As Predicted By Anyone With A Brain, The ACC Is NOT Getting A TV Network

[Ldandy]

I see a few posts here questioning why RU and UMD were offered membership in The B1G. Has this ever really been a mystery to anyone? It was always about monetizing The BTN in NYC, NJ, and Md/DC. Any other benefit mentioned is ancillary in nature. I don't think Delany or any of the conference's presidents have ever alluded otherwise.

That said if either school were not flag ship state universities, AAU Members, or if they lacked reasonable facilities/resources to compete in the conference they would not be in it right now. Both have a long way to go, especially Rutgers athletically, but if the B1G succeeds financially in their development, other schools like UCONN could be looked at for future membership.

JMO, but the ACC's addition of Louisville was much different than The B1G's inclusion of either RU or UMD. The B1G needed neither to continue it's successful run, while The ACC on the other hand made a defensive move to shore up conference membership, and to appease the football leaning Southern Schools who may have been developing a wandering eye.

Time will tell who made the best move, but personally I find it galling that the ACC held academics over WVU's head for decades as a reason to deny them membership, but when circumstances changed conference leadership no longer saw it as a mitigating factor for inclusion.

 

[NickyNewark]

I don't think he has the power to extend an invite. But he was not wrong about why RU and MD were added to the B1G. Something that you kind of want to gloss over. PSU not joining the BE goes back to JoePa and some of his requirements. I don't have the time to post that history lesson for you. And your statement about RU being dependent on a big brother says it all about the value of RU's membership in a conference.

Whether people on this board want to agree or not, Lville was added to the ACC because they made both the FB and BB factions satisfied and made the TV people happy. Now the prior expansion with Cuse and Pitt, Uconn was a viable alternative to both the schools (more an alternative geographically to Cuse than Pitt) based on the BB requirements to get that expansion plan approved. Bit the 9 votes were not there.

I didnt use the word dependent but loyal and as you probably know RU has always had an identity crisis about what they were state u? Ivy? Bigtime athletics or not?etc but if you think RU was the only school(SU in particular) in the region with that problem/complex (little brother) I'd be very surprised! Some schools might even aspire for "lil bro status"! For some reason privates held sway in the NE over the last century but that day has passed." Seem to want to gloss it over?" As a long suffering fan wouldn't you? It is what it is but RU has at least played the Bamas,PSU's,FSU's and Fla's competitively for some's lifetimes(mine except for 90s+Shea in FB) and many here can't grasp the negative national perception of UConn in FB similarly but I wouldn't call that glossing over? Just a late start in bigtime CFB. I relate to the lack of national respect given to UConn as a small sleepy BB school but NE CFB upstart as an RU fan who knows the feeling but it takes decades to swing perception and you guys are moving at "warp speed"... Im pretty sure SU has played PSU at least 25+ times and maybe won 1 maybe 2 games in their history yet think their a historical rival...so has RU but I don't delude myself as an historical power but historically competitive....yes. Perception is the biggest enemy of UConn not just BC/SU.BTW,why did this thread change topics?Like yourself I don't have enough time to rehash history 06029.

 

[NickyNewark]

I see a few posts here questioning why RU and UMD were offered membership in The B1G. Has this ever really been a mystery to anyone? It was always about monetizing The BTN in NYC, NJ, and Md/DC. Any other benefit mentioned is ancillary in nature. I don't think Delany or any of the conference's presidents have ever alluded otherwise.

That said if either school were not flag ship state universities, AAU Members, or if they lacked reasonable facilities/resources to compete in the conference they would not be in it right now. Both have a long way to go, especially Rutgers athletically, but if the B1G succeeds financially in their development, other schools like UCONN could be looked at for future membership.

JMO, but the ACC's addition of Louisville was much different than The B1G's inclusion of either RU or UMD. The B1G needed neither to continue it's successful run, while The ACC on the other hand made a defensive move to shore up conference membership, and to appease the football leaning Southern Schools who may have been developing a wandering eye.

Time will tell who made the best move, but personally I find it galling that the ACC held academics over WVU's head for decades as a reason to deny them membership, but when circumstances changed conference leadership no longer saw it as a mitigating factor for inclusion.

I just asked the same question....almost like the ACC has a PR firm planted here? I suffer no delusions but it was the smart, right 2 moves long in the works for RU and more recently MD that stimpy can't seem to come to grips with like he should have been consulted by Delany about who to take? Gobble up huge swathes of markets...had to happen soon anyway by someone smart!! That's why I see UConn as a lock as the next logical move by a smart man....the last hole in the NE market. No great state secret !?!

 

[NickyNewark]

Coincidently Delany happens to be in the area today. Hmmm...talking about invites?AAU schedules?Facility upgrades? Or just looking for office space?

 

[Sea Goat]

I see a few posts here questioning why RU and UMD were offered membership in The B1G. Has this ever really been a mystery to anyone? It was always about monetizing The BTN in NYC, NJ, and Md/DC. Any other benefit mentioned is ancillary in nature. I don't think Delany or any of the conference's presidents have ever alluded otherwise.

That said if either school were not flag ship state universities, AAU Members, or if they lacked reasonable facilities/resources to compete in the conference they would not be in it right now. Both have a long way to go, especially Rutgers athletically, but if the B1G succeeds financially in their development, other schools like UCONN could be looked at for future membership.

JMO, but the ACC's addition of Louisville was much different than The B1G's inclusion of either RU or UMD. The B1G needed neither to continue it's successful run, while The ACC on the other hand made a defensive move to shore up conference membership, and to appease the football leaning Southern Schools who may have been developing a wandering eye.

Time will tell who made the best move, but personally I find it galling that the ACC held academics over WVU's head for decades as a reason to deny them membership, but when circumstances changed conference leadership no longer saw it as a mitigating factor for inclusion.

You have touched upon the principle reason I want into the B1G. For all of the buzz re: the ACC, it has become a far-flung, culturally disjointed conference, with an unreliable outlier (ND) to boot. You nailed the real reason for the LOUISVILLE add - It was a desperate decision , born of pandering and old resentment. The B1G is a much better fit for UConn - let's hope!

 

[NickyNewark]

You have touched upon the principle reason I want into the B1G. For all of the buzz re: the ACC, it has become a far-flung, culturally disjointed conference, with an unreliable outlier (ND) to boot. You nailed the real reason for the LOUISVILLE add - It was a desperate decision , born of pandering and old resentment. The B1G is a much better fit for UConn - let's hope!

Yes Seagoat I think your right....even making an addition to the ACC they've created rifts and bickering with schools bring up issues bubbling right beneath the surface like academics 1st or athletics?Hoops or FB? North or South?Partial membership or full? Nice last few posts peeling back a few layers on problems the ACC will have going forward dealing in a disjointed conference.

 

[Stray_Dog]

I am not argueing for or against Louisville's inclusion in the ACC. The ACC is an athletic conference first, and an academic organization in a very distant second. When Maryland left, the ACC made an athletics decision (football first) to add Louisville. Sure the ACC happens to have many strong academic universities, but academics are not driving the bus for realignment.

My only issue with your statements was your demeaning tone towards other universities that are not as highly ranked as UVA. Maybe I am bias to science, technology, engineering, math, and medical fields of study but I would not consider UVA to be ranked in the top 25 universities in the US and Forbes rankings agrees with me. Earlier you stated the cut off for adademic elite should really be 25, and everyone else should be lumped together. Using this standard, UVA is grouped into the same academic tier as WVU and Ville. Would you agree with this assessment? I personally would not, and that is why I take exception to the tier system you defined. I personally see a huge difference between schools ranked 25 and those ranked 50 and those ranked 150. On a "university as a whole", I see a difference between a university like UVA and universities like Pitt, but I also see a difference between universities like Pitt and universities like WVU and Ville.

What does this have to do with UConn ... Just asking???

 

[UPitt]

Yes Seagoat I think your right....even making an addition to the ACC they've created rifts and bickering with schools bring up issues bubbling right beneath the surface like academics 1st or athletics?Hoops or FB? North or South?Partial membership or full? Nice last few posts peeling back a few layers on problems the ACC will have going forward dealing in a disjointed conference.

Nicky, the ACC rifts have been discussed heavily on this board because they could have an impact on Uconn's inclusion in the ACC, B1G, or B1g12. But every conference has its rifts, and many have to do with membership and divisions and balanced scheduling.

The PAC has bickered over divisions for years with every school outside of Cali worried about playing the maximum games possible in Cali. Expansion for the PAC is also a touchy topic as the Cal schools have different goals than the rest of the league with respect to expansion.

The B1G has realigned numerous times to create better league balance, and to ensure that Mich and OSU get exactly what they want. And future expansion for the B1G may get testy, as the western schools will want more midwest support and the eastern schools will want more eastern support.

The SEC has similar rifts for divisions, as LSU complains every year about the unbalanced divisions. And then you have Mizzou playing in the SEC East. And the SEC is still at an 8 game schedule which is a hot topic every year, because a few of the teams have in state rivals and can't lose another OCC game while the others are scheduling 4 OCCs.

The B1g12 has a membership and championship game rift. The small 8 would like expansion while the big 1 and medium 1 would like to stay at 10. Money imbalance is another rift. WVU on an island is a rift. Texas is a rift, and the 3 recent departing schools can explain why. Oklahoma fans are upset. Big brother, little brother syndrome is a rift. Expansion and division make up may become a rift.

The ACC rifts have been discussed, which includes membership, divisions, scheduling, conference games at 8 or 9, ND treatment, academics, FB or BB, and a few more.

Sure, all of these conferences have some rifts, but I think the overall landscape of college athletics is a stable as it has been in 15 years. I think many people are grabbing at straws and making more of these rifts than what truely exists. I still think a few of the remaining puzzle pieces (Uconn, Cincy, USF, UCF, Armed Forces, BYU, etc) will fill out these conferences, but I truely believe the conference switching among the P5 has stalled and will remain stalled for some time.

 

[UPitt]

What does this have to do with UConn ... Just asking???

Well, for one, Uconn is ranked similar academically to a school like Pitt. Our friend from UVA has been explaining to us that schools ranked like us are lumped into the crowd with schools ranked like Ville and WVU. I was kindly disagreeing and explaining that his school should be lumped with us as well using his own tier model and the forbes rankings.

Sorry if I was slightly off topic, but it was a follow up to him explaining that Louisville was just as good of an academic addition as Uconn because the rankings should be cut off and lumped after 25.

 

[NickyNewark]

Nicky, the ACC rifts have been discussed heavily on this board because they could have an impact on Uconn's inclusion in the ACC, B1G, or B1g12. But every conference has its rifts, and many have to do with membership and divisions and balanced scheduling.

The PAC has bickered over divisions for years with every school outside of Cali worried about playing the maximum games possible in Cali. Expansion for the PAC is also a touchy topic as the Cal schools have different goals than the rest of the league with respect to expansion.

The B1G has realigned numerous times to create better league balance, and to ensure that Mich and OSU get exactly what they want. And future expansion for the B1G may get testy, as the western schools will want more midwest support and the eastern schools will want more eastern support.

The SEC has similar rifts for divisions, as LSU complains every year about the unbalanced divisions. And then you have Mizzou playing in the SEC East. And the SEC is still at an 8 game schedule which is a hot topic every year, because a few of the teams have in state rivals and can't lose another OCC game while the others are scheduling 4 OCCs.

The B1g12 has a membership and championship game rift. The small 8 would like expansion while the big 1 and medium 1 would like to stay at 10. Money imbalance is another rift. WVU on an island is a rift. Texas is a rift, and the 3 recent departing schools can explain why. Oklahoma fans are upset. Big brother, little brother syndrome is a rift. Expansion and division make up may become a rift.

The ACC rifts have been discussed, which includes membership, divisions, scheduling, conference games at 8 or 9, ND treatment, academics, FB or BB, and a few more.

Sure, all of these conferences have some rifts, but I think the overall landscape of college athletics is a stable as it has been in 15 years. I think many people are grabbing at straws and making more of these rifts than what truely exists. I still think a few of the remaining puzzle pieces (Uconn, Cincy, USF, UCF, Armed Forces, BYU, etc) will fill out these conferences, but I truely believe the conference switching among the P5 has stalled and will remain stalled for some time.

I enjoy you're friendly posting Upitt and see you're point. I'm unfortunately on my way out but seeing the point of you're post Im inclined to agree with the gist or bulk of it!! I just think the B1G model is best and the most stable in these times of economic stress for the large state schools. I think I would be most uncomfortable in the Big12 with Texahoma as I think 1 school shouldn't have too much influence as is the case with Texas. Even Oklahoma is uneasy in the situation. I also think UConn is next in east of the Mississippi conferences but ACC or B1G is the best fit(B1G) but as a state school I think they look like a B1G type school. BYU has issues and the Fla directional's may need soom time. Also Cinncy is ambitious but limited to Big12 or ACC for obvious reasons. I'll join in again later UPitt.

 

[Sea Goat]

Nicky, the ACC rifts have been discussed heavily on this board because they could have an impact on Uconn's inclusion in the ACC, B1G, or B1g12. But every conference has its rifts, and many have to do with membership and divisions and balanced scheduling.

The PAC has bickered over divisions for years with every school outside of Cali worried about playing the maximum games possible in Cali. Expansion for the PAC is also a touchy topic as the Cal schools have different goals than the rest of the league with respect to expansion.

The B1G has realigned numerous times to create better league balance, and to ensure that Mich and OSU get exactly what they want. And future expansion for the B1G may get testy, as the western schools will want more midwest support and the eastern schools will want more eastern support.

The SEC has similar rifts for divisions, as LSU complains every year about the unbalanced divisions. And then you have Mizzou playing in the SEC East. And the SEC is still at an 8 game schedule which is a hot topic every year, because a few of the teams have in state rivals and can't lose another OCC game while the others are scheduling 4 OCCs.

The B1g12 has a membership and championship game rift. The small 8 would like expansion while the big 1 and medium 1 would like to stay at 10. Money imbalance is another rift. WVU on an island is a rift. Texas is a rift, and the 3 recent departing schools can explain why. Oklahoma fans are upset. Big brother, little brother syndrome is a rift. Expansion and division make up may become a rift.

The ACC rifts have been discussed, which includes membership, divisions, scheduling, conference games at 8 or 9, ND treatment, academics, FB or BB, and a few more.

Sure, all of these conferences have some rifts, but I think the overall landscape of college athletics is a stable as it has been in 15 years. I think many people are grabbing at straws and making more of these rifts than what truely exists. I still think a few of the remaining puzzle pieces (Uconn, Cincy, USF, UCF, Armed Forces, BYU, etc) will fill out these conferences, but I truely believe the conference switching among the P5 has stalled and will remain stalled for some time.

Well, for one, Uconn is ranked similar academically to a school like Pitt. Our friend from UVA has been explaining to us that schools ranked like us are lumped into the crowd with schools ranked like Ville and WVU. I was kindly disagreeing and explaining that his school should be lumped with us as well using his own tier model and the forbes rankings.

Sorry if I was slightly off topic, but it was a follow up to him explaining that Louisville was just as good of an academic addition as Uconn because the rankings should be cut off and lumped after 25.

Stimp lost a lot credibility with his ad hominem attack on Ohio State (who knows, maybe old girl friend related) and, as you note, lumping some pretty good schools with the likes of Louisville. Guaranteed - he would not accept a lumping of UVA in the same manner. If he wants to "lump", take the Ivies, MIT, Chicago, Stanford together and lump after that. Suggest Louisville is in the same orbit as Jefferson's baby and he'll shriek. But this is no denying they are in the same conference!

 

[btstimpy]

I see a few posts here questioning why RU and UMD were offered membership in The B1G. Has this ever really been a mystery to anyone? It was always about monetizing The BTN in NYC, NJ, and Md/DC. Any other benefit mentioned is ancillary in nature. I don't think Delany or any of the conference's presidents have ever alluded otherwise.

That said if either school were not flag ship state universities, AAU Members, or if they lacked reasonable facilities/resources to compete in the conference they would not be in it right now. Both have a long way to go, especially Rutgers athletically, but if the B1G succeeds financially in their development, other schools like UCONN could be looked at for future membership.

JMO, but the ACC's addition of Louisville was much different than The B1G's inclusion of either RU or UMD. The B1G needed neither to continue it's successful run, while The ACC on the other hand made a defensive move to shore up conference membership, and to appease the football leaning Southern Schools who may have been developing a wandering eye.

Time will tell who made the best move, but personally I find it galling that the ACC held academics over WVU's head for decades as a reason to deny them membership, but when circumstances changed conference leadership no longer saw it as a mitigating factor for inclusion.

Academics at WVU are an issue, but they are a secondary issue. The issue is that we now have 6 going on 7 former membes of the Big East Conference in the ACC. Not one of them will sponsor WVU. It takes 3 sponsors in the ACC to get on the ballot. And if the candidate already has another ACC member in the candidate's state, that in-state candidate has to be one of the 3 sponsors.

Why are none of WVU's conference mates sponsoring WVU? I imagine that it is because of too much of this:



and this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SazhHshAzdM

There were so many fan complaints that last time VT played up there than Frank Beamer won't schedule WVU. He publicly says that he's not going to play anyone when his own fans fear for their safety. The AD has scheduled them about 8 years out. We'll have to see if it happens. The only other ACC school that have fan behavior close to being like this that I'm aware of is Maryland, who is leaving. These videos barely capture it.

And you have minor things like this: http://www.buckeyeplanet.com/forum/...sted-for-defecating-in-tech-band-seats.33993/

I know this is one bad apple, but WVU has a massive orchard. It leaves indellible impressions, and it discourages votes. I'm not expecting this from Louisville fans.

 

[Sea Goat]

Academics at WVU are an issue, but they are a secondary issue. The issue is that we now have 6 going on 7 former membes of the Big East Conference in the ACC. Not one of them will sponsor WVU. It takes 3 sponsors in the ACC to get on the ballot. And if the candidate already has another ACC member in the candidate's state, that in-state candidate has to be one of the 3 sponsors.

Why are none of WVU's conference mates sponsoring WVU? I imagine that it is because of too much of this:



and this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SazhHshAzdM

There were so many fan complaints that last time VT played up there than Frank Beamer won't schedule WVU. He publicly says that he's not going to play anyone when his own fans fear for their safety. The AD has scheduled them about 8 years out. We'll have to see if it happens. The only other ACC school that have fan behavior close to being like this that I'm aware of is Maryland, who is leaving. These videos barely capture it.

And you have minor things like this: http://www.buckeyeplanet.com/forum/...sted-for-defecating-in-tech-band-seats.33993/

I know this is one bad apple, but WVU has a massive orchard. It leaves indellible impressions, and it discourages votes. I'm not expecting this from Louisville fans.

Of course, Virginia and West Virginia were one state prior to the Civil War (but you knew that). Once Virginia seceded, Lincoln looked for an opportunity to split Virginia into 2 states.
Maybe you folks should get back together again. What do you think?

 

[btstimpy]

Of course, Virginia and West Virginia were one state prior to the Civil War (but you knew that). Once Virginia seceded, Lincoln looked for an opportunity to split Virginia into 2 states.
Maybe you folks should get back together again. What do you think?

The Colony of Virginia is bigger than that. We have just united some of it in a way.

 

[Sea Goat]

The Colony of Virginia is bigger than that. We have just united some of it in a way.

Yes - and Connecticut once had a western reserve now generally known as northeastern Ohio, including Cleveland. I prefer old Connecticut.

 

[pj]

Yes - and Connecticut once had a western reserve now generally known as northeastern Ohio, including Cleveland. I prefer old Connecticut.

If we still had old Connecticut, we'd be in the B1G right now. Of course, so would UMass.

 

[Ldandy]

Academics at WVU are an issue, but they are a secondary issue. The issue is that we now have 6 going on 7 former membes of the Big East Conference in the ACC. Not one of them will sponsor WVU. It takes 3 sponsors in the ACC to get on the ballot. And if the candidate already has another ACC member in the candidate's state, that in-state candidate has to be one of the 3 sponsors.

Why are none of WVU's conference mates sponsoring WVU? I imagine that it is because of too much of this:



and this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SazhHshAzdM

There were so many fan complaints that last time VT played up there than Frank Beamer won't schedule WVU. He publicly says that he's not going to play anyone when his own fans fear for their safety. The AD has scheduled them about 8 years out. We'll have to see if it happens. The only other ACC school that have fan behavior close to being like this that I'm aware of is Maryland, who is leaving. These videos barely capture it.

And you have minor things like this: http://www.buckeyeplanet.com/forum/...sted-for-defecating-in-tech-band-seats.33993/

I know this is one bad apple, but WVU has a massive orchard. It leaves indellible impressions, and it discourages votes. I'm not expecting this from Louisville fans.

The incidents of WVU Fan behavior are so overblown to this point that they have become urban legend. A better question would be what would have happened if both WVU and Lville were still on the table at the time UMD bolted for the B1G?

WVU could have carried a percentage of the same market that The Terps controlled for the ACC, that going forward is going to be a glaring hole. They are historically a superior football team to The Cards, carry a stronger national following, and have built in rivalries with Pitt and VPI already in place. Personally I believe that old biases cost your conference a FAR better add.

 

[btstimpy]

The incidents of WVU Fan behavior are so overblown to this point that they have become urban legend. A better question would be what would have happened if both WVU and Lville were still on the table at the time UMD bolted for the B1G?

WVU could have carried a percentage of the same market that The Terps controlled for the ACC, that going forward is going to be a glaring hole. They are historically a superior football team to The Cards, carry a stronger national following, and have built in rivalries with Pitt and VPI already in place. Personally I believe that old biases cost your conference a FAR better add.

I don't know about FAR better, but WVU is geographically a good fit for the ACC. That fan behavior and the academics are a downside. Athletically, WVU would fit fine. But as I mentioned it takes 3 sponsors for a new member that then sell the rest. Does WVU have 3 ACC sponsors? I don't really know.

At this point WVU is locked into the Big XII for a decade. But it doesn't take much wisdom to look at a map to see that WVU is obviously in the wrong conference right now. Will the opportunity come again for them to look at the ACC or the SEC down the road? Who knows?

 

[pj]

The ACC and B12 would both be better off after a WVU for Louisville swap.

 

[Fishy]

I don't know about FAR better, but WVU is geographically a good fit for the ACC. That fan behavior and the academics are a downside. Athletically, WVU would fit fine.

Academics a downside? Have you met Louisville?

Fan behavior at West Virginia is perfectly fine - one of the most pleasant places that I've ever visited to see a football game. Zero problem - they could not have been nicer. They just like to burn a couch every now and again after a big win.

Worst place, hands down...North Carolina State. I've been there twice - it's so strange. (Maryland was bad, too.)

 

[SAMCRO]

I don't know about FAR better, but WVU is geographically a good fit for the ACC. That fan behavior and the academics are a downside.

Interesting. You posted probably 100X's defending UL's academics, essentially putting them on par w/tOSU, but academics are a downside for WVU... got it.

 

[SouthronCross]

Academics a downside? Have you met Louisville?

Fan behavior at West Virginia is perfectly fine - one of the most pleasant places that I've ever visited to see a football game. Zero problem - they could not have been nicer. They just like to burn a couch every now and again after a big win.

The UNC-WVU Tire Bowl was one of the best bowl games of 2008, and, from Heel fans I've spoken to, WVU fans were great. Before, during, and, after the game. One of the best fanbases they've ever been around.

Worst place, hands down...North Carolina State. I've been there twice - it's so strange. (Maryland was bad, too.)

State is bad. Its one thing to be passionate. But, they're one of the rudest, ugliest acting fanbases I've ever encountered at a ballgame.

I'll be interested to see how B1G fans view trips to College Park after they've been in the league for a few years.

 

[dayooper]

State is bad. Its one thing to be passionate. But, they're one of the rudest, ugliest acting fanbases I've ever encountered at a ballgame.

I'll be interested to see how B1G fans view trips to College Park after they've been in the league for a few years.

We have had a bunch of practice with Ohio State. They are know for their "hospitality" as well.

 

[NickyNewark]

The incidents of WVU Fan behavior are so overblown to this point that they have become urban legend. A better question would be what would have happened if both WVU and Lville were still on the table at the time UMD bolted for the B1G?

WVU could have carried a percentage of the same market that The Terps controlled for the ACC, that going forward is going to be a glaring hole. They are historically a superior football team to The Cards, carry a stronger national following, and have built in rivalries with Pitt and VPI already in place. Personally I believe that old biases cost your conference a FAR better add.

I have to believe from my 1 or 2 visits to Morgantown its WAY overblown as my nephew graduated WVU in 04 and my 80 yrs old mother loves the atmosphere there! There are incidents at every school from boneheads but by and large WVU is a beautiful safe setting. Every school has their wacko fringe fans.......yes even Va Cavalier fan's!

 

[NickyNewark]

State is bad. Its one thing to be passionate. But, they're one of the rudest, ugliest acting fanbases I've ever encountered at a ballgame.

I'll be interested to see how B1G fans view trips to College Park after they've been in the league for a few years.

RU went there(College Park,Md) a few yrs ago and said they had a small following(23G?) attending their FB games ? Funny that so popular a school as Miami gets such tiny crowds at their HGs in a state where HS FB is so popular.