Thursday, August 14, 2014

FSU in the SEC? There are millions of reasons to do it

Of course, this would never happen, but if the Power 5 wanted to reduce the number of mouths to feed, this is one way to do it.

SEC Network launching today is the start of a VERY LOUD clocking ticking and it is one the ACC won't have an answer for.  Huge revenue disparity coming.  Over the next decade, expect to see VA and NC schools gutted from the ACC by SEC/B1G schools.

The ACC doesn't have much longer and honestly, it doesn't seem to have any idea of what is happening.


FSU in the SEC? There are millions of reasons to do it


"The SEC Network.
The culmination of one conference’s decade of dominance over college athletics. Particularly in football which seems to be all that matters to the power conferences these days. The network’s debut today is supposed to be a beginning yet it seems more like an end.
I mean what else can the SEC do to generate more money and exert more influence over college sports? The next few years will just be a case of maintaining the status quo.
Does that sound like the conference that believes the only teams worthy of being in the football playoff other than their own are those that play on Sundays? No.
Which is why we need to talk about expansion.
On the one hand, you don’t want to cut the cash pie into any more pieces than you have to. Then again, if there is a school that can make you more money, you would be foolish not to add it to the mix.
Which is why the SEC should want Florida State in the conference.
Furthermore, the school leading the movement should be Florida.
There are many reasons for this.
First, the SEC should want FSU because the Noles are a national ratings draw and a national football power. Two ingredients to make their SEC Network even more valuable.
Second, adding Florida State would gut the ACC as a football conference. Without Florida State, the ACC champion would not be assured of a spot in a four-team playoff.
Third, adding Florida State would make the SEC’s football superiority so obvious that they would start each season with two teams in the four-team playoff looking to see if they could add a third.
The more teams, the more cash for the conference.
As for Gator Nation, granted the thought of the hated Noles on equal standing is enough to make you sick. I would argue to leave your feelings at the door. This is business. With that in mind, ask yourself these questions.
If we are already playing them in every sport, why shouldn’t I make money off them?
Why should their road to a football national championship be significantly easier than ours on a yearly basis?
Why don’t I want Florida-Florida State to have the same meaning and relevance as Alabama-Auburn and Michigan-Ohio State? Especially since the feelings are every bit as deep.
How can the Gators be OK with a scenario that played out a few times in the 90s, when they beat Florida State only to see the Noles become ACC champs (and now advance to the playoff while the Gators are home watching?).
Gator fans, channel your hatred and use it to your advantage.
Meanwhile, why would Florida State want to make life harder on themselves by joining the SEC? Simple.
Money and ego.
Money because joining the SEC would benefit FSU to the tune of tens of millions more in revenue each year. Ego because after years of being looked down upon by the Gators, do you really think FSU would turn down the chance to be able to look them in the eye as equals in every sense of the word?
Leaving the ACC comes with a price. Maryland just negotiated its exit to the Big Ten at a cost of over $31 million. If the SEC added two ACC schools (say FSU and N.C. State), that’s $62 million in exit fees. Sounds like a lot until you divide it by 14 SEC schools and then figure out how much a second team in the football playoff is worth annually.
Maybe the SEC just sits back and enjoys the calm before the next storm.
Or do they become that storm?
Florida State in the SEC.
The timing has never been better.
Especially for the Gators."

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