Assuming something could be worked out with stadium debt, I'm ready to go back to having true student athletes, because I don't think we would be in the super conference, and I'm not sure I want to be. If Stanford stepped back as well, so we could maintain our rivalry, that would cinch it.

We would just have to convince McKinney, TX to have a parade.

Fine with me.

fat_slice said:

---

I'm not sure I could - it's like being relegated to play in the NIT every year regardless of how you do.

Is this super conference just an idea put out by one person or is this definitely where we are going? And how soon?

---

Could easily see the P5 forming their own division and regulation body instead of a 20-30 team super conference.

The interesting thing is that all the progress being made on a new 12 team playoff goes away with a super conference.

But a new governing body will almost certainly some kind of pay for play... And there are schools that would. It be OK with that, or at least say they aren't OK with that (but maybe being dropped to a non-rev league would change it?)

If I were a p5 conference, I'd look into how to arrange some kind of pass through payments from the massive TV rights to players. That would dive schools the way to plausibly deny they are paying players... It's the TV nets and the conference.

ColoradoBear said:

---

fat_slice said:

---

I'm not sure I could - it's like being relegated to play in the NIT every year regardless of how you do.

Is this super conference just an idea put out by one person or is this definitely where we are going? And how soon?

---

Could easily see the P5 forming their own division and regulation body instead of a 20-30 team super conference.

The interesting thing is that all the progress being made on a new 12 team playoff goes away with a super conference.

---

I would be much more ok with this. My view is that since a very very tiny percentage of players make it to the NFL and because it's very hard to tell who will be good versus not coming out of high school (except for a fraction of the 5 stars out there), the super conference would be losing out on a lot of really good players. I guess the transfer market (free agent!?!) would become very chaotic.

fat_slice said:

---

I'm not sure I could - it's like being relegated to play in the NIT every year regardless of how you do.

Is this super conference just an idea put out by one person or is this definitely where we are going? And how soon?

Cal football is one of my biggest joys (at least the anticipation of each year lol). This would be a significant negative life event for me!

---

"and reconsidering how schools are aligned."

The talk of a Super Conference has been around for a long time. The quote above suggests that anything is possible. Who knows? Maybe it will come to fruition, maybe not. However, anyone who thinks it is absolutely off the table has blinders on.

Big C said:

---

I sort of hate to use that phrase "TypiCal", but wouldn't that be something if I spent my whole adult sports fan life anticipating a Rose Bowl -- four+ damn decades -- and just when we seem to maybe be on the right path (and me getting kinda old), the whole model gets pulled out from underneath us?

---

I gave up on that long ago.

Turn your watch, turn your watch back,
About a hundred thousand years.
A hundred thousand years.
I'll meet you by the third pyramid
I'll meet you by the third pyramid
Ah come on, that's what I want, we'll meet
In Mesopotamia. oh oh oh
I ain't no student,
(Feel those vibrations) of ancient culture
(I know a neat excavation) Before I talk
I should read a book.
But there's one thing I do know,
There's a lot of ruins in Mesopotamia.
Six or eight thousand years ago
They laid down the law. Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha haa
Six or eight thousand years ago
They laid down the law. Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha haa
I'll meet you by the third pyramid
I'll meet you by the third pyramid
Ah come on, that's what I want, we'll meet
In Mesopotamia. oh oh oh
Now I ain't no student,
(Feel those vibrations) of ancient culture
(I know a neat excavation) Before I talk
I should read a book. (Mesopotamia, that's where I wanna go)
But there's one thing that I do know, (Mesopotamia, that's where I wanna go)
There's a lot of ruins in Mesopotamia.
Six or eight thousand years ago
They laid down the law. Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha haa
Six or eight thousand years ago
They laid down the law. Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha haa
In Mesopotamia. Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha haa
They laid down the law. Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha haa
In Mesopotamia. Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha haa

I do watch my son's D3 college football team via streaming long after he has graduated and am ridiculed by him and my other Cal season ticket holders. Of course, they win, have been to the NCAA playoffs as well as to D3 bowls so I take it and smile. I doubt there will be much of a following if Cal goes to even the FCS not to mention lower than that. I think that most would migrate to the NFL over time.

No one knows if there will be a super conference, just a P5 governing body or other form of reset of college football

But ultimately the top tier will be salaried players

The questions for me is:

1. How will these salaries be determined for individual players, and each team?

2. How will competitive balance be maintained?

3. How is any of this compatible with Title IX?

4. Would Cal even want to stay in the top tier? (I don't think so)

Bobodeluxe said:

---

Turn your watch, turn your watch back,
About a hundred thousand years.
A hundred thousand years..

---

had to look it up..

In this super-conference scenario, I might continue following the football team if the tiered divisions are open leagues operating under a Promotion and Relegation system.

Quote:

---

In sports leagues, promotion and relegation is a process where teams are transferred between multiple divisions based on their performance for the completed season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are often called open leagues. In a system of promotion and relegation, the best-ranked team(s) in the lower division are promoted to the higher division for the next season, and the worst-ranked team(s) in the higher division are relegated to the lower division for the next season.

---

Nasal Mucus Goldenbear said:

---

In this super-conference scenario, I might continue following the football team if the tiered divisions are open leagues operating under a Promotion and Relegation system.

Quote:

---

In sports leagues, promotion and relegation is a process where teams are transferred between multiple divisions based on their performance for the completed season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are often called open leagues. In a system of promotion and relegation, the best-ranked team(s) in the lower division are promoted to the higher division for the next season, and the worst-ranked team(s) in the higher division are relegated to the lower division for the next season.

---

---

Great idea.

Different but similar to AAU

Nasal Mucus Goldenbear said:

---

In this super-conference scenario, I might continue following the football team if the tiered divisions are open leagues operating under a Promotion and Relegation system.

Quote:

---

In sports leagues, promotion and relegation is a process where teams are transferred between multiple divisions based on their performance for the completed season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are often called open leagues. In a system of promotion and relegation, the best-ranked team(s) in the lower division are promoted to the higher division for the next season, and the worst-ranked team(s) in the higher division are relegated to the lower division for the next season.

---

---

So our hopes, dreams and aspirations would change from the Rose Bowl to making the higher division

If cal was in the second tier our revenues would drop:

- Lower TV revenues

- probably fewer televised games

- fewer fans attending games so tix, concessions and merch sales drop

- fewer sponsors and/or fewer dollars for the same sponsorships

Can't see how the economics would work

Write a letter to Alabama and Ohio state. I'm sure they would be sympathetic.

GMP said:

---

Jeff82 said:

---

Assuming something could be worked out with stadium debt, I'm ready to go back to having true student athletes, because I don't think we would be in the super conference, and I'm not sure I want to be. If Stanford stepped back as well, so we could maintain our rivalry, that would cinch it.

We would just have to convince McKinney, TX to have a parade.

---

I find your use of the term "true student athletes" to be really gross and insulting to our team, who work their a-ses off and bash their heads in for your entertainment.

---

It's not meant to insult the current players. I just don't see, under the scenarios that are coming, how competitive balance is going to be maintained, and how you are going to convince those players who are making significant money from NIL to actually go to class. That's the basis of my comment. Athletics is supposed to be an adjunct to the university, not what students major in.

Bears2thDoc said:

---

Big C said:

---

I sort of hate to use that phrase "TypiCal", but wouldn't that be something if I spent my whole adult sports fan life anticipating a Rose Bowl -- four+ damn decades -- and just when we seem to maybe be on the right path (and me getting kinda old), the whole model gets pulled out from underneath us?

---

Four decades? I'm approaching my 6th in '22. I got hooked when I was 4 (helped that I walked into CMS for the first time with the Alumni Band). Fortunately for me, my life span includes a Cal Rose Bowl, so that stressful burden that is on many of your shoulders was lifted long before I could walk. For me, Cal football falls into the "enjoyable" category, if it wasn't, I wouldn't go. In the last 59 years, Cal has been mainly mediocre, with bouts of "suck" frequently scattered in between, and a few times of great (OK, very good), tossed in from time to time only to give hope (in the spirit of Robin William's "Golf" routine.
Happy Monday!
Cheers!
Go Bears!!
Cal Band Great!!

---

Depends on the competition in the new league, but likely not.

If all the inane ads etc wee gone I would go. Maybe the President of the Bank of America wouldn't have to be introduced at the Presbyterian game. Would there still be bart races and bear growl., would the tiddlywinks team be introduced. Or maybe the band would play more.

oskidunker said:

---

If all the inane ads etc wee gone I would go. Maybe the President of the Bank of America wouldn't have to be introduced at the Presbyterian game. Would there still be bart races and bear growl., would the tiddlywinks team be introduced. Or maybe the band would play more.

---

The band plays tiddlywinks?

This is now going to be 100% professional sports entertainment. Under this model, we would probably be best off just leasing out the Cal name, colors and stadium to somebody who wants to operate such a professional sports franchise. They could also hire the Cal band and give them a cut of the proceeds, although a televised rock concert or WWE half-time cage match might draw higher ratings.

annarborbear said:

---

This is now going to be 100% professional sports entertainment. Under this model, we would probably be best off just leasing out the Cal name, colors and stadium to somebody who wants to operate such a professional sports franchise. They could also hire the Cal band and give them a cut of the proceeds, although a televised rock concert or WWE half-time cage match might draw higher ratings.

---

My feeling is that of there is a small break off division for football, it will be because some schools are OK with pay to play, while others are not, so that would be one a natural dividing line.

Big schools are pushing $100 million in FB revenue, and could easily redirect 10-20% of those revenues to pay each player 100-200k/ season. I say redirect in that they might rather find ways to funnel money to players w/o having them be employees, whether that be through donors or through corporate/conference partners.

Thinking more about the effect on Cal, I'd follow even if Cal were left in a lower division if it played interesting and like minded schools as opponents. Cal would probably have to have a significant amount of larger non-west coast universities on the schedule. Stanford + low tier MWC quality regional schools would not be that interesting.

More outside the box, if there were some kind of CA only league (has to include Furd and UCLA) with some kind of pay rules set by the State of CA that were somewhat 'fair' to both players and competition (I l ow fat chance the legislature could do that), that might work.

Interestingly, and not to digress to much, but if the 12 team playoff rules are written to allow 6 at large teams based only on some ranking, I could see the likes of USC and Texas trying independant.

ColoradoBear said:

---

annarborbear said:

---

This is now going to be 100% professional sports entertainment. Under this model, we would probably be best off just leasing out the Cal name, colors and stadium to somebody who wants to operate such a professional sports franchise. They could also hire the Cal band and give them a cut of the proceeds, although a televised rock concert or WWE half-time cage match might draw higher ratings.

---

My feeling is that of there is a small break off division for football, it will be because some schools are OK with pay to play, while others are not, so that would be one a natural dividing line.

Big schools are pushing $100 million in FB revenue, and could easily redirect 10-20% of those revenues to pay each player 100-200k/ season. I say redirect in that they might rather find ways to funnel money to players w/o having them be employees, whether that be through donors or through corporate/conference partners.

Thinking more about the effect on Cal, I'd follow even if Cal were left in a lower division if it played interesting and like minded schools as opponents. Cal would probably have to have a significant amount of larger non-west coast universities on the schedule. Stanford + low tier MWC quality regional schools would not be that interesting.

More outside the box, if there were some kind of CA only league (has to include Furd and UCLA) with some kind of pay rules set by the State of CA that were somewhat 'fair' to both players and competition (I l ow fat chance the legislature could do that), that might work.

Interestingly, and not to digress to much, but if the 12 team playoff rules are written to allow 6 at large teams based only on some ranking, I could see the likes of USC and Texas trying independant.

---

Not sure how non "employee" thing would work.
From experience, the University has at least 2 tiers of employees, "compensated", and "uncompensated".
Both are required to sign the Oath to the State of California, as well as the Patent form.
EDD said there is no legal category for "uncompensated employees". Those are obviously categorized as "volunteers". UC HR says that they have no "volunteers", only "uncompensated employees", however "uncompensated employees" are not eligible for any "staff" privilege or benefit, including the simplest of library, rec center. Of course "compensated employees" would be eligible for all required benefits like FMLA, Sick, overtime etc.
I suppose they could get around that by declaring them independent contractors and issue 1099s, however based on what an IC test by IRS, that won't fly.
But what do I know...I'm just and part-time uncompensated employee and full time employer.
Also to consider....any compensation will be used to qualify students for financial aid, and perhaps health ins
Cheers!
Go Bears!!
Cal Band Great!!