By
Denny O'Brien
©2008 Bonesville.net
All Rights Reserved.
Apparently CBS is serious
about expanding its presence on the landscape of college athletics.
With its decision to re-brand CSTV as the CBS College Sports Network,
CBS took a major step towards challenging ABC/ESPN in the growing
broadcasting niche. And when Billy Packer appeared as the analyst for
CSTV’s coverage of Memphis and Tulsa on Wednesday, it was apparent that
CBS plans to use its top talent on the remodeled network.
So what’s the relevance to ECU?
Maybe none. Or maybe it could lead to a more desirable television home
for Conference USA and more money to fatten the coffers of member
schools.
At the very least, it should position C-USA to entertain a bidding war
between the two media empires when the league’s television contracts
expire in a couple of years. It should also enable C-USA to negotiate
more desirable time slots and potentially escape ESPN’s mid-week exiles
if it chooses.
The opportunity is certainly there.
With CBS’s big money backing, branding, and history with college
athletics, there is no reason to think the network won’t flourish.
The
CBS mother ship already is home to the most dramatic event in televised
athletics – March Madness – and its weekly broadcast of Southeastern
Conference football is second to none.
With both the Big Ten and Mountain West Conference boasting their own
television networks, the battle for media bucks in college athletics now
rivals the arms race for facilities.
While C-USA isn’t quite ready to
brand its own network, it at least has positioned itself to receive a
bigger piece of the pie.
Credit Commissioner Britton Banowsky for that.
Banowsky received his share of criticism when C-USA struck deals with both
ESPN and CSTV on the current contracts. One was viewed negatively
because of the introduction of midweek broadcasts, the other because of
its lack of recognition nationally.
By partnering with both, C-USA has established strong relationships that
each network no doubt will seek to continue. And considering the future
prospects of the CBS College Sports Network, either could be viewed as a
viable option for a permanent television home.
The potential competition between
the two networks could prove beneficial
for C-USA.
Scheduling coup
The release of the 2008 football schedule delivered good news to ECU
fans. Absent from the docket were mid-week ESPN broadcasts, and the
Sunday night showdown at Central Florida was the only non-traditional
date.
That meant the preservation of fall Saturdays in Greenville. And with
games against Virginia Tech in Charlotte, at rival N.C. State, and
against Virginia in Charlottesville, it means eight games that are
easily accessible by car.
Perhaps the most intriguing showdown on the gauntlet is the opener
against the Hokies.
Games on neutral turf typically generate a lot of excitement and provide
a bowl-like setting. Given the narrow margin between these two clubs
last year and ECU’s Sheraton Hawaii Bowl victory over Boise State, the
buzz couldn’t be higher.
If you need a reminder of ECU’s record in season openers in Bank of
America Stadium, it’s perfect. The Pirates beat West Virginia to open
1999 in what was considered at the time to be an upset.
Pivotal match-ups
The 2008 baseball season isn’t yet two weeks old, but East Carolina already faces
a pair of critical showdowns.
This week’s non-conference games against Old Dominion and Virginia
Commonwealth aren’t exactly make-or-break, but both could prove huge in
determining the Pirates’ postseason fate.
The biggest question marks still facing the Pirates’ are
midweek starting pitching and a solid anchor in the bullpen. With so
many midweek games on the schedule, both can be the difference between a
favorable seed in the NCAA Tournament and staying home.
Both ODU and VCU are traditionally solid opponents against which wins
would provide a boost to both the Pirates’ confidence and RPI. Losses
could mean missed opportunities to notch quality wins and heighten
discomfort about ECU’s primary concerns.
