And that is putting it mildly.
Spetman will no doubt be questioned about comments attributed to Andy Haggard, chairman of Florida State's Board of Trustees, and football coach Jimbo Fisher in which they said it was time for the university to begin exploring other options for conference membership ? specifically the Big 12 Conference.
Prior to a booster event Saturday evening in Orlando, Fisher told the Orlando Sentinel that he would not be opposed to seeing what the Big 12 has to offer.
"There have been no official talks, but I think you always have to look out there to see what's best for Florida State," Fisher said. "If (jumping to the Big 12) is what's best for Florida State, then that's what we need to do."
Fisher's comments echoed what Haggard said earlier in the day. Haggard told Warchant.com that he was upset with the newly negotiated television contract between the ACC and ESPN, claiming that it was more favorable to traditional basketball powers such as North Carolina and Duke.
The public comments by both men poured more gas on the flames of what has been a smoldering debate on various Internet sites the last two days about the new television contract and the role each school's broadcasting rights play into the deal.
Haggard said it was "mind-boggling and shocking" that the ACC would allow schools to sell the broadcasting rights for their men's basketball games while not allowing the same courtesy for football games.
That, if true, would be a huge advantage for basketball powers such as Duke and North Carolina.
But that perception is "totally inaccurate," said Michael Kelly who is the ACC's associate commissioner for football and who helped negotiate the league's television contract.
"There is no change in fundamental rights at this time," Kelly said. "ESPN does have the rights to all of our football and all of our men's basketball games. There is no opportunity for our conference or our schools to produce games beyond that in those two sports."
Kelly said the new ACC television contract remains the same as the old one ? and the one before that. He said that the rights for every football and men's basketball game played by an ACC member school is owned by ESPN.
In other words, Kelly said, the rights for men's basketball are exactly the same as for football ? for the schools and the league itself.
"There is no opportunity for the conference to do a secondary deal in those two sports or for our schools to do a secondary deal," Kelly said.
Kelly also said the deal even covers the non-conference games that aren't exactly marquee television matchups ? such aslike the Savannah State game that FSU's football team will play this fall.
"It's not a right for ESPN to do that game," Kelly said. "It's an obligation. There is no chance for them not to do that game."
But that doesn't mean the Savannah State game ? or any other non-marquee matchups ? would be on one of the primary ESPN channels. Games such as that, Kelly said, would probably be broadcast on ESPN3, which is streamed over the Internet.
Kelly also said FSU retains the same Tier 3 rights that every other ACC institution has and that each league school is free to try to sell broadcasting rights to any women's basketball games or Olympic sports matchups not first selected by ESPN.
FSU can still generate additional revenues with networks like Sun Sports for games in other sports that are not selected for broadcasting by ESPN, such as baseball games, or for the "re-airing" of each week's football game.
FSU brought in approximately $100,000 this past year by selling broadcasting rights to Sun Sports. The school also generated another $250,000 in revenues for work done by Seminole Productions to help produce broadcasts of some games for ESPN3.
Regardless of whether his comments on Tier 3 rights were based on accurate information, Haggard made it clear during his interview with Warchant.com that he wanted FSU to open talks with the Big 12.
"On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I can say that unanimously we would be in favor of seeing what the Big 12 might have to offer," Haggard said. "We have to do what is in Florida State's best interest."
Source: http://rssfeeds.usatoday.com/~r/UsatodaycomCollegeSports-TopStories/~3/s1fbMKaeApY/1
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