Kansas AD says the top schools (BCS) will break away from NCAA

[houstontxbrave]

The endgame here is 4-16 team "superconferences".

If the Big Ten goes to 16, that's all it will take. The next step will be the P10, ACC, and SEC scrambling for the leftovers. The Big East will be done.

64 teams will be creating essentially a year-round professional league where the same teams compete in various sports. It will provide a boom for college baseball especially and make the scouting process for professional baseball clubs more effective.

I also don't think the B10 should be bashful in their expansion efforts either, and it's not out of the realm for them to think coast-to-coast (Syracuse, Florida, USC, UCLA, Texas) if they are confident they know that is what the end game is.

Really, the elite level will inevitably adopt the culture of professional sports and lose a lot of the casual interest. But make no mistake the market will grow, the money will be greater, and the weeding process is much more transparent.

But I actually disagree that it will be apocalyptic for college athletics among the lower levels. I do think you will see a number of schools fold programs/stop funding them and become non-scholarship, but I do think you will see a new culture and environment among schools like Bradley that can compete in sports across the board and compete for national championships in multiple sports.

I completely agree but that success for lower levels is all dependent of revenues from television. You can occasionally see minor league baseball on TV but its MLB that is constant.

If there isnt a viable Television option for lower levels where is the money going to come from?

 

[TheAsianSensation]

But I actually disagree that it will be apocalyptic for college athletics among the lower levels. I do think you will see a number of schools fold programs/stop funding them and become non-scholarship, but I do think you will see a new culture and environment among schools like Bradley that can compete in sports across the board and compete for national championships in multiple sports.

I'm obviously not so sure. The problem is that whatever sport BU plays a national championship for will be played, at a higher level, by the 64 teams that make the split. There's going to be absolutely no revenue or TV for them because ESPN and the like will broadcast the higher level instead of the NCAA level.

A school like BU can survive that, I think, though. Valley schools, being in markets where they're the main attraction, can. Other schools, not so much.


And going back to another comment you made in the post: What I'm worried about is that we're headed for the end-game you described, but that the Big 10 doesn't realize the end-game could actually be that dramatic a shift in collegiate athletics.

 

[SFP]

Forget about Congress doing anything because if you have not noticed Sen. Hatch has been quiet because he has been assured that his state schools Utah and BYU will be taken care of. We will see a realignment first and Bradley better be prepared and unlike a few posters here IMO Bradley is in the grey area of coming out ahead or in better shape then where we are now. Potential revenue generating programs and geography will play out where the non-football programs are grouped.

 

[squirrelgotdead]

I'm obviously not so sure. The problem is that whatever sport BU plays a national championship for will be played, at a higher level, by the 64 teams that make the split. There's going to be absolutely no revenue or TV for them because ESPN and the like will broadcast the higher level instead of the NCAA level.

A school like BU can survive that, I think, though. Valley schools, being in markets where they're the main attraction, can. Other schools, not so much.


And going back to another comment you made in the post: What I'm worried about is that we're headed for the end-game you described, but that the Big 10 doesn't realize the end-game could actually be that dramatic a shift in collegiate athletics.

Well, sure not all will survive. But the fans from all the schools left out in the cold aren't going to just disappear either. Sure they may lose casual fans over generations. But those schools will still have an audience. While the fat cats will get fatter, the rest of the litter will still be able to eat.

But as those schools also once become able to compete for national championships again, some schools that now struggle to draw 1000 fans can do better because they offer a better product. That won't apply to all instances, but certainly some.

And as far as the Big Ten, I agree. . .they are going to have to make up their mind whether they want to sacrifice academic prestige for their goals. They may not have to if they can get Notre Dame and Texas in. However, if Northwestern and say Iowa are taking up space nothing would prevent Michigan and Ohio State et al from going their own way.

 

[BUfan14]

Is this break away and mass-realignment inevitable or is there a chance it won't happen?? I don't care about college football, I just care about what happens to college basketball.

Taking all but the BCS out of the picture would ruin college basketball for me. Plus it would take hope away for millions of fans of teams like Butler and Bradley all over the country. It would make the whole thing less fun for everyone. I would still be a huge fan of BU and watch all the games, but it wouldn't be as fun being a Bradley fan knowing we would be in 1A without a shot of being in the actual tournament. And there is no way I'm rooting for one of the BCS teams as my primary team, I will always be a Bradley fan, so I wouldn't even care about the BCS teams playing in their own little thing.

 

[real fan]

The problem is you are in the minority. Anything BCS only will be a huge success. The number of alumni for those BCS's trumps anything that most non BCS's can offer.

ESPN will ensure anything BCS only football or basketball is wildly successful. I cant see how it would not be successful.

Who is going to police these teams as I could see them paying athletes to play for their school, it may sound good but it will probably ruin the sport.

 

[houstontxbrave]

Who is going to police these teams as I could see them paying athletes to play for their school, it may sound good but it will probably ruin the sport.

I dont think the BCS's of the world care about ruining "amateur sports" If you control yourself and are not policed then yep everyone will get paid.

I really dont think some guy who just loves Oklahoma football really gives a rats A** about whether or not college football was runied by the big money that is involved in this BCS senerio. He along with most of his other Alumni care about one thing... winning and now it can be at any cost.

It will become professional sports at the college level. Heck these players probably will not even be required to be students just commit to playing at this level until its time to move on to NFL or NBA. Its really not much different the minor league baseball. Well it would be with alot more money involved.

 

[squirrelgotdead]

Who is going to police these teams as I could see them paying athletes to play for their school, it may sound good but it will probably ruin the sport.

They'll be policing themselves and that is just another motivation for the move. It will basically be a professional level of sport.

 

[squirrelgotdead]

Is this break away and mass-realignment inevitable or is there a chance it won't happen?? I don't care about college football, I just care about what happens to college basketball.

That's a major part of the problem though. . .football brings so much economy to the table that it controls everything.

We can argue whether that's good or bad. I personally have been signaling this for 3 or more years that football would ruin college sports.

 

[Dallas Brave]

It is hard to blame the Kansas AD for wanting to split off. You can't argue with a man who three solid reasons for wanting the split. How can the Kansas AD argue against these indicators that Kansas $ucks:

1. 2005: Bucknell 64 - Kansas 63
   The Kansas Jayhawks flirted with first-round elimination several times in the last 15 NCAA Tournaments but always avoided it. They weren't able to Friday night against a No. 14 seed with zero NCAA Tournament victories in its 110-year history, five scholarship players and even a borrowed band. That would be the Bucknell Bison, who beat the third-seeded Jayhawks 64-63.
2. 2006: Bradley 77 - Kansas 73
   Unlike a year ago, when Wayne Simien missed a 15-footer at the buzzer to give 14th-seeded Bucknell an improbable victory, Kansas looked unprepared and overwhelmed from the start in this one.
   The Braves (21-10) led by 14 with 15:38 to go, but let the Jayhawks back in the game with three straight turnovers with around the five minutes left. By the time the inexperienced Jayhawks finally got acclimated to the NCAA Tournament pressure and intensity, however, it was too late.
3. 2010: Northern Iowa 69 - Kansas 67
   Winning the tempo tug-of-war, ninth-seeded Northern Iowa (30-4) grounded the high-flying Jayhawks with in-their-jersey defense, then withstood a furious rally to become the first team to beat a No. 1 seed in the second round since UAB and Alabama did it to Kentucky and Stanford in 2004.

 

[Bravesfan]

I'm with ya HoustonTx. I was suggesting the CBS 16 Tourney would be BCS only teams. You know - like Bilas said, there's REALLY only about 16 teams that can win the whole thing in a field of 65. So why bother with the Murray St's and UNI's. If there were to be one this year, Kansas woulda been invited to the 16 team Invitational and not UNI.

And the money will drive it.

And I say let them have it. Let it ruin itself and pretty soon people will become less interested like all the empty seats at some NBA games.

I agree. If the BCS contingent wants to break away from the rest of the NCAA, then I say let them shove off!

I will continue to support Bradley and what's left of the Valley whether they are part of the BCS or not. I know we won't get quite the quality of players that the BCS teams will, but Bradley can still be part of a very competitive "Division I-AA" type of setup, probably amongst the upper echelon of teams. We can still play a competitve schedule against the likes of Old Dominion, Kent St., Siena, Davidson and Oral Roberts amongst others, and I predict we will still draw about as well as any of these teams outside of maybe a few teams in our own conference. Plus you have two built-in existing tournaments that will probably form the basis for a Division I-AA postseason tournament in the CBI and CIT. So I say to the BCS, come and take all the teams you want. WE DON'T NEED YOU!

Come to think of it, maybe we shouldn't have turned down this year's CBI or CIT after all! :roll:

 

[Bravesfan]

Quite a doomsday outlook - but I believe you are right.

And I will no longer follow college hoops.

I already can't stand any of the pro sports. Losing college hoops would be sad, but I'll get over it.

Let 'em have it and ruin it and in a few years they will be wondering why nobody follows it as much.

Well I'll still follow Bradley basketball and whomever would remain in a "realigned" Missouri Valley Conference. And I know there are plenty of loyal fans in Division II and Division III as well. But a Division I-AA type of setup (see my above post) will still draw some decent crowds, especially amongst the mid-major powers that won't be joining the BS.....I mean BCS. I think we will still witness some pretty competitive basketball, just without our chance of beating some of the best teams in the country.

 

[Bravesfan]

I'm obviously not so sure. The problem is that whatever sport BU plays a national championship for will be played, at a higher level, by the 64 teams that make the split. There's going to be absolutely no revenue or TV for them because ESPN and the like will broadcast the higher level instead of the NCAA level.

A school like BU can survive that, I think, though. Valley schools, being in markets where they're the main attraction, can. Other schools, not so much.

If other teams can form contracts to broadcast games on cable to larger markets like Bradley did in showing their games in the Chicago market through Comcast, then they can get the necessary revenue to help them not only survive, but thrive. And I believe more of the smaller schools than many believe will keep their sports going because not everyone who plays college sports has intentions of going professional.

Think of the NCAA level of sports as the "intramural" level while the BCS level would be the "Triple A" level.