NFL

The Pac-12 is falling apart. Could the ACC be next? Plus, NFL preseason is here at last

by
SaC Bot
August 3, 2023

Happy Thursday, everyone! It’s not just a normal Thursday, and you’ll find out why in just a second.

Let’s get right to it.

🙌 Good morning to everyone but especially to …

THE 2023 PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME CLASS AND THE HALL OF FAME GAME

From now until February, there’s not a single week without NFL football. (Well, technically, there’s a week between the final preseason game and the regular season opener, but you should be so busy with Fantasy football drafts that you’ll barely notice.)

Yes, the first preseason game is upon us, with the Jets facing the Browns in the Hall of Fame Game. No, we won’t see Aaron Rodgers or Deshaun Watson or most other starters, but it’s NFL football after nearly six months without it. And that doesn’t mean every starter will sit, either. A key member of the Jets’ line will definitely play, notes Shanna McCarriston.

McCarriston: “Head coach Robert Saleh expects Mekhi Becton to play around 20 to 25 snaps in the game. … This will be Becton’s first game since the start of the 2021 season, due to knee surgeries in back-to-back years, and feels up for the task. Now that he is back, he has a goal of being a Week 1 starter.”

Becton is a huge, athletic tackle who should hypothetically be a key part of the line protecting Rodgers. But his availability and the Jets’ offensive line in general are big questions. We might get part of at least one answer tonight.

The Jets and Browns are in this game because Darrelle Revis and Joe Thomas headline the 2023 Hall of Fame class, which will be inducted Saturday. Other soon-to-be inductees are…

Zach Thomas
DeMarcus Ware
Ronde Barber
Joe Klecko
Chuck Howley
Ken Riley
Don Coryell

😀 Honorable mentions

😨 And not such a good morning for …

FLORIDA STATE AND THE ACC …

Florida State isn’t being shy: It’s ready to leave the ACC.

During a board of trustees meeting Wednesday, university president Richard McCullough expressed frustrations about the revenue gap between the ACC and the SEC and Big Ten, saying it has created “an existential crisis in many ways for Florida State University.”

It may seem dramatic, but it pales in comparison to what came later. McCullough said the school “will at some point consider leaving the ACC” barring “radical change in revenue distribution.”
Trustee Drew Weatherford was more frank: “It’s not a matter of if we leave [the ACC], but how and when we leave.”
The ACC’s media rights deal with ESPN runs through 2036, and McCullough said the current deal will leave Florida State “$30 million per school, per year behind in our gap in conference distribution with contracts.”

How did McCullough come up with those eye-opening numbers? Let Dean Straka explain:

Straka: “Under the ACC’s current deal, member schools reportedly received a total distribution of approximately $39.4 million for Fiscal Year 2022. SEC and Big Ten schools, in contrast, reportedly received payouts around $49.9 million and $58.8 million, respectively. The numbers for those two leagues are only set to balloon as the Big Ten enters a seven-year deal this season with CBS, NBC and Fox Sports worth more than $1 billion annually. The SEC, meanwhile, enters an exclusive 10-year deal with ESPN worth an estimated $3 billion in total value in 2024.”

… AND ALSO NOT SUCH A GOOD MORNING FOR THE PAC-12

Hey, at least the ACC has a media rights deal, right? Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff presented a potential deal to leaders from the conference’s schools on Tuesday, and no deal was reached.

The top deal presented was in partnership with Apple via its streaming platform. It included incentives for Pac-12 teams if certain subscription numbers are met.
However, the base monetary details — some believe it’s $20 million per school per year — was underwhelming compared to other Power Five deals, as detailed above.
The Pac-12’s current deal with ESPN and Fox expires after this upcoming season. All other Power Five conferences have a media rights deal through at least 2031.

Colorado is leaving for the Big 12, and Arizona, Arizona State and Utah are reportedly pondering following suit. And as Dennis Dodd reports, the Big Ten is lurking.

Dodd: “While Oregon, Washington, California and Stanford — all Pac-12 members — are the programs under consideration by the league, it is Oregon and Washington that are the primary focus should the Big Ten choose to expand by two programs and become an 18-team conference. … Should one (Arizona) or all three programs defect, the Pac-12 could be down to as few as six members … At that point, it may become more prudent for the Big Ten to increase efforts towards acquiring the best remaining programs.”

😕 Not so honorable mentions

⚾ Best prospects moved during MLB trade deadline

Back at the 2016 trade deadline, the Dodgers acquired Josh Fields from the Astros in exchange for a little-known, 19-year-old Cuban “infielder/outfielder,” who hadn’t played a single minor-league game named Yordan Alvarez. Fields would go on to have two solid years out of the Los Angeles pen, though he had a crucial blow up in the 2017 World Series, ironically against the Astros, before being designated for assignment. Yordan Alvarez would go on to become, well, Yordan Alvarez: Already a Rookie of the Year, a two-time All-Star, an ALCS MVP and a World Series champion.

The point is, it’s not always the big leaguers who end up being the prized acquisition. Yes, we talk about the guys who can contribute here and now, and with good reason. But a few years down the line, the teams that were once sad to give up quality MLB talent could possess blossoming stars.

So, who were the best prospects traded at the deadline? R.J. Anderson ranked the top 15, and at No. 1 is …

Anderson: “1. Edgar Quero, C, White Sox — Quero, 20, is a switch-hitting backstop who has held his own this season despite an aggressive Double-A assignment. The hope here is that he could in time post average or better marks in each of the triple-slash categories. His glovework isn’t as far along as his bat, and he might top out as a fringe defender. Young catchers are an attrition-prone lot, but that Quero has achieved a measure of success in Double-A at his age bodes well for his likelihood of becoming a big-league contributor.”

That’s a big reason why the White Sox, even amid a frustrating season, got an “A” in R.J.’s trade deadline grades.

You can see all the top prospects moved at the deadline — and wish for better days ahead if your team made the list — here.

🏈 NFL Top 30 players 30 and over

They say that the NFL is a young man’s game. They also say that father time is undefeated. But across the NFL, there are plenty of players challenging those notions. So we’re introducing Cody Benjamin’s Top 30 NFL players 30 and over.

Spoiler alert: It’s a really tight battle at the top. Here’s No. 1:

Benjamin: “1. Travis Kelce (33) — Ageless and uncoverable, his annual reliability as Patrick Mahomes‘ No. 1 target is probably taken for granted. Looking for an eighth straight 1,100-yard receiving season, he’s been MVP-caliber for the NFL’s best offense.”

It’s a big call from Cody, especially considering there’s another player who’s also arguably the GOAT at his position at No. 2.

Benjamin: “2. Aaron Donald (32) — A future Hall of Fame lock thanks to his ridiculous production, averaging 11+ sacks and 25+ QB hits per year over nine seasons, Donald was a bit quieter in an injury-shortened 2022, but there’s no teaching his imposing interior force.”

And one final spoiler? Travis isn’t the only Kelce in the top 30. He’s not even the only Kelce in the top 10.

Here’s Cody’s full list.