Basketball was the driving financial force until the mid 90's

The conferences basketball packages were what got them their TV money because up until the mid 80's the NCAA controlled football, and then the CFA negotiated the deals until 94 when the conferences started negotiating their own deals. During the period from 85 to 94, college football took over saturdays, and because it went from 2 to maybe 3 games a Saturday on TV to 20 or so, the ratings dropped and so did the cost of advertising, so, not as much money for the networks to spend.

Compare to basketball. Big East started hitting the big time in the late 70's and early 80's right when cable tv was starting to explode, they had the northeast pretty much locked up, so they were getting huge amounts of $$ for their product. Same with the ACC, they had the Jefferson Pilot syndication deals throughout the country and a league that was packed from top to bottom with the best teams, coaches, and players. Throw in the ACC Tournament, and you have the most attractive TV syndication package in the country. The ACC was flush with money compared to other conferences.

It wasn't until the mid 90's when CBS and the SEC signed their deal that football started to become the driving force, and by that time, PSU was already in the B1G.

(In response to this post by Maroon Baboon)

Posted: 07/25/2021 at 7:14PM

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Remember when Conferences were constructs of like minded academic -- hok1eboy 07/25/2021 4:06PM

Once that motive changed, it was the job of our administrators to be aware -- TDVick 07/25/2021 5:22PM

I love this post too! VT would have sold its soul to -- 91HokieBob 07/25/2021 9:25PM

I loved the Big East and was bummed that it broke up. -- Maroon Baboon 07/25/2021 10:10PM

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Love this post! Must read. Agree! ** -- 91HokieBob 07/25/2021 9:19PM

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I don't know much about it. But two things: -- Maroon Baboon 07/25/2021 9:46PM

Lawyers and loopholes. There's a loophole escape for just about everything. -- 91HokieBob 07/25/2021 9:28PM

Perhaps we could still be attractive to the SEC. I doubt they expand unless -- TDVick 07/25/2021 9:12PM

About UVa and VT to the B1G and/or SEC. -- Maroon Baboon 07/25/2021 9:57PM

I’m with ya. It was crystal clear back in 2012 that Swoff was a fraud. -- Backtothetop 07/25/2021 6:20PM

I remember when the Big East rejected Penn State because they were -- Maroon Baboon 07/25/2021 4:53PM

If P$U had joined the old Big East, VT probably wouldn't have .... -- Atlee Hokie 07/25/2021 10:08PM

WV and Miami were in our corner wrt the Big East. ** -- RJHokie 07/25/2021 10:17PM

Basketball was the driving financial force until the mid 90's -- mrcaniac 07/25/2021 7:14PM

Pitt was the reason that PSU was not offered -- Texas Hokie 07/25/2021 6:02PM

I don’t actually. In my lifetime, there’s been a hodgepodge collection. -- Backtothetop 07/25/2021 4:17PM

The Big East (and VT) has been front and center in all this -- Colonel Jessup 07/25/2021 4:16PM

We have one school to blame for the screwed up eastern conference’s. -- EEResistable 07/25/2021 4:13PM

Basketball was the driving financial force until the mid 90's

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