Who is responsible for conference realignment?

There is always more to the story than is reported to the masses.  Headlines sell news, which can lead to great sensationalism.   In some cases, news is not only self generated, but also self preserving.  Take the conference realignments around college football the past few years.  The largest benefactor is not the programs, not the conferences, or even the fans.  It is actually the entity who reports the news and broadcasts the games: ESPN.

Programs are going to find the best situation for success.  Eventually, we are going to see “super-conferences” of 16 or more teams competing for FBS national championships.   According to Mike DeCourcy of Sporting News, the realignment is about making a move before it is too late.  It is about stability.  In his article, he cites PAC-12 Commissioner Larry Scott as making a point for smaller conferences with more teams to strengthen football.  This is a mindset solidified this year with the creation of a playoff in FBS football.  Now that we know only four teams are going to be allowed to compete for a trophy, the current procedure dictates that the “better” the conference, the more access granted to playing for a national championship.  Schools are running on a “divided we fall” mentality to justify such moves as San Diego State joining the Big East. 

However, the Big East is an isolated situation because they are considered a weak football conference mainly focused on basketball season.  Who drives the SEC, winner of the past six BCS championships, to expand?  One can make the argument that money made that move.  Steve Wieberg and Steve Berkowitz cite ESPN as how conferences decide what schools to add.  The attempt to create the Longhorn Network is one of the main reasons Colorado, Nebraska, Texas A&M and Missouri left the Big XII for other conferences.  The first two went to the former PAC-10, currently the PAC-12, whose commissioner and ESPN executive John Wildhack acknowledge “a close association between [the two] as the conference was working on expanding although PAC-12 Commissioner Scott created the strategy.  The article also presents a scenario where the value of the Big East TV contract directly influenced Pittsburgh and Syracuse to leave the Big East.  Former San Diego State President Stephen Weber says ESPN’s strength “approaches a monopoly, if it’s not literally one” and views ESPN as “a co-conspirator” in the way the BCS excludes many schools.

Even on a typical broadcast, you can feel the bias of ESPN commentators as they speak on issues of polls, conference strengths, post season individual awards, etc.  It would be folly to assume they are quiet when the cameras are off. 

Is ESPN the force behind realignment?- Steve Wieberg and Steve Berkowitz USA Today

Conference realignment: Smart People making dumb decisions- Mike DeCourcy Sporting News