yorost wrote:Well, saving a million in exit fees may not matter. As long as the new conference nets them at least $1 million more than they get in the A10, that fee isn't going to hurt them for leaving immediately.
I would agree. One thing to keep in mind however is that if the early reports of the BE 7 taking more $ the first few years is still a thing, getting a reprieve from the extra $500K in exit fees would be very welcome by the A10 schools. Likewise, the A-1o school's ability to avoid $500K in exit fees would help the BE 7 justify why they need more money up front, whereas the joining schools may not have the same level of immediate needs.
Even though we now have several accounts stating that the league will not start until 2014, I am still not totally convinced that 2013 is off the table. Why? because Fox is debuting its second new sports channel this fall and is going to want content. If they push hard enough, I suspect the BE 7 will have no choice. If that happens, I think it may help Creighton's chances for two reasons: (a) the lack of any exit fee could mean that Creighton wouldn't need immediate "readiness" funds from the BE 7, whereas A10 schools might need some help just to cover the $1M exit fee; and (b) Because the MVC plays an 18 game conference schedule (as opposed to a 16 game conference schedule in the A10), it means Creighton could jump easily to a 10 team new conference without having to buyout or cancel any noncon games it may already have scheduled. In other words, Creighton can be the most flexible of all of the expansion candidates.
It wouldn't completely surprise me to see a 10 team conference start play in 2013, with two more teams added, creating a 12 team conference, for 2014.
Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2013 10:51 pm