![]() Miami, meanwhile, is currently locked in the ACC due to the league’s staunch Grant of Rights agreement, but the Hurricanes in the Big Ten is an appealing idea for many, ESPN analyst Greg McElroy among them. Notre Dame has long been the most desirable add for the conference, but the Fighting Irish have clung to independence in football and joined the ACC in almost all other sports. “Solid academics are measured (in a) variety of ways,” a source told McMurphy.Ĭurrently, all Big Ten member schools, save Nebraska, hold AAU status and every school that has joined the Big Ten was an AAU member at the time they joined. On Wednesday, Action Network’s Brett McMurphy reported that while AAU status is a “preference,” of the Big Ten’s it is not the be-all and end-all for prospective conference membership. That might not actually be the case anymore, however. Texas is AAU member, along with Pac-12 schools like Cal, Washington, Colorado, USC, UCLA, Oregon, Stanford.” From Athletic Business: Possible conference realignment implications as AAU adds six schools.Īll of those stories suggest the same thing - in order for schools to gain Big Ten membership, should the league expand again, AAU membership is a necessity.Īs ESPN’s Adam Rittenburg reported in the summer of 2021, “Heard today from several people that B1G only would be interested in adding schools from the AAU (Nebraska no longer, but was when it joined league).From Sports Illustrated: What the Association of American Universities (AAU) has to do with conference expansion.From College Sports Wire: The six new AAU schools and why it’s important.From Yahoo Sports: What today’s AAU news means for the Big Ten?.From USA Today: The six new AAU schools and why it’s important.The consensus was that AAU membership for Notre Dame and Miami could change the face of conference realignment in the near future. With Notre Dame and Miami - and Arizona State to a lesser extent - gaining entry into the AAU, the immediate response nationally was that the Irish and Hurricanes had satisfied a needed requirement for entry into the Big Ten, which alongside the SEC is considered a top-two conference in FBS college football. It’s conference realignment season and a few schools just got a boost in their value.That's why the Big Ten went big with broadcast partners CBS, Fox and NBC. The consensus among industry experts is that streaming remains "on the come" as a platform for college rights. If the Big Ten indeed turned down such an offer, the concerns were likely distribution and visibility. and primetime windows than other Big Ten suitors, according to The Athletic. Amazon reportedly bid more for the Big Ten's 3:30 p.m. In other words, when would it make sense financially for FBS conferences and a major streamer to partner? Apparently not yet. Would Amazon be interested in being part of that?Ī tech giant streamer arriving in the college media rights space has long been a subject of speculation. He could be selling them on a 20-team Big Ten that would be positioned as the biggest, best academic and athletic conference ever. Warren only has to convince his presidents, who are responsible for the purse strings. Oregon and Washington have reportedly met with Big Ten officials, according to Stadium. That doesn't mean Big Ten expansion is a dead topic. ![]() How many games would Amazon want and at what expense? There is still skepticism within the industry about the viability of major live sports events that are only made available through streaming services. The Big 12 and Pac-12 are already in competition seeking new media rights deals with Fox and ESPN believed to be the primary bidders. While Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren remains interested in adding Pac-12 teams, his top games have already been distributed elsewhere after the league signed a new media rights deal with CBS, Fox and NBC last month.Īmazon finds itself in a situation where it is likely weighing whether to buy top-tier games from the Big 12 and/or Pac-12 compared to lower-profile options from the Big Ten. ![]() The issue is quality of available content. The technology giant has been linked to all three conferences that figure to come to resolutions on conference composition in the coming months given its interest in the Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac-12, according to industry sources. ![]() Amazon has emerged as a significant party in college football media rights talks and therefore may become a player in further conference realignment, CBS Sports has learned. ![]()
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