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SI.com - The Big Ten's return to the top


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A pretty good read...

 

You might think the Ohio State athletic director would want Michigan to be bad. You would be wrong. Big Ten schools are not just committed to winning; they are committed to each other. Schools share TV and bowl revenue equally. If a school fails to buy its allotment of bowl tickets, every conference member shares in the loss. Even gate receipts from league games are shared (though not evenly) with the rest of the conference. (Newcomers Nebraska, Maryland and Rutgers do not get full revenue shares yet but are on a negotiated path to do so.)

The league's egalitarian principles run deep. Its deal with the Citrus Bowl stipulates that at least five different Big Ten schools take part over the six-year agreement. That gives more schools a chance to make a recruiting impression.

Compare that to what happened in the SEC this fall. Hurricane Matthew postponed LSU's Oct. 8 game at Florida. It was rescheduled for Nov. 19, but LSU and Florida both had nonconference home games that day. LSU athletic director Joe Alleva refused to move the game to Nov. 19 unless it also moved from Gainesville to Baton Rouge. Florida coach Jim McElwain was furious.

That kind of public dispute in the Big Ten is as unlikely as a hurricane postponing a game in Minnesota. As Alvarez says, "There is congeniality and cooperation within that room of athletic directors."

 

http://www.si.com/college-football/2016/12/07/big-ten-football-revival?xid=socialflow_twitter_sicr

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A pretty good read...

 

You might think the Ohio State athletic director would want Michigan to be bad. You would be wrong. Big Ten schools are not just committed to winning; they are committed to each other. Schools share TV and bowl revenue equally. If a school fails to buy its allotment of bowl tickets, every conference member shares in the loss. Even gate receipts from league games are shared (though not evenly) with the rest of the conference. (Newcomers Nebraska, Maryland and Rutgers do not get full revenue shares yet but are on a negotiated path to do so.)

The league's egalitarian principles run deep. Its deal with the Citrus Bowl stipulates that at least five different Big Ten schools take part over the six-year agreement. That gives more schools a chance to make a recruiting impression.

Compare that to what happened in the SEC this fall. Hurricane Matthew postponed LSU's Oct. 8 game at Florida. It was rescheduled for Nov. 19, but LSU and Florida both had nonconference home games that day. LSU athletic director Joe Alleva refused to move the game to Nov. 19 unless it also moved from Gainesville to Baton Rouge. Florida coach Jim McElwain was furious.

That kind of public dispute in the Big Ten is as unlikely as a hurricane postponing a game in Minnesota. As Alvarez says, "There is congeniality and cooperation within that room of athletic directors."

 

http://www.si.com/college-football/2016/12/07/big-ten-football-revival?xid=socialflow_twitter_sicr

To add in from the same article. I know some believe that tOSU and Michigan get special treatment b/c what Nebraska dealt with Texas, but...

 

"Alvarez points out that when the Big Ten initially split into divisions, he was unhappy with Wisconsin's placement, "but I accepted that, because it was best for our league." You never hear Ohio State or Michigan demand a bigger cut of TV revenue just because they are the league's two biggest TV draws. The Buckeyes' Smith says, "We don't want that. We want Pat Fitzgerald, who is one of the best coaches in this country, to have the resources to stay relevant."

Smith says if Ohio State had asked for more TV money, "we would have fragmented the league." We know this is true because it is exactly what happened to the Big 12.

Texas was not content being the Big 12's premier program. Texas wanted to effectively run the league, have its own independent TV channel (the Longhorn Network) and cut the largest piece of pie for itself. In doing that, Texas ignored the old business maxim: Pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered."
I'll just leave this here
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The cooperation between schools in the Big Ten is phenomenal, and it starts with everybody recognizing that everybody else brings something significant to the table. Indiana and Minnesota aren't big names in football, but Indiana brings a ton to the table in basketball and baseball, while Minnesota sacrificed a popular spot in the WCHA to help the Big Ten start a hockey league that profits the Big Ten Network. Iowa is a leader in wrestling. Purdue's marching band has a big drum. Wisconsin leads the nation in alcohol abuse and sex with roadkilled animals.

 

Everybody contributes what they can!

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