ACC Expansion

[Southpawmac]

None. ACC is too big as it is. Even if ND joins, we should stay at 15 and go divisionless. We don’t play eachother enough.

They would never stay at 15. They would go to 16 and do four, four team pods. Schedule would be similar to the NFL. Play your pod, another pod, and the teams in the other two pods that finished in the same position at the end of last year. Then the pod you played would rotate every year. You see every team at least once every three years. Top two regardless of pod would play for the championship.

As for the 16th team, I think Cincinnati is the most likely.

 

[orientalnc]

Cincinnati is interesting. Has ND ever played them in football? Yes, once. In 1900.

Needless to say, this is not a natural rivalry with any ACC team.

 

[JacketOff]

They would never stay at 15. They would go to 16 and do four, four team pods. Schedule would be similar to the NFL. Play your pod, another pod, and the teams in the other two pods that finished in the same position at the end of last year. Then the pod you played would rotate every year. You see every team at least once every three years. Top two regardless of pod would play for the championship.

As for the 16th team, I think Cincinnati is the most likely.

Sounds great on paper, but there’s no way that a traditional “top 2” championship game could work in a 16 team pod system. Too great of a chance that teams have the same record without a head-to-head tiebreaker. Going division-less or 2 divisions is the only way you can have a traditional championship game with 16 teams. Plus, there’s no way the top teams would agree on a record based scheduling system. There’s no incentive for them, and it only punishes them for being good.

My schedule resolution for 16 teams is an 8 game conference schedule, 1 permanent rival, 7 rotating games. Play every team every other year, and a 4 year senior will play every team at home and on the road.

 

[DvilleJacket]

West Virginia just because being in the big 12 makes no sense.

 

[stech81]

Point blank none of this teams bring anything to the ACC,

 

[georgytech]

I'd like to drop Pitt, Syracuse, Boston College, Louisville..
That would leave 10 teams & each league member could be played then. Leaves 3 games for old rivals as in Tech's case UGA , Auburn, Tennessee or Alabama.

Drop to those 10 & add Tulane & Georgia Southern .
Then you could have 2 divisions of 6 teams each. Fun to think about.
I still miss the old SWC & the old Big 8 from way back when

 

[GT_EE78]

I'd like to drop Pitt, Syracuse, Boston College, Louisville..
That would leave 10 teams & each league member could be played then. Leaves 3 games for old rivals as in Tech's case UGA , Auburn, Tennessee or Alabama.

Drop to those 10 & add Tulane & Georgia Southern .
Then you could have 2 divisions of 6 teams each. Fun to think about.
I still miss the old SWC & the old Big 8 from way back when

i like that. Even better to eliminate all OOC games and expand the playoff field to 32 teams.

 

[orientalnc]

I'd like to drop Pitt, Syracuse, Boston College, Louisville..
That would leave 10 teams & each league member could be played then. Leaves 3 games for old rivals as in Tech's case UGA , Auburn, Tennessee or Alabama.

Drop to those 10 & add Tulane & Georgia Southern .
Then you could have 2 divisions of 6 teams each. Fun to think about.
I still miss the old SWC & the old Big 8 from way back when

You can forget dropping teams. That will not happen. There is too much TV money at stake.

 

[Southpawmac]

Cincinnati is interesting. Has ND ever played them in football? Yes, once. In 1900.

Needless to say, this is not a natural rivalry with any ACC team.

Natural rivalry is probably one of the last things conferences consider when expanding. Maryland to the Big 10 and WVU to the Big 12 as prime examples. It’s all about the TV market. Cincinnati adds a different market that the ACC doesn’t currently have. UCF is in Florida where the ACC already has two teams, ECU doesn’t add anything with all the NC schools we already have, and USC and Vandy won’t leave the SEC. West Virginia is the only team on the list that’s a possibility.

 

[orientalnc]

Natural rivalry is probably one of the last things conferences consider when expanding. Maryland to the Big 10 and WVU to the Big 12 as prime examples. It’s all about the TV market. Cincinnati adds a different market that the ACC doesn’t currently have. UCF is in Florida where the ACC already has two teams, ECU doesn’t add anything with all the NC schools we already have, and USC and Vandy won’t leave the SEC. West Virginia is the only team on the list that’s a possibility.

If Cincinnati were in NC they would have the 3rd largest TV market. And would just miss being the 5th largest. They are one spot above Asheville/Greenville/Spartanburg and not too far above Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point. That will not be the reason they are invited to join the ACC.

 

[Southpawmac]

If Cincinnati were in NC they would have the 3rd largest TV market. And would just miss being the 5th largest. They are one spot above Asheville/Greenville/Spartanburg and not too far above Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point. That will not be the reason they are invited to join the ACC.

Cincinnati is ranked #37 in the US TV market rankings. That’s higher than Austin, Las Vegas, Oklahoma City, Jacksonville. Sure UCF/Orlando is higher and cities in NC are close, but the ACC footprint is already established in those states. Cincinnati would add a new area to the ACC footprint and provide a closer place for coaches to get recruits from Ohio to see them play. Cincinnati also has a decent basketball program, which lines up with the ACC. Mute point though as ND won’t be joining anytime soon.

 

[slugboy]

UCLA or Stanford would be perfect. They’re even on a coast—just not the Atlantic.

I’ve got friends who are WVU fans. I can’t believe that Louisville got in the ACC. The ideal fit for the school presidents is academics + decent athletics. None of the schools mentioned fit both, but I really don’t see them voting for WVU.

I see a vote for WVU before either UCF or East Carolina.

Vandy has the academics, but they can’t really afford to leave the SEC, which has a grant of rights through 2034. That rules South Carolina out, too.

UConn is basically dead in football terms, but would bring in the basketball votes.

TCU, Baylor, and Houston are interesting Texas options. TCU has the same WVU issue.

I’m sure that Notre Dame has a school they’d like (possibly Navy) and they’d want to come in as a pair.

 

[Deleted member 2897]

Cincinnati would add a new area to the ACC footprint and provide a closer place for coaches to get recruits from Ohio to see them play. Cincinnati also has a decent basketball program, which lines up with the ACC. Mute point though as ND won’t be joining anytime soon.

I hope it’s a mute point, I don’t ever want to hear anybody talk about Cincinnati being considered for an ACC spot again.

 

[joehamiltonfan14]

UCLA or Stanford would be perfect. They’re even on a coast—just not the Atlantic.

I’ve got friends who are WVU fans. I can’t believe that Louisville got in the ACC. The ideal fit for the school presidents is academics + decent athletics. None of the schools mentioned fit both, but I really don’t see them voting for WVU.

I see a vote for WVU before either UCF or East Carolina.

Vandy has the academics, but they can’t really afford to leave the SEC, which has a grant of rights through 2034. That rules South Carolina out, too.

UConn is basically dead in football terms, but would bring in the basketball votes.

TCU, Baylor, and Houston are interesting Texas options. TCU has the same WVU issue.

I’m sure that Notre Dame has a school they’d like (possibly Navy) and they’d want to come in as a pair.

Louisville was a panic addition, right after Maryland left. There were questions about the future of the conference. They're a misfit though.

 

[GoJacketsInRaleigh]

Texas and break up the Big 12 or nobody

 

[brian22]

Would Miami and Florida State allow UCF in?

 

[BCJacket]

Of these, Vandy. UCF, WV, USCe, ECU don't do anything expand the ACC media market, which doesn't bring GT more $$.

Tulane would be my choice. Expands our media coverage area. If they were in the ACC they could probably restart their annual game with LSU; add another SEC-ACC rivalry game. Good academics. Most importantly, we might get a bi-annual excuse to travel to NOLA! Would require them making a commitment to invest in athletics to come up to ACC standards. Probably not realistic.

Houston would also be potentially interesting. (Assuming the ACC couldn't poach tOSU out of the B1G...)

 

[JacketOff]

Of these, Vandy. UCF, WV, USCe, ECU don't do anything expand the ACC media market, which doesn't bring GT more $$.

Tulane would be my choice. Expands our media coverage area. If they were in the ACC they could probably restart their annual game with LSU; add another SEC-ACC rivalry game. Good academics. Most importantly, we might get a bi-annual excuse to travel to NOLA! Would require them making a commitment to invest in athletics to come up to ACC standards. Probably not realistic.

Houston would also be potentially interesting. (Assuming the ACC couldn't poach tOSU out of the B1G...)

Tulane’s game with LSU had never even crossed my mind until you brought it up right there. It’s compelling from an ACC standpoint, but I’m not sure LSU would bite on it. Tulane beat LSU 5 times from the end of WW2 until 2009 when the game was halted. That’s good for a record of 5-56-3 since 1945. Should Tulane get into the ACC, LSU would probably balk at the idea of playing them just in case they lost. Maybe they could make it a big enough event at the Superdome where they would make enough money that they felt the reward was worth the risk, but I doubt it.

Getting into the NOLA market would be cool, but just like UGA and Atlanta, Tulane really has no control over that market. Their stadium seats 30,000 (1,500 smaller than Wake’s capacity) and it’s rarely ever full. It sold out when Tech opened it up in 2014, but has only had announced crowds greater than 25,000 seven other times, and hasn’t sold out since. Although, I’m sure the novelty of a NOLA trip for bigger ACC opponents could get more butts in seats more consistently. Also could help if more money helped get the program back to a more recognizable state.

For current G5 schools, Tulane is the only one that I would personally not be disappointed with as an addition. I don’t want any part of UCF, ECU, Cincy, UConn, Navy, etc.

 

[orientalnc]

Charlotte is #22 and Raleigh/Durham is #24. Cincinnati is #36.

 

[brian22]

Houston makes the most sense to me. Largest media market in potentially available programs. Is the gulf coast the same as the Atlantic coast? Does it matter?