CFB51 College Football Fan Community
The Power Five => Big Ten => Topic started by: ELA on February 08, 2019, 03:11:37 PM
-
Anyone going to watch?
I feel like this one might have a chance because it's doing something that I always thought was needed, not to try and establish new fanships, but build on existing ones by tying it to existing pro/college teams. Plus the tv package seems solid. Downside is the AAF and XFL might cannibalize each other.
I like how each franchise is linked to 4 pro teams, but it's still not a true minor league, I don't think the NFL teams retain any rights over those guys? I'd like to see something like that, where each division is linked to a team, and then that team is also linked to a conference geographically. It would be like 1/2 "minor leaguers" and 1/2 guys trying to get signed.
Link it something like
NFC East - AAC/CUSA
NFC North - Big Ten
NFC South - SEC
NFC West - Pac 12
AFC East - ACC
AFC North - MAC
AFC South - Big XII
AFC West - MWC/SBC
Then I've always said, don't worry about playing home games. Either set up a host city for each division, obviously knowing that it's played in the winter and early spring so (Dallas, Detroit/Minnesota, Atlanta/New Orleans, Phoenix, Miami, maybe omit the AFC North, Indianapolis, LA) and then play all 4 games in a weekend in the same place, so you travel as a unit, and try and get a bunch of fans to come out one time so see a bunch of games. Or alternatively, don't travel at all. Set it up in LA or something, with a small stadium, maybe built as a tv stadium, so you can do some cool build ins with cameras you couldn't otherwise do. Set up some niceish dorms and don't worry about having teams be "from" anywhere. You cut travel costs, and make guys more willing to participate, because they know where they are going to be for the full season, and I don't think fans are going to care establish rooting interests based on local teams. I might say, hey I kind of want to follow a team with Lions minor leaguers and a bunch of former Big Ten players on it. I'd watch that. Or some guy in Georgia might be willing to watch a team, not because they play in an empty stadium in Atlanta, but because the roster is full of Falcons minor leaguers and former SEC players.
Just my 2 cents
-
Seems like worrying about blitz pickup is non-existent, could lead to some high scoring games, that seems to be the only way to stop offenses, is to get to the QB
The most notable one is no kickoffs, which is something Polian insisted on if he was going to be involved. They did this because data they collected said the kickoff was largely a non-dynamic play where the largest number of injuries occurred. Also, fans and players dislike the kickoff on the whole, and it affects overall game time. Instead, the ball starts on the 25-yard line after each score or at the start of the game.
Instead of an onside kick, if a team is trailing by 17 points or there's five minutes or less left in the fourth quarter, a team can attempt an onside conversion. They get the ball on their own 28-yard line and have to convert a fourth-and-12. If they do, they keep the ball and keep going. Don't convert, and the opponent takes over from the point at which they stop them.
There are no extra point kicks, so a team is going for two after every touchdown.
Overtime rules have the ball starting on the 10-yard line with four downs and a two-point extra point if a team scores (field goals are not allowed).
There's also a significant change in pass-rushing rules for defenses. Teams can rush only five players and can't blitz players from the secondary. If you have five men on the line of scrimmage on defense, those are the only players who can rush. "With less than a month to get our teams ready to play, the hardest part to get cohesiveness in is the offensive line," Polian said. "So if we came with all the exotic blitzes that we see, which is basically coming out of the secondary, they couldn't pick it up and we're going to get quarterbacks hurt, and it's not much of a game, honestly. Nobody wants to see the quarterback sacked repeatedly."
With replays, officials won't have to go under the hood or watch a tablet. Instead, the official will have an earpiece to communicate directly on the field with the replay official in real time. All of this is designed to help shorten game times. The hope is for games to be two and a half hours or less.
-
I guess I'm rolling with the Columbus Destroyers, and what's left of the Arena League.
-
7 questions about the AAF, the brand-new pro football league, answered
https://www.sbnation.com/2019/2/3/18186752/aaf-football-new-league-teams-season-what-is-it
It's time for more football with The Alliance (TV schedule)
https://aaf.com/its-time-for-more-football-with-the-alliance
-
Seems like worrying about blitz pickup is non-existent, could lead to some high scoring games, that seems to be the only way to stop offenses, is to get to the QB
The most notable one is no kickoffs, which is something Polian insisted on if he was going to be involved. They did this because data they collected said the kickoff was largely a non-dynamic play where the largest number of injuries occurred. Also, fans and players dislike the kickoff on the whole, and it affects overall game time. Instead, the ball starts on the 25-yard line after each score or at the start of the game.
i guess i'm in the minority, but i like kickoffs. and maybe i've missed it, but i've never seen anyone provide the data that clearly shows they're more injuries on ko than other plays. it's always just seemed like conjecture based on belief that if players are running full speed more on ko then there must be more injuries. not saying it's false, just no one has ever provided an article or anything on it, just "data we collected" quotes. and, imo, ko are some of the most dynamic plays. then again, my bias toward cfb might be at play, i don't watch enough of nfl to get a feel for it in that setting.
Instead of an onside kick, if a team is trailing by 17 points or there's five minutes or less left in the fourth quarter, a team can attempt an onside conversion. They get the ball on their own 28-yard line and have to convert a fourth-and-12. If they do, they keep the ball and keep going. Don't convert, and the opponent takes over from the point at which they stop them.
this addresses the onside kick, and i think as far as giving the team a chance, it's fair. i wonder what the onside kick recovery % is vs what a 4th and 12 conversion % is.
but it doesn't address the surprise onside kick. i guess they just aren't worried enough about that to matter.
presumably they'll still have punts, in which case i think i'd rather have seen them just have teams punt from their own 25 or something. that way, you would still run a surprise fake. also would allow for the occasional return td and surprise sp team turnover.
There are no extra point kicks, so a team is going for two after every touchdown.
removing a ton of value from kickers.
Overtime rules have the ball starting on the 10-yard line with four downs and a two-point extra point if a team scores (field goals are not allowed).
that's interesting. a less difficult college style ot. with all of the discourse on the nfl ot rules, i wonder if they asked them to test this out for pro players and see how it goes with fans.
There's also a significant change in pass-rushing rules for defenses. Teams can rush only five players and can't blitz players from the secondary. If you have five men on the line of scrimmage on defense, those are the only players who can rush. "With less than a month to get our teams ready to play, the hardest part to get cohesiveness in is the offensive line," Polian said. "So if we came with all the exotic blitzes that we see, which is basically coming out of the secondary, they couldn't pick it up and we're going to get quarterbacks hurt, and it's not much of a game, honestly. Nobody wants to see the quarterback sacked repeatedly."
i have a feeling the 3-4 is going to be a popular base d in this league, so they can still have disguised rushers and stunts. if any team has a dominant dline, they'll dominate.
i'll probably watch a little. i like the idea, and i'm happy i have the option of a close team to follow/go to games if i want. hoping it does well.
-
I'll give it a try.
It's live sport and it's similar to football, so it's high on my list when the TV is on.
-
Onside kick success rate, that I've found, is around 16% when the onside kick is expected.
Unexpected, or surprise, onside kicks, the success rate jumps to around 42%.
-
I wonder if someone will go for it on fourth down more often. I tend to think teams should, depending on the situation, if they are outside their own 30 and its 4th and 2 or less.
The 42% figure surprises me, but then if a coach was known for kicking OS often, that would decline.
-
As for the new league, for me, it's pretty much CFB and little else sportswise.
-
I have limited bandwidth for anything TV related. I may sneak a peek at this in one of my other TVs, but I can't envision a scenario where I commit to viewing.
Checking the schedules. I predict San Diego draws the worst. Birmingham the best.
-
I might tune in for a few games. The players are getting paid a decent middle class salary so I hope the league succeeds. Unfortunately the stadiums are way too big for a league like this (Birmingham will yes probably turn out tho).
I do like kickoffs too well I did before everything because a touchback. XPs are fine w/ NFL rules. 4th and 12 as an onsides replacement is too easy, should be 4th and 15 at the minimum.
-
I'm wondering how long ESPN is going to ignore it. No scores or updates or anything, except a preseason primer. Odd.
-
I like the premise. Basically regional semi-pro football teams for players that went to school in those areas. Obviously there are some exceptions. Cobb (Gophers) plays for SA while three other former Gophers play for San Diego. San Diego seems to be the most regionally diverse of all the AAF teams after skimming the rosters. It would be cool if they could expand the league. I have little doubt that they would have trouble filling the rosters....and I think that they could actually build up some decent fanbases if it's handled correctly. Plus it gives players a chance to put some more tape out there for prospective NFL teams.
-
I have limited bandwidth for anything TV related. I may sneak a peek at this in one of my other TVs, but I can't envision a scenario where I commit to viewing.
Checking the schedules. I predict San Diego draws the worst. Birmingham the best.
Orlando drew 20K and Birmingham had 17K. Orlando has 26 players from the Florida schools including five from UCF. Their home games are being played at UCF.
-
Spurrier is as much a draw for area fans as any of the players are, for Orlando. The fact his offense put up 40 points will help week 2 have less of a drop-off than it potentially would have.
-
The wife and I went to a sports bar for lunch yesterday (I had a gift card). It was Sunday around noon, really a soft time in February for any sports of note. They had probably 30 TVs going, some on the same channel. Rodeo was on one TV and some hockey on another and several women's BBall on the rest.
We were chatting about how saturated the sports environment is in the US, here at probably the time with the fewest sports to be watched on TV and they had 10-15 events going.
The food was mediocre, at best, I guess typical of sports bars. They had a line of beer taps, over 30. Anyway, ANOTHER sports league has to find some kind of space in all of this.
-
I watched a couple of games this past weekend. Or I should say the game in the background. The quality of play was like watching CF, imo. I do like some of the changes in the rules. Made the games feel quicker. I will continue to watch as I enjoy football more than I enjoy basketball. I hope the league does well and succeeds.
-
i did pretty much the same. mostly the bham game.
agree on quality of gameplay. better than i expected, tbh. having a local team involved i think makes it a more interesting prospect for me. i doubt i'd care much either way if not. but i hope it does well.
-
The "no kick-off" is a great change. I thought I'd be against it, but it did seem to speed up the game and as reported, makes the game safer. It is a rule others should adopt.
-
RIP
https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2019/04/02/the-aaf-will-suspend-all-football-operations/ (https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2019/04/02/the-aaf-will-suspend-all-football-operations/)
-
That stinks, Spurrier was kicking ass.
-
I find that so weird. Didn't they sink hundreds of millions of dollars into this? How did they go under before even getting through a full season?
-
apparently the banker didn't check the business plan
someone lost their shorts
-
I find that so weird. Didn't they sink hundreds of millions of dollars into this? How did they go under before even getting through a full season?
What I'm seeing is that the owner of the Hurricanes sunk the money into the league solely to buy the gambling app, and he's going to lose ~$70 million in the deal.
Is any app worth that much?
-
I like the Google maps app
Hey, Gopher!
I have confirmation that Harry, his wife, and I are making the trip to the East River Flats this fall!
-
I didn't watch. I already follow the CFL, and the Columbus Destroyers are returning to the AFL. So my alternate FB league giveadamns were all used up.
-
What I'm seeing is that the owner of the Hurricanes sunk the money into the league solely to buy the gambling app, and he's going to lose ~$70 million in the deal.
Is any app worth that much?
https://twitter.com/RedditCFB/status/1113125962953166851?s=19
-
Hey now. The Wolverines won a share of the B1G East Title.
The last Michigan coach to accomplish that was RichRod, only it was a "Big East" Title instead of a "B1G East" Title, and he won it while he was still at West Virginia.
-
West Virginny wasn't payin $70 mill
-
Pretty sure they pay their coaches in moonshine.
-
I find that so weird. Didn't they sink hundreds of millions of dollars into this? How did they go under before even getting through a full season?
With pretty hefty (considering) guaranteed contracts, you have to put butts in seats and get eyeballs. They didn't. Thanks ESPN!
-
With pretty hefty (considering) guaranteed contracts, you have to put butts in seats and get eyeballs. They didn't. Thanks ESPN!
They only played 70K this year, non guaranteed. Across the whole league that's about 3 million per week in payroll. I guess I understand not spending any more money, but when you have already invested 70 million like that one guy did, I'm not seeing how the payoff. Apparently they broke down because the NFL/NFLPA were moving slowly on allowing the AAF to be a developmental league for the NFL. But hard for me to say the NFL should be invested in a league that couldn't complete one season.
-
The XFL was ahead of its time. If they come back with the Good ole fashioned violence intact, people would watch. They could require the players to sign a waiver like MMA fighters, and whatnot.
-
with this done, I'm all in on AFL. Let's go Destroyers!
-
it's a shame- by my observation there was little cooperation with the league and media- namely ESPN... I'm guessing they're leveraging it to get back in the NFL's good graces?
-
They only played 70K this year, non guaranteed. Across the whole league that's about 3 million per week in payroll. I guess I understand not spending any more money, but when you have already invested 70 million like that one guy did, I'm not seeing how the payoff. Apparently they broke down because the NFL/NFLPA were moving slowly on allowing the AAF to be a developmental league for the NFL. But hard for me to say the NFL should be invested in a league that couldn't complete one season.
I meant that they were 3-year contracts, not one and done. The promise of 3 years and $210K was hefty to these guys considering their situation.
Why are the NFL and MLB so against a developmental league with financial support?!? Minor leaguers make less in a year than they do if they're called up to the majors for a couple of weeks.
-
can't say it comes as a surprise. Hard to see something like this succeeding unless the NFL and the TV networks really gets behind it.
My guess is the AAF tv contracts were garbage which paid the teams next to nothing. That's where all the money is. Forget ticket sales. NFL teams would fold too if they had to meet their overheads just out of gate receipts and concession sales.
-
What I'm seeing is that the owner of the Hurricanes sunk the money into the league solely to buy the gambling app, and he's going to lose ~$70 million in the deal.
Is any app worth that much?
Well Lyft is an app that's parent company just went public and is worth a ridiculous a $25 billion. Uber is going to go public soon and their market cap is expected to be $100-150 billion.
Keep in mind these two apps/companies lose billions of dollars every year and have lost money every single year since their inception and probably never will make money. Crazy times we live in.
-
I'm wondering how long ESPN is going to ignore it. No scores or updates or anything, except a preseason primer. Odd.
Makes more sense now
http://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/26683501/xfl-games-air-espn-abc-fox-properties
-
I figured as such, but is that where we're at? A sports channel ignoring a sport because they're not financially tied to it? WTF?
-
I figured as such, but is that where we're at? A sports channel ignoring a sport because they're not financially tied to it? WTF?
I mean, that much was clear from when ESPN got the NBA, and let NBC take the NHL like 15 years ago
-
I mean, that much was clear from when ESPN got the NBA, and let NBC take the NHL like 15 years ago
Yeah, but ESPN will still show highlights. The NHL is too big to be truly ignored, they just won't emphasize it.
I think in this case, there was no "pull" from viewers. Nobody cared. And since they didn't own the rights, they certainly weren't going to "push" it.
-
Yeah, there's still highlights, hockey is still acknowledged as a thing that happens...for some reason. But to completely black out a major sports entity...it's petty. I'm embarrassed for them.
It'd be like CBS only showing scores of SEC games - it would look stupid.
-
It's not a major sports entity.
CBS shows other P5 scores. They're not showing FCS highlights. This is comparable to that.
-
Or minor league baseball scores
-
...except that those lower levels happen simultaneously as the bigger entities (big ole entities, lol) that would take away from posting scores of teams that matter.
The AAF or whatever purposely was spring football and is not biting in to major college football nor NFL's exposure.
-
...except that those lower levels happen simultaneously as the bigger entities (big ole entities, lol) that would take away from posting scores of teams that matter.
The AAF or whatever purposely was spring football and is not biting in to major college football nor NFL's exposure.
True... But was there customer demand?
ESPN can spend hours talking about Zion Williamson. They can spend hours talking about the NBA. Heck, draft analysis is probably more marketable as fodder for talking heads compared to the ratings they'll get from AAF scores.
Listen, I agree with you. If they had AAF broadcast rights, I'll bet they would try to pump it to CREATE demand for it. As they'll likely do with the XFL. But it's not like there were tens of thousands of irate fans who wanted to see their favorite AAF teams highlighted on Sportscenter every night. So it's not like it's a conspiracy that ESPN didn't devote coverage to it.
-
A. Espn doesn’t prominently do Arena or CFL highlights. They do them sometimes randomly.
B. It’s weird ESPN didn’t rush to cover this fly by night league that failed before the end of its season.
-
True... But was there customer demand?
ESPN can spend hours talking about Zion Williamson. They can spend hours talking about the NBA. Heck, draft analysis is probably more marketable as fodder for talking heads compared to the ratings they'll get from AAF scores.
Listen, I agree with you. If they had AAF broadcast rights, I'll bet they would try to pump it to CREATE demand for it. As they'll likely do with the XFL. But it's not like there were tens of thousands of irate fans who wanted to see their favorite AAF teams highlighted on Sportscenter every night. So it's not like it's a conspiracy that ESPN didn't devote coverage to it.
Yes, it's the last part. I don't think they were intentionally avoiding it despite demand, so much as there was no incentive for them to create interest, as there is for the XFL. As there was for women's basketball, with the national powerhouse right next door, while ignoring more interesting women's sports.
That's why I think the Big Ten maintaining a relationship with ESPN is important, not because the quality is better, but because they are going to promote their own properties, which makes sense. And no matter what we think here, ESPN still determines what is important to 90% of sports fans. If the Big Ten isn't on ESPN, it isn't because of their relationship with FOX, it's because they must not be important.
-
The XFL "He Hate Me" league got much more pub from ESPN back when it ran.
Sorry, I just have an issue with anything claiming to be "news" having anything to do with financial tie-ins with this sport or that. And maybe ESPN is merely sports entertainment, but that's a tough argument when they play Sportscenter episodes or 16 of their 24 hour cycle.
It's akin to FoxNews talking heads saying something genuinely awful and misleading, then shrugging and claiming they're not a journalist, just a commentator. It's dishonest.
And yes, everyone does it now, but it's still dishonest.
-
Sorry, I just have an issue with anything claiming to be "news" having anything to do with financial tie-ins with this sport or that. And maybe ESPN is merely sports entertainment, but that's a tough argument when they play Sportscenter episodes or 16 of their 24 hour cycle.
I wouldn't necessarily state it's due to not having a financial tie-in.
It's a league that basically nobody outside of football die-hards knew about or cared about. It was full of NFL has-been and never-were players. About the only reason that any of us cared was because we might see a few guys from our own college, but that was never enough for me to actually, you know, tune in.
The financial aspect wasn't from not having a tie-in. It was because it was a product nobody cared about, and there was no organization that put the marketing behind it to MAKE them care. The AAF should have created the marketing. I don't think they really did.
Heck, ESPN had an interest in the PBA (https://www.pba.com/articles/PBA-and-FOX-Sports-Announce-Multi-Year-Multi-Platform-Deal3b-PBA-Returns-to-Broadcast-TV-in-2019). They televised professional bowling for 38 years. Did you ever see anything about professional bowling on Sportscenter? No, because nobody tuned into Sportscenter every night to find out who won that weekend's bowling match.
It makes ESPN more money to replay the same episode of Sportscenter on a 5-hour loop than it does to make it one hour of popular sports and then 4 hours of original content following sports that nobody cares about.
-
We all know ESPN sold out when it stopped airing tractor pulls and lumberjack craziness at 2am.