Memphis AD on BE TV contract, Notre Dame/NBC

ponyinNC · Post by **ponyinNC** » Thu Apr 26, 2012 9:55 am

http://csnbbs.com/showthread.php?tid=567006

http://ucf.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1359393&PT=4&PR=2

Memphis AD spoke on radio show as he has C-USA conference meetings AND Big East conference meetings coming up over the next few weeks. Most important part I saw was NBC proposing a doubleheader with ND game on first then Big East game after on NBC, plus games on NBC Sports Network:

"In Conference USA right now we're getting about $2 million a year and that's a ballpark figure," Johnson said. "The BIG EAST right now, the full playing members like Louisville and Cincinnati, are getting somewhere between $8 and $10 million per year.

"The hopes of the BIG EAST people are to get somewhere up in the teens (of millions). Not the $20 million that the Big 12 is getting or the $22 or $24 million that the Big Ten, SEC and PAC-12 got in their new deal, but the time is right. The people are excited. We talk about the geography, but the television people like the inventory. They like the time zones. There's even conversations going on with NBC about trying to do a doubleheader with Notre Dame and a BIG EAST game."

Quick recap...

C-USA Info
•He doesn't think the C-USA and MWC merger will happen. The league would lose the NCAA basketball units and would also lose exit fees.
•UTEP will probably go to MWC.
•MTSU not a C-USA expansion candidate.
•Florida schools (Intl, Atlantic) are expansion candidates.
•UNT is an expansion candidate.
•New TV package will be discussed.
•Only Memphis and UCF submitted men's bball tourney bids. 10 of 12 ADs voted for Memphis, other ADs and presidents don't want to let departing city host. Stated that it makes financial sense to have it in Memphis.
•C-USA with its current TV deal has about a $2M payout per school.

Big East Info
•Surpisingly Memphis (and the other newly invited schools) are current voting members and thus will have input in the upcoming conference meetings.
•New TV package will be discussed. Said he can't think of a network that WON'T be submitting proposals.
•Big East with its current TV deal has about a $6-8M payout per school. Everyone expects that to increase to the teens.
•NBC is proposing, as part of its bid, a Saturday double-header: Notre Dame game and then Big East game.

General Info
•Not everybody likes the BCS system. It may not exist in the future.
•Current contract runs thru 2015. Four team playoff not a done deal.
•Too many schools and conferences like the bowls.
•The bowls want to look out for themselves. Not fans of BCS. Don't like rotating system.

ponyboy · Post by **ponyboy** » Thu Apr 26, 2012 10:01 am

That's some solid info. Thank you.

Would love the ND/Big East doubleheader format.

WordUpBU · Post by **WordUpBU** » Thu Apr 26, 2012 10:37 am

It's a great time for SMU.

At least five times the revenue of recent years

BE basketball slate with Brown as HC and Moody getting a facelift

Football schedule will have the following annually:
- Houston & Boise as marquee divisional games
-TCU and Baylor in noncon every year
-Will probably get Navy and either AFA, BYU, Fresno, or Hawaii in your division
-San Diego State is going to be pretty good
- Cross division matchups with UL, UConn, Cincy, Rutgers, USF, UCF, and Temple

A lot better setup in the Big East for SMU.

Water Pony · Post by **Water Pony** » Thu Apr 26, 2012 10:42 am

WordUpBU wrote:It's a great time for SMU.

At least five times the revenue of recent years

BE basketball slate with Brown as HC and Moody getting a facelift

Football schedule will have the following annually:
- Houston & Boise as marquee divisional games
-TCU and Baylor in noncon every year
-Will probably get Navy and either AFA, BYU, Fresno, or Hawaii in your division
-San Diego State is going to be pretty good
- Cross division matchups with UL, UConn, Cincy, Rutgers, USF, UCF, and Temple

A lot better setup in the Big East for SMU.

Adding one more BE West Division Team would be great. In order of preference: BYU, then AFA. Do not go for Fresno or Hawaii, as a back-up.

skyscraper · Post by **skyscraper** » Thu Apr 26, 2012 2:35 pm

Love the NBC double header idea.

AusTxPony · Post by **AusTxPony** » Thu Apr 26, 2012 2:56 pm

Water P, why not Fresno? They seem to have the next best upside after BYU, AFA. Good attendance and fandom. The S.J.Valley (Fresno) is expected to have big growth in the next decade. Good location for West teams/rivalries too.

PonyKai · Post by **PonyKai** » Thu Apr 26, 2012 3:32 pm

Grab Hawai'i and cover five time zones and run games from 11AM - Midnight lol.

Stallion · Post by **Stallion** » Thu Apr 26, 2012 4:10 pm

would the Eastern Division schools travel East or West to get to the Hawaiian Islands? Think that may answer question about "Why not Hawaii.

gostangs · Post by **gostangs** » Thu Apr 26, 2012 5:32 pm

lets just wait to stay pat for now - who knows what might surface

PoconoPony · Post by **PoconoPony** » Thu Apr 26, 2012 9:19 pm

Stallion wrote:would the Eastern Division schools travel East or West to get to the Hawaiian Islands? Think that may answer question about "Why not Hawaii.

What would Columbus have done?

Mexmustang · Post by **Mexmustang** » Fri Apr 27, 2012 10:24 am

Run into the Americas...

EastStang · Post by **EastStang** » Fri Apr 27, 2012 11:25 am

Too bad the Concorde got shut down. They could have been sponsors if we added Hawaii.