Podcast: Jeremy Fowler on Big 12, conference realignment, more
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| Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby is exploring all the options for the league's future. (US Presswire) |
Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerCBS) joins me for a conference realignment update on the latest episode of the Eye On College Football podcast. Fowler reports back after two days in Irving, Texas, with commissioner Bob Bowlsby and the Big 12 athletic directors; where the conference discussed, among other things, the possibility of an alliance with the ACC, new bowl ties for the league, and the possibility for expansion.
As Jeremy says in the podcast, everyone seems to be fine with their current membership until Jim Delany decides to get weird and add two more teams. As long as the Big Ten stays at 14 teams -- or as long as ACC schools remain committed to the current/future membership -- we seem to be in a state of calm in conference realignment for the moment. [NOTE: Literally, only this moment. The moment has now past and the state of calm has been erased.]
Check the contents below for specific topics, or cruise to iTunes to download the podcast for the authentic long-play feel. For required reading from Jeremy, pop-out the podcast player and check out his posts from the Big 12 meetings.
0:00 -- What was the mood of Big 12 conference meetings in relation to other conference meetings.
2:45 -- What interest does the Big 12 have in a championship game? Has the success, or lack thereof, with the Big Ten/ACC/Pac-12 title games changed the perspective? Jeremy explains how the new concerns are related to finishing in the Top 4 and making the playoff.
4:30 -- One of the topics discussed in the Big 12 meetings were potentially moving into a bowl tie with one of the Florida-based bowls. There might not be any major shifts in the bowl structure, but look for the Russell Athletic Bowl to possibly consider a Big 12 tie when the current deal winds up after this season.
6:40 -- Earlier this week, Jeremy reported that the Big 12 exploring the possibilities of a relationship with the ACC. The two conferences are looking at a nonconference scheduling agreement, possibly a couple of bowl games, but not "a massive 24 team league," according to Jeremy.
9:30 -- Talk to us in a year or two, but for right now Jeremy says that the ACC is stable. The whispers of Big Ten courting could be true, but it is possible that the current membership is comfortable -- for now.
13:00 -- Everyone is watching the divorce between Maryland and the ACC. Jeremy and I discuss what the results in court -- whatever they might be -- could mean for the current ACC members as well as power conferences looking to expand.
16:30 -- $26.2 million. That's the number Forbes' reported as the payout for each Big 12 school, and it is the highest among all BCS conferences. In conference expansion discussions, that is the argument against Big 12 expansion. Jeremy identifies what, if any, schools could represent a boost in value that adds $26.2 million to the shared pot.
18:35 -- Sending Jeremy out with his gut feeling on the next domino to fall in conference realignment.
Got questions you want answered on a future podcast? Let me know on Twitter (@cnpatterson3) or send them to podcast@cbsinteractive.com. Feedback -- both love and hate -- is encouraged as well.
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