re: Better Network going forward, SEC or BIG?

Objective thoughts :

Both have most rabid fans, well above PAC, ACC, and B12

B1G has more living alumni eyeballs (which translates to media dollars)

SEC has better product in football

SEC has higher stadium capacity on average and it is growing while B1G is at or near max capacity.

SEC has more non football media content for off season filler

B1G covers more space with less overlap or shared states :

#2 TX = SEC but TAMU has minority stake not majority
#3 NY = neither but adding NJ (Rutgers) and MD (Terps) gives B1G some carry over here
#4 FL = SEC but Gators must share with FSU / Miami/ USF / UCF / and others
#5 IL = B1G with both Illinois and Northwestern
#6 PA = B1G with Penn State as #1 in market so little bleed to Pitt in ACC
#7 OH = B1G with minor bleed to UC in Big East
#8 GA = SEC with bleed to Georgia Tech and ACC (lots of ACC alumni call Atlanta home)
#9 MI = B1G with Michigan and Michigan State owning state
#11 NJ = B1G will have Rutgers and all B1G alumni living in market now

(bulk of population is above this line and smaller states are below it)

#16 IN = B1G with Indiana and Purdue with bleed to Notre Dame
#17 TN = SEC with Tennessee and Vanderbilt with some bleed to Memphis
#18 MO = SEC with some bleed to B12 and major bleed to pro sports (ie Cardinals)
#19 MD = B1G with no bleed
#20 WI = B1G with no bleed

(states below this line are not in the Top 20 in size)

#21 MN = B1G with no bleed
#23 AL = SEC split between Bama and Auburn
#24 SC = SEC but split in half by Clemson in the ACC
#25 LA = SEC with minor split to Tulane
#26 KY = SEC with minor split to ACC with Louisville
#30 IA = B1G with minor split with ISU in B12
#31 MS = SEC spilt between Ole Miss and State
#32 AR = SEC state with no bleed
#37 NE = B1G state with no bleed





Long term the B1G has an advantage over the SEC in media dollars because the B1G has less fracture in their biggest markets (IL, PA, OH, MI, and NJ) than the SEC does in theirs (TX, FL, and GA) so the SEC will always be at a disadvantage in maximum media values just due to population patterns which negates the football product supremacy of the SEC. A team like Notre Dame may not be able to best the Tide on the field of battle but they will hold their own on eyeballs which is more valuable than actually winning.