Why we will be in the ACC within two years or less

[Icculus]

I look at this whole realignment situation like that boardgame "Risk". It's all about territory:

Assuming that the whole 4 superconfs with 16 teams is an inevitabability and that the Big 10 will eventually add more teams, the ACC's only and best move is to add UConn and Rutgers.

With UC & RU, the ACC would absolutely lock up the North East beyond any shadow of doubt, knock away any in-roads the B10 have made in the NY State market & perhaps even threaten PSU a bit in PA. At the least, PSU will beseiged by the ACC on all sides and as their regional dominance suffers, so will their recruiting.

Without UC & RU, the ACC leaves open the possibilty that Big10 will play the UConn/Rutgers Card.
If the Big10 does, it would be semi-disasterous to the ACC. Instead of a cohesive conference of 16, balanced between North & South, the ACC would be just a southern conference of 11 with 3 northern outliers. PA, Jersey, NYC and Southern New England would all solidly belong to the Big 10. Leaving just three weak, tiny northern ACC islands in a vast Big10 sea.

There's a lot of posturing going on, a lot of Notre Dame-to-the-ACC talk too (which will NEVER happen, if they go anywhere, it would be to the Big 10), but in the end, the ACC cannot afford to let the Big 10 have us. We will be in the ACC sooner, rather than later.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Good summarization of known points.

I'm torn on this one. I'd prefer to go to the Big10 because going to the ACC just disturbs me. However, I'd prefer to watch the style of ACC hoops compared to the Big10 slugfests. The Big10 reminds me of early 1990's BE basketball and that's not a compliment.

For football, it would be easier to win a division in the ACC where we'd be paired up with SU, BCU, Pitt, Maryland, RU, UVA and Va Tech. Compare that to a Big10 where we'd see PSU, OSU, Michigan, Purdue, Indiana, RU and maybe MSU.

So, ACC would be more pleasing to watch in hoops and easier to win in football. I still think in an ideal world, we go to the Big10 with Rutgers. Why?

Simple. TV. What captures the NYC market more? Put us and Rutgers on an alternate home/away with PSU, OSU and Michigan and that means every year OSU, Michigan and PSU are guaranteed a game in either the Rent or Exit 7. That will generate more press than games against BCU, Pitt, SU, Maryland, etc. No way any ACC teams can generate as much press as Big10 teams.

 

[Yonick]

Problem with two years is we can't wait that long. Recruiting, when playing in a conference with Navy, Air Force, and ECU, will suffer big time.
It won't help with hoop recruiting in a hoop conference minus Syracuse & Pitt.
We really need a firm answer by the end of this year.

 

[CTFootball]

Couple of other thoughts which could impact entry to the ACC, or timing:

1. Univ of So Carolina president made a statement that he prefers to stop ar 14. If sec stops at 14, and Big12 does stick together, conferences may not go to 16 for a while (if at all).

2. If BE requires 27 months, that gives the ACC another 7 months to decide on other BE teams (assuming they want to add new teams to the league at the same time). Pitt and Syracuse appear to be eligible in ACC by 2014 season, so UCONN and/or Rutgers decision would need to be done by May 2012.

 

[Icculus]

Good summarization of known points.

I'm torn on this one. I'd prefer to go to the Big10 because going to the ACC just disturbs me. However, I'd prefer to watch the style of ACC hoops compared to the Big10 slugfests. The Big10 reminds me of early 1990's BE basketball and that's not a compliment.

For football, it would be easier to win a division in the ACC where we'd be paired up with SU, BCU, Pitt, Maryland, RU, UVA and Va Tech. Compare that to a Big10 where we'd see PSU, OSU, Michigan, Purdue, Indiana, RU and maybe MSU.

So, ACC would be more pleasing to watch in hoops and easier to win in football. I still think in an ideal world, we go to the Big10 with Rutgers. Why?

Simple. TV. What captures the NYC market more? Put us and Rutgers on an alternate home/away with PSU, OSU and Michigan and that means every year OSU, Michigan and PSU are guaranteed a game in either the Rent or Exit 7. That will generate more press than games against BCU, Pitt, SU, Maryland, etc. No way any ACC teams can generate as much press as Big10 teams.

As it stands now, Big East-Uconn is sorta kinda overtaking BC, or if not "overtaking", then certainly stealing much of BC's regional thunder. A Big10-UConn would absolutely destroy BC's regional swagger. It would make them an afterthought of an afterthought. You'd also have to think that whatever pretensions that ACC-Syracuse have at being The NYC College FB team would be thrown out the window if there were a Big10 Rutgers and Uconn. NYC would be a Big Ten town. Period. Syracuse would slink back up to NW New York like a receding glacier, wounded and diminished.

 

[coachcap]

For all of the reasons listed above on why UConn will be admitted to the ACC, I can list others on why UConn could be going to the B1G. Granted the ACC is playing a power play to get the Leprechauns to commit to them. Notre Dame wants heavy exposure on the East Coast for their N.Y.C. alumni. Should N.D. go to the Big-10, they could draw UConn & Rutgers along with them to preserve this Northeast exposure. That would nullify PSU feeling left out on an island by being surrounded by ACC Schools. Then who would team 16 be for the B1G? I submit Louisville as the B1G offices made a statement that their alumni are moving southward & the Cardinals abut SEC Territory. If FSU is adamant about wanting a major football school added to the ACC or they bolt to the SEC, Tobacco Road will be forced to add WVU as team 15. Their last position will then be either USF (the Seminoles would stroke if managment forced this as a contingent of admitting the Mounties), or Cinci.

 

[Stinger92860]

Good summarization of known points.

The Big10 reminds me of early 1990's BE basketball and that's not a compliment.

Was that the time period where we experimented with 6 fouls?

 

[ctchamps]

A lot of intelligent and well thought out posts accurately presenting the situation and the potential outcomes. Great to read peoples ideas when invective is missing people are working towards a solution.

 

[jordoo]

Still a chance that ND goes ACC, but its not likely. That is what the ACC waiting to go 16 is all about, hoping that they get lucky and poach ND from the B1G. SU and Pitt were teams that ND would have liked to have with them in the B1G.

 

[epark88]

Was that the time period where we experimented with 6 fouls?

Yes, and it was Animal-Ball...

 

[uconnfan68]

I look at this whole realignment situation like that boardgame "Risk". It's all about territory:

Assuming that the whole 4 superconfs with 16 teams is an inevitabability and that the Big 10 will eventually add more teams, the ACC's only and best move is to add UConn and Rutgers.

With UC & RU, the ACC would absolutely lock up the North East beyond any shadow of doubt, knock away any in-roads the B10 have made in the NY State market & perhaps even threaten PSU a bit in PA. At the least, PSU will beseiged by the ACC on all sides and as their regional dominance suffers, so will their recruiting.

Without UC & RU, the ACC leaves open the possibilty that Big10 will play the UConn/Rutgers Card.
If the Big10 does, it would be semi-disasterous to the ACC. Instead of a cohesive conference of 16, balanced between North & South, the ACC would be just a southern conference of 11 with 3 northern outliers. PA, Jersey, NYC and Southern New England would all solidly belong to the Big 10. Leaving just three weak, tiny northern ACC islands in a vast Big10 sea.

There's a lot of posturing going on, a lot of Notre Dame-to-the-ACC talk too (which will NEVER happen, if they go anywhere, it would be to the Big 10), but in the end, the ACC cannot afford to let the Big 10 have us. We will be in the ACC sooner, rather than later.

It kills me that all of this is about a team that has no intention of ever being in a conference, but wants to have their cake and eat it too. We should have dumped ND years ago.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

It kills me that all of this is about a team that has no intention of ever being in a conference, but wants to have their cake and eat it too. We should have dumped ND years ago.

The worst part of this (or best if you are an ND fan) is the leverage it gives ND in their next round of TV negotiations (which they may even be able to expedite as there is the possibility of their joining a conference, something Comcast/NBC Sports may not want). ND can claim that under the terms of the current contract they have little choice but to strongly consider joining the ACC (an ESPN property). aND can say "if you tear it up and pay us more beginning in 2012 (extended throughout the decade) we will be in a position where we can remain independednt (and part of NBC/Comcast's inventory) for years".

 

[Stinger92860]

The worst part of this (or best if you are an ND fan) is the leverage it gives ND in their next round of TV negotiations (which they may even be able to expedite as there is the possibility of their joining a conference, something Comcast/NBC Sports may not want). ND can claim that under the terms of the current contract they have little choice but to strongly consider joining the ACC (an ESPN property). aND can say "if you tear it up and pay us more beginning in 2012 (extended throughout the decade) we will be in a position where we can remain independednt (and part of NBC/Comcast's inventory) for years".

Interesting, I am not sure I have seen this mentioned anywhere. You would think that ND would have a conversation with NBC before making a decision. If it's about money, which it is, ND could get a lift and extension. However, there comes a time and number where NBC loses money too.

 

[ctchamps]

Interesting, I am not sure I have seen this mentioned anywhere. You would think that ND would have a conversation with NBC before making a decision. If it's about money, which it is, ND could get a lift and extension. However, there comes a time and number where NBC loses money too.

I think ND has been lucky so far. They won't talk about contract renegotiation because their performance has been bad for quite a while. So they are riding things out hoping they can regain football prominence. But that is unlikely to happen because of the criteria they maintain in which athletes can earn scholarships. Once upon a time they held the monopoly for the highest academic athletes. Now they have more competition with schools like Stanford. So they will continue to play everyone against each other until they have no choice.

 

[uchusky]

If ND decides to join a conference, I'm not sold B1G is it. I work with a longtime ND football season ticket holder, and when asked which conference, responded, "Definitely not the B1G...we can't keep up with them." Not sure how common that feeling is, but I found it interesting.

 

[ctchamps]

If ND decides to join a conference, I'm not sold B1G is it. I work with a longtime ND football season ticket holder, and when asked which conference, responded, "Definitely not the B1G...we can't keep up with them." Not sure how common that feeling is, but I found it interesting.

If somebody on the outside is thinking it some decision maker has thought of it as well. The question is how they weight it amongst all the other parameters that factor into their final decision. My feeling is ND stays independent. They have time and money on their side. Their only gamble is to have a few more abysmal seasons and then they could be left outside looking in. But this is not looking likely.

 

[businesslawyer]

It may be over more quickly than that. If Mizzou turns down the SEC and the XII is staying together except for the Aggies, the SEC needs a 14th. I'm not sure who it will be, but it will come for the SEC. At which point we become the next option.

 

[gars44]

It kills me that all of this is about a team that has no intention of ever being in a conference, but wants to have their cake and eat it too. We should have dumped ND years ago.

That's why football has to split and expand now.

 

[gars44]

It may be over more quickly than that. If Mizzou turns down the SEC and the XII is staying together except for the Aggies, the SEC needs a 14th. I'm not sure who it will be, but it will come for the SEC. At which point we become the next option.

I've been trying to follow the doings in OK, not sure they will sign any binding agreements if the LHN doesn't yield.

 

[cheech63]

For all of the reasons listed above on why UConn will be admitted to the ACC, I can list others on why UConn could be going to the B1G. Granted the ACC is playing a power play to get the Leprechauns to commit to them. Notre Dame wants heavy exposure on the East Coast for their N.Y.C. alumni. Should N.D. go to the Big-10, they could draw UConn & Rutgers along with them to preserve this Northeast exposure. That would nullify PSU feeling left out on an island by being surrounded by ACC Schools. Then who would team 16 be for the B1G? I submit Louisville as the B1G offices made a statement that their alumni are moving southward & the Cardinals abut SEC Territory. If FSU is adamant about wanting a major football school added to the ACC or they bolt to the SEC, Tobacco Road will be forced to add WVU as team 15. Their last position will then be either USF (the Seminoles would stroke if managment forced this as a contingent of admitting the Mounties), or Cinci.

West Virginia will never be in the ACC.Their academics wouldn't meet the standards for the conference.

 

[EricLA]

the first assumption is that there will be 4 super conferences of 16. i don't know that is inevitable. Pac 12 is happy at 12. if they don't grow to 16, the other conferences may be happy at 12 or 14. i hope you are right. i worry that you are not...

 

[coachcap]

West Virginia will never be in the ACC.Their academics wouldn't meet the standards for the conference.

While the story of their academics has been going around, Swoffard & Corporate will do ANYTHING toprevent FSU from bolting. FSU is what made their conference relevent in the 90s for football. If the Seminoles insist on a major player in football. the Mountaineers fit the bill & are definately available.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

It may be over more quickly than that. If Mizzou turns down the SEC and the XII is staying together except for the Aggies, the SEC needs a 14th. I'm not sure who it will be, but it will come for the SEC. At which point we become the next option.

I could well be wrong here but;... If the SEC promotes formn within to fill their 14th spot, how does this help us?

 

[businesslawyer]

I could well be wrong here but;... If the SEC promotes formn within to fill their 14th spot, how does this help us?

From the ACC. Sorry.

 

[Murph]

If the SEC does grab an ACC school, it would hopefully be our quickest path to the ACC. Presumeably, we wouldn't have to wait to be "paired" with ND or Snooki.