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Message: [QUOTE="Ldandy, post: 4688416, member: 4584"] I believe that you're correct with your line of reasoning. UVA and UNC have long been in the cross hairs of The B1G as realignment targets. I believe that the conference will do whatever needs to be done to secure what are considered the two premier programs within those states. GT, while they've floundered athletically over the last few years, are still AAU, located in a major media market, and are in a state that is home to many B1G Alums. No one is going to argue that they are an equal brand to UGA, however having representation in the state for negotiating linear TV Deals and recruiting student athletes will be very important going forward. Miami to me is interesting. Prior to AAU Membership I would have said that they were a longshot at best. FSU profiles more closely as a B1G Type Institution as Dayooper has pointed out, however I believe philosophically they align far better with the SEC. Same goes for Clemson. Miami, despite being in the South is much more Northeast leaning due to their time in both The ACC and Big East Conferences. They recruit the Northeast heavily for students, and their leadership is much more aligned with the schools of The B1G as opposed to The SEC. Having a warm weather location for early season Spring sports like baseball, softball, track etc. to compete would be ideal as well. Where does that leave The PAC in all this? For a long time, people have assumed that UO and UW were locks as future conference members. Honestly I'm not so sure about that anymore. Neither school provides any relief as potential travel partners for USC or UCLA. They would simply add more cross-country flights for the majority of the conference. It could be argued that targeting Stanford for their location, academics, and overall AD + ASU (Now AAU) for their market, proximity to SoCal, and similar institutional profile to most of The B1G could make them a more attractive option than the Pacific Northwest Schools. We can't forget that ND will remain a target as long as they cling to independence. A Notre Dame addition could knock out one of The ACC Schools in a race to 20, or force growth to 24 with more PAC or ACC Additions. It will definitely be interesting to see things play out. [/QUOTE]

Verification: First name of men's bb coach