The ACC has to be terrified right now

[Fishy]

The Big East doesn't even bat an eye when it gets raided these days - we're used to it. Ever see those National Geographic specials where the lions are basically eating a water buffalo alive and it's just sitting there chewing it's food?

That's the Big East...shock has set in - "We just lost Rutgers? Hmm...order new stationary, I guess. Be a dear and Google the MAC conference for me..."

But the ACC, this is new ground for them.

First, kudos to the Miami SID who released a statement to announce that Miami has decided to ban themselves from the post-season bowls this year. They slid that sucker right in after the Maryland story went official...that is how you bury bad news.

Second, this could go really, really poorly for the ACC.

What if the big boys truly decide to end realignment once and for all? The SEC, Big Ten and Big 12 have no choice but to start looking at the ACC like it's a flea market.

One pulls off VaTech and NC State, one pulls off Clemson and Florida State and then the Big Ten takes UNC and Virginia.

In world where Rutgers will now make about $30,000,000 annually, anything is possible.

 

[amory]

meh. if it's gonna happen it's gonna happen. at some point though the conferences really just have to be happy with what they have, I mean in this rampant pursuit of money they're really negatively affecting the product on the field

 

[Tenspro2002]

I can't wait until the realignment settles down and somebody tries to draw a map of who went where.

It's a total clusterf***, arrows all over the place.

 

[Dogdeacon]

But the ACC, this is new ground for them.

Second, this could go really, really poorly for the ACC.

What if the big boys truly decide to end realignment once and for all? The SEC, Big Ten and Big 12 have no choice but to start looking at the ACC like it's a flea market.

One pulls off VaTech and NC State, one pulls off Clemson and Florida State and then the Big Ten takes UNC and Virginia.

That would be just desserts if the ACC gets raided. The #1 argument I have against each instance of conference re-alignment is it eroded ALL brands. Most of us lament the loss of the truly great BE 85-95 'brand'. But equally the ACC which had a very different culture is seeing that die a death of a thousand cuts with the Florida outlaw-style schools and letting in 'Yankees' that no one cares about.

 

[upstater]

The only flea in the ointment to Fishy's hypothesis is Notre Dame and the Big12.

With 4 top conferences, ND is not going to be able to dictate anymore. But the SEC and B10 will be full up. No more members. That leaves the Big12 and Pac to decide what's next.

Even if the ACC collapses, the crazy thing is that you'd still have realignment issues. The Big12 would not be out of the woods in this scenario either since Clemson and FSU only get them up to 12. What does Texas and Oklahoma start thinking when they have to start inviting Louisville and Cincy into the mix to get them to 14? Another Pac-10 raid could be in the works.

 

[amory]

This whole thing reminds me of a game of Risk. Except less fun.

 

[UConn5]

Yea...well as Andy Katz said the fact of the matter is that any time the Big 10 or SEC come calling the schools they target basically cannot afford to say no. Florida State has got to be looking at the BCS standings and thinking that they aren't too happy that their conference schedule has caused them to barely crack the top 10 despite only one loss.

 

[CTBasketball]

Just get me to a conference that has more than 3 ranked basketball teams per year.