ACC approves Grant of Rights

[nelsonmuntz]

There were only 2 idiots in CR, and those are Herbst and Manuel. Only 3 schools ended up worse off than when they started, and USF is a glorified community college, so what did they really expect? Cincinnati got hosed, but they have the 800 pound gorilla to end all 800 pound gorillas just 2.5 hours away. They had a really uphill battle.

UConn, on the other hand, has a gazillion basketball championships, a great academic program, is not far from NYC, and only competes with BCU in New England. And we still lost.

 

[Milo65]

Conferences will eventually move to 16. The B1G has already come out and said they are interested in expanding. The ACC needs another partner for ND and the Big 12 isn't going to stay at 10. The GOR may stop some of the poaching from the ACC, but it won't stop the big boys from coming after us. We still have a top notch athletic program, decent TV market, strong academics, and blue chip facilities. We just need to win and continue to win. Dominate the AAC, recruit the best talent and schedule top out of conference games in all sports (like Michigan, BYU and Boise in football) and build it. If you build it, they will come.

 

[Adios]

I agree with Milo65. The ACC did us a favor, whether willingly or unwillingly. Now we're the #1 candidate for eastern expansion that Delany spoke of so much and will be on top of the list for 10+ years.

 

[EdgewoodNHV]

Everyone who works for ESPN seems to proclaim that ESPN is perfectly innocent in all this.

But every time someone took a team from the Big East, ESPN wrote that conference a bigger check.

Actions > Words

I didn't say innocent. I said not in total control. ESPN wrote bigger checks because the conferences were worth more with bigger markets. ESPN has to look out for ESPN. I'm just saying, while they certainly carry a huge influence, they are not the only influence.

 

[HuskyHawk]

FSU and Clemson were not strong armed. They simply never had anywhere else to go. Perhaps there was one sliver of time where BIG 12 could have invited 4 or 5 ACC members but it never happened.

I think FSU turned down the Big 12 and was turned down by the SEC and B1G. That left nothing for them but to strengthen the ACC. Same is probably true of Miami, and possibly Clemson.

The short term thinking around here is amazing. The ACC supposedly sucks. And at present, yes it is down. Miami has been imploding, UNC is a scandal factory, BC has multiple self inflicted wounds and is trying not to bleed to death and VT has just been sub-par. But the programs are there for it to be an excellent football conference. NC State is improving. All four of the others I mentioned will only get better from here. They added Notre Dame games for SOS and market visibility and the just added a Louisville team that is solid at the moment. Hell even Syracuse is better now than they have been in over a decade. Basketball...they are loaded. Baseball too.

If you take the long view, the ACC is much more attractive league than the Big 12. This has been the case throughought realignment. The ACC lost Maryland, and added BC, Miami, VT, Pitt, Cuse and Louisville. They are plus 5, not even counting Notre Dame. Maybe they have something to offer? Meanwhile, the Big 12 lost Colorado, Nebraska, A&M, and Missouri (if you go far enough back, Arkansas). Minus 2. They added WVU and TCU, one of which is a school they formerly rejected. It's a mess. It just happens to have a decent TV contract and the biggest program in the country. If a GOR gets challenged...it will be the Big 12's, not the ACC's.

 

[upstater]

I didn't say innocent. I said not in total control. ESPN wrote bigger checks because the conferences were worth more with bigger markets. ESPN has to look out for ESPN. I'm just saying, while they certainly carry a huge influence, they are not the only influence.

When it was UConn v. Pitt, ESPN could have said, do what you wish but know we pony up $2m more per team if UConn is the choice. Same thing with Louisville. There's always a chance you'll pee-off the ACC and send them to Fox or something, but I doubt it. By rewarding the ACC for adding schools like Pitt, you're essentially funding their expansion.

 

[upstater]

I think FSU turned down the Big 12 and was turned down by the SEC and B1G. That left nothing for them but to strengthen the ACC. Same is probably true of Miami, and possibly Clemson.

The short term thinking around here is amazing. The ACC supposedly sucks. And at present, yes it is down. Miami has been imploding, UNC is a scandal factory, BC has multiple self inflicted wounds and is trying not to bleed to death and VT has just been sub-par. But the programs are there for it to be an excellent football conference. NC State is improving. All four of the others I mentioned will only get better from here. They added Notre Dame games for SOS and market visibility and the just added a Louisville team that is solid at the moment. Hell even Syracuse is better now than they have been in over a decade. Basketball...they are loaded. Baseball too.

If you take the long view, the ACC is much more attractive league than the Big 12. This has been the case throughought realignment. The ACC lost Maryland, and added BC, Miami, VT, Pitt, Cuse and Louisville. They are plus 5, not even counting Notre Dame. Maybe they have something to offer? Meanwhile, the Big 12 lost Colorado, Nebraska, A&M, and Missouri (if you go far enough back, Arkansas). Minus 2. They added WVU and TCU, one of which is a school they formerly rejected. It's a mess. It just happens to have a decent TV contract and the biggest program in the country. If a GOR gets challenged...it will be the Big 12's, not the ACC's.

You are wildly overestimating ACC football.

 

[tzznandrew]

What Fishy is saying is this:

When it was UConn v. Pitt, ESPN could have said, do what you wish but know we pony up $2m more per team if UConn is the choice. Same thing with Louisville. There's always a chance you'll pee-off the ACC and send them to Fox or something, but I doubt it. By rewarding the ACC for adding schools like Pitt, you're essentially funding their expansion.

But I don't see why they would do that. That's $28M more per year for UConn, who adds more for basketball than Pitt, but not than Louisville. Louisville and Pitt have been on par, roughly, with UConn Ws and Ls in football, but Pitt has history and Louisville has current caché. I think that is a somewhat unreasonable and unrealistic request.

 

[The Funster]

Didn't ESPN suggest Cuse and UConn? Then Flipper had a temper tantrum and Pitt was picked over UConn.

 

[Waquoit]

What happens 1st? UConn makes it to a power conference or the Whalers come back?

 

[EdgewoodNHV]

When it was UConn v. Pitt, ESPN could have said, do what you wish but know we pony up $2m more per team if UConn is the choice. Same thing with Louisville. There's always a chance you'll pee-off the ACC and send them to Fox or something, but I doubt it. By rewarding the ACC for adding schools like Pitt, you're essentially funding their expansion.

But why? What is ESPN's vested interest in Pitt vs. UConn? Why should they make demands? Because they happen to reside in the same state?

 

[upstater]

But why? What is ESPN's vested interest in Pitt vs. UConn? Why should they make demands? Because they happen to reside in the same state?

Yes, of course it's because they are in the same state. It's the whole history of ESPN, founded to show niche sports by a UConn grad. The state has a symbiotic relationship with them.

 

[upstater]

But I don't see why they would do that. That's $28M more per year for UConn, who adds more for basketball than Pitt, but not than Louisville. Louisville and Pitt have been on par, roughly, with UConn Ws and Ls in football, but Pitt has history and Louisville has current caché. I think that is a somewhat unreasonable and unrealistic request.

TV dollars are better with UConn. More fans. When this went down, UConn was NCAA bball champs and Ville was fronted by Kragthorpe. $28m is also something ESPN can afford, because the contract was going up regardless. Only with UConn they'd get more return. Right now, with the way the ESPN AAC contract is written, it's like the state of Conn. is subsidizing ESPN with practically fee rights to show UConn sports. We know the women alone are worth a couple million.

 

[HuskyHawk]

You are wildly overestimating ACC football.

On the contrary, I think others have wildly underestimated it. If you added the current FSU and Clemson, to VT (which has been to bowls every year since 1993, several of them major) and BC under O'Brien and Jags, plus Miami of only about ten years ago (two consecutive BCS championshp game appearances) you have a darned good league. UNC has great potential and has never fulfilled it. GT consistently gets to bowl games and is sometimes ranked. NC State is improving under O'Brien. Louisville is currently strong.

Other than WF, Duke and Virginia (and maybe Pitt), every other school has had success in the recent past.

 

[Pudge]

It ain't over.

This board has been informative and enlightens me in thought on my passion for UConn basketball and football. I've gotten emails from some here saying they don't like my view on CR ... and I don't care. We are seeing that we have just been a little late in the timing of this. Football is the prime driver; you all have to just look at the last weeks to understand the appeal of Louisville (33,000 at their Spring game) versus our UConn Program (3300? for what was a very week presentation for our fanbase). We aren't ready. Pitt? BC? SU? I've come to the conclusion that their HISTORY and LEGACY in the sport drives a Brand that makes them a clear comparative advantage over us. We didn't deserve to be above them ... on the basis that the ACC has used. The B1G is totally angled a different way ... RE Rutgers.

I don't think whatever is in place today ends the march to something Big and United in CFB whereby the Conferences are outside the great NCAA. I think we will be in. I think our WBB (*cue the laughter) and our Brand is too strong as a Flagship to remain outside. Further, the Boise's & San Diego States ... and the PUSH of a USF/UCF will need some way of emerging. What has happened since the ACC raid of Miami (and the BC crappers) is crazy for Sport. Makes all these Universities look scummy. Gave huge $$ to Brands in the SEC (like Mississippi State) that has limited futures.

UConn CAN be far more than a lot of the Inside 65 in Conferences. I do not blame Herbst and Manual; they were thrown on a runaway train. But, from here, we need to keep building. UConn, disputing my earlier point, has a better longterm ROI than the SUs, BCs & Pitts. We just haven't been fully optimized.

 

[upstater]

Other than FSU, these schools play no one. VT is the posterchild for paper tigers in the NCAA. They have long been known to wrap up gaudy records, and lose games against good teams. In the BCS bowls, the record is abysmal. Adding moribund BE schools didn't help.

I would rather be the B12 any day of the week. This is a night and day comparison. WV goes from tagging 70 points on Clemson in a bowl to getting stomped in the B12.

On the contrary, I think others have wildly underestimated it. If you added the current FSU and Clemson, to VT (which has been to bowls every year since 1993, several of them major) and BC under O'Brien and Jags, plus Miami of only about ten years ago (two consecutive BCS championshp game appearances) you have a darned good league. UNC has great potential and has never fulfilled it. GT consistently gets to bowl games and is sometimes ranked. NC State is improving under O'Brien. Louisville is currently strong.

Other than WF, Duke and Virginia (and maybe Pitt), every other school has had success in the recent past.

 

[Vuder]

Here's a post on Michigan's blog site mentioning UConn as the primary speculative target for B1G expanding eastward: http://mgoblog.com/mgoboard/acc-announced-grant-rights

 

[CL82]

When it was UConn v. Pitt, ESPN could have said, do what you wish but know we pony up $2m more per team if UConn is the choice. Same thing with Louisville. There's always a chance you'll pee-off the ACC and send them to Fox or something, but I doubt it. By rewarding the ACC for adding schools like Pitt, you're essentially funding their expansion.

Zero chance of going to fox since they already had a contract. The choice for the ACC would have been more money and CT or the status quo.

 

[CL82]

Here's a post on Michigan's blog site mentioning UConn as the primary speculative target for B1G expanding eastward: http://mgoblog.com/mgoboard/acc-announced-grant-rights

Bad link? I can't get in.

 

[Vuder]

Bad link? I can't get in.

Nope, I just clicked it and it worked for me. You can just visit mgoblog.com and use their site search to look up "Grant of Rights". Here is the link again in case it might work: http://mgoblog.com/mgoboard/acc-announced-grant-rights

 

[CL82]

Nope, I just clicked it and it worked for me. You can just visit mgoblog.com and use their site search to look up "Grant of Rights". Here is the link again in case it might work: http://mgoblog.com/mgoboard/acc-announced-grant-rights

Works for me now. It may have just been a lot people trying access the site.

 

[Thirdelement]

First post here. I'm a fan of two of your former conference mates, and have been following CR closely. I've really enjoyed reading this forum over the past year or so.

If the ACC gor has really stopped CR, I feel horrible for you, and I think every other fan of college sports should as well. There is NO WAY we should leave a flagship university with a great athletic tradition hanging out to dry. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you and Mizzu to to the BIG. Keep up the great tradition and the winning teams.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

Wrong. Last year the ACC announced that they voted on a new exit fee and that the vote passed. It was well known that FSU and Maryland voted against it.

Today they announced all 15 current and future schools voted for the GoR, and all current and future schools signed the GoR. They listed the schools and they said the GoR goes into effect immediately.

The ACC absolutely stated that the vote approving the increase in departure fees was unanimous.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

Didn't ESPN suggest Cuse and UConn? Then Flipper had a temper tantrum and Pitt was picked over UConn.

I heard from very good authority back in September 2009 that when (not if, when) the ACC decided to move to 14 members the additions would be UConn and Cuse. The thinking was that it would take away the (then) three most recent BE national titles, relegate the remaining BE to where the first raid was supposed to leave the conference, give them what they could bill as the second best college men's hoops rivalry (to the UNC-Duke rivalry they already had) and lock up the entire eastern seaboard.

JH saw this as a done deal (only variable being the when) and banked on nothing possibly changing over time that would lead the ACC to decide something different. In the spring of 2010 when Delaney began making waves about how large the B-10 would end up being, JH should have been on the phone with anyone and everyone from tobacco road (where we were the top choice) and wherever else he could find a friend in the ACC to make sure we were still the target they were after. This was one of many things that JH was too lazy about to legitimately do the job that he was paid to do.

 

[sportsart]

The ACC absolutely stated that the vote approving the increase in departure fees was unanimous.

Just Googled it and a Forbes article called it a 10-2 vote with MD and FSU voting no.

Can't link it right now.