the conference continue to develop its identity. The divisional alignment has been a source of debate in recent years, and there could be changes to the Atlantic-Coastal setup.

What’s Next: Will the ACC stay as a 14-team league? Unless there is a major shift again in conferences, the ACC seems unlikely to expand. Of course, if the ACC wanted to expand, Notre Dame would be its first call to become a full-time member. UConn was mentioned with Louisville as a possible replacement for Maryland, and if the ACC wanted to expand to 16, the Huskies would likely be in the mix again.

Grade: B. Losing a founding member was a surprise, but the ACC added three solid programs in Louisville, Syracuse and Pittsburgh. Most importantly, the rumors about Florida State and Clemson possibly leaving the conference never came to fruition.

Related Content: History of ACC Realignment

Big Ten
The Changes: The Big Ten hasn’t seen many changes in its conference history. Penn State officially joined the league for football in 1993, but prior to that, the last addition to the conference was Michigan State in 1950. However, there have been three changes to the league's membership in the last four years. Nebraska joined in 2011, and Maryland and Rutgers will debut in the Big Ten in 2014.

The Impact: The reaction to the Big Ten’s additions were mixed. Nebraska – a top 25 program – was a huge positive for the conference on the gridiron. Maryland and Rutgers? Not so much excitement among college football fans. Since 2000, the Terrapins are 93-80, and the Scarlet Knights are 86-86. While both programs have upside, neither is expected to make a huge impact in terms of winning a national championship on a consistent basis. Instead, the additions of Rutgers and Maryland are a key component for the Big Ten’s Northeast/East Coast expansion. Even though success on the field matters, realignment isn’t necessarily about wins and losses. Media markets and expanding the footprint can be just as valuable for a conference.

What’s Next: Much like the ACC, the next question for the Big Ten is to stay at 14 or expand to 16? If a 16-team set up is in the Big Ten’s future, North Carolina, Georgia Tech and Virginia have been mentioned as possible candidates.

Grade: B. Again, not everything in conference realignment makes sense in terms of wins and losses. Adding Rutgers and Maryland adds two valuable media markets, along with a key recruiting area. Nebraska had one of the top dynasties of the Associated Press poll era and can be a consistent contender for the Big Ten title. Also, the additions of Rutgers and Maryland helped to align the Big Ten into an easier-to-remember East/West format.

Related Content: History of Big Ten Realignment

Big 12
The Changes: The Big 12 has been reduced from 12 teams to 10. In 2011, Nebraska left for the Big Ten and Colorado departed for the Pac-12. Missouri and Texas A&M departed for the SEC in 2012. TCU and West Virginia joined the Big 12 to bolster the league’s lineup to 10 teams.

The Impact: With Nebraska, Texas A&M and Missouri departing, the Big 12 has lost three top-30 programs. West Virginia and TCU are solid additions, but the conference no longer has some outstanding rivalry games between Texas A&M-Texas, Baylor-Texas A&M, Nebraska-Oklahoma and Missouri-Kansas. Not having a conference title game could hurt the Big 12 in the future, especially if that factors into the playoff committee’s criteria.
What’s Next: Expect the debate about the Big 12 and a 10- or 12-team set up to continue. The conference continues to insist it's content with a 10-team setup, but realignment rumors will never go away – at least from the fans. If the Big 12 does decide to expand in the future, it’s all about adding value. So which programs could do that? BYU and UCF? South Florida? Cincinnati? Perhaps the Big 12 would make a run at teams like Florida State and Clemson (igniting old message board rumors again). Adding East Coast teams to bridge the gap from West Virginia to the rest of the conference would seem to be a top priority – if the Big 12 expands.

Grade: C. The Big 12 has two things going for it. The conference seems to be stable – for now – and Oklahoma and Texas are still in the conference. Losing Texas A&M, Missouri and Nebraska was a setback, but West Virginia and TCU are good additions, especially after both programs have time to adjust to their new conference. The Big 12 probably isn’t as powerful as it once was. However, as long as Oklahoma and Texas are top-20 teams on a consistent basis, the conference should be in good shape.

Related Content: West Virginia Searches for Answers After Rocky Start in Big 12

Pac-12
The Changes: The Pac-12 didn’t lose a member and added Colorado and Utah to become a 12-team league in 2011.

The Impact: The Pac-12 is one of the biggest winners in college football over the last five years. Colorado and Utah haven’t experienced a ton of success so far, but the rest of the conference is on the rise. Thanks to an improved television deal, improved revenue and better facilities, the Pac-12 is now the No. 2 conference in college football. Expect Colorado and Utah to improve over the next few years, adding to what is one of the deepest conferences in the nation.

What’s Next: Further realignment seems unlikely, largely because there are few candidates that could join the conference. Remember the Pac-16 proposal that included Texas and Oklahoma? Maybe that’s a possibility in the future. However, the Pac-12 is stable and clearly entrenched as one of the premier conferences.

Grade: B+. We could easily upgrade this to an A. The Pac-12 has moved up the ladder in conference hierarchy, and Utah and Colorado will improve over time. Not much has gone wrong for the conference over the last few seasons.

SEC
The Changes: The SEC made its first changes in membership since 1991 by adding Missouri and Texas A&M in 2012. The league did not lose any members.

The Impact: The addition of the Aggies and Tigers gave the SEC two valuable media markets in Missouri (St. Louis/Kansas City) and Texas (Houston). And both programs also have experienced plenty of success over the last two years. Texas A&M is 20-6 since joining the SEC and had a Heisman winner in Johnny Manziel, while Missouri claimed the East Division title in 2013.

What’s Next: Just like the ACC, Big Ten and Pac-12, the only question surrounding the SEC in the future is whether or not the conference will expand to 16 teams. If the SEC does expand to 16 teams, there has been plenty of discussion that teams in Virginia and North Carolina are the next targets.

Grade: A+. The SEC was the No. 1 conference in the nation prior to realignment and solidified its place at the top with the addition of Texas A&M and Missouri. The conference is deeper and has expanded its footprint into Texas – one of the nation’s most fertile recruiting areas.


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9 hours 13 min ago by Braden Gall

[KChiefs1]

More:

Biggest winner in the realignment shuffle? I’ll take the ACC, or rather, the Louisville Cardinals. Louisville may have “lost” it’s match with West Virginia for Big 12 membership, but now the Cards’ powerhouse football and basketball teams (women’s hoops, too) head for the ACC along with a baseball team that reached the College World Series this year. Big East “basketball schools” also more than doubled their TV intake from the old Big East set up…


Biggest loser? Has to be the Mountaineers, who may have won the battle with Louisville, but they’re losing the $$$ war overall. WVU’s closest competition comes from Iowa State, 870 miles from Morgantown, and already the mountain moaning has reverberated throughout the Big 12. And rivalries? With whom does WVU relate? Stupid is as stupid does…


The Power Five conferences (ACC, Big 10, Big 12, SEC, Pac-12) shouldn’t expect any more tremors for a while, as all are locked into long-term TV deals. While no one knows if the seismic shifts that have occurred over the past decade will ever happen again, when the current TV deals come up for renewal or extension, there will be rumbling again. It’s inevitable. Over the past 25 years, more than 60% of the current FBS schools (128 major football schools) have changed leagues…


Although, in just a couple of months, we’re all liable to hear a bit more rumbling from the Power Five membership as a result of changes in the way they’ll look after themselves through the NCAA. Stay tuned…

[Bambi]

ouch…

[blake5676]

Dude is ridiculous. Saw a Vine of some crazy behind the back no look reverse jam he did in warmups...looked effortless.

[WhawhaWhat]

Originally Posted by Bambi

ouch…

This one is more impressive. Blocking the shit out of Nerlens Noel.

[Prison Bitch]

It says a lot about the SEC when Mizzou and Texas A&M vastly improve that conference.

[Bambi]

Originally Posted by WhawhaWhat

This one is more impressive. Blocking the shit out of Nerlens Noel.

I figured Wiggins had made enough posters out of the Kentucky star in one night.

[Bambi]

Originally Posted by Prison Bitch

It says a lot about the SEC when Mizzou and Texas A&M vastly improve that conference.

One of the poorest articles I've read in some time. Has there been a college sports publication that's been steamrolled by the competition more than Athlon has in the last 4-5 years?

[TribalElder]

disregard football

bring up basketball