RivertonAG wrote:Here is a New Mexico article on the MWC -CUSA TV negotiations. Not a lot new, but does kind of back up the Wilner article about potential snags in the merger. More discussion of options to merge, be an alliance or neither.

http://www.abqjournal.com/sports/2012/0 ... rdles.html

It would be nice to actually read the article instead of being directed to a webpage that either wants me to subscribe to the paper or get a limited-time free subscription. I'm sure the article was interesting, however.

Click through the two pages and you'll get the article without registering or anything. It's the same stuff as Wilner, but coming from a UNM admin.

Here ya go:

MWC, C-USA Alliance Faces Many Hurdles
By Rick Wright / Journal Staff Writer on Mar. 28, 2012
Print Friendly
[Email This Story]

Potholes Surface For MWC, C-USA

What’s the price tag for stability?

That, University of New Mexico President David Schmidly says, is the fundamental question facing the Mountain West Conference and Conference USA as they determine how to shape their future relationship.

The two leagues, in the wake of predations from their memberships by other conferences, have been working to unite in forming a bigger, stronger, more stable entity that would begin play in the fall 2013.

But the two conferences’ initial plans to dissolve and form a new league has hit some financial potholes, as reported in the past few days by CBSsports.com and by the San Jose Mercury. A merger — folding one league into the other, rather than dissolving both — also has drawbacks.

A third alternative is a less formal alliance. Both conferences would keep their identities but meet in postseason play and work together in negotiating TV contracts.

All three, Schmidly said Tuesday in an interview with the Journal, are still in play.

But he said that until more is known about the value of the new conference/alliance in the TV market, and until it’s known whether increased TV revenue can offset financial losses elsewhere, the right path can’t be determined.

“We have to know that whole (TV) package,” Schmidly said, “before we can make a final call.”

When news of an all-sports alliance between the Mountain West and C-USA first surfaced in January — the two leagues had announced a football-only alliance last fall — it was reported that each conference would have to be dissolved. Because of each league’s existing TV contracts, a merger was deemed too complicated.

In the past few days, though, the Mercury and CBSsports.com reported that dissolution would cause both leagues to lose huge amounts of money in the form of shares from NCAA basketball tournament revenue. Each league, as well, would forfeit healthy exit fees from departing members such as Boise State and San Diego State from the MWC, and Memphis and Central Florida from C-USA — all four headed for the Big East.

Also, Schmidly noted, “If we were to dissolve totally and form a new conference, brand new, then we would lose votes at the NCAA level and at the (Bowl Championship Series) level.”

A merger — one league absorbing the other — might moderate but would not solve those problems. If Conference USA were to be folded into the Mountain West, C-USA could not collect NCAA Tournament money or exit fees. The reverse is also true.

An alliance, each conference retaining its identity, would solve those two problems but probably would not generate as much TV revenue.

Schmidly announced last April that he will retire when his contract expires this June. But he’s heavily involved in the Mountain West-Conference USA discussions and is a member of that initiative’s TV committee.

Negotiations with CBS, Schmidly said, are the linchpin. Both leagues have TV contracts in place with that network.

“They’re the first domino that has to be resolved,” he said. “There’s still some separation between where we believe we ought to be and where CBS wants to be, so we’re continuing those negotiations.”

Once a deal with CBS is reached, Schmidly said, other networks can be approached.

There should be plenty of games to televise. The Mountain West will have eight schools for football, seven for other sports, in 2013-14. Conference USA will have eight for all sports. And there’s talk of expanding to 20 schools, or even 24.

There is, of course, another option: Walking away as if these discussions never began.

Schmidly said he sees that possibility as neither likely nor desirable.

“We’ve all suffered by having (conference members) leaving us,” he said. “We would now have 16 members. We could expand to 20 or 24, so that’s a nice, stable environment.

“I’m still excited about it. I feel like we’ve got to do something to bring some stability to college athletics.”
— This article appeared on page D1 of the Albuquerque Journal

As I've said before, if the PAC-1*, BIG-1*, and SEC have not found a way to make a 16 team conference work for them (meaning financially - because if it did they would) what makes a bunch of foolish (i.e. the mtn) 2nd tier presidents think they can make a 16, 18, 20, or 24 team conference spread out over the US work. It wasn't a matter of if but when it would fail. It was a concept born of desperation where they figured there would be safety in numbers from future realignment. I still think in the not too distant future, reno and valley will have paid their millions to be in the same situation with the exception of being on the mtn instead of espn.

I don't know how this will turn out but I am happy that these guys are trying something rather than just giving up. As we have all seen from the BW and WAC days just giving up ends really badly. Having a conference that everybody just wants to leave is not a good plan. I really don't think these presidents are stupid or delusional. I don't think ego is propelling this either. After a year and and half of talk with 6 defections along the way there still appears to be something compelling afoot. The presidents aren't going to vote for anything if they don't see a significant benefit in doing it.

They have all the inside info and we have none. I am guessing USU is in under most scenarios but hopefully it is not the give up scenario..That's always a drag..