Conference Realignment

[yoshiki2]

Did strength of schedule help FSU last year? They will use any reason or no reason to not give anyone outside the BIG or SEC a bid. Strength of schedule won’t matter one bit so feel free to root against them if you want. They may say it for cover but don’t listen to words, look at action. We have years of data available to see how they will execute their plan. It’s exactly why the SEC put up some big numbers yesterday (Bama, Ole Miss, UGA). We are back to a beauty contest for slots 7-11 so get ready to hear a bunch of new criteria we haven’t heard before just like we heard “injury” for the first time last year.

If Taylor travis had been healthy they wouldn't be left out. They struggled in the ACC championship game, and Uga bulldozed them.

 

[Richard7125]

Did strength of schedule help FSU last year? They will use any reason or no reason to not give anyone outside the BIG or SEC a bid. Strength of schedule won’t matter one bit so feel free to root against them if you want. They may say it for cover but don’t listen to words, look at action. We have years of data available to see how they will execute their plan. It’s exactly why the SEC put up some big numbers yesterday (Bama, Ole Miss, UGA). We are back to a beauty contest for slots 7-11 so get ready to hear a bunch of new criteria we haven’t heard before just like we heard “injury” for the first time last year.

FSU didn't get screwed last year so they could put a second SEC or Big10 team into the playoffs. It was so the SEC wouldn't be left out. That's a significant difference in my opinion. If the ACC deserves to have a second team in the playoffs, i think that team gets in over a 4th SEC or 4th Big10 team.

 

[Richard7125]

I don't want to play them at all unless they are an ACC member in all sports.

ND playing ACC schools is very good for ACC schools. Why more people don't understand that is beyond me.

 

[MWBATL]

Notre Dame could knock a second team from the ACC getting into the playoff. They play Louisville and FSU as part of their ACC teams. If either don't win the conference and ND beats them, they could miss out with 2 losses because ND is not an ACC member in FB. I was hoping TAM would beat them.

The ACC is in a tight spot because our league is so balanced with good to very good teams that it is tough to get through your league schedule with only 2 losses. The SEC is so top heavy that as long as the best teams only have say 2-3 tough games they are likely to get through their schedules with glittering records. Most of the time they play teams like Mississippi State or Vanderbilt or South Carolina who are weak sisters. The ACC is just too tough compared to other P4 leagues.

Did I do that right?

 

[Oldgoldandwhite]

The ACC is in a tight spot because our league is so balanced with good to very good teams that it is tough to get through your league schedule with only 2 losses. The SEC is so top heavy that as long as the best teams only have say 2-3 tough games they are likely to get through their schedules with glittering records. Most of the time they play teams like Mississippi State or Vanderbilt or South Carolina who are weak sisters. The ACC is just too tough compared to other P4 leagues.

Did I do that right?

Pretty much. Ugag feasted for years on the dregs of the conference. Vandy and Kentucky were pretty much wins 90% of the time. Throw in the Mississipp’s, SC, and Arkansas. Plus Auburn and UF were up and down. They avoided Alabama and LSU many years when they were really good.

 

[Root4GT]

The ACC is in a tight spot because our league is so balanced with good to very good teams that it is tough to get through your league schedule with only 2 losses. The SEC is so top heavy that as long as the best teams only have say 2-3 tough games they are likely to get through their schedules with glittering records. Most of the time they play teams like Mississippi State or Vanderbilt or South Carolina who are weak sisters. The ACC is just too tough compared to other P4 leagues.

Did I do that right?

Keep drinking that Cool Aid. Wake, Duke and UVA are real powerhouses! Vandy just beat VT. The ACC has lacked elite teams since Clemson's run with Watson and Lawrence. FSU was very good last year until they lost their QB. That was very unfortunate for them.

 

[yoshiki2]

ND playing ACC schools is very good for ACC schools. Why more people don't understand that is beyond me.

Exactly. It validates our strength of schedule and increases TV ratings. Now it’s up to ACC schools to beat ND, which is a different conversation.

 

[Techster]

What do you think the odds are of the ACC existing in close to its current form in 2037?

I think the ACC could be much more aggressive at pushing a better message to increase those odds.

Odds are close to zero that the ACC exist in its current form past 2036.

In its current form, ACC still has FSU. Zero percent chance FSU is still in the ACC after 2036. To be honest, the ACC itself may not want FSU in this conference after 2036. I've held the opinion that FSU doesn't make it to 2030 in the ACC, and I'll stand by it.

Clemson is actively exploring ways out, but they're doing it differently from FSU. They are treading lightly. My caveat with Clemson is they are not B1G material, and it will be interesting to see if the SEC values the Clemson brand as "additive" since they already have a school in SC...which is not a big state. Do they have something up their sleeve to even explore trying to get out of the GOR?

UNC has already made noise that the ACC basically needs to become more economically competitive with the P2, or else. UNC is getting substantial financial support from the state of NC to remain in the ACC due to NC hosting many NCAA and ACC sporting events, but the trajectory of the P2 payouts versus what the state of NC can pay may be a bridge too far to keep UNC in the ACC. SEC and B1G have been trying to add UNC for decades, and UNC is really the #1 school left on the expansion board.

GT is going to the B1G if we get an invite...which I'm almost certain we will. Cabrera wants the prestige and academic partnership of an AAU League, AND he wants GT to compete with "the big boys". Cabrera isn't Peterson...he understands where college sports is going, and the ACC will be a distant 3rd/4th "power" league by 2036. Also, unlike before, there's now healthy support among big donors to leave the ACC if the B1G comes calling again. No one has confidence the ACC can compete with the P2 once the revenue gap becomes chasm. This isn't just a sports thing for Cabrera and GT, it's also viewed as an academic improvement as many expect some of the ACC's most prestigious schools (see: UNC, UVA, GT, new member Stanford) to leave the ACC and dilute the academic banner the league has always prided itself on. The one caveat I'll place here is if Cabrera moves on to somewhere else. Cabrera already has suiters, and will have many more before 2036 rolls around. Can GT hold onto him, and if we can't, will the next President have the same ambitions for GT?

UVA and Miami will also be factors in the B1G expansion. UVA has always been highly coveted by the B1G, but the SEC has also come sniffing around UVA. UVA admins just don't want anything to do with the SEC with their win at all cost philosophy among conference members. Miami has been setting up for the B1G for years. They recently attained AAU, and brought in Radakovich who spearheaded GT's invite to the B1G. Miami is also a market that the B1G covets.

Cal and Stanford reside in a mega media market (top 10 media market) and their academics is top tier among world universities. Given the B1G's expansion model, it's hard not to see them wanting one of the schools to complete their "Pro Sports" market expansion.

You also have to look at the rise of the Big 12. What will the Big 12 be by 2036? Will it have surpassed the ACC? If so, then you look at schools like BC, Pitt, NC State, Duke who are either a major brand in a top 2 sport, or in a major media market. Will the ACC losing members cause our media value to decrease and give the Big 12 a chance to poach members?

That's a LOT of schools and a lot of variables the ACC has to fight to keep the current membership past 2036. IMO, the conference will lose at least 3-6 members once the GOR expires or someone finds an early out.

 

[Techster]

 

[CEB]

“You won’t hear it…”

Thats an understatement

 

[57jacket]

Odds are close to zero that the ACC exist in its current form past 2036.

In its current form, ACC still has FSU. Zero percent chance FSU is still in the ACC after 2036. To be honest, the ACC itself may not want FSU in this conference after 2036. I've held the opinion that FSU doesn't make it to 2030 in the ACC, and I'll stand by it.

Clemson is actively exploring ways out, but they're doing it differently from FSU. They are treading lightly. My caveat with Clemson is they are not B1G material, and it will be interesting to see if the SEC values the Clemson brand as "additive" since they already have a school in SC...which is not a big state. Do they have something up their sleeve to even explore trying to get out of the GOR?

UNC has already made noise that the ACC basically needs to become more economically competitive with the P2, or else. UNC is getting substantial financial support from the state of NC to remain in the ACC due to NC hosting many NCAA and ACC sporting events, but the trajectory of the P2 payouts versus what the state of NC can pay may be a bridge too far to keep UNC in the ACC. SEC and B1G have been trying to add UNC for decades, and UNC is really the #1 school left on the expansion board.

GT is going to the B1G if we get an invite...which I'm almost certain we will. Cabrera wants the prestige and academic partnership of an AAU League, AND he wants GT to compete with "the big boys". Cabrera isn't Peterson...he understands where college sports is going, and the ACC will be a distant 3rd/4th "power" league by 2036. Also, unlike before, there's now healthy support among big donors to leave the ACC if the B1G comes calling again. No one has confidence the ACC can compete with the P2 once the revenue gap becomes chasm. This isn't just a sports thing for Cabrera and GT, it's also viewed as an academic improvement as many expect some of the ACC's most prestigious schools (see: UNC, UVA, GT, new member Stanford) to leave the ACC and dilute the academic banner the league has always prided itself on. The one caveat I'll place here is if Cabrera moves on to somewhere else. Cabrera already has suiters, and will have many more before 2036 rolls around. Can GT hold onto him, and if we can't, will the next President have the same ambitions for GT?

UVA and Miami will also be factors in the B1G expansion. UVA has always been highly coveted by the B1G, but the SEC has also come sniffing around UVA. UVA admins just don't want anything to do with the SEC with their win at all cost philosophy among conference members. Miami has been setting up for the B1G for years. They recently attained AAU, and brought in Radakovich who spearheaded GT's invite to the B1G. Miami is also a market that the B1G covets.

Cal and Stanford reside in a mega media market (top 10 media market) and their academics is top tier among world universities. Given the B1G's expansion model, it's hard not to see them wanting one of the schools to complete their "Pro Sports" market expansion.

You also have to look at the rise of the Big 12. What will the Big 12 be by 2036? Will it have surpassed the ACC? If so, then you look at schools like BC, Pitt, NC State, Duke who are either a major brand in a top 2 sport, or in a major media market. Will the ACC losing members cause our media value to decrease and give the Big 12 a chance to poach members?

That's a LOT of schools and a lot of variables the ACC has to fight to keep the current membership past 2036. IMO, the conference will lose at least 3-6 members once the GOR expires or someone finds an early out.

Good post Techster. I agree with most of your thoughts. For us old farts 2036 is meaningless since we won't be here. LOL Let's talk 5-10 years. LOL

 

[orientalnc]

Odds are close to zero that the ACC exist in its current form past 2036.

Are you sure about this? What about 2036 are you more certain about?

You post a lot of good stuff, but this is trolling. You should be embarrassed.

 

[Techster]

Are you sure about this? What about 2036 are you more certain about?

You post a lot of good stuff, but this is trolling. You should be embarrassed.

Embarrassed by what? What many have already speculated on? I am 100% not embarrassed by anything I've said about the ACC regarding expansion...it's not even close to being embarrassing. You need to leave your ACC worshipping ecosystem. What I said isn't even close to trolling.

Not to be an a$$hole this early in the morning, if anyone should be embarrassed, it's a former admin of this board trying to shame someone for thinking the way many people already do.

You need to be an adult about this and not get into your feelings.

 

[Vespidae]

ACC highlighting the following … :

• No other conference has won more NCAA national championships in the last two years than the ACC. The league has won 16 national titles in the last two academic years, including a league-record nine in 2022-23.
• The ACC has had a team in either the College Football Playoff or the BCS National Championship Game in eight of the last 10 years, including two teams in 2020. The ACC has placed the second-most teams and has the second-best record in the CFP since its inception.
• With the addition of women’s gymnastics on July 1, 2023, the ACC leads all Autonomy 5 conferences with 15 women’s sports offerings. In total, no peer conference sponsors more than the league's 28 sports.
• The ACC has won seven national championships in football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, and baseball since 2015. The ACC is the only conference to win a national title in each of those sponsored sports over that stretch.
• Sixteen ACC programs finished the 2022-23 season ranked either No. 1 or No. 2 in their respective sports, and all 15 member schools captured either an ACC championship or regular-season championship.
• The ACC’s current men’s basketball programs have combined to win 17 NCAA Championships. In women’s basketball, the ACC has had nine different institutions represented in the Women’s Final Four.

Rumors of its death are greatly exaggerated.

 

[Northeast Stinger]

Pretty much. Ugag feasted for years on the dregs of the conference. Vandy and Kentucky were pretty much wins 90% of the time. Throw in the Mississipp’s, SC, and Arkansas. Plus Auburn and UF were up and down. They avoided Alabama and LSU many years when they were really good.

Truth.

 

[Northeast Stinger]

ACC highlighting the following … :

• No other conference has won more NCAA national championships in the last two years than the ACC. The league has won 16 national titles in the last two academic years, including a league-record nine in 2022-23.
• The ACC has had a team in either the College Football Playoff or the BCS National Championship Game in eight of the last 10 years, including two teams in 2020. The ACC has placed the second-most teams and has the second-best record in the CFP since its inception.
• With the addition of women’s gymnastics on July 1, 2023, the ACC leads all Autonomy 5 conferences with 15 women’s sports offerings. In total, no peer conference sponsors more than the league's 28 sports.
• The ACC has won seven national championships in football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, and baseball since 2015. The ACC is the only conference to win a national title in each of those sponsored sports over that stretch.
• Sixteen ACC programs finished the 2022-23 season ranked either No. 1 or No. 2 in their respective sports, and all 15 member schools captured either an ACC championship or regular-season championship.
• The ACC’s current men’s basketball programs have combined to win 17 NCAA Championships. In women’s basketball, the ACC has had nine different institutions represented in the Women’s Final Four.

Rumors of its death are greatly exaggerated.

Good PR. Hope this gets in the right media slots to make a difference.

 

[Techster]

Good PR. Hope this gets in the right media slots to make a difference.

Let's be honest about why expansion is happening: College Football, and to a smaller extent, college basketball. Sadly, other sports simply do not move the needle for the purpose of these mega media contracts.

Teams with the most College Football Playoff wins and appearances

These are the college football programs with the most College Football Playoff wins and appearances since the format began in 2014.

www.ncaa.com

The ACC's representatives in the CFB playoffs the last ten years? FSU (2014), Clemson (2015-2020).
The ACC schools that have won a national championship during the CFB playoff era? Clemson (2016, 2018).
If you want to be liberal with "ACC member", you can include Notre Dame's appearance in 2018 and 2020, but they're fiercely protective of their "football independence" even though they are ACC members in other sports.

BOTH FSU and Clemson are actively looking for a way to get out of the GOR, and Notre Dame will do what's best for Notre Dame, not the ACC. Remember, Notre Dame had a similar arrangement to the Big East as they now have with the ACC. Notre Dame does not need the ACC to survive as some narratives suggest. (There's an uncomfortable signal to what ND's membership to a conference portends if you look at the Big East)

DI Men's Basketball Championship History | NCAA.com

Here are the programs which have won the NCAA men's basketball championship.

www.ncaa.com

In terms of basketball, the ACC teams that have won the NCAAT in the last decade: UVA (2019), UNC (2017), Duke (2015).

UNC has publicly said the ACC needs to be financially competitive with the P2, or else...and the ACC won't in the next 5 years once the revenue gap expands to chasm. UNC views itself on the level of UGA/Michigan/Alabama/Ohio State/USC/FSU/UCLA in terms of brand, and they expect to compete on that level. UNC may not have a choice to but to leave the ACC.

UVA will most like have the B1G choice to make. They most likely will also have the SEC, but they are not philosophically aligned with the SEC.

Duke will be stuck in the ACC, unless the Big 12 comes calling and the aftermath of teams leaving the ACC devalues the media revenue where it's disadvantageous for Duke to remain in the ACC.

The ACC in its current form has most definitely not met its demise...but is anyone willing to bet on that statement AFTER 2036?

 

[croberts]

“You won’t hear it…”

Thats an understatement

Yeah but in a non marquee matchup, lowly Vandy smacked VT.

 

[Thwg777]

I’ll never understand why so many GT fans love Notre Dame. Notre Dame’s scheduling and appeal practically guarantees them an at-large bid in the new format. And I doubt it’ll be at the expense of a P2 team.

 

[UgaBlows]

Are you sure about this? What about 2036 are you more certain about?

You post a lot of good stuff, but this is trolling. You should be embarrassed.

Certain teams WILL be gone by then or immediately after