ESPN Regional VP on Realignment

The following is a great Q&A with Dan Shoemaker, ESPN Regional V-P from the Herd Sports Page Board.

OK now that the realignment is pretty much over with, aside from a few minor moves in the non bcs conferences, I was wondering if you could give me your insight.

#1 What conference wins the most?
ACC BY A LONG SHOT, [shadow=red:2652de4dc0]SUN BELT COULD BE SECOND BIGGEST WINNER[/shadow:2652de4dc0]

#2 What conference loses the most?
CUSA BY A GOOD MARGIN, THEN THE BIG EAST AND THE WAC (I KNOW A LOT OF MU FANS WILL DISPUTE THIS ANSWER, BUT FACTS WILL BE FACTS.....AND THIS DOESN'T MEAN THAT MU MADE THE WRONG MOVE, THEY MADE THE MOVE THEY HAD TO MAKE......I'M IN HOUSTON TODAY AND YESTERDAY, ONCE YOU VISIT AROUND CUSA, YOU'LL FEEL GOOD ABOUT MU'S REPOSITIONING)BUT STILL, CUSA WILL BE BIGGEST LOSER IN THE SHORT RUN

#3 What school wins the most?
VIRGINIA TECH-they get what they always wanted

#4 What school loses the most?
MEMPHIS, ALTHOUGH I DON'T THINK ANY INDIVIDUAL SCHOOL GETS HURT ALL THAT MUCH

#5 Did this current realignment actually help the non bcs schools to get better access?
NO, BUT IT HAS HELPED FOCUS ATTENTION

#6 How will the new tv deals affect the BCS?
VERY LITTLE

#7 Will other big tv networks try to land more college football contracts to maybe rival ABC/ESPN? Like for example FOX sports or CBS going after bigger fish like the new Super ACC?
HARD TO SAY, BUT LOOK FOR CBS TO GO AFTER A FEW MORE OPPORTUNITIES, MAYBE MORE BIG TEN.....OTHER THAN THAT, I DOUBT THERE WILL BE MUCH CHANGE, DON'T LOOK FOR FOX TO BE A BIG PLAYER..

#8 Will the ACC start snatching up alot of bowl tie-ins?(I personally see ACC getting 9 bids)
YES......AT LEAST 8 DEEP

#9 How long do you see this new 16 team Big East lasting?
BIG EAST MAY LAST 5 YEARS IN CURRENT FORM, BUT WON'T SURVIVE THE FB v. BB DYNAMIC THAT WILL PUSH SCHOOLS APART

#10 After this big movement, is college football closer to seeing the super 60 or super 72 breaking away from the NCAA and forming their own "nfl style" league?
NO

:(

[shadow=#FFFFFF:2652de4dc0][/shadow:2652de4dc0]

First time post... long time reader...

I'm not sure how the Sun Belt comes out a winner -- Anyone? My guess is that they are a more regional conference now -- Plus, if CUSA doesn't work out for us and we become a BELCH, the conference gets stronger... But, in my opinion, the BELCH is not an option as long as ULM is there. Maybe Wright Waters kicks them out... then it's not so bad.

The way some SunBelt fans see these remarks is this:

The guy thinks the SunBelt wins by getting rid of the western teams, cutting travel costs. The guys thinks the SunBelt will likely end up getting Louisiana Tech.

Here is the follow-up when the guy was asked about the Sun Belt.

Just curious to your answer that SBC will come out a winner because all I see is the SBC possibly losing members and not having enough legit 1a teams to remain a 1a conference.
SBC has the opportunity to emerge as a much better more regionally aligned conference.......they can make the 1A/1AA cut if they manage it well...........I think La Tech will end up in the SBC as well........if that happens, Troy, North Texas and La Tech will provide a good nucleus and other members have a chance to get better in a hurry.

Just Win!

The guy is pretty much full of it. The Sun Belt will not be in existence for long with or without La. Tech. It can not make the cut. You really think that adding 1aa teams moving up will help a already suffering conference. Get real. Anyone that willingly goes Sun Belt at this time from any other 1a conference (including us) is just plain stupid and says a lot about where that program is heading.

PEOPLE, PEOPLE!

GET A GRIP!

Anyone who takes this guy seriously has been sleeping in Neverland recently.

ESPN Regional produces the Sun Belt football and basketball packages. Do you honestly think that the ESPN Regional vice-president would pan his own product on the record? He's spouting the company line and nothing more.

Yep

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ESPN Regional produces the Sun Belt football and basketball packages. Do you honestly think that the ESPN Regional vice-president would pan his own product on the record? He's spouting the company line and nothing more.

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Frisco, I'd normally agree with you however, he deems CUSA the big loser and ESPN Regional owns the rights to CUSA men's hoops. He just panned his own product on the record.

ESPN Regional owns exclusive syndication rights for Big Ten, Big East and Mountain West football and men's basketball as well as men's basketball for the Big 12 and Conference USA. In addition, ERT owns exclusive network television rights for Big 12, Conference USA and Atlantic 10 men's basketball. ERT also has production and/or management responsibilities for other collegiate conferences including, America East, Atlantic 10, Big West, Mid-American, Midwestern, Missouri Valley, Ohio Valley, Southern and Sun Belt.

Just CUSA bball and SBC management responsibilities?

It doesn't take a genius to figure out that C-USA basketball IS the biggest loser. Even the VP can't deny that losing two elite programs (Top 10 this year, Top 25 almost annually) to the Big East will hurt.

But the Sun Belt is a totally different story. I wonder how attractive Sun Belt football will be to ESPN execs if the conference doesn't maintain I-A status. Even counting both Florida Atlantic and Florida International as I-A schools for 2005, the Sun Belt had just three of its nine 2005 members report at least 15,000 average attendance in 2003. If even two of those nine schools don't meet ALL I-A requirements (neither FAU or FIU have ever qualified) in the next two years, the Sun Belt will not be classified as a I-A conference for 2006 football.

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It doesn't take a genius to figure out that C-USA basketball IS the biggest loser. Even the VP can't deny that losing two elite programs (Top 10 this year, Top 25 almost annually) to the Big East will hurt

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That was my point. CUSA loses in bball any way you slice it.