The ACC move

[nelsonmuntz]

I think most people on this board are pretty optimistic about the events of the coming week. By most accounts, UConn will be the first and possibly only call to replace Maryland. While this gets UConn out of a Big East conference that is increasingly unattractive, I am not that excited about the ACC.

I miss the NBE. Cincinnati, USF and Louisville are easy programs to root for. They play interesting football (at least prior to Skip's arrival), they have great fans, and they seemed genuinely excited about the Big East. UConn won't find a rival like Rutgers in the new league. I don't think I will ever get as excited about a fellow conference member's game as I was for WVU against Georgia in early 2006. I will miss the catholic schools. Georgetown, St. Johns, Villanova and Providence have been great rivals for UConn, and there has been some epic battles with those schools.

Florida State and Clemson are open contemptuous of most of the league despite a long track record of mediocrity by both programs. Virginia Tech has an aging coach. The rest of the league plays in various levels of mediocrity. The league contains several schools that have stabbed UConn in the back before, and wouldn't hesitate to do so again. I don't even like the OBE schools like Miami, BCU, Syracuse and Pitt, and other than Pitt, I don't care if UConn never plays these programs again.

This feels like marrying a woman that is not that attractive, a little out of shape, parties too hard, will likely cheat on me, and is bitchy. But her dad has money so at least we won't be poor.

And that is where we are. UConn doesn't have a choice, it has to go to the ACC if it gets invited. But if UConn is lucky enough to get that invitation, I am going to miss the NBE. This outcome is more bitter than sweet.

 

[Adios]

You're not alone but this is the natural progression of modern collegiate athletics. It is all a cutthroat business in the end.

Personally, I have nothing against Rutgers going. They've paid their dues over multiple generations. Congrats to Rutgers fans. About time you got somewhere. Just remember, it was really Harvard and McGill who got gridiron football going in 1874!

 

[CAHUSKY]

Please. Give me Pitt, cuse and bc all day. Unc, duke, FSU, etc is just gravy.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

You're not alone but this is the natural progression of modern collegiate athletics. It is all a cutthroat business in the end.

Personally, I have nothing against Rutgers going. They've paid their dues over multiple generations. Congrats to Rutgers fans. About time you got somewhere. Just remember, it was really Harvard and McGill who got gridiron football going in 1874!

The worst part of it is that this whole situation, where UConn's athletic program is hanging in the balance, dependent on an invitation to a league that many of us are not that excited about, is because of one man's greed. The ACC and the Big East should have merged long ago, and the member schools would have been much better off. Then, the ACC should have merged into the Big East 2 years ago, if only to break their lousy long-term TV deal. But Swofford holding the reins was more important than doing what was best for the member schools. Now, that TV deal is locked in for the next 15 years, which makes the ACC the new Big East, vulnerable to raids from other leagues because it has a below market TV deal.

And this is the situation I am praying that UConn gets to become part of, because whichever of UConn, Louisville, Cincinnati and USF gets left behind, is going to be in a world of hurt.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

I absolutely loved the 8 team football and 16 team basketball Big East, but once Syracuse, Pitt and West Virginia left, much of my enthusiasm for the league did too. I had even convinced myself to get excited for this new rendition, but without Rutgers it's going to be very hard to get excited for UConn football anymore.

I'm so sick of this ordeal. I'll be refreshing the Boneyard non-stop until I see an official invite from the ACC.

 

[CAHUSKY]

[quote="ConnHuskBask, post: 396772, member: 632"

I'm so sick of this ordeal. I'll be refreshing the Boneyard non-stop until I see an official invite from the ACC.[/quote]

Been doing that since Pitt and cuse left

 

[Adios]

The worst part of it is that this whole situation, where UConn's athletic program is hanging in the balance, dependent on an invitation to a league that many of us are not that excited about, is because of one man's greed. The ACC and the Big East should have merged long ago, and the member schools would have been much better off. Then, the ACC should have merged into the Big East 2 years ago, if only to break their lousy long-term TV deal. But Swofford holding the reins was more important than doing what was best for the member schools. Now, that TV deal is locked in for the next 15 years, which makes the ACC the new Big East, vulnerable to raids from other leagues because it has a below market TV deal.

And this is the situation I am praying that UConn gets to become part of, because whichever of UConn, Louisville, Cincinnati and USF gets left behind, is going to be in a world of hurt.

Every FBS program in existence has gone or is going through the wringer. The powers that be know better than us what to do. We're new kids on the block (hate the musical group). For us to even be considered by the ACC is a gift that came very quickly. Calhoun and Auriemma have a huge part in the perception of our school. Would you prefer to be in UMass' situation? Or URI's? It is amazing that we might be in a "power conference" earlier than Louisville. This was the first attempt at a "super conference". It lead to the formation of Big East football.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metro_Conference

 

[Fishy]

First, I can't say I'm optimistic.

I've been optimistic in the past, not so much about UConn getting an invite somewhere, but in events falling in such a way where the Big East would not be gutted. Without fail, that optimism was purely misplaced - as such, I am out of the optimism business. If my luck holds, Maryland turns down the Big Ten and peace reigns throughout the land...and we die alone in the Really New New Big East.

However, in your scenario, UConn goes to the ACC....

I won't miss the New Big East. Louisville, Cincy and South Florida were just schools we happened to end up in the lifeboat with after the first raid. I'd like them to land on their feet and I suspect one or two of them might. South Florida won't. But past that, they are just names to me.

I would definitely miss the 'old' Big East in basketball. Georgetown, Nova, PC and St. John's - we'll basically never have those sort of rivalries again. Even Syracuse and Pitt would be strange - stakes would seem different.

I can't see ever actually caring about the ACC, though. Syracuse fans are so eager to assimilate that they are practically acting like founding members of a conference they're not even in yet - I actively dislike almost every ACC school and that would not change. There's no circumstance where I would root for UNC to win an out of conference game like I might with Syracuse or Pitt or Providence or whoever from the (current) Big East.

As for Rutgers, eh. There's no real heat to that rivalry - Boston College would be more of a hatefest from the word go.

 

[EricLA]

I'm not sure that the ACC will ever be one of the premier football conferences - in fact, I'd go so far as to say in a realigned world if RU and MD go to the Big10, and UCONN to the ACC, the ACC would be the 5th best conference of the 5 major ones. In fact, at this point, the only 2 teams who are ANY good in the ACC are FSU and Clemson.

They are ranked 10 and 11 vs. the NBE of L'ville and RU at 18 and 20. I'd say Cinci at 7-3 actually looks better than ANY of the other 10 programs in the ACC.

STILL, the ACC would be miles better than the NBE. I'd be thrilled to be part of the ACC. Just my $.02 FWIW, which obviously ain't much!!

 

[obliterata]

I'm a long time Big East fan, it's sad what's happened/happening to the conference. Being a Syracuse fan too, it's a disgrace that the university wanted to abandon ship years ago and now has for the conference that has always been the enemy of northeastern schools even prior to the formation of the BE.

If all the schools would've stuck together everything would've been alright. In the short term maybe the ACC would've made more money but long term I don't think that necessarily would've been the case. If the Big East stayed put (and the Big12 too) it would've been interesting to see who the ACC chose as new members in order to renegotiate their TV contract --- they had no good moves to make. Oh well, we'll never know.

And it's a shame ESPN screwed the Big East.....

I'll never ever root for the ACC, as far as I'm concerned SU (and Pitt) will never be a member.

Go Huskies
Go Orange
Go Big East

 

[CTMike]

This all would have happened (the conference realignment) regardless. No one team has said "MWAHHAHAHA I WILL DELIGHT IN STABBING UCONN IN THE HEART!"... it's not some conspiracy against us. Everyone has been looking out for themselves, which... is what institutions always do.

If we end up in the ACC... good riddance to the NNBE. So many more matchups in the ACC that are interesting.

 

[Greenback]

We must beat Louisville. I hope these crappy coaches realize how important this game is.

 

[Excalibur]

It's about survival. I may not be thrilled, but it's better than the alternative.


I'm not optimistic. For some reason, ND becoming an all-sports member scares me more than any of the ACC's other alternatives.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

This all would have happened (the conference realignment) regardless. No one team has said "MWAHHAHAHA I WILL DELIGHT IN STABBING UCONN IN THE HEART!"... it's not some conspiracy against us. Everyone has been looking out for themselves, which... is what institutions always do.

If we end up in the ACC... good riddance to the NNBE. So many more matchups in the ACC that are interesting.

Actually, you are wrong. It was very personal for the schools that left. Because each ACC raid of the Big East was predicated on the fact that by taking 2 or 3 teams, the ACC could put the Big East out of business, essentially destroying the league and the athletic programs within it. Every time the ACC would grab a BCU or Syracuse, they would go running back to ESPN and ask, with their tail wagging, "will you give us credit for the Northeast now?" The point of those raids was to make UConn a mid-major. Do you really think that Syracuse and Pitt are valuable athletic programs in their own right?

If the 9 football (with TCU) and 8 hoops schools had stuck together, the league would have already signed a contract worth at least what the ACC is making. That Big East was better on the field, on the court and in the ratings than the ACC.

Or, the ACC could have gone to the Big East and said "we have this crappy long-term TV deal, why don't we merge into your league so we can get out of that deal and all make a lot of money?" But they didn't do that, probably because Swofford may not have survived that process. They convinced Pitt and Syracuse to stab everyone else in the back, which caused the Big East to ultimately unravel but didn't really help the ACC's with their below-market, long-term TV deal. The current solution is the worst of all worlds. The Big East is gone, never having gotten its big TV deal that it was due. The left-behinds are relegated to permanent mid-major status, and the ACC STILL has a crappy TV deal, making it incredibly vulnerable.

Just because their are worse outcomes does not mean UConn going to this configuration of the ACC is a good one. It is just UConn trying to make the best of a bad situation, which will continue to be bad into the future.

 

[BlueMAB]

We must beat Louisville. I hope these crappy coaches realize how important this game is.

What happens on the field hasn't been important. Unless you think UConn's winning record over Pitt/Cuse the past 6+/- years is what got them invites to the ACC first.

Cincy/Ville have been the most succesful big east teams after WVU and they may be less likely to get an invite somewhere than UConn.

 

[SubbaBub]

As far as rivalries go, BCU is worth about 8 Rutgirls. Syracuse about 5.

Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk 2

 

[husky91]

I'd say the BE screwed the BE, not ESPN. BE leadership in hindsight very naive and borderline stupid. Built league all Bball while speculation even 15 years ago Super conferences would be future built around fball. BE could have gone all sports in late 90s and possibly even become the ACC in a sense.

I'm a long time Big East fan, it's sad what's happened/happening to the conference. Being a Syracuse fan too, it's a disgrace that the university wanted to abandon ship years ago and now has for the conference that has always been the enemy of northeastern schools even prior to the formation of the BE.

If all the schools would've stuck together everything would've been alright. In the short term maybe the ACC would've made more money but long term I don't think that necessarily would've been the case. If the Big East stayed put (and the Big12 too) it would've been interesting to see who the ACC chose as new members in order to renegotiate their TV contract --- they had no good moves to make. Oh well, we'll never know.

And it's a shame ESPN screwed the Big East.....

I'll never ever root for the ACC, as far as I'm concerned SU (and Pitt) will never be a member.

Go Huskies
Go Orange
Go Big East

 

[ZooCougar]

I'd say the BE screwed the BE, not ESPN. BE leadership in hindsight very naive and borderline stupid. Built league all Bball while speculation even 15 years ago Super conferences would be future built around fball. BE could have gone all sports in late 90s and possibly even become the ACC in a sense.

This. The BE laid the groundwork for its destruction well over ten years ago. They cobbled together a bunch of eastern independents and just expected everything to be fine. The combination of bad design (hybrid conference) and terrible management was insurmountable.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

This. The BE laid the groundwork for its destruction well over ten years ago. They cobbled together a bunch of eastern independents and just expected everything to be fine. The combination of bad design (hybrid conference) and terrible management was insurmountable.

If the Big East was a failure, other leagues would not have taken ALL the original Big East schools. The other leagues would have taken none of them.

 

[ZooCougar]

If the Big East was a failure, other leagues would not have taken ALL the original Big East schools. The other leagues would have taken none of them.

That is some jacked up logic right there. You will literally make anything. If the Big East were success, it would be stable and prosperous. Don't confuse stability with a lack of success.

 

[CTMike]

Actually, you are wrong. It was very personal for the schools that left. Because each ACC raid of the Big East was predicated on the fact that by taking 2 or 3 teams, the ACC could put the Big East out of business, essentially destroying the league and the athletic programs within it. Every time the ACC would grab a BCU or Syracuse, they would go running back to ESPN and ask, with their tail wagging, "will you give us credit for the Northeast now?" The point of those raids was to make UConn a mid-major. Do you really think that Syracuse and Pitt are valuable athletic programs in their own right?

If the 9 football (with TCU) and 8 hoops schools had stuck together, the league would have already signed a contract worth at least what the ACC is making. That Big East was better on the field, on the court and in the ratings than the ACC.

Or, the ACC could have gone to the Big East and said "we have this crappy long-term TV deal, why don't we merge into your league so we can get out of that deal and all make a lot of money?" But they didn't do that, probably because Swofford may not have survived that process. They convinced Pitt and Syracuse to stab everyone else in the back, which caused the Big East to ultimately unravel but didn't really help the ACC's with their below-market, long-term TV deal. The current solution is the worst of all worlds. The Big East is gone, never having gotten its big TV deal that it was due. The left-behinds are relegated to permanent mid-major status, and the ACC STILL has a crappy TV deal, making it incredibly vulnerable.

Just because their are worse outcomes does not mean UConn going to this configuration of the ACC is a good one. It is just UConn trying to make the best of a bad situation, which will continue to be bad into the future.

I know that you believe I'm wrong, because you choose to believe this was a carefully orchestrated plot against UConn with ESPN pulling the strings of our demise.

I choose to believe that schools have generally acted rationally and in their own interests. Sucks that UConn hasn't been able to escape yet, but that's on prior school and conference administrations.

Actually, I will correct my previous statement and say that BC eventually made it very, very personal- but the initial thought to leave was logical.

 

[coachcap]

1. Very sad that it's come to this, but keeping fingers crossed that, once The Terps & Scarlet are offered & grab their brass rings, UConn is thrown a life preserver. Have had ongoing conversations with relatives who migrated years ago from Ct. to North Carolina. They've been adamant that UConn would make a great ACC addition & are keeping their fingers crossed. I have countered that it never should have come to this. First, when rumors of the Kansas schools were working the back channels to join the Big East started, I mentioned to them that adding the 4 North Carolina schools would make the BE the undisputed best hoops conference & a very good football league. The the Big 12 stabilized.
2. Once the Big-12 added WVU & TCU, was holding out a faint hope that they'd get back to 12 by adding UConn & Rutgers, both for an NYC presence & as a eastern division rival for WVU. Nope.
3. UConn getting an invite an invite to the ACC, while necessary for the school' s athletic survival, I feel will be eating fruit from the poisonous tree. All signs point to 4x16 team superconferences & the ACC is sitting at #5. When all is said & done, FSU, Clemson, UNC, Miami, NCSt., & the Virginia Schools could all end up elsewhere & UConn could again be on the outside looking in. Rutgers purportedly is being thrown the life rope that insures athletic survival, a life rope that (it's no secret) I've fervently wished would be thrown in UConn's direction.

It seems that, in it's history, UConn has had a rabbit's foot in its pocket. When UMass seceded from the Yankee Conference to join the Eastern-8, UConn & the other New England state universities were left with out a home. The Big East was being formed: Holy Cross declined membership & Dave Gavitt cajoled St. John's, BC, & Syracuse to offer an invitation to UConn. Later, when the Big East football conference was formed, it offered upgrade invitations to both UConn & Villanova. Lou Perkins, over time, got the football team on the road to the upgrade. Then the first ACC rape occurred, & UConn was added to the conference a year earlier than expected. In the last decade this team has come much farther along than anyone (except the University & its fans) dreamed possible. (This opinion was even voiced to me recently by a high ranking ESPN executive who shall remain anonymous). Now I hope that this rabbit's foot has a little more magic left in it. The ACC looks like it will be UConn's lifeboat to athletic survival. It's a boat with rotten timbers, but it's still floating.

 

[RS9999X]

The band gets to play Deacon Blues 3x a year in the ACC. That's the upside.

Sent from my Lumia 920 via Windows 8. Now bite me Apple Droids.

 

[Waquoit]

I can't see ever actually caring about the ACC, though. ... I actively dislike almost every ACC school and that would not change. There's no circumstance where I would root for UNC to win an out of conference game like I might with Syracuse or Pitt or Providence or whoever from the (current) Big East.

My thoughts exactly. I hate the ACC. The only way I'd go to the ACC tournament is if it was held at the XL Center.

 

[ZooCougar]

My thoughts exactly. I hate the ACC. The only way I'd go to the ACC tournament is if it was held at the XL Center.

You'll get over it.