Nonsense. It isn't. The conference is one aspect of the situation for an AD. Who is the President? What are the facilities like? Who are your coaches? Does the school have any brand equity? What are your revenues? What kind of history do you have?
VT is a mediocre school, with no athletic history to speak of except a good run from Frank Beamer, who is 67 and won't be around long . The brand is zilch. It's probably the least appealing school in the ACC. It is less appealing than any school in the B1G or SEC. Maybe Washington State would be worse in the Pac. UConn is much more recognizable nationally as a brand. I would be shocked if Warde left UConn for VT. I could see the Cinci AD (also on the list) making the jump however. Warde will hold out for a B1G job, that's his part of the country and where he wants to be.