Conference Realignment

[CEB]

You need to be talking to the powers that be in the B1G. They are the ones voting. Most of us here would be OK with leaving the ACC for one of the P2 at this point.

Fixed that for you… er maybe for me.

BIG is an absolute no-brainer at this point.
SEC not as appealing to me but still no hesitation if the opportunity comes.

I would have to see eminent full scale implosion of the ACC before I get excited about going anywhere else….But who knows what the next round will look like.

 

[Randy Carson]

B1G or Bust.

But I just watched a Big 10 guy talking up GT a little bit as a candidate for the B1G.



So, maybe there's sill hope.

 

[iceeater1969]

B1G or Bust.

But I just watched a Big 10 guy talking up GT a little bit as a candidate for the B1G.



So, maybe there's sill hope.

Both guys say they think gt could be better if we can get $ , we could be middle tier in p2.

Saw in the AJC that since the Angel got BATT, our gtaa budget has increased from about 95 m to 140m.

In hopes of p2 maybe we are sprucing up bds, balance sheet , and are coming out swinging in in Ireland.

 

[Techster]

Okay. I have been all for joining the B1G for all the reasons you cited: big metro market, B1G alumni in Atlanta, academics, etc. I think if we do get an invite, we're not going to become the Vandy of the B1G.

OTOH, how long does it take to play this out? Other than Wake, Syracuse, Boston College (none of whom will find a dance partner) who still wants the ACC to survive and why? UNC/NC State will find homes as will UVA/VT. Duke basketball may go its own way.

With enough votes, this nightmare is over. What's the hold up?

ACC GOR.

No way NC State/VT/BC/Wake Forest/Syracuse/(possibly) Duke/Louisville vote for their own demise and end the GOR before 2036. Once the "big names" (I'll include GT in that since we can leverage Atlanta) get eaten up by the SEC and B1G, no way the ACC will command the same amount of media revenue they have in the past. Can the ACC still survive? Yes, but the ACC will be a shadow of itself, and the SEC and B1G will be the Deathstars of conferences that will suck up the vast majority of media money and other conferences will be fighting for scraps. Once the SEC/B1G build out their national maps (that's more B1G who I believe is working on something bigger than even the SEC is aspires to), and they can fill the time slots across 4 time zones, there won't be much need for media companies to pay top dollar for other conferences. In terms of football, the NFL has already stated they are going to stretch their schedules in the future across the majority the week, so that gives college sports even less time slots. We're not even getting into how much paying college athletes salaries and NIL will affect conferences. HINT: Schools outside the P2 will get decimated by the financial burden.

The gap in revenue between the SEC/B1G and everyone else will only get worse as the years go by. Yes, other schools outside the B1G/SEC will still play sports, but it won't be the same. Some will be fine with a lower level revenue sports program, others will want to compete at the highest levels. You can already see some of our own fans accepting the fate of GT if we don't get into the B1G. In the end the question for GT and our fans is: Do you want to compete at the highest level (P2), or do you just want to play the game (the rest of college sports). Personally, I want GT to compete at the highest levels.

 

[gte447f]

I know this is all about money, but I can’t understand why everyone on here seems to want GT to join the big 10. This is the south. Nobody cares about big 10 football here. If you think a game against wake forest or Duke is boring, just shoot me if I have to try to care about a game against Illinois or Indiana.

 

[Techster]

I know this is all about money, but I can’t understand why everyone on here seems to want GT to join the big 10. This is the south. Nobody cares about big 10 football here. If you think a game against wake forest or Duke is boring, just shoot me if I have to try to care about a game against Illinois or Indiana.

Outside of Clemson and UGA, and maybe FSU, who else on our possible ACC schedule plus UGA gets you excited? The ACC ratings also reflect the excitement (or lack of) for ACC football. UNC, the supposed flagship of the ACC, doesn't even average 2 million viewers per game. Just because we're in the South doesn't mean ACC schools command excitement...and GT's attendance issues reflect that.

Personally, if I saw Michigan, Penn State, Ohio State, USC, Oregon, Washington, UCLA, Michigan State, Iowa, Wisconsin...I'd be ecstatic, and BDS would definitely be much more packed for those teams than what happens with the ACC teams. Also, Atlanta has one of the biggest B1G alumni populations in the South, so yes, a LOT of people in this region would care.

I would certainly be traveling much more to watch GT play. Who wouldn't want to go watch GT play at those schools I listed? Some of those schools have bucket list venues for college football fans (Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin, USC, Nebraska), others are gorgeous destinations that would be fun to visit for a long weekend while watching GT play (Oregon, Washington, Northwestern). Sure there are boring teams (Maryland, Rutgers, Indiana, etc), but the ratio of good teams and fun destinations far exceeds what the ACC has to offer.

 

[HurricaneJacket]

So GT is the only “non-SEC” team in the top 10 and the only team in the top 25 from outside the BIG or SEC….
Fits the narrative

Cool. When is the invite to the SEC?

 

[MacDaddy2]

We find ourselves top 10 in SOS again… seems we’ve been here quite often.
This year our ACC slate (aside from missing Clemson) includes the projected top half of the conference and we get UGA and ND to boot. Would the schedule in the Big Ten be that much tougher?
I think MAYBE there are fewer potential “gimmes” in the BIG, but there aren’t really a bunch of gimmes in the ACC. I’m not sure there’d be a big difference for us. We pretty consistently play tough out of conference games… we get “knocked” for the perception of a “weak ACC schedule” when we rarely play one…

From Dave Bartoo at CFB Matrix

EOS, or "ease of schedule," as explained by Bartoo later on in the tweet thread, is a metric that he developed that measures strength of schedule relative to the strength of the team playing that schedule. As he explains, in a hypothetical scenario where Oregon and Kansas play the exact same schedule, Oregon has a far better EOS since they are a better team.

 

[Randy Carson]

I know this is all about money, but I can’t understand why everyone on here seems to want GT to join the big 10. This is the south. Nobody cares about big 10 football here. If you think a game against wake forest or Duke is boring, just shoot me if I have to try to care about a game against Illinois or Indiana.

I don't know the numbers, but apparently the B1G schools have a lot of alumni in Atlanta.

BDS could become an away game for us every week and not just when we play UGA.

 

[yeti92]

In terms of football, the NFL has already stated they are going to stretch their schedules in the future across the majority the week, so that gives college sports even less time slots.

As an non-NFL viewer, how is this the case? Are NFL games not all already broadcast? CFB is already played every day of the week except Sunday, and I don't see why games wouldn't start getting played on Sundays if the NFL is going to vacate some of those spots for other days of the week.

 

[stinger 1957]

22 million player cost becomes the demise of the ACC, dollar reality will have to be faced by the schools and all the fans that think ACC continues on, ain't happening folks, sorry. If people think it ends at 22 mil they are fooling themselves. In order to survive that sort of cost you are going to need to be where the money is which will be power 2. Some ACC end up power 2, some end CFB or CFB as they have known it, some play something like Ivy league, probably Big East ends up with some of the Ivy type schools like Duke, Syracuse, BC, Wake, UVA and become BB powers, not sure what happens with Pitt, Louisville. GT ends up in Big 10 because of Atlanta and admin comittment, AAU endowment.

It's over, no way we're heading to 2036 together as present ACC. Anyone thinks that has their head in the sand. GOR becomes a nothing burger pretty soon. I could see in the demise that schools that don't make it in the bigtime CFB to be, stay and merge the ACC with another conference, maybe the Big east playing bigtime BB and Ivy league type FB. Not saying that is exactly what happens, but I promise you it is being seriously worked on behind the scenes by those that have to find the money and pay the bills at all the schools. They have to face the reality now. All of the fans can dream on if they want.

 

[Root4GT]

As an non-NFL viewer, how is this the case? Are NFL games not all already broadcast? CFB is already played every day of the week except Sunday, and I don't see why games wouldn't start getting played on Sundays if the NFL is going to vacate some of those spots for other days of the week.

The worst NFL matchup will crush a good college matchup in TV viewership any day of the week at any time of the day.

 

[CEB]

I don't know the numbers, but apparently the B1G schools have a lot of alumni in Atlanta.

BDS could become an away game for us every week and not just when we play UGA.

 

[RonJohn]

22 million player cost becomes the demise of the ACC, dollar reality will have to be faced by the schools and all the fans that think ACC continues on, ain't happening folks, sorry. If people think it ends at 22 mil they are fooling themselves. In order to survive that sort of cost you are going to need to be where the money is which will be power 2. Some ACC end up power 2, some end CFB or CFB as they have known it, some play something like Ivy league, probably Big East ends up with some of the Ivy type schools like Duke, Syracuse, BC, Wake, UVA and become BB powers, not sure what happens with Pitt, Louisville. GT ends up in Big 10 because of Atlanta and admin comittment, AAU endowment.

It's over, no way we're heading to 2036 together as present ACC. Anyone thinks that has their head in the sand. GOR becomes a nothing burger pretty soon. I could see in the demise that schools that don't make it in the bigtime CFB to be, stay and merge the ACC with another conference, maybe the Big east playing bigtime BB and Ivy league type FB. Not saying that is exactly what happens, but I promise you it is being seriously worked on behind the scenes by those that have to find the money and pay the bills at all the schools. They have to face the reality now. All of the fans can dream on if they want.

What leads you to believe the highlighted part?

 

[Vespidae]

What leads you to believe the highlighted part?

It’s June. FSU has to make its withdrawal notification to the ACC by Aug 15. I think we can safely say, the matter won’t be settled this year.

Next year? Probably not. The dueling motions to stay will take another year because a) there are multiple filings and multiple appeals, and b) the ACC is slow-walking everything. Delay helps the ACC.

But the big issue if the GOR itself. My understanding is that IP issues are decided in Federal Court, not state court. So after all these appeals, the GOR will be punted to the Feds IN CHARLOTTE and it starts all over again.

It may very well be 2030 before this matter even gets addressed.

 

[orientalnc]

It’s June. FSU has to make its withdrawal notification to the ACC by Aug 15. I think we can safely say, the matter won’t be settled this year.

Next year? Probably not. The dueling motions to stay will take another year because a) there are multiple filings and multiple appeals, and b) the ACC is slow-walking everything. Delay helps the ACC.

But the big issue if the GOR itself. My understanding is that IP issues are decided in Federal Court, not state court. So after all these appeals, the GOR will be punted to the Feds IN CHARLOTTE and it starts all over again.

It may very well be 2030 before this matter even gets addressed.

IP issues are settled and adjudicated in state court regularly. That is the law practice that David McKenzie has in Durham. You can follow him on X.

 

[RamblinRed]

Interesting bill moving through the NC legislature.

Among other things it would require UNC and NCST to play each other every year in football and basketball. Protecting against any future re-alignment where they end up in separate conferences.

More interesting, it would require them both to play one of App St, E. Carolina or Charlotte (NC's G5 programs) every year in football.
It would also require them to complete a home and away series with all 3 of them in a 6 year period. Effectively it would guarantee that the 3 NC G5 programs would get at least 4 games over 6 years against the ACC programs including 2 home games.

The legislation cites the General Assembly's desire to "promote economic development" as part of its rationale.

North Carolina bill that would require UNC, NC State to play in-state Group of Five schools passes committee

The legislation would require the Tar Heels and Wolfpack to play schools like Appalachian State regularly

www.cbssports.com

The bill has passed out of the Appropriations Committee.

 

[Vespidae]

IP issues are settled and adjudicated in state court regularly. That is the law practice that David McKenzie has in Durham. You can follow him on X.

Perhaps. But copyright is a federal issue. How does NC have jurisdiction over that?

"Section 1338 of Title 28 of the United States Code confers upon the federal district courts exclusive jurisdiction over claims of copyright infringement. As a general proposition, the longstanding exclusive jurisdiction of the federal courts in this area is an important and positive feature of our system."

 

[CEB]

From Dave Bartoo at CFB Matrix

EOS, or "ease of schedule," as explained by Bartoo later on in the tweet thread, is a metric that he developed that measures strength of schedule relative to the strength of the team playing that schedule. As he explains, in a hypothetical scenario where Oregon and Kansas play the exact same schedule, Oregon has a far better EOS since they are a better team.

Interesting notion, but I’m not sure what it achieves.
There is certainly a big margin of error in SOS rankings, as it is all based on speculation as to how good your future opponents will be. Seems to me EOS doesn’t serve to lessen that margin of error, as it adds a second speculative factor wrt the assumed relative strength of your own team as well.
This calc (simplistically) would have UGA playing an “easy” schedule because we assume they are better than most everyone they play?
Similarly, take the worst team in CFB and they may not play a top 50 team all year but have a difficult schedule because they suck out loud and can’t beat anyone?

To be fair, I’m not sure SOS achieves much either… especially preseason. It may be useful in distinguishing how good two 7-win teams are at the end of the day, but even that is suspect.

I’m just not seeing the merit in EOS at all….
I just hope they don’t adopt another arbitrary system of evaluation for playoff selection.

 

[Jacket4Life]

I know Its not what most people on here thinks, but I still feel if the ACC does go away we end up in the SEC. I just can't see the SEC stomaching the Big 10 being in Atlanta.