College Conference TV Money Breakdown: ACC Gains As SEC Prepares To Strike

Now that the ACC has its next long-term television deal in place and the Big 12's is reportedly right around the corner, all five power conferences are established ... except for the SEC. Though it's been lapped by the Big Ten, Pac-12 and Big 12, the SEC's additions of Missouri and Texas A&M have enabled the conference to renegotiate its current contract, with some estimates flying as high as $30 million per school per year from TV money. Estimates fly high!

As it stands, the money breakdown per conference as best I can figure it (I tried my best!), based in part on work by Kristi Dosh and Jon Solomon:

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by Jason Kirk • May 9, 2012 3:54 PM EDT

Jimmy Kimmel Tweets At Top Recruits Just Like The Rest Of The Internet

Above you see Jimmy Kimmel tweeting at Anthony Bennett, the top unsigned basketball player in the class of 2012. Tweeting at recruits is popular these days, and now we have our most famous example yet.

So what do we make of this?

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by Andrew Sharp • May 8, 2012 5:22 PM EDT

Baby Mimics Anthony Davis Picture

At an autograph signing in Louisville over the weekend, reigning national Player of the Year Anthony Davis was handed a picture of a baby mimicking the (somewhat) famous picture UK released of Davis in the middle of this past season.

Davis signed the photo for the baby's father and then tweeted out a picture of he, the baby and the autograph. As you may have guessed, it's appropriately fantastic.

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by Mike Rutherford • May 8, 2012 1:49 PM EDT

Big Sky Commish Makes Case For Idaho To Go FCS

The Big Sky wants the Idaho Vandals, should they wind up without a FBS home (they will probably wind up without a FBS home. From the Idaho Statesman:

"Playing at the top of the FCS is a better situation than playing at the bottom of the FBS," Fullerton said, adding that it is nearly impossible for schools with budgets near $20 million to compete with schools like Texas and its $140 million athletic department budget.

He said Idaho could shave $3 million to $5 million from its athletic budget by moving to the Big Sky, lessening the need to play those types of payday games. Those savings would come from fewer scholarships in football and women's sports and from lower coaching salaries. Idaho, he said, could then reinvest that money into other programs.

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by Jason Kirk • May 7, 2012 3:12 PM EDT

F--- It, Sam McLaurin Is Headed To Illinois

After averaging 10 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks during his junior year at Coastal Carolina, Sam McLaurin became a hot commodity when he announced his intent to transfer earlier this month. Baylor, Illinois, Georgia Tech, SMU and Virginia were among the host of schools who immediately expressed interest in the 6-8 power forward.

Ultimately, McLaurin made the announcement Wednesday night that he was headed to Illinois, and he chose to do so in perhaps most 2012-appropriate fashion ever: on Twitter and following a pair of words that usually precede "I'm going to Taco Bell."

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by Mike Rutherford • May 3, 2012 3:19 PM EDT

Conference Realignment: Can The WAC Survive?

Begin composing your obituaries for the WAC, the original super-conference. Long fallen from its glory days of BYU winning a football national title in 1984 and membership that's included TCU, Utah and Arizona, the former 16-team football league could very soon be down to only one or two football-playing members, along with three non-football members.

The Mountain West is reportedly continuing its decade-plus of raiding the WAC, with Conference USA swooping in for its second round of WAC imports. Even the Sun Belt might pick off a school. Here's the damage at the moment:

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by Jason Kirk • Apr 30, 2012 2:46 PM EDT

PHOTO: Florida State Has New Cuddly Wuddly Mascot

The Florida St. Seminoles have a mascot: a guy on a horse who throws burning stuff. It's pretty awesome. But they didn't have anything for the kids until now. Meet Cimarron, the two-legged horse who wears Christmas tree stands as shoes:

This has already resulted in much shaming and scorn around the Southeast, but I don't really get why. Your school already had a fluffy plush mascot, so it's not clear what you're laughing at. Let's all just cuddle.

by Jason Kirk • Apr 30, 2012 11:01 AM EDT

MOUNT USA Not Doomed

Despite reports to the contrary, UNLV's president says the great Mountain West-Conference USA merger is still sort of alive:

"We're looking at alternatives on how to actually form a new conference arrangement," Smatresk said. "We've looked at several different configurations and will decide on what is best for all our members. We're proceeding, and nothing has come apart."

by Jason Kirk • Apr 20, 2012 8:40 AM EDT

Bo Ryan Defends Transfer Rule On 'Mike And Mike'

Wisconsin Badgers head coach Bo Ryan has blocked the transfer of basketball player Jarrod Uthoff from transferring basically anywhere other than the planet Mars. Ryan recently has been held to the fire for his restrictions and went on ESPN's "Mike & Mike" In The Morning to discuss the problem.

Ryan was taken to task by "Mike & Mike" on the show and didn't back down from his position whatsoever, noting that it's commonplace for 300 other schools. Ryan has blocked Uthoff from transferring to the entire Big Ten, Marquette, the entire ACC, and Iowa State. Mike Golic even goes so far as to call it a "vindictive" move by Ryan, comparing it to when a coach ups and leaves for another job at another school without restriction.

Check out a video clip of the interview after the jump.

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by Alfie Crow • Apr 19, 2012 10:30 AM EDT