Analyzing College Sports Conferences and Nonrevenue Travel
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00:00When you saw USC go to Michigan, play them in, you know, the big house, did you think
00:09that, you know, them and UCLA and these, you know, Washingtons and Oregon's going there
00:15in the end was a good idea.
00:17It was such a great game and the future looks bright with those types of games.
00:22It was such a heavyweight tilt.
00:23It could have been a national championship.
00:25You remember, my whole life, you'd watch Michigan play USC in the Rose Bowl, but never
00:31in this setting in a Big Ten game.
00:33I think that it's been very good for the conferences that have expanded and survived.
00:40And I think it's been very good for the viewers.
00:43And I think there's been much too much histrionics about the travel for the non-revenue sports.
00:49And I pointed out in the column that I wrote last week about why this is good or can be
00:54good that the Pitt volleyball team, I live in Pittsburgh, Pitt's volleyball team is number
01:00one in the country.
01:01They have yet to lose a set.
01:03I think they are 9-0 at this point.
01:04They have won 27 consecutive sets.
01:08That's how good they are.
01:09They began their season by going to Oregon and playing two matches out there.
01:13Then after coming home for one, then they went on the road to Southern California and
01:18played three matches out there.
01:20All of them were non-league matches.
01:22None of them were mandatory.
01:24They chose to do it.
01:25Why?
01:26Because it would make them better.
01:27Fine by me.
01:28Whatever makes you better and whatever you feel comfortable doing, fine.
01:31But at no point did Pitt say, oh, we can't go to the coast twice in the first three weeks
01:34of the season.
01:35It will tire our players out.
01:37No, they went for it.
01:38They played great.
01:39As I mentioned, they played perfectly.
01:41And now they're in the situation that they are joining the ACC competition soon.
01:47And they'll play some more regional opponents.
01:50But also, at some point, they'll probably have to play Stanford and Cal, home or away.
01:55So somebody's going to have to travel.
01:58That's the way it is now.
01:59And I think that the concern about the non-revenue travel, as long as it can be afforded, and
02:05it certainly can be afforded at the Big Ten and SEC level, I don't see any problem at
02:10all.
02:11Who do you like in the Georgia-Bama game Saturday in Tuscaloosa?
02:17I think the tide's going to shock them.
02:19Really?
02:20I think Kalen DeBoer is a magnificent coach.
02:23Jalen Milrow has played great.
02:25And Georgia, man, we saw them against Kentucky.
02:28Did not look like they were vintage Georgia.
02:30So we'll see how it goes.
02:31But I favor the tide.