Most of the Big 12 wouldn't fit in the power 2, so it makes sense that they'd make a play for the "corner" schools to increase their survival chances. I think the corner schools must be kept, because UDub, Oregon, Stanford and Cal really have only one potential suitor, because the SEC can expand without significantly changing its geographic footprint. If the Big 10 wanted any of these schools, now is the time, because of the media contracts. They are in no hurry.
Regardless,this next year is an audition year. Cal has to show up.
CAL Athletics can survive without the big 10 but in all reality the big 10 is jonezing for a piece of the bay area huge tv and recruiting market so when the big 10 smoke settles CAL should should jump ship and join the big 10 its all about the green these days and the big 10 has plenty of f0X green!
Clearly the goal of college football is no longer to round out the student athlete experience or support longstanding traditions. The entire facade of college football has fallen and exposed a greed driven enterprise with a winner take all mentality. So here's what I say. Fuck em! Let's win this bad boy competition. How? (You ask). We won't win in the very short term, but we can start winning immediately if we create the system that supports our success. That system is corporate sponsorships for BIG NIL $$. We should keep the remaining PAC teams intact. We should add SDSU, Boise State, Fresno State, and see if we could lure some other better teams from our region. The TV markets of Seattle and all of WA, all of OR, Bay Area/NorCal, Central CA, Arizona, Utah and Colorado should be enough to garner sufficient revenue if an updated PAC owns the region. Next we have to create revenue outside of TV contracts, specifically for NIL to attract great players to a conference that will be considered second tier at the outset. This is where Phil Knight can save not only his beloved Oregon Ducks, but the PAC and the wonderful regional competition that breeds so much tradition (college kids in RV's traveling to away games - those days are over for USC and UCLA). Phil Knight needs to rally some of his billionaire buddies who run YUGE companies to pay for sponsorship rights to schools/teams and then they need to set up big time NIL budgets. We need Amazon or Microsoft to step up for UW, and some YUGE Ag companies in WA to step up for WASU. Nike has Oregon covered so we need a big outfit to cover OSU. Stanfurd should have their pick of Silicon Valley Companies; HP, Apple, Google, Cisco.... and CAL should have no problem with Silicon Valley companies or SF companies as well. You are starting to get my drift. We need sponsorship amounts to the tune of $20 to $40m per year per school and then NIL budgets in the same range. Someone really smart needs to figure out how to create a tax deal to make this all work. If we can raise money, we can buy talent. If we can buy talent the reputation and stature of the PAC will grow and the returns will grow with it. I would put together a biz plan and show how the new PAC could be a YUGE growth company. In the end, this is what its all about: money. And it takes money to make money, as any CEO knows. Btw, I think the move will ultimately backfire on USC and UCLA. If they aren't in the hunt every year in the Big Ten for a championship or the Natty, then their fans will ultimately abandon them....like they have already done. It won't matter if LA has 6m TV viewers, there won't be many watching UCLA or USC football. And ways games will be out of site and out of mind. No more parties at CAL or Stanfurd on game weekend for UCLA and USC kids to enjoy. No short flight for alums to attend a game and hit their favorite restaurant and visit old Bay Area friends. The move to the Big Ten is all short term greed/gain.
I think Oregun likely has a better shot at getting into the B1G than Cal, which would make Wilcox one of the bigger losers in all of this. I wonder if he is now lamenting his choice to not accept the Oregun job just a few short months ago?!?
On pondering the situation further, it would seem that there will be western division and eastern division in the Big 10 - this would reduce the amount of cross-country travel which otherwise is necessitated. Hope in this scenario that Cal is included. If there is only one division of 16 teams or whatever then it seems likely that Cal will be left out in the cold.
What the holy fuck...where in all this hand wringing is the Cal spirit? Yes we have sucked for decades, with intermittent moments of utter unimaginable glory, but there have been a core of Cal fans, many commenting on this site, that have persevered. Can I just get a fucking GO BEARS? Sheesh....
The irony of all of this is last year, we were sitting here saying this team isn’t good enough, or that team isn’t good enough, or this team is religious or whatever.
And now we have to hope they think we are good enough to have in THEIR conference to continue on as usual. The Big 10 is a good fit (fingers crossed, because they can very well take us) I would hope other conferences would have the grace WE didn’t have when considering them. I’m sure we could possibly fit in some kind of Big 12 fusion.
Make The Alliance official. B1G can "merge" the Pac out of existence and into a division. We'd end up with two separate major leagues like we've seen many times in pro sports. If this creates an AL/NL dynamic, the programs left behind would be the PCL, a AAAA of sorts (a comparison more apt with loose transfer rules).
As Avi pointed out, we have enough debt that we really have to push for a major league spot at almost any cost.
Some, but not many, have raised the student-athlete experience with a B1G entry. I don’t feel a Cal admission into the B1G is good. Perhaps the stadium debt could be paid off faster but other than that I don’t see this as a positive for those involved.
Obviously this is a bad situation for Cal, Oregon State, and Wazzu. Arizona and Arizona State likely seek refuge with the BIG12. Furd won’t allow NIL pools and may not be interested in subjecting their student-athletes to the rigors of travel to B1G games. Colorado and Utah could go BIG12 as well.
Let’s assume Oregon and Washington do get invited into the B1G. That would leave Cal, Oregon State, and Wazzu to fend for themselves (Furd likely gives up on football to focus on Olympic sports). So, the remaining 3 should go to the Mountain West if, in fact, they want to retain football. I’m fine with that and it could be an entertaining brand of football. It would be better for our student-athletes in terms of travel while still providing a sport to play as opposed to none.
The reality of these “super conferences” won’t change the landscape of college football as it currently exist: 4 – 6 teams will continue to dominate the game. NIL will allow a select few teams to creep into the top given their NIL pools e.g. aTm. Either way, Cal currently or in the future would never be able to compete under this new college football paradigm.
On the other hand, should Cal want to be relevant and ACTUALLY want to be part of the B1G then the first step is to beat ND, in the fall, then at minimum play in the conference championship. Even with that success, I would not be a supporter of Cal joining the B1G, if invited.
It is possible that should Oregon and Washington be added to the B1G that the B1G could simply monopolize the PAC12 and invite all teams in the PAC12 making a western division of the B1G. But there isn’t an incentive to do so given they have already captured the LA media market.
My preference, go to the MWC or create a new conference with select MWC teams. Cal shouldn’t go to the B1G, which isn’t much of a concern now given the low probability that they would even be considered.
Honestly, it's either we join Big 10 or Cal football dies. I don't want expanded Pac12 and I'm sure Oregon and Washington will be leaving such a conference in a matter of time.
Then I realized, Cal football is kinda dead already. Poor records and awful attendance for the past decade, and I am still a Cal fan, so no matter what happens, I feel like I will still be a Cal football fan.
Could Cals incompetence end up saving us? Cal isn’t a threat to USC in recruiting or on the field but it is a rival that their alum like to travel up and play. Cal would be an easy win for most of the Big10, easier travel destination for sports teams with SFO/Oakland airports, a tourist destination and it has academic prestige.
Most of the Big 12 wouldn't fit in the power 2, so it makes sense that they'd make a play for the "corner" schools to increase their survival chances. I think the corner schools must be kept, because UDub, Oregon, Stanford and Cal really have only one potential suitor, because the SEC can expand without significantly changing its geographic footprint. If the Big 10 wanted any of these schools, now is the time, because of the media contracts. They are in no hurry.
Regardless,this next year is an audition year. Cal has to show up.
CAL Athletics can survive without the big 10 but in all reality the big 10 is jonezing for a piece of the bay area huge tv and recruiting market so when the big 10 smoke settles CAL should should jump ship and join the big 10 its all about the green these days and the big 10 has plenty of f0X green!
Clearly the goal of college football is no longer to round out the student athlete experience or support longstanding traditions. The entire facade of college football has fallen and exposed a greed driven enterprise with a winner take all mentality. So here's what I say. Fuck em! Let's win this bad boy competition. How? (You ask). We won't win in the very short term, but we can start winning immediately if we create the system that supports our success. That system is corporate sponsorships for BIG NIL $$. We should keep the remaining PAC teams intact. We should add SDSU, Boise State, Fresno State, and see if we could lure some other better teams from our region. The TV markets of Seattle and all of WA, all of OR, Bay Area/NorCal, Central CA, Arizona, Utah and Colorado should be enough to garner sufficient revenue if an updated PAC owns the region. Next we have to create revenue outside of TV contracts, specifically for NIL to attract great players to a conference that will be considered second tier at the outset. This is where Phil Knight can save not only his beloved Oregon Ducks, but the PAC and the wonderful regional competition that breeds so much tradition (college kids in RV's traveling to away games - those days are over for USC and UCLA). Phil Knight needs to rally some of his billionaire buddies who run YUGE companies to pay for sponsorship rights to schools/teams and then they need to set up big time NIL budgets. We need Amazon or Microsoft to step up for UW, and some YUGE Ag companies in WA to step up for WASU. Nike has Oregon covered so we need a big outfit to cover OSU. Stanfurd should have their pick of Silicon Valley Companies; HP, Apple, Google, Cisco.... and CAL should have no problem with Silicon Valley companies or SF companies as well. You are starting to get my drift. We need sponsorship amounts to the tune of $20 to $40m per year per school and then NIL budgets in the same range. Someone really smart needs to figure out how to create a tax deal to make this all work. If we can raise money, we can buy talent. If we can buy talent the reputation and stature of the PAC will grow and the returns will grow with it. I would put together a biz plan and show how the new PAC could be a YUGE growth company. In the end, this is what its all about: money. And it takes money to make money, as any CEO knows. Btw, I think the move will ultimately backfire on USC and UCLA. If they aren't in the hunt every year in the Big Ten for a championship or the Natty, then their fans will ultimately abandon them....like they have already done. It won't matter if LA has 6m TV viewers, there won't be many watching UCLA or USC football. And ways games will be out of site and out of mind. No more parties at CAL or Stanfurd on game weekend for UCLA and USC kids to enjoy. No short flight for alums to attend a game and hit their favorite restaurant and visit old Bay Area friends. The move to the Big Ten is all short term greed/gain.
I think Oregun likely has a better shot at getting into the B1G than Cal, which would make Wilcox one of the bigger losers in all of this. I wonder if he is now lamenting his choice to not accept the Oregun job just a few short months ago?!?
On pondering the situation further, it would seem that there will be western division and eastern division in the Big 10 - this would reduce the amount of cross-country travel which otherwise is necessitated. Hope in this scenario that Cal is included. If there is only one division of 16 teams or whatever then it seems likely that Cal will be left out in the cold.
The PAC is dead and there will be definite losers. It's every man for himself.
If ND accepts the B10 invitation, they may insist that Stanford (traditional rival) go with them. Add Oregon and Washington and B10 would be at 20.
https://youtu.be/-U8Rommye18
Larry Scott was the Chesa Boudin of collegiate athletics.
What the holy fuck...where in all this hand wringing is the Cal spirit? Yes we have sucked for decades, with intermittent moments of utter unimaginable glory, but there have been a core of Cal fans, many commenting on this site, that have persevered. Can I just get a fucking GO BEARS? Sheesh....
The irony of all of this is last year, we were sitting here saying this team isn’t good enough, or that team isn’t good enough, or this team is religious or whatever.
And now we have to hope they think we are good enough to have in THEIR conference to continue on as usual. The Big 10 is a good fit (fingers crossed, because they can very well take us) I would hope other conferences would have the grace WE didn’t have when considering them. I’m sure we could possibly fit in some kind of Big 12 fusion.
Leave it to fOX to F things up
Make The Alliance official. B1G can "merge" the Pac out of existence and into a division. We'd end up with two separate major leagues like we've seen many times in pro sports. If this creates an AL/NL dynamic, the programs left behind would be the PCL, a AAAA of sorts (a comparison more apt with loose transfer rules).
As Avi pointed out, we have enough debt that we really have to push for a major league spot at almost any cost.
Some, but not many, have raised the student-athlete experience with a B1G entry. I don’t feel a Cal admission into the B1G is good. Perhaps the stadium debt could be paid off faster but other than that I don’t see this as a positive for those involved.
Obviously this is a bad situation for Cal, Oregon State, and Wazzu. Arizona and Arizona State likely seek refuge with the BIG12. Furd won’t allow NIL pools and may not be interested in subjecting their student-athletes to the rigors of travel to B1G games. Colorado and Utah could go BIG12 as well.
Let’s assume Oregon and Washington do get invited into the B1G. That would leave Cal, Oregon State, and Wazzu to fend for themselves (Furd likely gives up on football to focus on Olympic sports). So, the remaining 3 should go to the Mountain West if, in fact, they want to retain football. I’m fine with that and it could be an entertaining brand of football. It would be better for our student-athletes in terms of travel while still providing a sport to play as opposed to none.
The reality of these “super conferences” won’t change the landscape of college football as it currently exist: 4 – 6 teams will continue to dominate the game. NIL will allow a select few teams to creep into the top given their NIL pools e.g. aTm. Either way, Cal currently or in the future would never be able to compete under this new college football paradigm.
On the other hand, should Cal want to be relevant and ACTUALLY want to be part of the B1G then the first step is to beat ND, in the fall, then at minimum play in the conference championship. Even with that success, I would not be a supporter of Cal joining the B1G, if invited.
It is possible that should Oregon and Washington be added to the B1G that the B1G could simply monopolize the PAC12 and invite all teams in the PAC12 making a western division of the B1G. But there isn’t an incentive to do so given they have already captured the LA media market.
My preference, go to the MWC or create a new conference with select MWC teams. Cal shouldn’t go to the B1G, which isn’t much of a concern now given the low probability that they would even be considered.
Honestly, it's either we join Big 10 or Cal football dies. I don't want expanded Pac12 and I'm sure Oregon and Washington will be leaving such a conference in a matter of time.
Then I realized, Cal football is kinda dead already. Poor records and awful attendance for the past decade, and I am still a Cal fan, so no matter what happens, I feel like I will still be a Cal football fan.
Could Cals incompetence end up saving us? Cal isn’t a threat to USC in recruiting or on the field but it is a rival that their alum like to travel up and play. Cal would be an easy win for most of the Big10, easier travel destination for sports teams with SFO/Oakland airports, a tourist destination and it has academic prestige.