September 24, 2024

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Good morning. We’re unpacking the latest twists in college football’s conference realignment and its ripple effects on non–Power 4 schools. How much further will the landscape shift, and how will it affect the College Football Playoff?

— David Rumsey [[link removed]], Eric Fisher [[link removed]], and Colin Salao [[link removed]]

How Latest Conference Realignment Will Impact College Football Playoff [[link removed]]

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Conference realignment continues to wreak havoc among non–Power 4 schools early into the 2024 college football season.

Monday was another wild chapter of the saga filled with official announcements, reports, and, of course, rumors. The landscape isn’t done shifting, but here’s what we know about where things stand for the lower half of FBS programs:

The Pac-12 is still searching for more members. The only official moves announced so far are Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, and San Diego State joining Oregon State and Washington State [[link removed]] in 2026. At least two more members are needed by 2026 for the Pac-12 to retain its FBS status. Late Monday, multiple reports indicated Utah State had accepted a bid to leave the Mountain West and join the Pac-12. The American Athletic Conference is keeping four key programs. Memphis, South Florida, Tulane, and UTSA made a statement Monday committing to stay in the AAC [[link removed]], after reports that the Pac-12 was targeting some or all of those schools. The conference then posted [[link removed]] that all 15 members had committed to stick around. The Mountain West is hoping to thwart more departures to the Pac-12. Late Monday, the conference was working on a written commitment from existing members [[link removed]] to remain in the conference. UNLV and Utah State were said to be top expansion targets for the Pac-12 [[link removed]], according to Action Network. Air Force had been linked to the Pac-12, in addition to the AAC. Gonzaga isn’t joining the Pac-12 yet. There was some confusion Monday about the Bulldogs (who don’t have a football team) joining the conference in all other sports. A source told Front Office Sports college reporter Amanda Christovich that Gonzaga has not received a formal offer to join the Pac-12 [[link removed]] or put in an application. There have been discussions and interest, however. College Football Playoff Bid at Stake

How the conference realignment dust settles outside the Power 4 will have a major impact on the expanded, 12-team College Football Playoff.

As currently constructed, the top-five-ranked conference champions in the country receive automatic bids into the playoff. The Pac-12, Mountain West, and AAC are fighting for supremacy among the new Group of 6, and all likely envision a scenario where their conference champion annually receives that final automatic postseason bid. While unlikely in most years, another non–Power 4 school (conference champion or not) could still make the CFP if it were ranked high enough.

The CFP has not released its first official 2024 rankings. Boise State is currently the highest-ranked non–Power 4 team in the AP poll at No. 25.

Amazon Adds to Sports Empire With ‘Monday Night Hockey’ in Canada [[link removed]]

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Amazon is all in on hockey.

On top of two media-rights deals struck this past spring and a third now in development, the online retail and streaming giant intends to quickly build its presence further with the National Hockey League.

“If you look at what we’re doing in sports around the world, we’re really targeting the largest, biggest, tier-one sports in every country, where the games are must-watch [events],” said Jay Marine, Amazon Prime Video global head of sports. Marine appeared Monday at a press conference with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman to tout the company’s new streaming rights deals with the league in Canada. “Of course, in Canada, there is nothing bigger than hockey and the NHL.”

Monday Night Hockey will begin Oct. 14 in Canada, adding a major weekly tentpole to Amazon’s sports portfolio, not unlike how the NFL’s Thursday Night Football operates on Prime Video in the U.S. Amazon and the NHL struck that two-year deal in April [[link removed]], right around when the company also completed a separate, regionally focused rights agreement with the Kraken [[link removed]].

“Our goal is to make [Monday Night Hockey] a huge national event, and we’re going to invest like crazy to do that,” Marine said.

In addition to those media-rights pacts, Amazon is also nearing an agreement with Bally Sports parent Diamond Sports Group [[link removed]] to stream that company’s regional sports network content, including some NHL games, through Prime Video. Prime Video’s sister entity Amazon Web Services, meanwhile, has worked with the NHL since 2021 on a wide variety of puck and player tracking, video production, and cloud computing efforts.

Amazon is further backing its hockey broadcast efforts with NHL Coast to Coast, a weekly whip-around show airing Thursday nights in Canada, and a new docuseries, FaceOff: Inside the NHL. The behind-the-scenes series, which will be available globally, premieres Oct. 4.

“I think Amazon will bring the ‘wow’ factor,” Bettman said. “We’re a big deal in Canada, the biggest. They’re going to make us even bigger, give our fans an opportunity to connect with the game in new ways, and maybe break some traditions, which isn’t a bad thing for Gen Zs and Gen As.”

Capital Developments

The NHL, meanwhile, could also see one of the thorniest and longest-running facility issues move closer to completion as the Senators reached an agreement in principle with Canada’s National Capital Commission on a 10-acre parcel of land in Ottawa’s LeBreton Flats district that has been eyed as a site for a new arena and mixed-use development.

Several additional steps still need to be undertaken, but the move comes as a prior memorandum of understanding on the land was set to expire. The arena project has been a key priority [[link removed]] for new Senators owner Michael Andlauer, who purchased the club a year ago for $950 million.

“It’s a great first step, but we’ve got a lot of work ahead of us here,” said Senators president Cyril Leeder. “This allows that work to take place.”

The Senators have played at Canadian Tire Centre since the facility’s 1996 opening. The arena has not only grown more outdated, but its location about 16 traffic-clogged miles from downtown Ottawa has been problematic.

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FRONT OFFICE SPORTS TODAY Twists and Turns of Everton Sale

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Ending a saga that spanned many months and featured numerous bidders, Everton is officially being sold to The Friedkin Group. GiveMeSport senior football correspondent Ben Jacobs joins the show with details of the sale and what the deal means for a soccer club in massive debt.

Plus, we hear from Evolution of the Black Quarterback director Anthony Smith on Colin Kaepernick, Michael Vick, and other important voices in the new Amazon docuseries.

Watch, listen, and subscribe on Apple [[link removed]], Spotify [[link removed]], and YouTube [[link removed]].

LOUD AND CLEAR Goodbye Note to A’s Fans

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“We tried. Staying in Oakland was our goal, it was our mission, and we failed to achieve it.”

—A’s owner John Fisher, in a letter to fans [[link removed]] ahead of the team’s final three games at the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, which begin Tuesday. Among other things in the 413-word note, Fisher said he was “genuinely sorry” for moving the team after 57 years in the Bay Area.

“Looking ahead, I hope you will join our beloved A’s as we move forward on this amazing journey,” Fisher continued, seemingly asking for continued fan support as the A’s play in Sacramento and eventually land in Las Vegas. “I hope I will see you again sporting the Green and Gold. And I hope we will make you proud.”

The final home game for the A’s on Thursday has been sold out for more than a month [[link removed]], and some fans unsuccessfully pushed [[link removed]] for the club to open up “Mount Davis,” the elevated outfield seating portion that holds an additional 8,000 seats.

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS AWARDS

The Best Employers in Sports Award Is Back

Whether it’s great leadership; focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion; or commitment to employee well-being, the Front Office Sports Best Employers in Sports Award [[link removed]] recognizes organizations that do right by their employees.

How do we determine who wins the award? We don’t—employees do! The award is based entirely on anonymous survey results from sports industry professionals.

Responses will be evaluated in collaboration with our primary research partner, Canvs [[link removed]], using patented AI technology free from all subjectivity and human bias. There is no word count limit and you can even use slang, text abbreviations, sarcasm, and emoji to complete the survey.

The 2024 employee survey is now open through Nov. 6. Take the survey [[link removed]] and tell us why your organization should make the cut.

Conversation Starters The Heat have revealed multimillion-dollar renovations for the Kaseya Center [[link removed]], which include a new “fireball” scoreboard display and 50% more speakers. It debuts on Oct. 7 ahead of the 2024–2025 NBA season. The Pop-Tarts Bowl announced it is launching a costume based on the popular mascot. Check it out [[link removed]]. A’ja Wilson is just the second WNBA player to unanimously win the league’s MVP Award, adding to her long list of accomplishments in 2024 [[link removed]] that includes an Olympic gold medal and a Gatorade deal. Editors’ Picks Reggie Bush Suing NCAA Again, This Time for NIL Back Pay [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]The former USC star is also suing his alma mater and Pac-12. Pac-12 Bid to Raid AAC Appears to Have Failed [[link removed]]by Amanda Christovich [[link removed]]Memphis, Tulane, UTSA, and USF intend to stay in their current conference. Wall Street: Things Will Get Worse for Nike Before They Get Better [[link removed]]by Lisa Scherzer [[link removed]]Some analysts are skeptical of how much the new CEO will change. Question of the Day

Is streaming sports a primary reason you subscribe to Amazon Prime?

YES [[link removed]] NO [[link removed]] NOT A SUBSCRIBER [[link removed]]

Monday’s result: 64% of respondents do not think Bryce Young will be a Panther at the start of next season.

Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Podcast [[link removed]] Written by David Rumsey [[link removed]], Eric Fisher [[link removed]], Colin Salao [[link removed]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Or Moyal [[link removed]], Catherine Chen [[link removed]]

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