Deacfreak07
Ain't played nobody, PAWL!
The lamenting over the money that the Big 10 and SEC schools haul in hasn't resulted in dominance in football and basketball from the Big 10. You think it would reflect in on the field or on the court success at some point, but no. The Big 10 has won ONE national title in either football or basketball since 2002 -- Ohio State football 2014. That is horrendous (during that same time frame the ACC has won 10 -- by six different schools), and teams from the Big 10 conference regularly disappoint in the football playoff and the NCAA Tourney. Wow, so, all of the Big 10 schools have a ton of cash and have essentially wasted it on a mediocre product. Congrats. What other benefits have those schools reaped from conference money? Certainly, don't see Indiana, Illlinois or Purdue as more attractive schools now.
Obviously, the SEC has dominated football, but even the scope of success is limited as yes, South Carolina, Missouri, Ole Miss, Miss State among every other school not named Bama and UGA may ride the SEC gravy train, but those schools aren't close to competing for national championship in either of the marquis sports, and again, none of those schools has raised their reputation as "it" places. All of that money certainly has not resulted in SEC being anything other than a top-heavy conference, with two dominant programs, and then everyone else churning through unsuccessful coaching hires. Again, how have the SEC rank and file schools improved themselves from all of that SEC cash? Just don't see lots of out of state kids climbing over themselves to go to Miss. State or Arkansas.
I get why ADs like Swarbrick wish that they had bigger budgets so they would have more money to waste on smoothie markers and putt-putt golf courses, but as "amazing" as the money has been, it doesn't seem like it has resulted in a better product overall, healthier competition within the conference or a rise in prominence of the schools that lose to Bama and UGA every year. Yes, Bama is an absolutely elite program, but they were elite long before there was an SEC Network, and the resulting cash. If the money was such a difference-maker, then the FBS playoff next year should look something like Tennessee v. Nebraska and Arkansas v. Penn State. It won't. It will be Bama, Clemson, tOSU and maybe UGA or a random team from the Big 12. tOSU will lose big in the semis, and Bama will beat Clemson in the final.
It’s hard to overpay the Jimbo Fishers of the world without those big TV contracts.