Saturday, May 19, 2012

Key quotes from New York Times article on conference shakeup

I still think reactions to the Big XII-SEC Bowl game was overblown. I found Pete Thamel's article the most evenhanded. Here are a few bits that stood out to me:

The Big 12, which has 10 teams, will eventually want to grow back to 12. Florida State would pine to keep its football relevance. (The twist, of course, is that the A.C.C.’s national irrelevance can basically be traced to the struggles of Florida State and Miami, which could be the top targets to be poached.) Don’t expect any major moves until a playoff plan is settled.
The ACC has options and some leverage. If Florida State bails before the playoff plan is laid out, that is on them. I hope the ACC is acting aggressively. I am less concerned with money and most concerned with playoff access.
This union will probably create tiers of college football. The four-team playoff that has been discussed would make up the first tier. The next tier would be this game, known as the Champions Bowl, and the Rose Bowl. While neither game would have the cachet of the national semifinal and national title games, they could be put in favorable time slots on New Year’s Day and considered the best leftovers.

This new bowl is essentially the NIT. Why would Florida State leave over access to the NIT? If it is a money issue, the ACC can form a new bowl too. Play the No. 2/No. 3 Big Ten team in the Meadowlands every year. On at FedexField! We have access to big markets and big stadiums. This is not a big deal if cooler heads prevail.

The ACC has made some short sighted deals and seen its best teams play lousy football on the biggest stages. That's in the past. If we get out-maneuvered on these deals, then its on the ACC to join the have nots and the NCAA to form a true playoff.

4 comments:

NEDofSavinHill said...

No honest person could ever say there was a connection between the NYT selling it's remaining shares in the Fenway Group and the story in the Globe about declining interest in Red Sox tickets. It was pure coincidence that the 1st negative story about the Sox in 10 years appeared one week after the sale. The NYT story about the disarray in the BC football program by Myerberg(although true) only came after the financial seperation. 2. What does this portend for Gdf? Will the Globe spotlight team persue him? Will Blauds and Ryan dessert him? His 10 year contract with the Fenway Group may not provide any protection. 3. If Fsu and Clemson leave the Acc the league will be severely diminished. But you can't blame them. Why settle for a tv package of $12 mil per year whe Iowa St., K-St and Indiana get $20 mil. 4. The 2-13 BCS record the ACC has is deceiving. It doesn't count Miami's 2 wins and doesn't count the 2 games stolen. The title game vs. OSU for Miami and last years Sugar bowl for VT. VT dominated Michigan. They had 400 yards total offense to Michigan's 190. The replay officials of the Pac 12 (partners with the Big 10) were crooks.

Lenny Sienko said...

For BC fans and alums, the only aspect of this that matters is that GDF is not a player in this mix. His comments and popping off have damaged his credibility to the point where GDF is irrelevant.

Unfortunately, this means BC is irrelevant to any of these discussions. BC will not be the masters of our fate. We will be carried along in the current and cast up on the shore someplace with nothing to say about what happens to us.

Frankly, I could care less about whether or not FSU comes or goes. I found playing them to be a disappointment- not just when we lost. For better or worse, its not our kind of atmosphere . Who do I talk to about beating FSU? Who cares? Syracuse? Penn State? West Virginia, Pitt, even Rutgers...if we win, I can rag on my friends and neighbors.If we lose, I go into hiding for a couple of weeks. FSU...ho hum.

Ger rid of GDF. Get rid of Spaz. Then get back to me about whether I care about who's in what league.

eagleboston said...

Lenny, BC long ago became a national school. You need to get out of your provincial doldrums. Not every BC grad lives in Massachusetts and, nationally, Florida State carries way more weight than Syracuse or Pitt. You need to look at the big picture Lenny. The center of college football is not New England.

Lenny Sienko said...

Having been recruited to BC from NY in 1964 for my SAT scores, along with hundreds of others from Catholic High Schools in the Northeast and as far away as CA, I'm not Mass-oriented, when it comes to football.

Hell, I had to learn a whole new language when I arrived: e.g., "grinders"; "chopped meat"; "frappes". I even followed the basketball team, along with the other "outsiders" from NY. NJ, Ct.-not hockey, until my Mass room mate infected me with college hockey fever.

As for following college football, as a card-carrying insomniac, I've spent many a Saturday night-Sunday morning watching Hawaii and other WAC teams play into the wee hours.

I was there when BC became a "National School". What I'm afraid of is that I will also be there when BC becomes irrelevant. if and when FSU rides off into the sunset, I'll still be here with the other BC fans and alums waiting not so patiently for GDF and Spaz to follow FSU.

I also expect to see Syracuse and Pitt bounce back and look forward to renewing those traditional rivalries.