Pac to Big 10 Transition - fans sound off

[ay2013]

PAC fans - is anyone else feeling a bit of an identity crisis right now? I’m not really sure how to feel other than this weird ominous feeling…. I don’t like it.

[StanfordFan]

Yes. It all sucks. I really liked the composition of the PAC12. I don’t think the ACC will feel natural for some time.

[StanfordFan]

Not to mention that I had great interest in USC/UCLA/UW (largely because I lived in LA several years, and I just liked the Huskies), but no real connection to them now that PAC12 is no more.

[vergyltantor]

I think that few people actually like consolidation of the conferences other than the networks. From the standpoint of the schools I doubt that they would want it if the networks weren't offering more money. The players and coaches will have to endure more travel so I would put them in the no column. From the fans perspective I don't know how rivalries in Football can be maintained if teams don't play every year.

Even in Volleyball if rumor's are to be believed and teams play a travel partner twice and other teams once my Huskers will take a hit both from the RPI and competition angles. Nebraska will inevitably be shackled to Iowa as a travel partner. Playing a team in Iowa that is not traditionally a good RPI team two times will cause the Huskers to take an RPI hit. From a competitive angle while the Huskers will likely have weekends playing Wisconsin-Minnesota, USC-UCLA, Washington-Oregon and Penn State-Ohio State the opponents will get Nebraska-Iowa. So while the other teams can concentrate most of their efforts on preparing for and playing Nebraska with maximum effort we will have to play two quality opponents.

But this is the world we live in and we will make the best of it. I welcome the four PAC teams to the B1G and look forward to many great matches in the future.

[pull3]

2 years, I'll give you 2 years cuz you're kinda of stubborn.

[vergyltantor]

Dec 23, 2023 4:45:05 GMT -5 pull3 said:

2 years, I'll give you 2 years cuz you're kinda of stubborn.

?

[dbro1970]

Dec 23, 2023 4:30:36 GMT -5 vergyltantor said:

I think that few people actually like consolidation of the conferences other than the networks. From the standpoint of the schools I doubt that they would want it if the networks weren't offering more money. The players and coaches will have to endure more travel so I would put them in the no column. From the fans perspective I don't know how rivalries in Football can be maintained if teams don't play every year.

Even in Volleyball if rumor's are to be believed and teams play a travel partner twice and other teams once my Huskers will take a hit both from the RPI and competition angles. Nebraska will inevitably be shackled to Iowa as a travel partner. Playing a team in Iowa that is not traditionally a good RPI team two times will cause the Huskers to take an RPI hit. From a competitive angle while the Huskers will likely have weekends playing Wisconsin-Minnesota, USC-UCLA, Washington-Oregon and Penn State-Ohio State the opponents will get Nebraska-Iowa. So while the other teams can concentrate most of their efforts on preparing for and playing Nebraska with maximum effort we will have to play two quality opponents.

But this is the world we live in and we will make the best of it. I welcome the four PAC teams to the B1G and look forward to many great matches in the future.

Football has a plan that protects rivalries so they play every year.  We will still get Minnesota-Wisconsin and Ohio State-Michigan every year in football.  The schedules for the first few years in football with the 18 team conference have already been announced.  

I have heard that they are sticking to a 20 game schedule for volleyball.  If so, yo would play 14 of the teams once, and 3 of the teams twice.  

My idea, keep rivalries intact for the three teams that you have to play twice, and do it every year.  So, you could have Wisconsin play Minnesota, Iowa, and Nebraska every year, for instance.  And, Oregon, Washington, UCLA and USC would keep the PAC rivalries going and play each other twice a year.  This would reduce their amount of travel somewhat.

[tomclen]

Tragedy is probably not the right word. But it's close.

The unceremonious man-made implosion of the PAC is a stain on college sports and should be a lesson on how greed and money can destroy almost anything.

It was all done simply because of television ratings and revenue for football.

There is not one other single reason why anyone - player, fan, coach, reporter, administrator, college president - could have wanted this disruptive change.

It's more than a little disappointing to realize that twelve college presidents - leaders of institutions of higher learning - couldn't figure out a way to prevent this.

All those TV promos and in-stadium/in-arena promos for the Conference of Champions really ring hollow now; like so much used bathroom tissue being flushed down the toilet bowl. It was all a phony charade.

And the charade is not exclusive to the PAC. All of these conferences are just a marketing sham designed to build a brand which is just a way to generate more revenue for the football powers.

For example, WSU's volleyball team is left in shambles with no coaches and no players. Too bad, WSU VB. You're just collateral damage.

Climate change? Meh. Let's get on more private jets and charter more and longer flights. America's colleges don't have time to be setting any examples for students, fans, and the cities and states they represent. They have to keep the money wheels spinning so that in virtually every state in America the highest paid state employee is a college football coach.

Merry Christmas PAC fans. Larry Scott and George Kliavkoff (and all the college presidents who condoned their blunders) have left you a lump of coal in your stocking.

[jeepers]

Wait 'til your team is listless and jet lagged and loses to Rutgers on a Wednesday night in front of 17 fans.

[dd2000]

Dec 23, 2023 7:44:58 GMT -5 tomclen said:

Tragedy is probably not the right word. But it's close.

The unceremonious man-made implosion of the PAC is a stain on college sports and should be a lesson on how greed and money can destroy almost anything.

It was all done simply because of television ratings and revenue for football.

There is not one other single reason why anyone - player, fan, coach, reporter, administrator, college president - could have wanted this disruptive change.

It's more than a little disappointing to realize that twelve college presidents - leaders of institutions of higher learning - couldn't figure out a way to prevent this.

All those TV promos and in-stadium/in-arena promos for the Conference of Champions really ring hollow now; like so much used bathroom tissue being flushed down the toilet bowl. It was all a phony charade.

And the charade is not exclusive to the PAC. All of these conferences are just a marketing sham designed to build a brand which is just a way to generate more revenue for the football powers.

For example, WSU's volleyball team is left in shambles with no coaches and no players. Too bad, WSU VB. You're just collateral damage.

Climate change? Meh. Let's get on more private jets and charter more and longer flights. America's colleges don't have time to be setting any examples for students, fans, and the cities and states they represent. They have to keep the money wheels spinning so that in virtually every state in America the highest paid state employee is a college football coach.

Merry Christmas PAC fans. Larry Scott and George Kliavkoff (and all the college presidents who condoned their blunders) have left you a lump of coal in your stocking.

I never thought of the climate change angle. That is huge considering that these are basically liberal institutions and should be considered leaders in the world of climate change, setting the highest of standards for like you said, their communities and states. It is tragic.

[trojansc]

Dec 23, 2023 7:47:21 GMT -5 jeepers said:

Wait 'til your team is listless and jet lagged and loses to Rutgers on a Wednesday night in front of 17 fans.

USC did that a few years ago in the non-conference when they traveled to Maryland and lost. Though cool that SC beat both Purdue and Illinois this year.

I think travel fatigue is going to come into play if: The B1G schedules are not well thought out with travel in mind (I doubt this will happen), teams play their entire non-conference slate on the road like UCLA has done, Oregon generally travels a lot too, or teams travel too much commercially.

There are ways to offset the travel and in many cases, the total season travel could even be less miles and/or hours than previous seasons depending on non-conf schedules.

[bluepenquin]

I have to be one of the very few that actually likes conference realignments. With the exception to what has happened to the fans of Oregon State and Washington State - I welcome the change.

[hammer]

What a bleeping ...

[luckydawg]

Dec 23, 2023 7:44:58 GMT -5 tomclen said:

...

And the charade is not exclusive to the PAC. All of these conferences are just a marketing sham designed to build a brand which is just a way to generate more revenue for the football powers. ...

Unfortunately, the reality of college sports is that football revenues fund all the other sports (except mbb). Staying in the Pac meant tv revenues of $20-23m per year. The Big will pay their members $65m, with an initial reduced amount for UW and UO. The question isn't team travel, it could have been team elimination.

[geddyleeridesagain]

Certainly a bummer. Conference I grew up in, conference I played in…but the handwriting has been on the wall for some time now, unfortunately.

I will say that Larry Scott - and the Pac-12 administrators who enabled him for far too long - have earned my eternal enmity. F***ing hacks.