Non-Key Tweets

[CoastAtlantic]

Zach Hedges ‏@zthedges 6h6 hours ago
@theDudeofWV do you know of any other legit insiders on expansion?

Christopher Lambert ‏@theDudeofWV 5h5 hours ago
@zthedges Hmmmm...

Christopher Lambert ‏@theDudeofWV 5h5 hours ago
@zthedges Plenty have insight based on connections to a program.

Christopher Lambert ‏@theDudeofWV 5h5 hours ago
@zthedges But a lot of so called insiders who claim they have vast networks of sources are just bogus.

Christopher Lambert ‏@theDudeofWV 5h5 hours ago
@zthedges A lot of people lump me into that category but I was a credentialed writer.

Christopher Lambert ‏@theDudeofWV 5h5 hours ago
@zthedges I also had a internet talk show. My guests included Whitt Babcock, Brett McMurphy, Berry Tramel & Chip Brown.

Christopher Lambert ‏@theDudeofWV 5h5 hours ago
@zthedges I also had a lot of help from Jon Pennington (Mr. SEC) and a host of others.

Christopher Lambert ‏@theDudeofWV 5h5 hours ago
@zthedges I made the majority of my connections when I was researching a book on expansion.

Christopher Lambert ‏@theDudeofWV 5h5 hours ago
@zthedges I pressed Flugar to publicly state that his sources have told him UCONN & UC have been selected by the Big 12.

Christopher Lambert ‏@theDudeofWV 5h5 hours ago
@zthedges He said via email that he had already stated such but he refused to go on record again.

Christopher Lambert ‏@theDudeofWV 5h5 hours ago
@zthedges UC & UCONN are likely to be part of Big 12 expansion but they have not been selected or invited.

Christopher Lambert ‏@theDudeofWV 5h5 hours ago
@zthedges They have not been told they will be invited. The Big 12 does not know if they will expand.

Christopher Lambert ‏@theDudeofWV 5h5 hours ago
@zthedges And they certainly have not selected any new members.

Zach Hedges ‏@zthedges 5h5 hours ago
@theDudeofWV Your stuff has the ring of truth more than others. I don't think MH Ver makes up everything though. Hard to sort it out.

Christopher Lambert ‏@theDudeofWV 5h5 hours ago
@zthedges The problem with Twitter is that as a medium it has a short memory.

Christopher Lambert ‏@theDudeofWV 5h5 hours ago
@zthedges Most of the time they can't provide any explanations. When they do it's factually flawed.

Zach Hedges ‏@zthedges 5h5 hours ago
@theDudeofWV Do you guess UC is in if they only go to 12??

Christopher Lambert ‏@theDudeofWV 5h5 hours ago
@zthedges My educated guess is this. The only way a B12 network is feasible is if the schools with the MOST value are added.

Christopher Lambert ‏@theDudeofWV 5h5 hours ago
@zthedges Any B12N has a $15M deficit from the start each year for the next 13 years.

Christopher Lambert ‏@theDudeofWV 5h5 hours ago
@zthedges So that likely means that compromise on value versus other metrics is impossible.

Christopher Lambert ‏@theDudeofWV 5h5 hours ago
@zthedges Superficially UC isn't in the top 4 in value but I don't know how the entire state of OH will affect their value up.

Christopher Lambert ‏@theDudeofWV 5h5 hours ago
@zthedges I assume UC is in the top 4 with all of OH factored into the equation.

Christopher Lambert ‏@theDudeofWV 5h5 hours ago
@zthedges UCONN is in the top 4 & #1 if they get full credit for NYC.

Mountaineer Steve ‏@Mountaineer_Ste 5h5 hours agoIrmo, SC
@theDudeofWV @zthedges Not if BIG12N gets launched and a few P5 programs in a conference without a network bolts.

Christopher Lambert ‏@theDudeofWV 5h5 hours ago
@Mountaineer_Ste @zthedges Exactly. I was going to say that.

Christopher Lambert ‏@theDudeofWV 5h5 hours ago
@Mountaineer_Ste @zthedges I know G5 schools don't want to hear this but the B12 will talk to P12 & ACC schools before G5 schools.

Mountaineer Steve ‏@Mountaineer_Ste 5h5 hours agoIrmo, SC
@theDudeofWV @zthedges ACC vs BIG12, The conference that fails to launch a network won't be around in 10 years

Zach Hedges ‏@zthedges 5h5 hours ago
@Mountaineer_Ste @theDudeofWV some leftover form of it will be, and that conference will be better/more profitable than the AAC.

Mountaineer Steve ‏@Mountaineer_Ste 5h5 hours agoIrmo, SC
@theDudeofWV @zthedges I can't see PAC program leaving for BIG12, but ACC is another story.

Zach Hedges ‏@zthedges 5h5 hours ago
@theDudeofWV @Mountaineer_Ste Doesn't bother me...I assume UC and UConn end up in ACC leftovers in that case. Not B12, but beats AAC...


Ringneck85 ‏@Ringneck85 Mar 3
@MH ver3 assuming all info is correct that would most likely mean FSU, Miami, Clemson, Louisville, Pitt, & Cuse to B12 and no Cincy & Uconn?

MH ver3 ‏@MH ver3 Mar 3
@Ringneck85 no. Cincy and Uconn will be 11 and 12. That needs to happen sooner than ACC issues will come to head

Ringneck85 ‏@Ringneck85 19h19 hours ago
@MH ver3 but fear of being left out can be a terrific motivator. Only so many seats at the table.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

So now they tweet ACC AND Pac 12 Apocalypse scenarios.

 

[GG]

I thought he invented non-key?

Maybe it's time to stop giving space to MH Ver.

He and the Flug have been more accurate than the Dude in the past.

 

[billybud]

The Dude is what he is...he also has been caught making up an alias and conversing with himself.

Once, he quoted a known FSU source who is an aquaintance of mine. I tweeted the aquaintance who tweeted back destroying the Dude's credibility...of course I posted the tweets to the WVU site.

 

[pj]

Who would the B12 raid from the Pac? Colorado who just left the B12 for the Pac?

 

[dayooper]

Who would the B12 raid from the Pac? Colorado who just left the B12 for the Pac?

The Dude says Arizona and Arizona State are options for the Big12. Da Dude of Da UP says, with as much knowledge of the situation as The Dude of WV has, that the Florida Gators and the Georgia Bulldogs are options to the Big10.

 

[Ldandy]

I am always skeptical of the ACC Apocalypse predictions.

Count me as another skeptic. Why would ESPN spend years trying to build up The ACC, only to turn around and destroy it? They sabotaged a viable entity in The Big East specifically to build this current version of the conference. A conference which by the way they now own nearly lock stock and barrel (save for Raycom's stake.) Why would they torpedo it in favor of The Little 12 with its * footprint?

ESPN could easily wait out The Big 12's GOR by not coming through with a network, and then harvest the handful of valuable organs from its lifeless body. UT gets independence and a ND Deal with The ACC. OU and KU get offered SEC Memberships. The rest of the low interest garbage footprint schools? Best of luck in The AAC, MWC or wherever. As they demonstrated with a better conference in The Big East, they don't care about finding homes for those left behind.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

Count me as another skeptic. Why would ESPN spend years trying to build up The ACC, only to turn around and destroy it? They sabotaged a viable entity in The Big East specifically to build this current version of the conference. A conference which by the way they now own nearly lock stock and barrel (save for Raycom's stake.) Why would they torpedo it in favor of The Little 12 with its * footprint?

ESPN could easily wait out The Big 12's GOR by not coming through with a network, and then harvest the handful of valuable organs from its lifeless body. UT gets independence and a ND Deal with The ACC. OU and KU get offered SEC Memberships. The rest of the low interest garbage footprint schools? Best of luck in The AAC, MWC or wherever. As they demonstrated with a better conference in The Big East, they don't care about finding homes for those left behind.

Generally agree.

The issue for ESPN is Fox and which teams are more likely to bolt from the ACC or the XII to Fox's B1G network? For example, from the XII, the B1G looks to be definitely interested in Kansas, possibly Oklahoma (AAU issue) and maybe Texas (if the Long Horns learn how to share). From the ACC, the B1G is very interested in UVA, UNC, and G Tech likely interested in Duke (as a partner for UNC plus AAU/research dollars), maybe Florida St (AAU issue) and possibly V Tech (as an alternate to UVA). Which defections to the B1G/Fox would hurt ESPN the most? The answer will likely determine which conference that ESPN will try to support.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

It isn't a matter of the ACC (or B-12) being safe or facing imminent doom, it is a question of how things end up shaking out as the end game will have the B1G, SEC, Pac-XX and one additional conference representing the power schools.

The two best assets from the ACC/B-12 are both B-12 schools (UT & OU). After that are a number of ACC schools (arguably the next five or six), then another couple of schools from the B-12 with what's left being a whole lot of nothing.

The two schools that the B-12 would most likely prefer from the ACC (FAU & Clemson) really have nowhere else to go as the SEC wouldn't want the redundancy and the B1G would have little use for them. If some other school does agree to leave the ACC for the SEC or B1G, FSU and/or Clemson could easily jump to the B-12 for self preservation. That is what the B-12 is hoping for.

My guess is that this staring contest (which only benefits those that don't really belong in a power conference that do end up in one) will eventually end with some pooling of top assets between the ACC and B-12.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Generally agree.

The issue for ESPN is Fox and which teams are more likely to bolt from the ACC or the XII to Fox's B1G network? For example, from the XII, the B1G looks to be definitely interested in Kansas, possibly Oklahoma (AAU issue) and maybe Texas (if the Long Horns learn how to share). From the ACC, the B1G is very interested in UVA, UNC, and G Tech likely interested in Duke (as a partner for UNC plus AAU/research dollars), maybe Florida St (AAU issue) and possibly V Tech (as an alternate to UVA). Which defections to the B1G/Fox would hurt ESPN the most? The answer will likely determine which conference that ESPN will try to support.

The ACC is not going anywhere, and ACC schools are certainly not going to the Big 12. The only P5 conference in any level of danger is the Big 12, because Oklahoma has already threatened to leave. At the end of the day, I think there will be 5 major conferences for another 10 years or so, and then the marketplace may be so different that it is impossible to predict today.

 

[jostar1]

Tuxedo Yoda‏@TuxedoYoda
Oh boy, Big 12 expansion rumors will reach a whole new level of crazy this weekend.

 

[Seaa Blue]

Tuxedo Yoda‏@TuxedoYoda
Oh boy, Big 12 expansion rumors will reach a whole new level of crazy this weekend.

What did I miss? I've been quite busy for that last 24 hours, so anything is possible I suppose.

 

[dwalks93]

Yesterday I was on the Virginia Tech board and I was amazed to see how many Hokie fans truly believe an ACCN is coming. Assuming this feeling is prevalent across the entire ACC fan bases, it would be a mistake to underestimate the reaction if the ACC is not getting a network. I understand fans do not make policy but they do pressure an AD.

It is no longer the P5 but instead the N3 + P2. If the ACC gets shut out of a network it is not hard to imagine the ACC teams with options looking to the BIG or SEC. The most valuable teams then become the teams attractive to both the SEC/BIG so UNC, UVa and VT become the prime movers. Ironically the ACC football powers (FSU/Clemson) become less targeted due to redundant SEC markets and less competitive BIG academics. I know the traditional Tobacco Road schools are the heart of the ACC but the financial divide and changing ACC culture makes a compiling case for them to explore options.

Under this scenario, the ACC would not cease to exist but it would lose at least a couple of key members. I am not sure a P4 is the absolute final outcome (although it is a very strong possibility). Instead we could have the BIG/SEC/PAC poaching the ACC/Big12 programs they want with the BIG12 and ACC remaining primarily intact and drafting programs out of the G5 to restock.

The ACC would still be a huge step above the AAC but would remain perpetually financially subordinate to the SEC, BIG and PAC. Swofford has made a ton of public promises, and likely private promises, about an ACCN. I don't think it would be unreasonable to expect a backlash if it is does not happen.

 

[CL82]

What did I miss? I've been quite busy for that last 24 hours, so anything is possible I suppose.

Yoda had some free time on his hands so he consulted his source:

 

[jostar1]

Zach Hedges ‏@zthedges · 56m56 minutes ago
@flugempire Is your claim of UC/UConn based on solid info or personal opinion?


Greg Flugaur‏@flugempire
@zthedges

Solid info.

I'm open to being flamed if incorrect.

Tweets on Jan 3rd and Feb 15th tells the story.

No ambiguity on our part

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Yesterday I was on the Virginia Tech board and I was amazed to see how many Hokie fans truly believe an ACCN is coming. Assuming this feeling is prevalent across the entire ACC fan bases, it would be a mistake to underestimate the reaction if the ACC is not getting a network. I understand fans do not make policy but they do pressure an AD.

It is no longer the P5 but instead the N3 + P2. If the ACC gets shut out of a network it is not hard to imagine the ACC teams with options looking to the BIG or SEC. The most valuable teams then become the teams attractive to both the SEC/BIG so UNC, UVa and VT become the prime movers. Ironically the ACC football powers (FSU/Clemson) become less targeted due to redundant SEC markets and less competitive BIG academics. I know the traditional Tobacco Road schools are the heart of the ACC but the financial divide and changing ACC culture makes a compiling case for them to explore options.

Under this scenario, the ACC would not cease to exist but it would lose at least a couple of key members. I am not sure a P4 is the absolute final outcome (although it is a very strong possibility). Instead we could have the BIG/SEC/PAC poaching the ACC/Big12 programs they want with the BIG12 and ACC remaining primarily intact and drafting programs out of the G5 to restock.

The ACC would still be a huge step above the AAC but would remain perpetually financially subordinate to the SEC, BIG and PAC. Swofford has made a ton of public promises, and likely private promises, about an ACCN. I don't think it would be unreasonable to expect a backlash if it is does not happen.

No one is challenging a Grant of Rights, and no one outside of the moonshiners has ever claimed that the GOR was dependent on an ACC Network. Maybe something will happen to the ACC in 2025, but not until then.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

He and the Flug have been more accurate than the Dude in the past.

MH has not been accurate, at least Flug has a history of being somewhat so. He got the MD thing right before it was announced - it's pinned to the top of his account. He also doesn't post specific "I have heard X is going to happen on X date" NEARLY as much as Mh and Dude have. But he's by no means key.

 

[GG]

MH has not been accurate, at least Flug has a history of being somewhat so. He got the MD thing right before it was announced - it's pinned to the top of his account. He also doesn't post specific "I have heard X is going to happen on X date" NEARLY as much as Mh and Dude have. But he's by no means key.

I do not know if he broke it first, but I first read about RU to the Big 10 on MH'S Twitter page.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

I do not know if he broke it first, but I first read about RU to the Big 10 on MH'S Twitter page.

No wasn't him, it was about a settlement between the ACC and MD. He tweeted it here: That's from July 14, 2014 - it wasn't released to the public until early August. That type of correct scoop cannot be found from either Dude, MH, or any of the other twitter rumor-mongers.

 

[GG]

No wasn't him, it was about a settlement between the ACC and MD. He tweeted it here: That's from July 14, 2014 - it wasn't released to the public until early August. That type of correct scoop cannot be found from either Dude, MH, or any of the other twitter rumor-mongers.

I was not referring to Flug, I was referring to MH. Back when RU moved to the Big Ten, I first read it on his Twitter page. I could be misremembering come up but I thought it was him.

 

[dwalks93]

No one is challenging a Grant of Rights, and no one outside of the moonshiners has ever claimed that the GOR was dependent on an ACC Network. Maybe something will happen to the ACC in 2025, but not until then.

Perhaps you are right and no ACC program will challenge the GORs but saying it as an absolute does not make it so....GORs have never been challenged so no one knows what the likely outcome will be. That said, I have yet to see the threat of penalties or lawsuits hold a member in if they are determined to leave. Moreover, generally the settlements have been pennies on the dollar.

A school like UNC, UVa, perhaps even VT has nothing to worry about and can wait till 2025, they will have homes in the SEC/BIG. But what about a program like GT. GT is a fine academic school and a fine athletics program but it only has one conference with a network option, the BIG. Moreover, GT is probably not the BIG's first choice. If GT is offered a spot in the BIG in the next few years perhaps they'll feel compelled to jump while they have an offer.

The moonshiners may have an alternative motivation but some of their assessment of the ACC is valid. If the ACC does not get a network, the ACC likely will lose some programs. The only question is when.

Do you think if BC was offered a spot in the BIG tomorrow they would not jump? Some programs cannot afford to wait. No program is going to allow the threat of a GOR lawsuit to doom them to the G5.

 

[Ldandy]

What did I miss? I've been quite busy for that last 24 hours, so anything is possible I suppose.

LOL. I hope this was said in jest.

 

[don356]

The dude's talk show is the successor to Jethro Bodean's run as a Hollywood director in Beverly Hillbillies. His only problem is it's from his hilltop basement and he has no Uncle Jed or Milburn Drysdale.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

But what about a program like GT. GT is a fine academic school and a fine athletics program but it only has one conference with a network option, the BIG. Moreover, GT is probably not the BIG's first choice. If GT is offered a spot in the BIG in the next few years perhaps they'll feel compelled to jump while they have an offer.

G Tech should be safe. If the ACC stays intact, they will be fine there. If the ACC is fails, G Tech will go to the B1G. They have some football history and a good season or two of hoops; but, the are AAU (big research $$ in STEM), are the 8th largest TV market in the US, the Atlanta market from what I have been told is a huge alumni hub for the B1G (think of all of the OH & MI jobs that have moved to GA). Basically the 'Rutgers' of Atlanta with better sports (both schools are tied at #36 in the US News academic rankings).

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Perhaps you are right and no ACC program will challenge the GORs but saying it as an absolute does not make it so....GORs have never been challenged so no one knows what the likely outcome will be. That said, I have yet to see the threat of penalties or lawsuits hold a member in if they are determined to leave. Moreover, generally the settlements have been pennies on the dollar.

A school like UNC, UVa, perhaps even VT has nothing to worry about and can wait till 2025, they will have homes in the SEC/BIG. But what about a program like GT. GT is a fine academic school and a fine athletics program but it only has one conference with a network option, the BIG. Moreover, GT is probably not the BIG's first choice. If GT is offered a spot in the BIG in the next few years perhaps they'll feel compelled to jump while they have an offer.

The moonshiners may have an alternative motivation but some of their assessment of the ACC is valid. If the ACC does not get a network, the ACC likely will lose some programs. The only question is when.

Do you think if BC was offered a spot in the BIG tomorrow they would not jump? Some programs cannot afford to wait. No program is going to allow the threat of a GOR lawsuit to doom them to the G5.

If it was realistically possible to challenge a GOR, then UConn and Cincinnati would not be in the discussion for the Big 12. No conference or school is going to challenge the GOR.