USC, Ohio State, Florida and Other BCS Powers Should Watch BYU Independence
Most of the country watched with mild interest as BYU made its recent move to football independence. Leaving behind in it's wake a Mountain West conference it had primarily bolstered for over a decade.
But who might be watching this move more closely than others? And Why?
You can be sure the developments are going to be watched very closely by BCS powers like Ohio State, USC, Florida, Alabama and Texas.
Additionally, it's highly likely schools like Baylor, Northwestern, Washington State and other BCS football non-contenders are watching for the same reason.
So what is that reason?
Exposure and Money
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BYU desired two things with the move: More exposure and more money.Texas already figured out it was in the same boat, albeit on a larger scale.
BYU wants the ability to control its own football contract with ESPN, broadcast games on its own TV network and re-broadcast games at it desires. Texas wants the same flexibility and is working on its own TV network.
As the biggest chip on the TV bargaining table, BYU doesn't (or shouldn't) want be forced to give an equal share of its paltry conference TV revenue to members who bring nothing to the table, like Wyoming and New Mexico.
Likewise for Texas. The Big-12 TV contract negotiations begin and end with the Longhorns. No offense, Kansas State and Texas Tech, but UT is bringing in all the bacon (I know, I'm mixing beef and pork metaphors). That's why Texas was able to play hardball with the Big-12 and Pac-10 this summer.
So what happens when USC, Ohio State and others decide they're bringing a lot more to the table than Washington State and Indiana?
USC, Ohio State, Florida, Alabama Are All in The Same Boat
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USC, Ohio State, Florida, Alabama all bring the majority of television value into their respective conferences.
I'm sure there are others, and there's a lot of legitimate debate about just how much value each truly brings to the table.
But regardless of the details, these four powerhouses plus Texas should be (if they aren't already) stroking their proverbial beards and talking about what's to be done to get a larger share of conference TV revenue.
But why? Shouldn't we be fair and equitable? Shouldn't we hug and share and dance in the merry sunshine holding hands?
Uh, no. Because...
Get Down to Business
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While the NCAA doesn't like to admit it, National College Football is a business. And it's BIG business. Just ask the BCS. They rarely attempt to even refute claims anymore that the system is rigged to bring money to the big conferences.
Everybody knows it. Money drives the decision-making.
But not in the conferences themselves. We still operate in a league system that's truly socialist. Northwestern, Baylor, Vanderbilt and Duke all get the same cut of TV revenue and BCS bowl revenue as respective conference members Michigan, Oklahoma, Georgia and Miami.
But they bing nowhere near the same value.
It's pretty simple: The successful programs are subsidizing the unsuccessful.
And that's not fair, either. Just ask Texas or BYU. So if they're watching, what might they do about it?
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
More Shuffling and More TV Leeway
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Before you get all up in arms thinking I'm advocating power-schools go independent or cause drastic shakeups in the conferences, let me state that I am certainly not.
But this is an issue that's going to get more and more critical as the money gets bigger and bigger. It's already happened with Texas.
It would be completely chaotic to try to negotiate revenue shares based on the perceived value each team delivers. There are simply too many variables.
But if BYU and Texas successfully launch their own TV networks and cut individual deals with ESPN, you can bet the Buckeyes, Trojans, Gators and Crimson Tide will want a similar piece of action.
And there's nothing wrong with that.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
