On the first work day since his league expanded with the intent of increasing television revenue and securing its future, Georgia Tech basketball coach Brian Gregory was doing his part.
Monday, Gregory flew to Charleston, S.C., to do promotional work for the Charleston Classic, which the Yellow Jackets will play in in November. The tournament is owned and operated by a subsidiary of – who else? – ESPN.
The impact of college sports' dependence on television money was felt more forcefully elsewhere Monday. With the weekend defection of Syracuse and Pittsburgh to the ACC from the Big East and the potential departure of Texas and Oklahoma, at least, to the Pac-12 from the Big 12, the Associated Press reported through an unnamed source that officials in the Big 12 and Big East have been discussing a possible merger.
No news emerged regarding Connecticut and Rutgers, both reported targets of the ACC, but Syracuse basketball coach Jim Boeheim, at a speaking engagement in Birmingham, said he thought Connecticut and possibly Rutgers would join the ACC, the Birmingham News reported.
The Austin American-Statesman Sunday reported that the Pac-12 was close to a deal to bring in Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. Monday, regents at Texas and Oklahoma authorized their respective presidents to make decisions regarding conference affiliation.
Former Turner Broadcasting and Raycom executive Terry Hanson said he expects the ACC to wait to see how things shake out before they consider adding schools other than Syracuse and Pittsburgh. But, he said, "I could see them going to 16, maybe even 18, before it's all over."
Terry Hanson and former CBS sports president and sports television industry consultant Neal Pilson approved the business side of the move. Pittsburgh is the No. 24 TV market in the country. Syracuse is No. 82, but also has a toehold in New York, the No. 1 market.
Pilson said that Pitt's strong following brings "a material benefit" to the ACC's television package and that Syracuse "is not a bad draw in New York, but I wouldn’t say it delivers the New York market."
When the ACC reaches a stopping point in its expansion, it will re-negotiate a new contract with ESPN. The league signed a 12-year, $1.86 billion deal with ESPN in July 2010. The contract permits the conference to re-negotiate if it were to expand. Neither Pilson nor Hanson would offer a guess as to how much the ACC would profit from a re-negotiated deal, but Hanson was confident that the per-team payout will increase. This year, schools are getting roughly $11 million each.
"It'd have to," Hanson said. "I don't think they'd do it" if the league didn't think it would increase.
The league can shoot for the deal that Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott struck with Fox and ESPN in May, a 12-year deal worth about $3 billion. Having 16 teams would give the ACC even more bargaining clout.
Locally, Gregory had more pressing concerns than TV negotiations in his position as a provider of entertaining programming for ESPN. When Pitt and Syracuse join the ACC, which could conceivably happen next year, Gregory will be responsible for preparing Tech to play in the best basketball conference in the country.
"From a basketball perspective, our brand, which was pretty darned good, just increased," Gregory said. "At the same time, it's putting us in a position where we can set the tone basketball-wise for conferences across the country."
The additions of Pitt and Syracuse have changed the balance of power in basketball. ESPN analyst Jay Bilas said that the Big East had been the country's top conference "by a pretty wide margin, but now it's flipped."
Of the past 11 NCAA champions, ACC schools (including Syracuse) have won six of them. If Connecticut eventually joins, it will be eight out of 11.
"We just added a hall of fame coach in Jim Boeheim and a Pittsburgh team that has been in the top 10 each of the past five years," Gregory said.
Bilas was not overly fazed by the expansion of a league that was eight teams when he played for Duke in the mid-80's. He noted that the world "didn't spin off its axis" when the conference added Florida State, and then Boston College, Miami and Virginia Tech.
"We don't wear Chuck Taylors anymore, we have breakaway rims and a shot clock and there's a 3-point shot, and man still stands upright," he said. "We're fine and we'll be fine through this."
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