Over the past two seasons, and some would say 75 seasons, the SEC has been the king of college football. All of the chirping about toughest conference, toughest teams, and best players drives most fans crazy and makes even casual observers of college football wonder aloud if college football is played anywhere other than the South.
The SEC has the best fans, the best tailgating, and the best stadiums, bar none. That sound you've heard all summer long isn't the choruses of Rocky Top, Rammer Jammer, and the Chinese Bandits music, but more of the chest beating coming from places like Baton Rouge, LA; Gainesville, FL; and Athens, GA.
LSU (Defending Champ), Florida (2006 Champ), and Georgia (Preseason #1), could all make serious runs at another SEC-National Championship this year, while teams like USC, Ohio State, and Oklahoma are flying under the radar.
The college football season even kicks off on Thursday with NC State taking on South Carolina (an SEC team) in primetime. Alabama follows on Saturday night ABC primetime, and the Labor Day weekend is capped by a Tennessee game on Monday night ABC primetime.
Three SEC schools will be on primetime television against marquee out of conference opponents.
But now, the college football nation has more reasons to hate the SEC love-fest that is taking place. 2.25 billion reasons to be exact. Yeah, that is billions. Earlier this month, CBS Sports threw $55 million a year for the next 15 years to broadcast SEC football, and the University of Florida signed a deal with regional Sun Sports at $100 million over the next 10 years, to broadcast Florida sports.
- B/R Ticket Guide
Both of those deals are peanuts to the $2.25 Billion dollars that ESPN/ABC/Walt Disney Corp. gave the SEC to broadcast SEC football, baseball, both men's and women's basketball, softball, and even gymnastics over the next 15 years.
That means that fans around the SEC will love this deal, but where is the love for the rest of the nation?? Unless schools start scheduling SEC teams, viewing options for fans of other schools will become very limited, if you're not going to the game itself.
The Big Ten has its own network, but that's only one conference.
Fox Sports Net isn't carried on every cable provider.
NBC just re-upped with Notre Dame for a while so that's out.
MTN and CSTV are just too small.
The ESPN Gameplan just got a little bit more attractive, but the price increase is on the way, because ESPN has to make its money back somehow.
The SEC wanted its own network, but not at a 20-25 year contractual commitment. The 15 year commitment it got from ESPN was good enough to essentially give the SEC its own network.
Every SEC school not televised by CBS will be carried on one of the ESPN platforms.
The fallout from this will benefit the conference and hinder the rest of the nation. The first thing will be recruiting.
In this day and age of self-promotion and the 'me first' attitude that is prevailing with athletes, kids will want to play on TV every week. Not at Vanderbilt or Ole Miss on Lincoln Financial Sports; but at Florida or Georgia where they will be the "Game of the Week", every Saturday.
College kids want to see and be seen. The SEC deal is going to make ESPN the Myspace of college football.
Mark May will be forced to talk about another school besides USC.
Lou Holtz will need a spit screen the size of Tim Tebow whenever he talks about the Gators.
Finally, Lee Corso will need a decent costume shop in Tuscaloosa.
Get ready for Saturday night promos featuring the Jonas Brothers and Hannah Montana hyping the Iron Bowl, because after all, ESPN is owned by Disney. The only good thing to come of this will be that Ron Franklin is calling SEC games.
The SEC is already the marquee conference in college football, but now add the promotional weight of the multimedia giant ABC/ESPN/Disney behind it, and you have a monster conference.
That is going to put the Gator Chomp and The Vol Navy in ads during Grey's Anatomy and Desperate Housewives.
This will give the conference a ton of exposure, and then add to it the weight of non-conference games like Florida-Florida State every year, Tennessee-UCLA this season and next, Tennessee-Ohio State in 2018 and 2019, and you will have a storm of schools trying to schedule SEC opponents just to try and keep up.
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2 months ago
I think you're right, and this is probably not a good thing. The SEC will definitely gain a recruiting advantage, and that isn't right. I'm LSU Mardis Gras colors and Volunteer Orange all the way, but I don't really like to see this. On the other hand, it's all about the money now, and if the SEC doesn't get it, some other conference will. Kinda sickening, really.
2 months ago
It's all good for the SEC.
2 months ago
Big wins for SEC schools' budgets and recruiting. Big wins for geographically displaced SEC fans too.
We're Rich B!+<h!
2 months ago
After a recent move to Virginia, this deal between ESPN and the SEC is a lifesaver! I'll be able to watch my Florida Gators in ACC country starting next season! Nice article.
2 months ago
Week one is going to be the most attracted game out of them all though. Two top 25 schools on primetime ABC with espn college gamedays coverage. Alabama @ Clemson in the georgia dome.
Roll Tide!
2 months ago
A little comparison about how the Big Ten and SEC not only have the best bowl games but are bitchslapping the rest of the college football world financially. *Note that this is not an exhaustive list and does not include bowl games or NCAA tourney money or championship games, etc. ** Also most of these deals escalate in time etc. But for easy math we'll just use even numbers.
Big Ten
Big Ten Network 112 million per year
ABC/ESPN 100 million per year
CBS (basketball) 2 million per year
Total 214 million / 11 schools = 19,454,545 per year per school
SEC
ESPN 150 million per year
CBS 55 million per year
Total 205 million / 12 schools = 17,083,333 per year per school
Big 12
ABC/ESPN 60 million per year
Fox Sports Net 19.5 million per year
Total 79,500,000 / 12 schools = 6,625,000 per year per school
ACC
ABC/ESPN 36,857,143 per year
Raycom 30,000,000 per year
Total 66,857,143 / 12 schools =5,571,428 per year per school
Pac-10
ABC/ESPN (football) 25 million per year
ABC/ESPN (Basketball) 8.75 million per year
Fox Sports Net 19.4 million per year
Total 53,150,000 / 10 schools =5,315,000 per year per school
Big East
ABC/ESPN 33,333,333 per year
***unsure how they split money between football and non-football schools
Total 33,333,333 / 16 = 2,083,333
or 33,333,333 / 8 = 4,166,667 (so somewhere between 2-4 million per)
from 2 months ago
Ron,
Where do you get these Big 10 numbers? I find it hard to believe that, after all we're hearing about the SEC's deals, that the Big 10 is actually making more tv money. If the Big 10 network is worth that much, then an SEC network would have been worth twice that and there would be no reason to have sold "so low" to ESPN. Are you sure those aren't gross revenue numbers that don't factor in all of the very heavy costs? My understanding from every source I have read everywhere (except for your comment) has pointed to a vast financial advantage now by the SEC which is not going to be caught by any conference anytime soon. I think something is amiss in your figures.
from 2 months ago
I wouldn't say the SEC sold low. I would say that the Big Ten started a business and naturally with a business their is more risk and more reward. The SECs guarentees are much larger, their distribution is better and they don't have to fight with cable companies, but they give up (for 15 years) the rights that they would need to start their own network. The Big Ten has the potential to make much more money in the long run because they own the farm so if the price of their product goes through the roof up they profit nicely, but if the price tanks and stays suppressed b/c of the economy or something...the SEC will be much better off as their guarentees are higher.
Big Ten Deal and other conference numbers
http://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/article/58254
This article references the 10 year 1 Billion dollar deal.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/18/sports/18bigten.html?n=Top/News/Business/Companies/Comcast%20Corporation&pagewanted=all
"By carving enough rights to create the Big Ten Network out of a new 10-year, $1 billion contract with ESPN and ABC, Delany has bucked the trend to be satisfied only with rights fees from networks and has chosen to extend the conference’s brand, expand the reach of its recruiting and build a valuable asset."
SEC Deal and slight comparison
http://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/article/59824
from 2 months ago
Donald,
Also, there is nothing amiss with my numbers. Like I said in the first post the SEC and Big Ten are running away and hiding when it comes to finances (their deals are very comparable). The SEC's major advantage is distribution which increases their visibility and kills all oncomers for recruiting clout. Anywhere ESPN is the SEC is there also. The Big Ten Network will be available nationwide (on Direct TV) but probably not available on Basic Cable in other areas of the country. That is a huge advantage b/c if the Big Ten schools want to get some SEC speed and their families can't see them every week that lowers the chances of them going North.
from 2 months ago
A little word from the SEC Commish
http://news.bostonherald.com/entertainment/television/general/view.bg?articleid=1115171
"A contractual commitment to an SEC Network would have been at least 20-25 years, Slive said. And while the SEC’s total payout might not reach the levels the Big Ten can earn through its own network and deals with ABC and ESPN - some estimates see the Big Ten hauling in as much as $20 million annually per school eventually - the SEC has security and won’t be battling cable companies for access."
from 2 months ago
Thanks Ron. I asked and you delivered. That was solid.
2 months ago
By the other platforms does that mean 360? which is the the second to worst way to watch football (next to the gamecast that all of thebig sports sites offer), the 360 lag makes it awful and last year they experienced an inodinate amout of buffering. I'm no fan of the Big 10 but I really like the Big 10 network and to be honest I would rather watch the Indiana-Northwestern game on Big ten HD than Vandy-UK on 360. just my 2 cents.
from 2 months ago
It means CBS will get the game of the week, ESPN gets second choice, followed by ESPN2, ESPNU, 360, and Deportes. I just hope that ESPN never uses their stupid Full Circle Coverage again, it gives me a headache.
from 2 months ago
yeah, the full circle is a nice idea in theory but I can watch that about as long as I can keep the volume on when Brent Musburger is calling the game, about 20 seconds. You would think by now they would get it but really they don't. Hey, maybe the SEC and big ten can actually play each other during the regular season???
from 2 months ago
I cannot listen to Brent Musburger at all. I wish that somehow Ron Franklin could do every game. That man is the best at calling a ballgame, hands down.
2 months ago
Tennessee plays Ohio State in 2018 and 2019. I would like to see some more interconference games, but it all comes down to money. The BCS pays out too much for their bowl games to have a BCS conference school risk that chance at a fat payday by playing a quality OOC opponent. Its bad for the fans, but money talks.
2 months ago
I have wondered where the money is going to come from to pay the other schools to be on ESPN or if ESPN decides that the SEC, the Big 10, and the out of conference opponents they play is good enough for them. And the whole branding aspect that ESPN has agreed to brand the broadcasts "SEC on ESPN" similar to "NFL on Fox" is big too. It's like there's the NFL, then the SEC, and then college football. For the SEC teams, it will be great financially. However, this will bring even more jealousy and badmouthing by the fans of other schools than the SEC was already getting...and that was a lot.
2 months ago
interesting read
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