Mailbag 7/13

ramblin gooner: Should the NCAA adopt a new conference model, one for football and one for everything else? If USC and UCLA want to play midwest football, great, but let volleyball and swimming stay in the PAC-12 for travel reasons.

Ben: I think that could get pretty messy if it was done widescale, but to an extent, I think stuff like this already happens. For instance, UConn is in the Big East in (I’m pretty sure) everything except for football. I don’t see why exceptions couldn’t be made for other sports.

Andrew: It happens for a lot of niche sports. I think Ice Hockey has it’s own conferences, as does certain Lacrosse playing schools. I also think there is a lot of strangeness at the FCS level as well.

Carter: Ice hockey was the sport that immediately came to my mind as I read this question as well. Of the college conferences you’re most familiar with, only the Big Ten sponsors it — the rest are conferences that exist specifically for hockey and nothing else. We’re used to the idea of conferences being unified across the board, but that’s really only true for the ones at the highest level, and at the most high profile sports. Things start to get fuzzy once either one of those stops being true — consider the WAC, which, yes, very much still exists, or how Florida and Vanderbilt play women’s lacrosse in the AAC. All this to say: I think the model you’re proposing mostly already exists, and is already employed by a couple schools — Notre Dame, BYU (for now), and UConn come to mind. But USC and UCLA is going to be moving everything to the B1G. So, big shrug emoji from me for now on that one.

Logan: Yes.

gtbadcarma: And now for something completely different.

1. is it Sub, hoagie or hero

Ben: I don’t think I’ve ever used the words hoagie or hero.

Andrew: I just call it a sandwich

Jake P.: Sub all day every day.

Carter: It’s a sandwich.

Logan: Sub

Jack: You know it’s a hoagie when you see it, otherwise it’s a sub. Also, if you’re ever in Princeton, go to Hoagie Haven and enjoy the piece of heaven on earth that place is.

2. Mac and cheese eaten with fork or spoon

Ben: How do you fork the macaroni with a spoon?

Andrew: Both

Jake P.: Fork Fork Fork

Carter: What if I say spork, just to generate maximum chaos? (I have always used a fork.)

Logan: Fork

Jack: Fork

3. Should a hamburger have pickles

Ben: If you like pickles on burgers, sure. Personally, I like my burgers pickle-less.

Andrew: Pickles are nothing but an example of man’s hubris and should be banned internationally.

Jake P.: I’m fine with pickles as long as they complement the flavors of the burger, not overpower it. There’s a fine line between having enough pickles and having too many. White Castle is an example of stepping way over that line. McDonald’s on the other hand? I think they’re perfect.

Carter: When I was a child, I would say yes, enthusiastically. As a teenager/young adult, I would say no. Now, I say sometimes.

Logan: Yes

Jack: I’ve eaten enough CFA sandwiches where I take off the pickle to where I need the pickle residue on my sandwich. Any other one I don’t really need pickles.

4. Do you store ketchup in the fridge or the pantry

Ben: I grew up keeping it in the pantry, but I prefer it in the fridge, and that’s where I keep it now.

Andrew: Depends on if it has been opened or not.

Carter: I store ketchup in the garbage, where it belongs.

Jake P.: I spent 3 weeks backpacking in the Rockies and we didn’t refrigerate mayonnaise, but I prefer non-restaurant condiments to be cold.

Logan: Fridge

5. Cereal, do you like it crunchy or soggy

Ben: I like it crunchy, but I’m not the type to eat it quickly so it doesn’t get soggy.

Andrew: I don’t eat a lot of cereal.

Jake P.: I prefer it right in-between crunchy and soggy. You can never go wrong with cheerios and craisins in any form, though.

Logan: Crunchy

Carter: Slightly soaked, but not completely soggy.

6. Favorite Monty Python Quote

Ben: Pretty much this scene:

Logan: “He’s not the Messiah - he’s a very naughty boy”

Carter: “Always look on the briiiiiiight siiiiiiide of life!”

Jack: “RUN AWAYYY!! RUN AWAYYY!” The same sentiment applies to everyone in the Pac-12.

jabsterjacket: There’s been talk about a “loose partnership” between the ACC and the Pac-12. At what point would such a “partnership” become material enough to force a renegotiation of the ACC Grant of Rights agreement?

That is, when could such a partnership constitute a significant-enough change in what was originally agreed to in the GOR, particularly for a school like Clemson or FSU who might not want to be forced to play Cal or Wazzu or Oregon State, for SoS, gate, travel expenses, and other reasons related to postseason opportunities and finances?

Ben: It would probably need to be renegotiated whenever that partnership becomes less loose. By that, I mean, when teams have to start playing each other across the country, some discussions are going to need to happen. Having a single game, sure, whatever. More than that will require some discussions.

Carter: This is just the Alliance, right? It’s the Alliance, except the B1G already raided one of the other members and is no longer participating. Anyway, if such a partnership became less than loose this new Space Ghost coast to coast conference would definitely be positioned and intent on renegotiating whatever GOR is in place.

Logan: I’m not a lawyer and I don’t know what the terms of the GOR are. I’m not sure if the GOR even has ties to scheduling... I don’t see any “alliance” the ACC makes having an impact, but I also don’t expect the ACC to continue talking with the PAC-12 much longer as I doubt it will bring benefit to the ACC in the longterm.

jabsterjacket: In the “dog that didn’t bark” department, why has the Pac-12 not tried to bolster itself up with some Mountain West schools as a defensive measure? The Big 12 seemed like they had an emergency plan at the ready. Are they restricted from doing so due to the 30-day renegotiation period with ESPN and Fox? Or are they just giving up and hoping to be parted out?

Ben: I don’t think the Pac-12 expected USC and UCLA to leave so quickly. I think you could see the Pac-12 raid the Mountain West over the next year or so, but I also don’t know what kind of legal trouble that would require.

Logan: The PAC-12 has always been behind in the management department. Maybe they thought the Alliance actually meant something or maybe they thought they had more time before teams began jumping ship. I do expect the PAC-12 to start making moves in the near future, but it may be too late to make a big impact move now that all the other conferences are back into snatching up teams.

jabsterjacket: One more GOR question. Could School A leave the ACC, file suit to void the GOR agreement (for the purpose of staying its enforcement temporarily) and then School B still in the conference (working in concert with School A to void the GOR for School B’s own purposes) ask that the GOR be voided since a material change has occurred with the departure of School A? I’m assuming the ACC would have to take School A back if this move is not successful, otherwise that might void the GOR as well.

Ben: I’m not knowledgeable enough about how the GOR works to give a good answer to that. But I think if enough teams broach the topic, the ACC will be forced to reconsider the current GOR.

Logan: I’m not sure you can get out of a contract just by filing a lawsuit to say the contract should be voided... and by that I mean I don’t even really know how much time you would have before the suit gets thrown out. I guess it depends on the rationale of the lawsuit, but I struggle to see a scenario where this happens. That said, I am not a lawyer so I could be completely wrong.

Submitted via email:

Hey guys,

Simple question this week, who is your favorite smash brothers character? Later,

-Samus

Ben: My primaries are Sonic and Yoshi, because they are some of the most annoying to play against, and I am not particularly good at Smash.

Andrew: I’ve probably played a total of 5 or so min of Smash Brothers in my life. I am terrible at it and have never enjoyed it.

Carter: I fell out of Smash a long time ago, but I was a Link main back in the days of Melee and Brawl. Supposedly he was a “low-tier” fighter, to which I say, “tiers are for fears”. (I’m workshopping that one.)

Logan: Marth or Little Mac

Jake P.: Captain Falcon. His Falcon Punch is overpowered.

Jack: Kirby, mainly because I’m not skilled enough and so I’m banking on that down-B move.