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<blockquote data-quote="Northeast Stinger" data-source="post: 996126" data-attributes="member: 1640"><p>Let’s review, for the sake of this conversation, why the SEC is a pivotal example of what the factors might be in creating a stronger ACC.</p><p></p><p>1. First, get the PR campaign up to full speed. Leave this step out and nothing else matters. The SEC made this decision decades ago when they were the third best conference. The better SEC teams had good records but often got shown up on those rare occasions when they played out of conference. Think Bear Bryant against Notre Dame or Southern Cal.</p><p></p><p>2. Luck. And Timing. Don’t recoil from this. It’s a fact. The point is luck happens to everybody sooner or later but what you do with that luck is the real issue. The SEC said “we are the best” and sometime after that, coincidentally, some of the best coaches in the history of college football retired from other conferences. Nick Saban was not a big time winner right away at Alabama but he did not have to recruit against some of the legends of football and this gave him time to “build it right.” Timing was everything. Saban was, in my opinion, destined to be a great coach. But the vacuum he moved into allowed fans to be more patient with his process as he built his system.</p><p></p><p>3. Money. As others have pointed out so well, money is perhaps the biggest factor at this point. But money follows when you do an effective campaign. As pointed out in other comments, look at the rise of the SEC after they were joined in marriage to ESPN. This was the perfect synergy of PR and massive capital infusions coming together. The bulk of SEC success on the national stage coincides with this synergy.</p><p></p><p>4. Once the gravy train is in place, a conference will have its pick of the best coaches and best recruits. This sets up a continuous feedback loop of getting players into the NFL reinforcing with the best recruits why the SEC is their choice for a pro career.</p><p></p><p>5. Academics. Every time I read about Joe Namath I’m reminded of 100s of similar stories I’ve heard over the years. He wanted desperately to go to Maryland to play football. Loved the school, loved the coach. Twice he took his college entrance tests and twice he came up a few points short of Maryland’s entrance requirements. The Maryland coach called Bear Bryant and told him about Namath and the rest is history. The coaching community no longer has to funnel players to schools where they can get in. The rise of football factories, particularly in the SEC, means most recruits know where to go to avoid difficult academic standards.</p><p></p><p>So what is step one for the ACC? In my opinion it is the step that so many of us are pulling our hair out about. DEFEND your conference and your teams. Fake it till you make it like the SEC did. Do this first! No one is naive enough to believe that alone will solve the issue. Luck, timing, and massive infusions of money all have to follow. But if you don’t sell the IDEA of the ACC you won’t be ready to take advantage of any lucky moments and you certainly won’t convince your donors or have leverage for TV contracts. Adjustments for academics can be made but most ACC schools will not stoop to the level of a uga or some of the other factories. That’s a good thing and should have been part of Tech’s PR campaign from the beginning.</p><p></p><p>The blueprint is out there for how the ACC can turn around perception. As for Tech, the better bet might be to join the B1G rather they wait for the ACC to turn things around. But, continuing with the status quo will continue to be frustrating and morale sapping.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Northeast Stinger, post: 996126, member: 1640"] Let’s review, for the sake of this conversation, why the SEC is a pivotal example of what the factors might be in creating a stronger ACC. 1. First, get the PR campaign up to full speed. Leave this step out and nothing else matters. The SEC made this decision decades ago when they were the third best conference. The better SEC teams had good records but often got shown up on those rare occasions when they played out of conference. Think Bear Bryant against Notre Dame or Southern Cal. 2. Luck. And Timing. Don’t recoil from this. It’s a fact. The point is luck happens to everybody sooner or later but what you do with that luck is the real issue. The SEC said “we are the best” and sometime after that, coincidentally, some of the best coaches in the history of college football retired from other conferences. Nick Saban was not a big time winner right away at Alabama but he did not have to recruit against some of the legends of football and this gave him time to “build it right.” Timing was everything. Saban was, in my opinion, destined to be a great coach. But the vacuum he moved into allowed fans to be more patient with his process as he built his system. 3. Money. As others have pointed out so well, money is perhaps the biggest factor at this point. But money follows when you do an effective campaign. As pointed out in other comments, look at the rise of the SEC after they were joined in marriage to ESPN. This was the perfect synergy of PR and massive capital infusions coming together. The bulk of SEC success on the national stage coincides with this synergy. 4. Once the gravy train is in place, a conference will have its pick of the best coaches and best recruits. This sets up a continuous feedback loop of getting players into the NFL reinforcing with the best recruits why the SEC is their choice for a pro career. 5. Academics. Every time I read about Joe Namath I’m reminded of 100s of similar stories I’ve heard over the years. He wanted desperately to go to Maryland to play football. Loved the school, loved the coach. Twice he took his college entrance tests and twice he came up a few points short of Maryland’s entrance requirements. The Maryland coach called Bear Bryant and told him about Namath and the rest is history. The coaching community no longer has to funnel players to schools where they can get in. The rise of football factories, particularly in the SEC, means most recruits know where to go to avoid difficult academic standards. So what is step one for the ACC? In my opinion it is the step that so many of us are pulling our hair out about. DEFEND your conference and your teams. Fake it till you make it like the SEC did. Do this first! No one is naive enough to believe that alone will solve the issue. Luck, timing, and massive infusions of money all have to follow. But if you don’t sell the IDEA of the ACC you won’t be ready to take advantage of any lucky moments and you certainly won’t convince your donors or have leverage for TV contracts. Adjustments for academics can be made but most ACC schools will not stoop to the level of a uga or some of the other factories. That’s a good thing and should have been part of Tech’s PR campaign from the beginning. The blueprint is out there for how the ACC can turn around perception. As for Tech, the better bet might be to join the B1G rather they wait for the ACC to turn things around. But, continuing with the status quo will continue to be frustrating and morale sapping. [/QUOTE]
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