FSU, ACC In It For The Long Haul

[huskymedic]

http://www.accsports.com/teams/florida-state/2013050815360/fsu-acc-in-it-for-the-long-haul-.php

>>TALLAHASSEE – It’s not quite ’til death do they part, but after a year of speculation, Florida State officials, coaches, boosters and fans finally have come to terms with the idea that they are married to the ACC for the long haul.

That’s one of the byproducts of the ACC’s recently signed grant of media rights – a contract that would require any league school to relinquish its television revenue for years if it bolted for another conference.<<

 

[ruskin]

Except for the AD it appears. . . very funny

http://www.nj.com/rutgersfootball/index.ssf/2013/05/rutgers_set_to_begin_first_rou.html

 

[huskymedic]

Except for the AD it appears. . . very funny

http://www.nj.com/rutgersfootball/index.ssf/2013/05/rutgers_set_to_begin_first_rou.html

Dammit - beat me to it. He wants out of Dodge! Gotta wonder if they go w/ one of the two B1G candidates or the female from Louisville.

 

[whaler11]

We've been over Florida State a thousand times. The best threads where when they 'were headed to the Big 12'. They really never should have lost to NCSU but Florida buried them.

 

[SAMCRO]

The only conference FSU was ever going to leave the ACC for is/was the SEC.

 

[HuskyHawk]

The only conference FSU was ever going to leave the ACC for is/was the SEC.

Exactly. Bad fit for the B1G. Big 12 is an academic downgrade, regional downgrade and if the football competition is better, the difference is pretty minor and there are no guarantees it will stay that way. K-State is back with Snyder, and OK State is playing better than at any time in their history. If that stops...what do you have? UT has been mediocre, OU good but not great and WVU mediocre. ACC is clearly the second best option for them after the SEC.

 

[alsacs]

Florida State was interested in the B1G, but I doubt the B1G was interested. The B1G was trying to use FSU as a way to rattle UNC, but unlike Nebraska-Missouri from years ago UNC had options. Even if the ACC went down in flames North Carolina always knew it could go wherever they wanted whether that was the B1G or SEC. Delany didn't realize UNC would never go to the B1G willingly unless they wanted that option and obviously UNC wasn't interested in the B1G. If Delany destroyed the ACC and UNC didn't move to the B1G then he would have had handed them straight into the clutches of the SEC. Both B1G/SEC want UNC because they sell top 10 merchandize nationwide, they have elite hoops, bring NUMEROUS cable boxes into one of the fastest growing states in the country, are the flagship program of that state, and have to borrow Hubby Brown's phrase tremendous upside potential in football.

The biggest mistake the B1G made in trying to get UNC was taking Rutgers with Maryland. If the ACC was ripe for the being the B1G would have been able to get Maryland and somebody else, but Maryland was so deep in the red due to NC State AD Debbie Yow's tenure at UMD that the program was going to be gutted with max subsidizes that the B1G promised Maryland. Maryland moved for the money pure and simple. Delany wanted North Carolina(as he is an alum and that is the crown jewel of the ACC.) UConn's unfortunate luck is that Delany thinks Rutgers which has won absolutely nothing collegiate sports has a better chance to get the BTN on in NYC than UConn. When Delany should have realized that with Fox purchasing YES it would be easier than he realized. Also, Rutgers expanding their stadium helped, but who is kidding Rutgers is going to be fighting Michigan State, Maryland, Indiana for 4th place in the B1G so it didn't matter who he picked. I would have picked UConn over Rutgers, but I am not paid by the B1G.

I doubt you guys will get into the ACC ever unless their is a public apology and public acknowledgement from the ACC as the Blumenthal lawsuit and decision to individually name ACC presidents/administrators has baggage that I don't believe has been completely forgiven or forgotten.

 

[upstater]

I doubt you guys will get into the ACC ever unless their is a public apology and public acknowledgement from the ACC as the Blumenthal lawsuit and decision to individually name ACC presidents/administrators has baggage that I don't believe has been completely forgiven or forgotten.

Are you even aware of what Syracuse's bigwigs called the BC people in 2004? They publicly humiliated them.

When you realize that the teams in UConn's corner were the ones at the heart of the ACC and Tobacco Road, the ones most affiliated with Swofford, you know that this stuff is WAY overblown on these message boards.

It was a football decision, plain and simple.

 

[alsacs]

Are you even aware of what Syracuse's bigwigs called the BC people in 2004? They publicly humiliated them.

When you realize that the teams in UConn's corner were the ones at the heart of the ACC and Tobacco Road, the ones most affiliated with Swofford, you know that this stuff is WAY overblown on these message boards.

It was a football decision, plain and simple.

I know the whole situation, and I know Jake Crouthamel was ticked off at Gene DiFlippio for being a two-timer in the meeting that minutes have been leaked onto the internet, but Syracuse never joined that lawsuit, and always maintained good relationships with the conference all the way back to 1991 when the ACC asked Syracuse if they were interested in joining the conference. Syracuse respectfully declined to join as a full-member, but offered to move just its football into the ACC which the conference wasn't interested in. UConn's 2 biggest supporters in the ACC are North Carolina and Duke(who were anti any expansion beyond Miami) because they are elitist institutions that are basketball first and want academics to matter, but the ACC office hasn't forgotten about the lawsuit and neither has the troll Donna Shalala. BC is protecting its "turf" but if a clear majority of the schools thought UConn was the best addition they would get in. Syracuse didn't sue Boston College and while they called them nasty things, I wouldn't think Boston College could dispute they were 2-faced in that meeting that minutes were leaked onto the internet. Once Virginia Tech was picked by the ACC, Syracuse took its ball and went home they didn't grovel like Boston College did publicly for that 12 slot in the ACC. I remember reading or heard numerous times UConn fans or Big East fans have gleefully said that lawsuit kept basically caused the ACC to trade Syracuse for Virginia Tech which was a win for the Big East(cause the only thing the conference carried about was basketball).

If I was UConn I would call Swofford to a secret meeting and say let's air out of differences so that in the future you guys can get considered fairly if a slot in the ACC opens up. While your fanbase was pretty confident you guys were going to replace Maryland, I was always felt it wouldn't happen because of that lawsuit, and Swofford was able to throw Florida State/Clemson a bone with Louisville because they had better perceived football even though UConn was a better "fit" as an ACC program. Boston College has little juice in the ACC to knock out UConn if they are the overwhelming best option. The ACC power is with North Carolina-Chapel Hill/Duke, and Florida State third. However, Florida State closed the gap of power by cashing in their political capital for Louisville and getting some guarantees in divisional realignment which will be announced in the future.

 

[specialisthusky]

I know the whole situation, and I know Jake Crouthamel was ticked off at Gene DiFlippio for being a two-timer in the meeting that minutes have been leaked onto the internet, but Syracuse never joined that lawsuit, and always maintained good relationships with the conference all the way back to 1991 when the ACC asked Syracuse if they were interested in joining the conference. Syracuse respectfully declined to join as a full-member, but offered to move just its football into the ACC which the conference wasn't interested in. UConn's 2 biggest supporters in the ACC are North Carolina and Duke(who were anti any expansion beyond Miami) because they are elitist institutions that are basketball first and want academics to matter, but the ACC office hasn't forgotten about the lawsuit and neither has the troll Donna Shalala. BC is protecting its "turf" but if a clear majority of the schools thought UConn was the best addition they would get in. Syracuse didn't sue Boston College and while they called them nasty things, I wouldn't think Boston College could dispute they were 2-faced in that meeting that minutes were leaked onto the internet. Once Virginia Tech was picked by the ACC, Syracuse took its ball and went home they didn't grovel like Boston College did publicly for that 12 slot in the ACC. I remember reading or heard numerous times UConn fans or Big East fans have gleefully said that lawsuit kept basically caused the ACC to trade Syracuse for Virginia Tech which was a win for the Big East(cause the only thing the conference carried about was basketball).

If I was UConn I would call Swofford to a secret meeting and say let's air out of differences so that in the future you guys can get considered fairly if a slot in the ACC opens up. While your fanbase was pretty confident you guys were going to replace Maryland, I was always felt it wouldn't happen because of that lawsuit, and Swofford was able to throw Florida State/Clemson a bone with Louisville because they had better perceived football even though UConn was a better "fit" as an ACC program. Boston College has little juice in the ACC to knock out UConn if they are the overwhelming best option. The ACC power is with North Carolina-Chapel Hill/Duke, and Florida State third. However, Florida State closed the gap of power by cashing in their political capital for Louisville and getting some guarantees in divisional realignment which will be announced in the future.

Your entire second paragraph explains why UConn is not in the ACC. Note that it has nothing to do with a lawsuit which 40% of the plaintiffs eventually joined the league they were suing.

 

[The Funster]

Can we put the lawsuit to bed? It has zero influence over any decision making. Other schools were party to it and not penalized. The CT AG no longer holds that office and the schools adminsitration has completely changed.

 

[alsacs]

Can we put the lawsuit to bed? It has zero influence over any decision making. Other schools were party to it and not penalized. The CT AG no longer holds that office and the schools adminsitration has completely changed.

Listen, I can't tell you what to believe what I posted about the lawsuit was my opinion. However, I highly doubt the ACC or UConn would publicly say anything about the lawsuit and/or damage it may have caused. I can tell you their are ACC fans posting on our board(SU board) a UNC fan which states his fanbase and NC State's haven't forgotten that lawsuit, and a UVA fan that wants UConn to be considered in the future, but realizes the lawsuit may have strained relations.

I know Pitt and Virginia Tech were co-plaintiffs in your case, but the Connecticut Attorney General was the one who's office drafted the complainant and brought the case into Connecticut courts and named John Swofford, Donna Shalala, and other ACC officials as co-defendants. Like in life typically 1 person gets too much credit or blame depending on what occurs in this case UConn gets a majority of the blame for this lawsuit and has to repair damage with the conference leadership. If Swofford thought UConn was the best option, but Louisville was viable alternative he wasn't going to cram UConn down Florida State's throat when FSU wanted Louisville and Swofford had no problem saying no to UConn due to the lawsuit.

 

[upstater]

I know the whole situation, and I know Jake Crouthamel was ticked off at Gene DiFlippio for being a two-timer in the meeting that minutes have been leaked onto the internet, but Syracuse never joined that lawsuit, and always maintained good relationships with the conference all the way back to 1991 when the ACC asked Syracuse if they were interested in joining the conference.

This is just not true. You have a poster on your board with inside access. That poster laid it all out about 8 years ago. There were things personally said at academic venues to the President of BC by important people at Syracuse that would make the hair on your neck stand on end. Good relationship? How about terrible relationship? And for all the stuff coming from Bluementhal, no one involved with the lawsuit tossed out more barbs than Nordenberg who used the media as a bully pulpit inveighing against the ACC.

Tobacco Road is incredulous at BC--that much has been reported, but this spin by you is totally illogical:

If Swofford thought UConn was the best option, but Louisville was viable alternative he wasn't going to cram UConn down Florida State's throat when FSU wanted Louisville and Swofford had no problem saying no to UConn due to the lawsuit.

Due to the lawsuit? How about they had no problem due to FSU's threats? Why did you toss that in there: "Due to the lawsuit?"

If I were you, I would do some digging up at Cuse to get a sense of the things that were said by Cuse back then. It sounds like you're in the dark.

 

[alsacs]

This is just not true. You have a poster on your board with inside access. That poster laid it all out about 8 years ago. There were things personally said at academic venues to the President of BC by important people at Syracuse that would make the hair on your neck stand on end. Good relationship? How about terrible relationship? And for all the stuff coming from Bluementhal, no one involved with the lawsuit tossed out more barbs than Nordenberg who used the media as a bully pulpit inveighing against the ACC.
Tobacco Road is incredulous at BC--that much has been reported, but this spin by you is totally illogical:

I never said the relationship between SU and BC was good I said SU and the ACC always maintained a good relationship. If BC administration hated our guts why was Syracuse the first Big East team that Boston College scheduled in football. UConn/Rutgers/Pitt basically anybody but WVU would have scheduled BC, but their hatred of Syracuse really caused them to want nothing to do with us.

Nordenberg destroyed the Big East for sure when he was the one who didn't want to take the ESPN deal that would have paid the Big East 14 million a year, but if he ticked off the ACC so much why was Pitt picked over UConn? If the ACC was ticked off at Pitt just as much as UConn wouldn't that have led UNC/Duke to want UConn over Pitt? I read on here BC blackballed UConn who was the choice of the ACC with SU to go to the ACC in September 2011. If Pitt did more damage with Nordenberg then Boston College's objections of UConn would haven't allowed Pitt to even be considered.

Nobody knows the full damage of the lawsuit except John Swofford and he won't publicly say, but the ACC fanbases of some schools don't forget. Go on a North Carolina board and see how they feel about it.

 

[upstater]

I never said the relationship between SU and BC was good I said SU and the ACC always maintained a good relationship. If BC administration hated our guts why was Syracuse the first Big East team that Boston College scheduled in football. UConn/Rutgers/Pitt basically anybody but WVU would have scheduled BC, but their hatred of Syracuse really caused them to want nothing to do with us.

You're making a whole host of assumptions. I don't know that BC hated your guts. I only know that BC's Pres. was publicly humiliated as a liar by Cuse people. I draw no assumptions from any of this stuff. My sense all along is that BC opposed UConn because BC was afraid UConn would take over New England. Bob Ryan quoted BC people as saying that long before the lawsuit--way back in 2002.

Nordenberg destroyed the Big East for sure when he was the one who didn't want to take the ESPN deal that would have paid the Big East 14 million a year, but if he ticked off the ACC so much why was Pitt picked over UConn?

I'm saying the ACC WASN'T ticked off at Pitt. You're now arguing against yourself.

 

[ruskin]

Lawsuit, schmawsuit. I'll just remember kicking syracuse's ass all over the field until idiot ex-AD screwed up the program by insanely hiring SU retread.

 

[frankthetank]

I never said the relationship between SU and BC was good I said SU and the ACC always maintained a good relationship. If BC administration hated our guts why was Syracuse the first Big East team that Boston College scheduled in football. UConn/Rutgers/Pitt basically anybody but WVU would have scheduled BC, but their hatred of Syracuse really caused them to want nothing to do with us.

Nordenberg destroyed the Big East for sure when he was the one who didn't want to take the ESPN deal that would have paid the Big East 14 million a year, but if he ticked off the ACC so much why was Pitt picked over UConn? If the ACC was ticked off at Pitt just as much as UConn wouldn't that have led UNC/Duke to want UConn over Pitt? I read on here BC blackballed UConn who was the choice of the ACC with SU to go to the ACC in September 2011. If Pitt did more damage with Nordenberg then Boston College's objections of UConn would haven't allowed Pitt to even be considered.

Nobody knows the full damage of the lawsuit except John Swofford and he won't publicly say, but the ACC fanbases of some schools don't forget. Go on a North Carolina board and see how they feel about it.

My outside view on this: the lawsuit certainly isn't the sole reason why the ACC would have objected to UConn, but I could certainly see lingering feelings playing into it.

Nationwide, I do recall that the lawsuit was perceived to be led by the Connecticut AG, so even though other institutions like Pitt joined in, I can see how some ACC members might still *perceive* that it was a UConn-led lawsuit.

At the same time, UConn was in a position in conference realignment where it really didn't have any margin for error (even though it ought to be in the top 65 or so schools that should be part of a power conference if you were list out who's the most valuable). Syracuse and Pitt have very long histories of football tradition (even if they haven't been that hot recently) while Louisville does have an impressive fan base and facilities for both football and basketball. If UConn was competing with Wake Forest to get into the last spot in the ACC, then they'd likely be in. However, UConn's competition was much stronger than Wake Forest (or Washington State or Baylor or a number of other schools that already have power conference homes). So, if the ACC was comparing Syracuse, Pitt and Louisville to UConn and it was even slightly stuck in the back of people's minds that UConn was the one that led the lawsuit (whether that was actually true or not), then UConn might have been docked some points in an atmosphere where it couldn't afford to lose *any* points.

That might be the biggest takeaway from the past 3 years for UConn and how it ought to approach positioning itself going forward. UConn has a good home market, solid undergrad academics and elite men's and women's basketball, which is what people here obviously want the power conferences to focus upon. However, in this environment when the power conferences really don't have to proactively make any more moves, a school's flaws (whether real or, maybe even more importantly, perceived) are going to be exacerbated and scrutinized. At this point, power conferences can't have any doubts about football tradition. Power conferences can't have any doubts about whether a school is going to turn around and use litigation against them if they don't get their way. Power conferences can't have any doubts about a school's football TV ratings in their home market. A conference like the Big Ten can't have any doubts about a school's AAU status (unless you're named Notre Dame, which is an exception to the general rule in all cases). A conference like the Big 12 can't have any doubts that it's worth it to stretch its league further out in terms of geography. Once again, selling what you have today might look good in comparison to Wake Forest, but you're not competing against Wake Forest for a spot. You're competing against the inertia that says that the power conferences don't need to do anything until all of those grant of rights arrangements expire, which means that your resume has to be flawless (not just good) if you want a prayer of a chance to move before that time (and maybe even if you have to wait until that time).

 

[huskymedic]

Except for the AD it appears. . . very funny

http://www.nj.com/rutgersfootball/index.ssf/2013/05/rutgers_set_to_begin_first_rou.html[/quote]

FSU AD Randy Spetman denies report about his candidacy for Rutgers job

 

[UCFBfan]

Honestly, what harm did the lawsuit cause the ACC? Last I checked they seem to be operating just fine and I don't believe the BE, more specifically UConn, got anything from it? So seriously, why do folks really feel this is an issue? In my opinion it's an easy excuse to justify that the reason UConn was not added was because of a lack of football tradition (SU, Pitt adds) and because it wasn't enough to satisfy FSU while Swofford was on his knees (Louisville add). It's a load of crap and I'm sick of ACC fans using it.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

 

[frankthetank]

Honestly, what harm did the lawsuit cause the ACC? Last I checked they seem to be operating just fine and I don't believe the BE, more specifically UConn, got anything from it? So seriously, why do folks really feel this is an issue? In my opinion it's an easy excuse to justify that the reason UConn was not added was because of a lack of football tradition (SU, Pitt adds) and because it wasn't enough to satisfy FSU while Swofford was on his knees (Louisville add). It's a load of crap and I'm sick of ACC fans using it.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

Like I've said, I doubt that it was a critical issue, but it could very well have been a factor in the school's overall profile. No school likes having to spend millions of dollars defending against a high profile lawsuit (which is what occurred in the ACC/Big East case). The football tradition and FSU's influence are certainly bigger factors, yet the lawsuit *may* have just been one other piece of information thrown in there that some ACC schools considered. I don't live anywhere near ACC country (unless you now consider South Bend to be ACC country) and the national perception was definitely that the state of Connecticut (and by extension, UConn) was most openly pushing the litigation against the ACC 10 years ago. If UConn was able to blow the other candidates away on current substantive issues, then I doubt that anyone would have thought twice about the lawsuit, but the fact that UConn didn't blow away the other candidates means that every little bit of negative information (whether real or perceived) can trickle in and make an impact on a school's overall profile.

 

[upstater]

My outside view on this: the lawsuit certainly isn't the sole reason why the ACC would have objected to UConn, but I could certainly see lingering feelings playing into it.

Nationwide, I do recall that the lawsuit was perceived to be led by the Connecticut AG, so even though other institutions like Pitt joined in, I can see how some ACC members might still *perceive* that it was a UConn-led lawsuit.

At the same time, UConn was in a position in conference realignment where it really didn't have any margin for error (even though it ought to be in the top 65 or so schools that should be part of a power conference if you were list out who's the most valuable). Syracuse and Pitt have very long histories of football tradition (even if they haven't been that hot recently) while Louisville does have an impressive fan base and facilities for both football and basketball. If UConn was competing with Wake Forest to get into the last spot in the ACC, then they'd likely be in. However, UConn's competition was much stronger than Wake Forest (or Washington State or Baylor or a number of other schools that already have power conference homes). So, if the ACC was comparing Syracuse, Pitt and Louisville to UConn and it was even slightly stuck in the back of people's minds that UConn was the one that led the lawsuit (whether that was actually true or not), then UConn might have been docked some points in an atmosphere where it couldn't afford to lose *any* points.

That might be the biggest takeaway from the past 3 years for UConn and how it ought to approach positioning itself going forward. UConn has a good home market, solid undergrad academics and elite men's and women's basketball, which is what people here obviously want the power conferences to focus upon. However, in this environment when the power conferences really don't have to proactively make any more moves, a school's flaws (whether real or, maybe even more importantly, perceived) are going to be exacerbated and scrutinized. At this point, power conferences can't have any doubts about football tradition. Power conferences can't have any doubts about whether a school is going to turn around and use litigation against them if they don't get their way. Power conferences can't have any doubts about a school's football TV ratings in their home market. A conference like the Big Ten can't have any doubts about a school's AAU status (unless you're named Notre Dame, which is an exception to the general rule in all cases). A conference like the Big 12 can't have any doubts that it's worth it to stretch its league further out in terms of geography. Once again, selling what you have today might look good in comparison to Wake Forest, but you're not competing against Wake Forest for a spot. You're competing against the inertia that says that the power conferences don't need to do anything until all of those grant of rights arrangements expire, which means that your resume has to be flawless (not just good) if you want a prayer of a chance to move before that time (and maybe even if you have to wait until that time).

Man, I guess it never ends.

UConn, according to the news articles, was ahead of Pitt--but blocked.

As I wrote, Cuse was even more vindictive publicly. The difference being, BC didn't want UConn in its backyard. That killed it. Against Louisville, UConn was not as good footballwise, and though UConn was in front with the schools that it supposedly offended, the bluster of FSU sealed Louisville's entry.

It really is as simple as that. UConn's biggest backers in the ACC are all Swofford related. You'd think it would be them who were most butthurt by it all, but instead Virginia, UNC, Duke and Wake were the big backers of UConn.

 

[upstater]

Like I've said, I doubt that it was a critical issue, but it could very well have been a factor in the school's overall profile. No school likes having to spend millions of dollars defending against a high profile lawsuit (which is what occurred in the ACC/Big East case). The football tradition and FSU's influence are certainly bigger factors, yet the lawsuit *may* have just been one other piece of information thrown in there that some ACC schools considered. I don't live anywhere near ACC country (unless you now consider South Bend to be ACC country) and the national perception was definitely that the state of Connecticut (and by extension, UConn) was most openly pushing the litigation against the ACC 10 years ago. If UConn was able to blow the other candidates away on current substantive issues, then I doubt that anyone would have thought twice about the lawsuit, but the fact that UConn didn't blow away the other candidates means that every little bit of negative information (whether real or perceived) can trickle in and make an impact on a school's overall profile.

Pitt's Nordenburg was out in front on the lawsuit. It was filed in Conn., but Nordenbrug fronted it. When Pitt went to the ACC, the media had a field day with his quotes on the lawsuit. Besides, the things that were said publicly outside the lawsuit makes the lawsuit pale in comparison. People's reputations were publicly besmirched in academic fora by their peers and colleagues.

 

[alsacs]

Pitt's Nordenburg was out in front on the lawsuit. It was filed in Conn., but Nordenbrug fronted it. When Pitt went to the ACC, the media had a field day with his quotes on the lawsuit. Besides, the things that were said publicly outside the lawsuit makes the lawsuit pale in comparison. People's reputations were publicly besmirched in academic fora by their peers and colleagues.

Again, I AM NOT BLAMING UCONN for the lawsuit, I live in Charlotte, NC and deal with Gamecock, Tarheel, Tiger, Wolfpack, and lesser extend Blue Devil, Demon Deacon, and tons of transplants. The perception is that lawsuit is on UConn. You obviously know the facts better than most, but the ACC fanbases see the lawsuit and blame it on UConn. While the institutions on Tobacco Road may favor UConn their fanbases don't agree. Teams without GORs have right to withdraw from partnerships and take their media rights from their athletic conferences are as long as they follow the bylaws.
Nordenberg may be done a lot more in that lawsuit than I realized, but as I stated typically 1 person gets a lot of credit or blame when things happen even if they aren't exactly at fault or have done as much as they are perceived to have done, but UConn in ACC country and maybe nation-wide is seen as the leader of that lawsuit.

Also, I know your fanbase loved the fact that lawsuit basically traded Syracuse for Virginia Tech. I have read on UConn boards years ago.

 

[upstater]

Again, I AM NOT BLAMING UCONN for the lawsuit, I live in Charlotte, NC and deal with Gamecock, Tarheel, Tiger, Wolfpack, and lesser extend Blue Devil, Demon Deacon, and tons of transplants. The perception is that lawsuit is on UConn. You obviously know the facts better than most, but the ACC fanbases see the lawsuit and blame it on UConn. While the institutions on Tobacco Road may favor UConn their fanbases don't agree. Teams without GORs have right to withdraw from partnerships and take their media rights from their athletic conferences are as long as they follow the bylaws.
Nordenberg may be done a lot more in that lawsuit than I realized, but as I stated typically 1 person gets a lot of credit or blame when things happen even if they aren't exactly at fault or have done as much as they are perceived to have done, but UConn in ACC country and maybe nation-wide is seen as the leader of that lawsuit.

Also, I know your fanbase loved the fact that lawsuit basically traded Syracuse for Virginia Tech. I have read on UConn boards years ago.

Personally, I thought it off that VT was left out initially, since I thought it would be a big boon to BE football if VT stayed. It would have made the BE more viable. On the other hand, Syracuse has clearly always been the biggest opponent in basketball, and back in 2003-2004, that was UConn's biggest focus (UConn wasn't even in the football conference back then!!!!).

If you're basing this on fan insight, you are right. In particular, Duke fans loathe UConn. They absolutely hate us. So, I'm not surprised that they diverge from their administration. UConn has strong institutional ties with Virginia's leadership, so they were always in our corner. UNC has been a backer (though over the years, Heel fans have been friendly since Uconn twice beat Duke in the F4 and because we had many good series against them).

 

[djct1999]

At this point, who really cares. We all can admit that the ACC is a way better option than the AAC, but really it stops there. Lets wait for the dust to settle and re-evaluate once it does. The ACC has not been relevant in football in a very long time. Outside of FSU, who really is a national player at this point? Look at what has happened to both BC and Miami since they left the Big East. Does anyone not think the same thing will happen to an already very mediocre football programs in Syracuse and Pitt? Historically proud progams just doesn't help much in today's reality. I don't see either program getting any better and the lack of a cultural fit and geography will hurt them much more than is being discussed. As far as basketball goes, lets see what happens to Duke and Syacuse when Coach K and Boeheim leave. To me, after that, things change drastically. I just don't see Duke as a preeminent figure with Johnny Dawkins or Steve Wojo as head coach. Ditto for Syracuse. Hopkins might be able to recruit some, but Syracuse will have to redefine itself.(as UConn is doing with Ollie)

So as dire as UConn's situation appears to be now, and it is dire, lets wait for the dust to settle. I think UConn should set its sights on something much more grand than the ACC because in the end, all the ACC really is is the ugly stepchild who will always have an inferiority complex. If it were up to me, I would simply not schedule any ACC team in any sport. We don't need them any more than they need us.