Virginia Tech's Babcock talks ACC channel, fan experience, football ticket sales

[Hoophound]

Losing VT will not help the ACC. They have a very strong hold on Virginia and NC, which are the Mid-Atlantic's Crown Jewels. Trading half of the Virginia viewership for Cincinnati isn't even close to helpful. Cincy recruits well right now and that would get better being in a P5 conference. Adding Cincy doesn't do squat in terms of other ACC schools recruiting in Ohio. Most top players in Ohio don't care what Cincy is doing. They always look to play in the B1G or SEC first. Cincy is a great town and a great sports school but it is a blip on the radar in the big picture with Ohio State lurking.

The ACC needs strength in the megalopolis of the northeast, particularly New York, and they need lots of valuable content. They also need to get some state flagships when they can instead of adding one fading private school or second fiddle state school after another. UConn fits that bill. The loss of VT would sting. The ACC is a weak football conference and trading VT for anyone else available is a net loss on that front. Reality is that the ACC is financially weakened and needs to prepare for some losses.

My belief is that ACC should add Cincy and UConn because change is inevitable. The ACC will lose a few schools and by having enough quality programs already in the fold, they could possibly get a network and survive some pillaging. They can also protect themselves against the B12 and B1G taking UConn/Cincy off the table, which would leave them with nowhere to turn. I'll believe the ACC is safe when they have a lucrative deal that is competitive with the other power conferences. Until then, talk that the ACC is strong rings hollow. The ACC and B12 would be wise to prepare for a dual to the death and I believe the conference with the most quality schools locked into a GOR will win that battle. The conferences could probably work out trades if it came down to it and the result benefitted all involved. However, if that were to happen, I'd want to have the most schools to work with.

 

[The Funster]

Wouldn't a whole bunch of VA politicos be pissed if VT wants out of the ACC? There was quite a bit of political capital spent to get VT with UVa in the ACC not too long ago.

 

[upstater]

Wouldn't a whole bunch of VA politicos be pissed if VT wants out of the ACC? There was quite a bit of political capital spent to get VT with UVa in the ACC not too long ago.

The capital was spent on getting VT out of the future AAC.

 

[ramses 2.0]

Wouldn't a whole bunch of VA politicos be pissed if VT wants out of the ACC? There was quite a bit of political capital spent to get VT with UVa in the ACC not too long ago.

Plus VT lobbied for inclusion for over 50 years, so I doubt they look to move anytime soon, but if the ACC starts to implode then all bets are off

 

[FDNY99]

The one thing I don't get about the proposed ACCN is the ACC's deal with Raycom. Until that gets figured out I can't see ESPN doing this thing...the only one who will make good money on this whole deal is Raycom. John Swafford has made some puzzling deals and choices over the past few years...and the Raycom deal stands out at or near the top. The other top one...not taking Rutgers and UCONN in expansion if you have been trying to develop a network for your league.

 

[Dooley]

The other top one...not taking Rutgers and UCONN in expansion if you have been trying to develop a network for your league.

Yup. The Pitt addition came before the BTN began to set the precedent of conference networks so I can kind of, sort of give the ACC a pass on that one. But the Louisville vs UCONN decision was a tremendous oversight for a conference worried about TV revenue. Louisville could have easily been added after an ACCN launched with UCONN. As we all are seeing, the B12 is content at 10 and isn't going to add anyone any time soon.

 

[CL82]

Wouldn't a whole bunch of VA politicos be pissed if VT wants out of the ACC? There was quite a bit of political capital spent to get VT with UVa in the ACC not too long ago.

Don't know but I suspect not. The while point of that political effort was leveraging a moment where votes were needed to prevent from being left in a deminished Big East. This is a different circumstance. I don't see them stopping VPI from bettering itself.

 

[VTinPhilly]

Plus VT lobbied for inclusion for over 50 years, so I doubt they look to move anytime soon, but if the ACC starts to implode then all bets are off

I can't imagine Virginia Tech ever wanting to leave the ACC after what we had to go through to finally gain membership. VT officials have stated repeatedly over the past several years that money isn't everything and Virginia Tech is exactly where we want to be--in the ACC. Duke, UNC, NC State, Wake Forest, Virginia. and Virginia Tech are all Mid-Atlantic schools and IMO do not belong in a Deep South conference (SEC) or in a conference centered in the Midwest (B1G). The six Virginia/North Carolina ACC schools are located within easy driving distance of one another, and as I see it, all are joined at the hip and will fight to keep the conference together.

UConn fans have a lot of anger towards the ACC and I can understand why. Most of you seem to want B1G membership, but I'm hopeful that the ACC is where UConn will eventually end up. While the ACC football championship game belongs in Charlotte, I believe the ACC Basketball Tournament belongs permanently at Madison Square Garden in NYC where it will capture the attention of the entire nation. To do that however, the ACC must have UConn, along with Syracuse, Louisville, Duke, Notre Dame, and North Carolina. Imagine what a Tournament that would be!

 

[Cleanface]

As B1G guy (and hoops school guy), I'd rather imagine a Tournament with;

Indiana
Purdue
Michigan State
Maryland
Ohio State
Michigan
Wiscobiscuits
KANSAS
UCONN

VT & UVA really do nothing for me. I get the markets, the great schools, alumni, etc etc etc blah blah, but IMO we should slam home the NE/NYC with UCONN and add another all-time BBall blue-blood in KU (along with UCONN's modern day blue-blood pedigree).

One of the VA schools along w/ UCONN would be fine too, I guess. But imagining the Jayhawks in the B1G just gets me tingly.

 

[NickyNewark]

As B1G guy (and hoops school guy), I'd rather imagine a Tournament with;

Indiana
Purdue
Michigan State
Maryland
Ohio State
Michigan
Wiscobiscuits
KANSAS
UCONN

VT & UVA really do nothing for me. I get the markets, the great schools, alumni, etc etc etc blah blah, but IMO we should slam home the NE/NYC with UCONN and add another all-time BBall blue-blood in KU (along with UCONN's modern day blue-blood pedigree).

One of the VA schools along w/ UCONN would be fine too, I guess. But imagining the Jayhawks in the B1G just gets me tingly.

As an RU guy I see it like you..our aim and the ACC knew it was to hitch our wagon to the traitional Eastern flagship PSU in the B1G and turn the B1G into a national conference instead of just a quaint midwestern. With an RU/UConn add the ACC had the same opportunity but instead after the results of the B1G's research findings SU got in touch IMO with Swoffy to bail knowing the handwriting with the NYC market was on the wall and it wasnt "them" the B1G wanted but bigger fish esp potential wise after many years of work. Either VT/VA or KU sound's good to me to go along with UConn. BTW when I went to school the midatlantic consistested of 3 states NY/NJ/Pennsy technically though maybe its shifted south a little?

 

[Calamitous]

BTW when I went to school the midatlantic consistested of 3 states NY/NJ/Pennsy technically though maybe its shifted south a little?

IMO, the Mid Atlantic is NY (Hudson River drainage basin to the eastern NY line & maybe Long island), all of NJ, PA (east of the great divide), all of MD, all of DE, the very northeastern part of WVa and VA (the James River drainage basin & east of the great divide + the eastern shore). Basically, if anything flows to the Gulf of Mexico, St. Lawrence Seaway or anywhere south of the Chesapeake Bay, then it's not the Mid-Atlantic. By my assertion, Pitt, WVU and VT are not Mid-Atlantic schools. SU shouldn't be either as everything technically drains to Lake Erie unless the man-made Erie canal counts.

The Adirondacks, Allegheny Mountains and Southside Virginia just don't feel Mid-Atlantic to me.

 

[dayooper]

IMO, the Mid Atlantic is NY (Hudson River drainage basin to the eastern NY line & maybe Long island), all of NJ, PA (east of the great divide), all of MD, all of DE, the very northeastern part of WVa and VA (the James River drainage basin & east of the great divide + the eastern shore). Basically, if anything flows to the Gulf of Mexico, St. Lawrence Seaway or anywhere south of the Chesapeake Bay, then it's not the Mid-Atlantic.

The Adirondacks, Allegheny Mountains and Southside Virginia just don't feel Mid-Atlantic to me.

I can agree with most of this. There is no way, IMO, that Pittsburg is Mid-Atlantic. Pittsburg is Midwestern. Too much like the Mistake by the Lake (Cleveland).

 

[upstater]

IMO, the Mid Atlantic is NY (Hudson River drainage basin to the eastern NY line & maybe Long island), all of NJ, PA (east of the great divide), all of MD, all of DE, the very northeastern part of WVa and VA (the James River drainage basin & east of the great divide + the eastern shore). Basically, if anything flows to the Gulf of Mexico, St. Lawrence Seaway or anywhere south of the Chesapeake Bay, then it's not the Mid-Atlantic. By my assertion, Pitt, WVU and VT are not Mid-Atlantic schools. SU shouldn't be either as everything technically drains to Lake Erie unless the man-made Erie canal counts.

The Adirondacks, Allegheny Mountains and Southside Virginia just don't feel Mid-Atlantic to me.

I've lived in Ann Arbor and upstate NY include WNY, and I grew up in the northeast before that.

WNY (specifically Buffalo) is so much more like the northeast than it is the Midwest. I just can't ever see how this argument is made. People in these parts of NY act as brash as people in Philly or New York City. There are a huge number of Italians here and Catholics. This is probably one of the most Catholic cities I've ever lived in (NYC, Boston, etc.).

In the midwest, people are really polite, punctual. They have their flaws of course, which I don't need to go into.

 

[CL82]

I can't imagine Virginia Tech ever wanting to leave the ACC after what we had to go through to finally gain membership. VT officials have stated repeatedly over the past several years that money isn't everything and Virginia Tech is exactly where we want to be--in the ACC. Duke, UNC, NC State, Wake Forest, Virginia. and Virginia Tech are all Mid-Atlantic schools and IMO do not belong in a Deep South conference (SEC) or in a conference centered in the Midwest (B1G). The six Virginia/North Carolina ACC schools are located within easy driving distance of one another, and as I see it, all are joined at the hip and will fight to keep the conference together.

UConn fans have a lot of anger towards the ACC and I can understand why. Most of you seem to want B1G membership, but I'm hopeful that the ACC is where UConn will eventually end up. While the ACC football championship game belongs in Charlotte, I believe the ACC Basketball Tournament belongs permanently at Madison Square Garden in NYC where it will capture the attention of the entire nation. To do that however, the ACC must have UConn, along with Syracuse, Louisville, Duke, Notre Dame, and North Carolina. Imagine what a Tournament that would be!

Well this UConn fan has no anger toward the ACC. Now some the programs I don't particularly care for (cough, cough, Syracuse, BC, cough) but the conference itself...meh. I just happen to think that the B1G is a much more stable place to be. Having lived with being in a conference with schools with very different goals, going into a situation with an odd conglomeration of privates and publics with ND firmly attached as a parasite isn't particularly attractive...been there, done that.

That said were the ACC to extend an invitation, I'd be grateful. A leaky lifeboat is preferable to a sinking ship.

 

[CL82]

I've lived in Ann Arbor and upstate NY include WNY, and I grew up in the northeast before that.

WNY (specifically Buffalo) is so much more like the northeast than it is the Midwest. I just can't ever see how this argument is made. People in these parts of NY act as brash as people in Philly or New York City. There are a huge number of Italians here and Catholics. This is probably one of the most Catholic cities I've ever lived in (NYC, Boston, etc.).

In the midwest, people are really polite, punctual. They have their flaws of course, which I don't need to go into.

Oh well if there are Italians and Catholics...

 

[Calamitous]

I've lived in Ann Arbor and upstate NY include WNY, and I grew up in the northeast before that.

WNY (specifically Buffalo) is so much more like the northeast than it is the Midwest. I just can't ever see how this argument is made. People in these parts of NY act as brash as people in Philly or New York City. There are a huge number of Italians here and Catholics. This is probably one of the most Catholic cities I've ever lived in (NYC, Boston, etc.).

In the midwest, people are really polite, punctual. They have their flaws of course, which I don't need to go into.

Clevelanders act like Northeasterners more than Midwesterners too. That said, I don't lump Buffalo as Mid-Atlantic as much as a Northern or Northeast city. There is a big difference between Buffalo and a place like Trenton. Much colder and harsher winters and hammered by lake effect snows off of Lake Erie. Same with a place like Bristol VA that is more associated with the Tennessee Valley than the Chesapeake Bay. I guess I look at this more geographically than culturally, but an argument can be made for both.

 

[upstater]

Clevelanders act like Northeasterners more than Midwesterners too. That said, I don't lump Buffalo as Mid-Atlantic as much as a Northern or Northeast city. There is a big difference between Buffalo and a place like Trenton. Much colder and harsher winters and hammered by lake effect snows off of Lake Erie. Same with a place like Bristol VA that is more associated with the Tennessee Valley than the Chesapeake Bay. I guess I look at this more geographically than culturally, but an argument can be made for both.

South Buffalo gets hammered. But not the city. We get less snow and have more sun than many other places in the northeast. South of Buffalo = Lake effect, which rarely hits Buffao. Maybe once every 5 years.

 

[upstater]

Oh well if there are Italians and Catholics...

As opposed to the German and Conservative/Protestant midwest? Huge difference.

 

[Calamitous]

South Buffalo gets hammered. But not the city. We get less snow and have more sun than many other places in the northeast. South of Buffalo = Lake effect, which rarely hits Buffao. Maybe once every 5 years.

Makes sense when looking at a map. The winds go northwest to southeast across the lake and Buffalo is to the east. I guess Oswego gets hammered with lake effect versus a place like Watertown.

 

[upstater]

Makes sense when looking at a map. The winds go northwest to southeast across the lake and Buffalo is to the east. I guess Oswego gets hammered with lake effect versus a place like Watertown.

Here are a couple good pictures when L.E. actually clipped the harbor and part of downtown. North side is in sunshine, no clouds. South side is behind a curtain of white. When you get hit, it's majestic. Last time here in the city was 2007. Brutal.

 

[Calamitous]

Here are a couple good pictures when L.E. actually clipped the harbor and part of downtown. North side is in sunshine, no clouds. South side is behind a curtain of white. When you get hit, it's majestic. Last time here in the city was 2007. Brutal.

The Great Lakes has some very strange weather. I've heard some say there is "thunder fog" on the larger lakes in the summer. And the fog alone is impressive. Then there's lake effect snow where it's a white-out but 5 miles away it's sunny. Sorry to get off track on CR talk... but the weather up there fascinates me.

 

[Hoophound]

Here are a couple good pictures when L.E. actually clipped the harbor and part of downtown. North side is in sunshine, no clouds. South side is behind a curtain of white. When you get hit, it's majestic. Last time here in the city was 2007. Brutal.

That is really cool. I had no idea it looked like that.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

I've lived in Ann Arbor and upstate NY include WNY, and I grew up in the northeast before that.

WNY (specifically Buffalo) is so much more like the northeast than it is the Midwest. I just can't ever see how this argument is made. People in these parts of NY act as brash as people in Philly or New York City. There are a huge number of Italians here and Catholics. This is probably one of the most Catholic cities I've ever lived in (NYC, Boston, etc.).

In the midwest, people are really polite, punctual. They have their flaws of course, which I don't need to go into.

Are you trying to say Italians and Catholics are brash.
Not very PC

 

[upstater]

Are you trying to say Italians and Catholics are brash.
Not very PC

I get to say things like that.

They are a lot more lively and direct than the midwesterners I've met.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

I get to say things like that.

They are a lot more lively and direct than the midwesterners I've met.

I was only messing with you.
But I give you an A for quick recovery.

 

[Ldandy]

Makes sense when looking at a map. The winds go northwest to southeast across the lake and Buffalo is to the east. I guess Oswego gets hammered with lake effect versus a place like Watertown.

LOL I hope this is sarcasm. Have you ever been to Watertown? A foot of snow is considered a dusting.

 

[Calamitous]

LOL I hope this is sarcasm. Have you ever been to Watertown? A foot of snow is considered a dusting.

Just in the summer. Not crazy enough to go there in the winter

 

[upstater]

Watch this video: Lake Effect

 

[huskypantz]

That's some cool stuff. Literally.

 

[huskypantz]

Appropriate thread with parts of Buffalo under up to 6 feet of snow. I remember getting back-to-back snow storms with 1 1/2 feet each time and we had nowhere to put the snow. 6 ft? Forget it.