The Guys @ Warchant Question Barron's Statement

I will not post the whole article here, because I encourage you to check out warchant. I will post some major ideas though. I will also say that Gene Williams picked Barron's statement apart. This conference expansion thing hasn't gone away after all.

Williams says that the information given by Barron on third tier rights is misleading. He argues that FSU not being rewarded by the ACC for their brand name is a major problem with the current deal. It is not really fair that Wake Forest gets the same cut as FSU for football. The argument about travel is misleading according to Williams. He says that the difference right now is 2.9 million as Barron said, but it will increase with FSU leaving for the Big 12. If FSU and Clemson, VT, or Miami leave for the Big 12 that difference grows. After the re-negotiated deal, there could be a 6 or 7 million gap. Imagine if all four leave like I had originally proposed. The Big 12 deal would be huge.

The final argument Williams makes against the statement is about academic perception. Williams says the academic perception of FSU leaving shouldn't matter. It is interesting the argument he gave as it is the same as booster president Andy Haggard. When a person gets a degree from FSU they don't think gee I am glad I got a degree from a school in the same conference as Duke and UVA. FSU students get a degree from FSU. Why do we care if Texas or Duke are in our conference? Does it really affect our academic perception if we are in Duke's conference?

My favorite point is the one about exit fees. It seems to be the most relevant to the discussion. This idea about exit fees is probably going to be the main issue for FSU leaving or staying. Williams points out that the Big 12 paid 1/2 of WVU's exit fee. Why wouldn't they do the same for FSU and say VT who would bring more of a brand name? This is a complicated issue and may take some more time to play out.

-Noland

The Move to the Big 12 NEEDS to Happen

This move needs to happen. Take Clemson, VT and Miami with us, but it needs to happen. I know our school is worried about the perception of leaving the ACC academically, but that doesn't really matter. Our athletic department needs to cover their costs and the ACC negotiated a horrible deal. The projected revenue coming from the ESPN deal is expected to be backloaded a great deal. That won't help programs that are in current budget deficits very much. It will also make the gap between the haves (Big 12 and SEC) greater than the have nots (ACC and Big East). We cannot expect to continue to compete at a high level when those schools are raking in twice as much as us.

We sell more tickets in the Big 12. Sure, the schedule will be harder too, but does that hurt the SEC. If you lose a game in the SEC you still have a chance. We lose to VT in the ACC next year and we are done. If we move to the Big 12 and lose to VT, we can make up for it with games against Ok, Ok state, and Texas. It sets up a defacto national championship of Big 12 against SEC unless USC or Oh State go undefeated. It also brings in more money. We also don't have to worry about selling tickets from home games. Every single game against Big 12 opponents should sell out, except for maybe Iowa State.

Over the last two years FSU has finished in the top 10 of the Director's Cup twice, won the ACC in basketball, had a sweet 16 appearance, won two bowl games each time while having the best record in the state. We cannot expect that to continue if this move is not made. The budget deficit will likely increase due to a poor TV deal and lower ticket sales. People just aren't coming to see the Noles play Duke. Nobody cares. Let's make the bold move and see what happens. Let the ACC sink themselves, but don't let them take us with them. President Eric Barron said that FSU is not seeking alternatives, but that should change ASAP. We need to join WVU and make a good decision for ourselves.

-Noland

Could FSU Be Moving to the Big 12?

Florida State was not very happy with the latest television deal. Virginia Tech, Clemson, and Miami should not be happy with it either. Board of Trustees Chairman, Andy Haggard, seemed the most upset and it is clear to see why. He received hundreds of emails from fans and alumni which all were upset so he decided to speak out. Here are some comments from Haggard.

"It's mind-boggling and shocking,"
"How can the ACC give up third tier rights for football but keep them for basketball?"
"It continues the perception that the ACC favors the North Carolina schools,"
"How do you not look into that option,"
"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."
"With the SEC making the kind of money it does it's time to act,"
"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."
"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."

Sure sounds like this guy at least wants to look at the Big 12 big time. The Big 12 television deal is estimated at $20 million per school per year while the ACC deal is $17 million right now. If Clemson and FSU really do jump ship and go to the Big 12, that number goes much higher. It would also make the Big 12 very solid in its future. Haggard seems like he is surely going to talk with President Barron and Director Spetman on this issue. This conference realignment issue does not seem like it is slowing down one bit. The ACC says Haggard is wrong. Also interesting that Randy Spetman said we are committed to the ACC. I do not believe we will see a move, but it will be interesting to watch. We will see who is right I guess and we will see what happens.
-Noland