Expansion Talk 2021

[Northeast Stinger]

We cannot take schools like Liberty or WV and survive in the long term and I have to know? trust? hope? our league officials get this. The SEC has added Texas and OU. Of the options we have before us, we need Penn State and ND. This at least holds serve with the SEC's move. If we take schools that have been mentioned like Liberty, WVU, UCF, Cincy, USF, ECU, Houston, Baylor, etc. looks like amateurish and desperation moves. I say get the two I mentioned or get into the B10. You know how excited we all get when BC or Louisville rolls into BDS? That's what we get (or even worse) with all these B list schools.

A thousand times yes to this.

 

[4shotB]

You might not like WVU, but surely you don't see them as being on the same level as Liberty, or anywhere remotely near it. Liberty is ridiculous.

In terms of adding prestige to the conference I don't see an enormous amount of difference between the two. Either one is a ludicrous response to adding heavyweights like OU and Texas.

 

[Northeast Stinger]

I do appreciate out of the box thinking. However, if they are only seating 25,000 then apparently those people aren't all that interested in FB.

Yes, people taking classes on line indicates that campus life (including football) is a low priority.

 

[TooTall]

Yes, people taking classes on line indicates that campus life (including football) is a low priority.

While you may have stated that with a straight face, I took the sarcasm from it. A NATION WIDE ALUM BASE OF 250,000+ is nothing to stick your nose up. Folks in all 50 states taking their classes and watching their sports teams. Its hard to attend games in VA when your taking classes in AZ. Campus life doesn't matter (see Wake) This is about streaming and eyes that will pay to watch. Liberty has that in spades against any teams aside PSU & ND (See the first post of this thread). Also, comparing WVU to Liberty, One has an endowment of approx 600 million, the other 1.6 billion. Which do you think has the BILLION+? (Hint, it's not the one named after a state.) It's about money and eyes and one of them got it and the other don't.
Again, my hope and dreams is PSU & ND, this is just an off the wall name the deserves to be looked at if those fail.

 

[bobongo]

In terms of adding prestige to the conference I don't see an enormous amount of difference between the two. Either one is a ludicrous response to adding heavyweights like OU and Texas.

Well if we could add ND and Penn State, I'm all for it - but they don't seem to be available.

 

[4shotB]

Well if we could add ND and Penn State, I'm all for it - but they don't seem to be available.

so what do you suggest then that allows our league to, at minimum, break even? Or are you suggesting that we do nothing? Or move backwards by adding a couple of B list schools?

 

[Techster]

 

[forensicbuzz]

I'm not sure how often the current staff stops and thinks if the players they are offering are good academic fits in addition to athletic (not saying they will be straight a students, but can they make it here period). That's not to say it's not important to them, I'm sure it is.

Every single time they make an offer to a kid.

 

[Pointer]

Every single time they make an offer to a kid.

and their #2 smells like roses too.

 

[stech81]

Well if we could add ND and Penn State, I'm all for it - but they don't seem to be available.

I don't see ND coming and why would Penn State take 20M less. If the Big 10 takes a Big 12 school then the ACC needs to do something. The SEC will not take us and point blank after we turned the Big 10 down last time I don't see them asking again or taking us. Fact is that man in the little blue dress did not help the ACC.

 

[GTBandit22]

I like this setup. Not fond of 16-team conferences, but if it has to be that big this is a good arrangement. Agree with WVU as a replacement for Notre Dame, too.
Only problems: getting Penn State, and Miami being in the same division as all those northern schools.

Getting Penn St is the biggest challenge, I agree. Miami being with all those schools gets out of the “we want a game in Florida every other year” canard and reunites them with their BE kin. Miami is far enough away where even FSU has to take a plane, so extra flight time should be NBD

 

[Northeast Stinger]

While you may have stated that with a straight face, I took the sarcasm from it. A NATION WIDE ALUM BASE OF 250,000+ is nothing to stick your nose up. Folks in all 50 states taking their classes and watching their sports teams. Its hard to attend games in VA when your taking classes in AZ. Campus life doesn't matter (see Wake) This is about streaming and eyes that will pay to watch. Liberty has that in spades against any teams aside PSU & ND (See the first post of this thread). Also, comparing WVU to Liberty, One has an endowment of approx 600 million, the other 1.6 billion. Which do you think has the BILLION+? (Hint, it's not the one named after a state.) It's about money and eyes and one of them got it and the other don't.
Again, my hope and dreams is PSU & ND, this is just an off the wall name the deserves to be looked at if those fail.

So you have statistics on ratings when Liberty is on TV? The idea that more people watch them than watch Texas or Oklahoma is surprising to say the least.

Frankly, I don’t think much of Liberty and agree with others that it would lower the prestige of the conference. But that’s just me.

 

[bobongo]

so what do you suggest then that allows our league to, at minimum, break even? Or are you suggesting that we do nothing? Or move backwards by adding a couple of B list schools?

I'm not sure. I'm not in favor of too-big conferences, but IIWII and I accept that there's that's the way the world is. So, if the question is, who do we add to get to 16 and keep up with the Joneses, I don't have a solid answer. Notre Dame is in a sweet spot and isn't going to budge without some serious perks. Penn State isn't going to leave the Big Ten for the ACC. WVA is right in our footprint, is a current rival of Pitt, and will be natural rivals of UVA and VT. And keep in mind that things change in college football. OU and Texas might decline. It was thought at one time that adding Miami and VT would make the ACC a super-conference. Didn't work out that way.

The ACC is in a panic right now. It sees the Big Ten and the SEC eclipsing it. Probably the best it can hope for is to somehow lure Notre Dame with a sweetheart deal, and add WVA. There's talk of GT getting into the Big Ten, or the SEC. It's not going to happen. Right now, the ACC is putting all its marbles on getting Notre Dame. I hope it happens, but it won't without the conference agreeing to give them a special deal. So do that and add WVA. I think that at least breaks us even.

 

[LibertyTurns]

GT’s future & Stansbury’s legacy is on the line. Let’s hope we got the right guy in our corner.

 

[4shotB]

GT’s future & Stansbury’s legacy is on the line. Let’s hope we got the right guy in our corner.

IMO, this is above TStan's paygrade....unless he can doesn't have faith in the ACC powers that be and can maneuver an exit strategy that doesn't include the ACC.

 

[bobongo]

IMO, this is above TStan's paygrade....unless he can doesn't have faith in the ACC powers that be and can maneuver an exit strategy that doesn't include the ACC.

We could always go independent :=)

 

[Techster]

We could always go independent :=)

Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it...

(I know you're being sarcastic)

 

[bobongo]

Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it...

(I know you're being sarcastic)

Once burnt, twice learnt.

 

[HurricaneJacket]

Its probably time to give ND the sweetheart deal to join which would allow them more of a share than other schools, since they drive the conf $$. Then do the same for PSU, so PSU can save face and say they are only leaving B1G for more money and more respect. Then maybe either over next 20 years get ND and PSU to slowly even out their shares to equal, OR go the other way and start to divide ACC $ based upon clout and contributions toward revenue, so that Wake and BC can't spend no money on football and still get same share as klempson etc.

Hell no. Uneven distribution of funds is what weakened the Big 12 and its predecessors enough to cause the mess we're in now.

 

[LibertyTurns]

The clock is ticking and I hope it‘s not we can’t seem to come to grips with the fact we need to divorce ourselves from the ACC. We’re on a sinking ship, about to be relegated to a sub-tier program. I’m hoping the ACC with the new Commissioner with Big whatever ties is secretly maneuvering behind the scenes but there’s absolutely ZERO hopeful ACC rumors being talked about. GT is historically very poor when it comes to strategic decisions. Not a good picture here.