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Message: [QUOTE="billybud, post: 1199492, member: 3850"] Pitt was brought in with the Duke, UNC lobby.... Mr. Conehead is exactly right...a football power, already fighting the public perception of how weak the ACC football schedule is, did not particularly want another northeastern basketball first school. The ACC had, at the time, a political split with UNC-Duke pretty much running the show but with some other schools chafing at the UNC-Duke centeredness. Clemson, Miami, VT and GT joined with FSU and lobbied for a more balanced program regarding football. Louisville was acceptable to the basketball oriented Duke and UNC. It was nothing personal regarding UConn (as it is with BC), it was a business need to bolster the football side of the board. ESPN (with 80% of contract money generated by football) offered the input that it was better football matches that would allow for more media money. And, at the time, the football programs of the ACC were concerned about losing their seat at the BCS (and talked about P5) table. ESPN overcame Duke-UNC when they presented to Swofford that increased monies depended on football matches. The ACC brass had projections for each potential addition. And football was the driver. [I]"For example, in this latest contract with ESPN, 80 percent of it is generated by football," [/I][URL='http://www.tigernet.com/view/story.do?id=10621'][I]Phillips told TigerNet.com[/I][/URL][I]. "As good as basketball has been in the ACC, it is very evident just through this contract that the football has to be very, very relevant."[/I] [/QUOTE]

Verification: First name of men's bb coach