B1G Schedule rumblings...

[BlueRidgeMtns]

My buddy ... aka my Big 10 source with Michigan ties... keeps saying he's hearing they're looking more at a shortened, conference only season. No bowl games, but possibly an expanded playoff. Also adding additional bye weeks in case games need to be rescheduled. Very limited, if any, fans. This is supposedly being considered by Power 5 schools.

I could live with this.

 

[wrapit]

...and with Pay Per View as only TV Option

My buddy ... aka my Big 10 source with Michigan ties... keeps saying he's hearing they're looking more at a shortened, conference only season. No bowl games, but possibly an expanded playoff. Also adding additional bye weeks in case games need to be rescheduled. Very limited, if any, fans. This is supposedly being considered by Power 5 schools.

I could live with this.

...and with Pay Per View as only TV Option

 

[Duke Humphrey]

I think this is where the SEC will end up too

 

[BlueRidgeMtns]

I'm waiting on that announcement haha

 

[dorndawg]

How would that work considering conferences have contracts in place? Or are you saying espn/cbs/etc will go to PPV?

 

[Seinfeld]

I love this. If successful, it really opens the door for a format that pushes the SEC towards doing away with our idiotic divisions. They made sense at one time, but they don’t anymore

I’d personally love a 10-gm conference only schedule, expanded 4-team SEC championship, and an expanded 8-team CFP

 

[BlueRidgeMtns]

Either that or maybe they just crank up the cost of advertising... which i'm sure is on the table.

 

[Tall Dawg]

Yes!!!!
And...let our 10 game season be:
At Vandy
UK
At Mizzo
Ark
At Old Mess
Tenn
At USC
At Ark
Vandy
Old Mess

 

[RocketDawg]

And it makes sense. I suppose the additional P5 requirement is taken care of by adding a conference game. Should be less expensive for the athletic department too, with easier travel requirements.

 

[RocketDawg]

Wait - you just picked the easy teams and left off Alabama, Auburn, LSU, and Georgia. **

Seriously - no need to play one team twice. It's a lot farther to Fayetteville than it is to Tuscaloosa, so tougher travel with your schedule.

 

[Seinfeld]

Obvious related question is... does this set the stage for the P5 to go ahead and break away from the rest? It’d be a bitchy move for sure, but is there any legitimate need to go back to playing smaller schools in ‘21?

Edited to add: Is it wrong of me to be wondering or maybe even hopeful that Norte Dame gets hosed out of this whole deal?

 

[dorndawg]

Maybe Im not following, but why would networks need to crank it up (outside of leveraging their product for more $ - which, fine, but I doubt is happening)? Wouldn't they simply need the "regular" amount of advertising dollars?

Also, I wouldn't be surprised if networks use this as an opportunity to renegotiate some of their deals with sports leagues/conferences.

 

[Duke Humphrey]

I think that requirement is a conference requirement anyway, but yes, playing more than 8 conference games eliminate the need for non conf P5 game.

 

[FQDawg]

I don't understand what a conference-only schedule achieves. I guess the logic is if you only play eight or 10 games, instead of 12, you're reducing your chance of exposure. And if you're only going to play eight or 10 they may as well be in conference?

Because the distance thing doesn't make much sense. It's 500 miles +/- between Starkville and Fayetteville and only 300 +/- between Starkville and New Orleans (for a non-conference game with Tulane). There's no debate where I'd rather go see a game.

 

[Seinfeld]

My guess is that the main thing is simply getting all your games under an umbrella that you can actually control. It was going to be really hard to move forward with anything when you have so many different schools/conferences/states changing direction by the day

 

[DAWGS1.sixpack]

I don't understand what a conference-only schedule achieves. I guess the logic is if you only play eight or 10 games, instead of 12, you're reducing your chance of exposure. And if you're only going to play eight or 10 they may as well be in conference?

Because the distance thing doesn't make much sense. It's 500 miles +/- between Starkville and Fayetteville and only 300 +/- between Starkville and New Orleans (for a non-conference game with Tulane). There's no debate where I'd rather go see a game.

I don’t anyone is going to an “away” game of their school whether it’s in Nola, Oxford or Fayetteville.
Think we will see students at the game and a limited number of season ticket holders if we even get that.

 

[MSUDC11]

My guess is that the main thing is simply getting all your games under an umbrella that you can actually control. It was going to be really hard to move forward with anything when you have so many different schools/conferences/states changing direction by the day

Right, the SEC could set its own protocol and better oversee that everybody playing an SEC opponent is following it.

I think it would be a fun idea, and at the same time realize it would take at least three sure wins off the board for us, so that would be unfortunate. But conference only football is way better than no football.

 

[messageboardsuperhero]

I don't understand what a conference-only schedule achieves. I guess the logic is if you only play eight or 10 games, instead of 12, you're reducing your chance of exposure. And if you're only going to play eight or 10 they may as well be in conference?

Because the distance thing doesn't make much sense. It's 500 miles +/- between Starkville and Fayetteville and only 300 +/- between Starkville and New Orleans (for a non-conference game with Tulane). There's no debate where I'd rather go see a game.

A conference only schedule makes sense for this year on a couple of different levels.

The schools/conference will have much better and clearer lines of communication. Everyone in the league will know where each team stands as far as the virus goes, as opposed to have to communicate with NC State and the ACC.

It allows for much more flexibility if games need to be moved around. Drop to 10 games and add a couple extra bye weeks. Then if a team has a huge outbreak and needs to take a week off, games can pretty easily be rearranged to a different week.

You could even substitute games on the schedule. Say we are scheduled to play UK and LSU is scheduled to play South Carolina. If UK and LSU are both unable to play, the SEC could conceivably have us and South Carolina play that week. In theory, anyway.

 

[615dawg]

My buddy ... aka my Big 10 source with Michigan ties... keeps saying he's hearing they're looking more at a shortened, conference only season. No bowl games, but possibly an expanded playoff. Also adding additional bye weeks in case games need to be rescheduled. Very limited, if any, fans. This is supposedly being considered by Power 5 schools.

I could live with this.

Here is the gist of a plan that has been seriously talked about. The Big 12 has to come up with something that would work, but ...

Everyone plays only division games. That's a 6 game schedule.

Division champions play each other in a conference championship game.

Five conference winners, the top G5 team and two at-large teams play in a 8 game playoff.

Two additional G5 Champion vs. G5 Champion games to be played as well.

 

[GloryDawg]

Hopefully they will start a little later in attempt to be able to have more fans in the stadium.

 

[00Dawg]

Why rule out bowl games at this point?

All that does is give players more reason to sit out if their team has been eliminated from the division race. It’s not like that decision can’t be put off for a few more months.