Thursday, June 28, 2018

ESPN promised the SEC an ACC Network would never happen:





https://www.outkickthecoverage.com/paul-finebaum-unsigned-espn-drama-builds-sec-espn-relationship/

In fact, Outkick has been told that the SEC told ESPN in no uncertain terms to get the Finebaum contract done and ESPN has still been unable or unwilling to follow through. This exacerbates recent tension in the SEC-ESPN relationship that has threatened to explode into public view over ESPN’s decision to launch the ACC Network, a move undertaken despite what sources say was a promise made by former ESPN president John Skipper to former SEC commissioner Mike Slive that ESPN would never partner with another conference to create a network.


https://floridastate.forums.rivals.com/threads/clay-travis-on-espn-conf-networks.220513/

We all know Clay is an idiot. The point of this is not to discuss or argue Clay Travis
But this tweet of his is in regards to the SEC network. Supposedly Finebaums negotiations aren’t going well.
What struck me was the statement ab the ACC network. That ESPN promised the SEC that our network would never get up and running
Is the SECs influence over ESPN causing the delays in ACC network release?
Will the SEC keep the ACC from ever getting what it needs?

It's gonna get worse for the ACC



ESPN calls the title for SEC team before it happens




ACC Worth Factoid

Success on the field is often confused for the value in a TV contract.  That said, factoid below still worth note.

Florida State University to receive $98.7 million in performance funding





http://news.fsu.edu/news/university-news/2018/06/27/fsu-to-receive-98-7-million-in-performance-funding/

Florida State University has improved in every performance metric outlined by the Florida Board of Governors and will receive $98.7 million in performance funding this year in recognition of its continuing excellence.
The funds will allow Florida State to continue making investments in targeted areas as it strives toward its goal of becoming a U.S. News & World Report Top 25 public university.
“Florida State has had a lot of success this year thanks to the outstanding work of our students, faculty and staff, and I’m pleased that our achievements are reflected in the performance metrics,” said FSU President John Thrasher. “This performance funding will help support the university’s preeminence in ways that will benefit our students and the state as we prepare career-ready graduates.”
Performance funding is based on university progress on a variety of metrics, from four-year graduation rates to student success after graduation.
FSU’s year-over-year progress was highlighted by a four-year graduation rate of 68.4 percent. That’s nearly three percentage points higher than the previous year’s cohort, placing FSU first among all State University System of Florida institutions. More significantly, it’s the highest four-year graduation rate in the State University System’s history.
Florida State saw its largest improvement in the BOG’s newest metric, cost of attendance.
FSU will use the performance funds to invest in its faculty and student success initiatives as part of its goal to become one of the Top 25 public universities in the nation.
Florida State achieved its highest ranking ever this year under the performance funding metrics established by the board. The funding is subject to confirmation Thursday by the full Board of Governors.
In addition, FSU was awarded $6.1 million from the Florida Legislature in recognition of the university’s preeminence status.

https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2018/06/27/florida-state-florida-m-learn-how-they-rank-performance-ratings/738876002/

Florida State University’s strong showing in meeting the Board of Governors performance metrics moved it up to No. 3 this year among state universities. That earns FSU $98.7 million from the state in performance funding. 

Florida A&M University, which increased its score to 72 – the highest it has achieved – from 65 last year, remains in the bottom three of university rankings. FAMU gets no additional performance funding, but will retain $14.7 million from its own investment in the total pot.
The University of Florida had the top score of 93 – which results in $57.6 million in performance funding, or a total of $110.6 million.
“This performance funding will help support the university’s preeminence in ways that will benefit our students and the state as we prepare career-ready graduates,” FSU President John Thrasher said.
Florida State also saw its largest improvement in the BOG’s newest metric, cost of attendance.
Florida State University, the University of South Florida and the University of West Florida all earned 86 points, according to the Board of Governors.
The board resorted to its “tiebreaker” procedure, approved in 2015, to determine that FSU would achieve the “top three” status and receive the associated funding.
FSU scored the highest four-year graduation rate in the system’s history, a 68.4 percent.
Performance funding has resulted in the SUS exceeding its goal for bachelor’s degrees in areas of strategic emphasis, with eight institutions scoring 10 points on this metric.
The University of Florida earned the maximum 10 points in seven metrics, and New College of Florida earned 10 points in five metrics.
FAMU scored 10s in three categories, while FSU scored 10s in five areas.
Here's how universities fared in points, new performance funding, their allocation of institutional investment and total performance funding:
University of Florida: 93 points; $57.6 million; $53 million; total: $110.6 million
Florida International University: 90 points, $40 million; $33.7 million; total: $73.7 million
Florida State University: 86 points, $51.6 million; $47.1 million; total: $98.7 million
University of South Florida: 86 points; $37.6 million; $41.9 million; total: $79.6 million
University of West Florida: 86 points; $10.8 million; $12 million; total: $22.7 million
Florida Atlantic University: 84 points; $20.l5 million; $22.8 million; total: $43.4 million
University of Central Florida, 77 points; $37.5 million; $41.7 million; total: $79.2 million
Florida Gulf Coast University; 75 points; $9.2 million; $10.3 million; total: $19.5 million
New College of Florida; 75 points; $0; $3.9 million; total: $3.9 million
Florida A&M University; 72 points; $0; $14.7 million; total: $14.7 million
University of North Florida; 68 points; $0; $13.5 million; total: $13.5 million.




The demolition on FSU's Oglesby Student Union building begins








https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2018/06/27/demolition-work-has-begun-florida-state-builds-new-student-union-ogleby/738325002/

Walls came tumbling down at the Florida State University Oglesby Union Wednesday. It marks the first phase of demolition before construction begins on a 300,000-square-foot student complex.
The new $100 million building is expected to open in 2020. Meanwhile, services and programs will continue. Union employees will relocate to temporary spaces around campus, including Doak Campbell Stadium and the Thagard Building.
The new four-story building, which students helped design, will feature glass walls, modern technology and open outdoor seating.
Highlights include a new food court, Club Downunder, Crenshaw Lanes, the Art Center and space on the west side for Market Wednesday.
There also will be a bigger FSU campus bookstore, new ballrooms and meeting spaces.

Florida State University is recognized for best four-year graduation rate in Florida



https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2018/06/26/florida-states-four-year-graduation-rate-no-1-among-state-university-system/735222002/

Florida State University’s four-year graduation rate of 68.4 percent is the highest in the State University System, school administrators told a Board of Governors committee this afternoon.
The four-year graduation rate also is the highest ever recorded among state universities. The figures are taken from the latest data reported in the State University System’s 2018 Accountability Plan.
“This wonderful news is the result of hard work and creative thinking by faculty and staff across campus,” FSU President John Thrasher said. “They are putting students on a path toward earning a degree while providing them with a strong undergraduate experience that prepares them to be successful after graduation.”
Of the freshmen who entered the university in 2013, 68.4 percent graduated in four years. By comparison, only 49.3 percent of freshmen who started at FSU in 2005 graduated in four years.
“That’s a very big deal. That’s among the Top 15 public universities nationally,” said Provost Sally McRorie, who is also executive vice president for academic affairs.






Wednesday, June 27, 2018

Even David Teel, close ally of Swofford, is starting to fly the red flags for the ACC

I say it again.  No way the ACC last another decade with $20 Million revenue gap.  ACCN has to close it to less than $10.

I would be shocked.  Swofford HAS to go, but the ACC won't budge.

ACC is simply too late.  They waited too late to be concerned.





http://www.dailypress.com/sports/dp-spt-acc-network-revenue-0628-story.html


A partnership with ESPN, the ACC Network is scheduled to launch in August 2019, its earnings potential the subject of rampant speculation and, among athletic directors, anticipation.
The ADs wonder because they’re investing millions in on-campus network production facilities. They worry because sustaining a business long-term with a fraction of competitors’ resources borders on impossible.
The revenue gap has never been larger and likely will grow until the ACC Network debuts. The overarching question is: How much can the channel bridge the gulf?
Many consider the SEC Network, born in 2014, the most successful launch in cable television annals. In its final fiscal year without the network, the conference reported $210.4 million in television and radio revenue. One year later, the SEC earned $311.8 million from TV-radio, a 48.2-percent increase.
The league’s most recent tax filing, for 2016-17, showed $409.1 million, a 94.4-percent bump over the network’s three years.
During that same time, ACC television money has risen 19.7 percent, from $197.2 million to $236 million.
Translation: In 2013-14, ACC television money lagged behind the SEC by a modest $13.2 million. Three years later, the difference was a staggering $173.1 million.
Since the SEC also has a lucrative contract with CBS, its increases can’t be solely attributed to the SEC Network. But there’s no questioning the network’s impact.
Some may recall that in February 2017 Florida State athletic director Stan Wilcox told the school’s Board of Trustees that the ACC Network could net each school $8 million-$10 million in Year 1, and $10 million-$15 million per year thereafter.
“These are all projections,” Wilcox told the board, according to 247sports.com. “It all depends on how well the network does. They are saying this network should have the same kind of return that the SEC Network has had in (its) first couple of years.”
Optimistic doesn’t begin to describe, and no one associated with the ACC Network project has echoed Wilcox, publicly or privately.
Firm answers? They won’t emerge until the conference’s 2019-20 tax return is released in the spring of 2021 — three years from now.


Tuesday, June 26, 2018

Oregon softball coach poached by UT



https://247sports.com/college/florida-state/Board/36/Contents/Mike-White-leaving-Oregon-for-Texas-119348283/

"Not FSU related, but it is big news in the softball landscape, which FSU now sits atop of right now. Oregon was the #1 seed this year in the WCWS.

He went to 9 SRs in 9 years, including 5 trips to the CWS. "


"Likely made around $300K last year. But OU's coach is paid over $900K/year. I'm sure Texas gave him a nice bump.

I wonder what Alameda makes. I remember hearing during our search several of our top candidates removed their names because FSU's offer wasn't great. It worked out pretty well anyway, but we'll probably have to bump Alameda to keep her, too."


"Obviously I had some idea of his salary details before making that statement. He likely made more than $300K last year.

And it doesn't matter if it's a "different time" or not. That doesn't change the financials surrounding the coaching search. But the point was to find out how much Alameda makes and what it would take to make it more competitive nationally."

Friday, June 22, 2018

Big 10 revenue up to $52 million

When does the ACC do something for it's revenue strategy beyond 'hope?'  Swofford needs to be fired.


Wednesday, June 20, 2018

FSU researchers on breakthrough electric cable



https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2018/06/19/researchers-fsu-partner-private-firm-breakthrough-power-current-cable/712896002/

A research team led by a FAMU-FSU College of Engineering professor has partnered with a Colorado firm to develop a super fast power transmission cable that could be used in the advancement of all-electric ships deployed by the U.S. Navy.
Professor Sastry V. Pamidi is associate director of FSU’s Center for Advanced Power Systems, which is working with Advanced Conductor Technologies LLC, in developing the first direct current power transmission cable using the firm's Conductor on Round Core cable technology, FSU announced this week.
Danco van der Laan, president and CEO of Boulder, Colorado-based Advanced Conductor Technologies, was a graduate student at the MagLab in Tallahassee from January 2000 to May 2003, according to his LinkedIn profile.

'A significant leap forward'

Development of the power transmission not only could be used in electric ships but also in the aviation field and power grids, according to FSU.
“The demonstration is an exciting development and a significant leap forward in achieving the required high-power densities in shipboard power transmission,”  Pamidi said.

 “This successful test is a major step forward in the development of power cables that will permit integration of high power/high energy systems on future ships,” CAPS Director Roger McGinnis.


Another ACC revenue prediction

Ever notice how all the ACC's revenue victories are in the future?

Also, the goal was NEVER to pass a failing PAC 12, it was to be competitive with the B1G/SEC revenue (not equal, but competitive).


http://awfulannouncing.com/league-networks/even-the-most-conservative-internal-acc-network-projections-have-the-conference-shooting-past-the-pac-12.html

The college sports arms race has a whole lot to do with TV money, which is much of what gives the”Power Five” their status. Money lets schools land top coaches, hire more assistants, strength coaches and so on, improve facilities to attract recruits, and schedule favorable games, and while individual schools’ ticket sales, donations, sponsorships and so on matter, the per-school distribution from conferences (which is largely about TV revenue) is essential. The Big Ten and SEC seem to be pulling away from the rest of the Power Five there, and the ACC has been lagging, thanks partly to not having a linear conference network at this point.

But with the ACC Network scheduled to launch on linear TV next year, it seems like that will change, as Luke DeCock of the Raleigh News & Observer writes:

The ACC continues to be fifth among the Power 5 conferences in per-school revenue, which makes the potential success of the network somewhat of an all-or-nothing proposition for the conference.
…It’s going to be almost impossible for the ACC to close the gap on the SEC and Big Ten, both of which had a considerable head start on their own (profitable) networks, but the ACC is counting on network revenue – which even in its least optimistic projections should be at least $10 million per school per year, once the network is up and running – to move it past the Pac-12 and even with the Big 12.
…The ACC distributed an average of $26.6 million per school in 2017, with total revenue up 12 percent and Notre Dame receiving a fraction of that. The Pac-12 was at $31.5 million in its most recent financial statements, the Big 12 at an estimated $40 million (its official figure of $36.5 million doesn’t include some tertiary media rights, including Texas’ Longhorn Network) and the SEC at $40.9 million, while the Big Ten is expected to exceed $50 million.
It’s remarkable that the ACC could shoot past the Pac-12 under even the most conservative internal projections. As DeCock notes, the gap may be a little less than the stated $4.9 million in any case thanks to differing accounting methods (he writes that the ACC doesn’t include the estimated $1 million per school it reimburses in conference championship expenses in this per-school distribution figure, while others do), but $10 million per school per year not only sends the ACC well past the Pac-12, it moves it closer to the Big 12 and the SEC. And that’s a conservative estimate; some have projected this could go as high as $15 million per school per year.
Of course, there are still a lot of ifs here. This depends on the network successfully launching, and on it garnering good carriage, decent viewership, and decent ad dollars (the latter two are a lot less important than the first, though; conference networks and regional sports networks really rely on the per-subscriber fee more than if people are actually watching, but you do need some people to be watching to maintain good carriage). And we don’t know how long their projection for “up and running” is, and what the revenues will look like before that. And 2019 is not the easiest time to launch a linear TV network. But this network has already gained some distribution, helped by ESPN’s leverage with other channels (including with NY-area provider Altice, likely boosted by the College GameDay in Times Square stunt during negotiations). And it’s particularly remarkable that it might be in a stronger place than the Pac-12 Networks despite launching seven years later.
The Pac-12’s per-school distribution isn’t all about the conference network, of course. Some of it has to do with their other TV deals with ESPN and Fox, and about some of the other challenges those schools face in terms of time zone, fanbase size and passion, and so on. But the conference network is a big part of it, and outgoing president Lydia Murphy-Stephans said last year its distributions were nowhere close to the Big Ten Network or the SEC Network. And she said that had never been promised, contrary to what some ADs said. But what’s really interesting from separate 2017 comments from Pac-12 ADs is that the networks hadn’t even hit goals that look relatively modest compared to other conference networks:
Utah athletic director Chris Hill is on record as one AD who is disappointed with the Pac-12 Networks. He told the San Francisco Chronicle, “we expected more.”
Washington State AD Bill Moos said the payouts have increased each year and he was expecting them to be in the range of “$5 million to $6 million when we were launching,” but that has yet to happen.
So, the Pac-12 Networks hadn’t yet reached $5 million per school by 2017, five years after launch. And the ACC Network’s forecasting at least double that by the time it gets “up and running.” Maybe that’s an overoptimistic projection, but if it isn’t, that would put the ACC in a nice place relative to the Pac-12, at least on the network side. Of course, it should be noted that the Pac-12 schools still own their network too, so there’s equity value there, but the ACC’s strategy of teaming up with ESPN for a network instead of starting their own sure is looking pretty good right about now.