Wall Street Journal Article

[Water Pony]

Today, Tuesday, Nov. 25th, a front page of the WSJ is a report on the BCS and non-BCS schools' recent meetings and conference calls. The article is titled "In College Football, Also-Rans Fight for Bigger Share of the Pot". I'll get a transcript and post it later.

Here are some interesting quotes:

"If Tulane were denied again, he (Cowan) says, 'I would advise our board of trustees to sue."

"The alliance (BCS) has given the other 54 schools that also belong to Division I-A $17 million, or roughly $315,000 each, 'to promote college football,' as one BCS offical says." (BCS school have received $466M in revenue from Bowl games to date)

President of Utah State U., likens the BCS to "a vaccuum sucking the air out of those of us that are further down the food chain."

Violates anti-trust laws by erecting "insurmountable barriers" to entering the industry of big-time college football.

"Football is not Lake Wobegon", U. of Oregon President. "Everyone can't be above average."

(Non-BCS) were miffed ... that BCS weren't taking them seriously and were irked by a public comment from U. of Nebraka Chancellor, who said the BCS was open to "some marginal improvements that will help them a little bit."

In October, Senator Biden said the system "looks un-American . . . It looks like a rigged deal."

BCS's verbal offer was a fifth BCS Bowl that would be open to non-BCS schools.

If the non-BCS schools don't like it, U. of N. Chancellor says, the BCS might take its footballs and return to the old bowl system, with no championship game. "We can live without that if we have to."

<small>[ 11-25-2003, 08:09 AM: Message edited by: Water Pony ]</small>

[gostangs]

no way can they go back to the old way - they have a needle in their arm and are hooked up to the money drug - there is no going back.

Personally I think we should go ahead and join together and sue - sometimes it takes a two by four across the forehead to get anyones attention - and once you drag the presidents, AD's, Bowl reps (powerful people mostly) and televesion excecutives into lengthy depositions -then that is when you will see a meaningful offer - until then they will just play *****foot with us - as we would do if we held all the money.

[OldPony]

The BCS has no claim to a national championship. Often the top 2 teams in my opinion aren't in it. Did anyone believe Nebraska was the 2nd best team 2 years ago? What a joke to claim that their system in a national champpionship. No more than the old way. Playoff, playoff, playoff-- well- you get my opinion.

[Greenwich Pony]

I was at an advertising meeting recently with several other companies that also advertise on college sports broadcasts. We got on the subject of the BCS vs. a playoff, and while some of the people were fine with the BCS personally, almost all of us would pay bigger money than we do now for a playoff a la the I-AA system. Obvious academics doesn't matter to the NCAA, and other divisions have been successful, and as advertisers the exposure of a playoff would make more sense and present a better unified package than the present BCS system. There's more money to be had, and as the NCAA March Madness proves, the big boys need not worry about the little conferences taking their precious national title. I don't understand what they're smoking over there. My own client would even be willing to pay more than twice what we budget now for a tourney. What gives?