Boston Globe's Blaudschun.. Power move by ACC

[Echo Hawk]

’’http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2011/10/09/power_move_by_acc/

 

[Waquoit]

Ever since UConn beat BCU in hoop for the entire decade of the 90's, BCU's been scared that UConn would do the same thing in football. They left the Big East when they did after pledging loyalty in the hope of killing the league and UConn with it. It's sad to see their evil, spiteful plan, based on greed and petty jealousy, might just come to fruition.

 

[Carl Spackler]

I'd love to see some kind of actual broadcasting, nielsen rating, type of real breakdown of television sets, etc. that are tuned into Boston College sports vs. UConn sports in New England over the past year, 5 years, 10 years.

I'm sure the evidence would be telling.

And I'm sure the people in the ACC / ESPN that are interesting those kind of things are eventually going to get tired of BC claiming to be of significant importance in things like TV viewership in New England.

All we can do is keep winning, and keep drawing the fans.

 

[BugsyCT]

I hate them. I really &#%$@ hate them.

This rivalry would be great for Northeast football. Might even put fannies in the seats at THEIR games.

Beat us on field, but give us a fair chance to compete. Guess they don't have the sack to do that. Cowards.

 

[UCDaveD]

DeFilippo and the rest of the BC brass can burn in hell for all I care.

 

[SubbaBub]

My that is some hubris for sure. BC will never better New England's team. They could be Boston's team unless UMass decides to commit. They're afraid of competing with a flagship state land grant university. The quote from Flippy confirms most of the destroy the BE theories. The irony is that the potential UConn/BC conference blood feud could actually up BC's profile much more than remaining an outlier in the ACC. BC/Pitt? Yeah, neilsen gold that is. What a bunch of pansies.

I can imagine Duke and UNC in room listening to BC explain this and thinking, "WTF is wrong with these guys?"
Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk

 

[B1GEast]

Let's hope the B-10 comes calling, then we will finally own new england

 

[huskysupporter]

Can one team really have that much clout? Especially a school that is abysmal in basketball and going downhill fast in football? One would think the ACC would pick schools that would be best for their conference. Syracuse makes sense to me. Pitt did not in the slightest. BC sure is paranoid though. Makes me laugh.

 

[B1GEast]

Can one team really have that much clout? Especially a school that is abysmal in basketball and going downhill fast in football? One would think the ACC would pick schools that would be best for their conference. Syracuse makes sense to me. Pitt did not in the slightest. BC sure is paranoid though. Makes me laugh.

They had help from Miami and VT, most of the ACC schools wanted to bring in football teams with more tradition than we have. Basically, the only way we'll get an invite in a year or two is if the football team gets going and starts winning. Bassketball will help us, but it won't save us on its own.

 

[UConnSportsGuy]

Karma is a bitch.

I hope 10 years from now we are in the B1G and we OWN New England without a doubt. I hope Notre Dame, Maryland, and Virginia are in the B1G with us and we have not only the BTN, but also a huge contract with NBC/Comcast/NBC Sports.. At the same time, I hope that the ACC has also lost FSU and Virginia Tech to the SEC, who will have a huge contract with CBS. Then the ACC is the worst BCS conference by far and is on the verge of losing the BCS AQ and is stuck playing Tuesday night games on ESPN in order to get anyone to watch them. Meanwhile, UConn and the B1G own the Northeast.

The ACC would consist of North Carolina, NC St, Duke, Wake Forrest, BC, Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Clemson, Rutgers, Georgia Tech, Miami, USF. That is a nice little mid major and they can all reminise about when they were all so great back in the 80's before they up and let BCU, Swofford, and ESPN blind them with their greed and unethical ways that lead to their demise.

I know it will never happen like that, but man would that be sweet!

 

[BBNBE]

ACC expansion was all about football, Pitt and Syracuse have better traditions. You can argue the point until you're blue in the face, but it doesnt matter. The ACC consulted with ESPN before the move, if ESPN told the ACC "we want Temple in the ACC," chances are Temple would be in.

 

[uconnric]

ACC expansion was all about football, Pitt and Syracuse have better traditions. You can argue the point until you're blue in the face, but it doesnt matter. The ACC consulted with ESPN before the move, if ESPN told the ACC "we want Temple in the ACC," chances are Temple would be in.

You really believe that? Syracuse delivers nothing in football. They drew the smallest crowd to a USC home game since 2002 in the Coliseum. The ACC was hurting in basketball and this strengthens the basketball side of things for them, not the football side from a competitive standpoint.

 

[BBNBE]

You really believe that? Syracuse delivers nothing in football. They drew the smallest crowd to a USC home game since 2002 in the Coliseum. The ACC was hurting in basketball and this strengthens the basketball side of things for them, not the football side from a competitive standpoint.

If Duke or Wake played in the Coliseum, you think anything would be different?!?! Small private schools dont have alumni like a large public state schools.
I'll say it again, ACC expansion is all about football. The ACC consulted ESPN before adding anyone. In ESPNs eyes, Syracuse and Pitt have more to offer.

 

[metsfan2323]

This is why UMASS should be invited to the Big East. They want to be "The New England team", lets make them second class citizens in their own state. That would be payback.

 

[huskysupporter]

This is why UMASS should be invited to the Big East. They want to be "The New England team", lets make them second class citizens in their own state. That would be payback.

If UCONN does not get an invite to a BCS conference, that is what I want to see. A regional conference. Not taking teams 2,000 miles away. Get Villanova to upgrade, get UMASS, invite Temple. I know I am in the minority, but lets make the Big East the Big East, not Conference USA.

 

[CL82]

DeFilippo..

“We wanted new playmates and we wanted Eastern playmates,’’ said DeFilippo. “When the Big 12 inquired about Pittsburgh, we asked, ‘Why let them come into our area?’ ’’

Blaudschun...

The first target was Syracuse, which had been on the original ACC expansion list eight years ago. The Orangemen, like BC, were disappointed when they didn’t make the final cut, passed over for Virginia Tech and Miami. The second target was Connecticut, which was part of the Northeast footprint the ACC wanted, and was coming off the daily double of a BCS bid in football and a championship in men’s basketball (the third for Jim Calhoun).

“We didn’t want them in,’’ he said. “It was a matter of turf. We wanted to be the New England team.

’’http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2011/10/09/power_move_by_acc/

If this opportunity had been presented to us would we have taken it, absent knowing another Big East power was considering leaving. I wonder. I think that this has very little to do with 'hurt feelings' and everything to do 'turf'.

 

[CL82]

Wow this is damning quote by Swofford:

" ESPN - is the one who told us what to do."

 

[coachcap]

They had help from Miami and VT, most of the ACC schools wanted to bring in football teams with more tradition than we have. Basically, the only way we'll get an invite in a year or two is if the football team gets going and starts winning. Bassketball will help us, but it won't save us on its own.

Substitute FSU for VT. There is no evidence of any animosity between
VT & UConn. It was FSU that was adamant about adding schools with a "football pedigree".

 

[UConnSportsGuy]

Wow this is damning quote by Swofford:

" ESPN - is the one who told us what to do."

And removes any doubt on who lead this raid....ESPN.

ESPN cannot be happy with that quote. There is a real chance of litigation here against ESPN if people decide to go that route. This was all about ESPN getting rid of the Big East before they could be signed by their competiton (NBC/Comcast). Not sure if it will get to that point, but I am sure there are some lawyers looking into a potential case. That quote is not what ESPN wants to see in public communication!

 

[Murph]

As I wrote in the Conference Realignment forum, Way back when, BC said there would have to be changes in the administrations at both schools before we would ever play each other again. Well, since then, UConn has a new university president, new AD, new head football coach (and staff), the state of CT has a new governor and a new Attorney General. How's that for change on our side of the border?

 

[uconnbaseball]

This was as much GDF trying to appease an angry BC fanbase as anything. We better hope that the ACC expands to 16 teams soon.

 

[huskyrob1]

This was as much GDF trying to appease an angry BC fanbase as anything. We better hope that the ACC expands to 16 teams soon.

I would tend to agree. Also to say that BC has been in a downward spiral in football and basketball (mens and womens) since joining the ACC is an understatement. UCONN joining the ACC would have mean't BC not winning anything or getting a decent recruit for the next 20 years.

 

[fortebleedsblue]

In my humble opinion there is a sad irony here.

1. I think we have been permanently "Penn Stated" as Pitt did to them years ago. Defilippo is staking out New England as BC's ACC franchise. If the shoe were on the other foot, I'd say we would have done the same thing. So unless something changes at BC, the ACC will honor BC's position. And Blaudschen is right as to our long term prospects.

2. Private BCS programs like BC, Duke, Vanderbilt, Northwestern, Wake Forest will never win anything. In fact things will get worse for them over time as they try to compete with the big state schools. If ever BC needed a rival, it is now and it is UConn. Syracuse as well.

3. BC and UConn would have both benefited (UConn more so) as natural rivals in the ACC. I give it a very small probability of happening for more reasons than I have time.

BC kind of took themselves down with UConn but they just don't know it yet. But they are far better off as an ACC punching bag than what we are facing.

Two things ... First, Notre Dame is a private school and they are one of the biggest if not THE biggest name brand in college football. Second, BC isn't taking themselves down with this move... if UConn gets reduced to non BCS status (along with RU) but BC has auto BCS conference status where do you think New England and NJ recruits are going to go?

 

[CTpessimist]

Two things ... First, Notre Dame is a private school and they are one of the biggest if not THE biggest name brand in college football. Second, BC isn't taking themselves down with this move... if UConn gets reduced to non BCS status (along with RU) but BC has auto BCS conference status where do you think New England and NJ recruits are going to go?

Pitt, Maryland, West Virginia, Penn State, Syracuse - Just to name a few places that the good recruits will go before BC.

 

[huskymedic]

Damn Flipper!!!

@BCGeneD
Gene DeFilippo