The Big Ten and SEC are in preliminary discussions about staging a series of nonconference games with each other that would enhance their primacy and financial dominance over the rest of FBS, sources confirmed to CBS Sports. Teams from FBS’ two strongest conferences would play as many as 12 to 16 “challenge” games similar to the nonconference blockbuster matchups in major college basketball, per USA Today, which first reported the discussions.
For television purposes, media rights holders would probably be interested mostly in the name brands such as Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin, Florida, Georgia, Alabama and LSU, for starters.
Sources said eyes were opened this season after administrators saw the earning potential of games like Texas-Michigan and Alabama-Wisconsin. Those games were scheduled before the latest round of realignment, but scheduling more of them in the future would raise revenue for the two conferences already far ahead of the rest of FBS in earning power.
ESPN owns the SEC media rights and would seemingly have the most to make off any such deal. The Big Ten media rights are split between Fox, NBC and CBS.
The talks were said to be “very preliminary” and financial terms have not been discussed according to sources.
“This has a long way to go,” said a person familiar with the talks, who added there is a “desire” to continue exploration.
With major college sports about to be hit with the financial stressors of revenue sharing (and possibly collective bargaining) in the future, any way to generate more revenue these days has to be taken seriously.
Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti, a former television executive, is among those interested in creating as many meaningful games as possible. Such…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/big-ten-sec-in-discussions-over-landmark-scheduling-agreement-with-focus-on-revenue-solidifying-cfp-spots/
Author : Dennis Dodd
Publish date : 2024-10-15 05:22:37
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