It's comforting to see that even with 11 wins and an OB win, fans still insist in blaming everything on "the media". The ACC will get respect when it deserves it, and I can't say Dinich said anything many weren't already saying. FSU is an ACC embarrassment. GT had one great year following three mediocre years. Clemson gets into double digits, has a fine program, but hasn't gotten over the hump. VT is stumbling in and out of the gate. UNC is, well, UNC and this year is always the year. The additions of Pittsburgh and Syracuse haven't moved the needle at all. Nobody is going to take Duke seriously, seriously. And then where has Miami been? And ND seems always to be halfway in and halfway out of the ACC, depending on what it wants at the moment.
As a fan base we need to man up the same way the football team did. Blaming somebody else is self-destructive.
It seems like I always degree with your final conclusion, but I respect your opinion and appreciate the good points you make. With respect to the media, I still believe the criticism of Heather Dinich and anything ESPN is fair. She's displayed a long term negative bias against Tech that predates CPJ OB appearance #1. And it's not that she's "anti-tech". She's anti providing quantitative or qualitative evidence to support her extremely opinionated "reporting". Just google her and read how every ACC fanbase hates her. Regardless of my affiliation with GT, I've never gained information from reading HD, which is disappointing since she is/was the ACC football reporter for the biggest (by far) sports news company. Also, the conflict of interest between ESPN and major conference's launching their own networks through a partnership with ESPN is a major cause for concern. It's one thing to have this relationship with professional sports leagues, which are much closer to entertainment companies than college sports. The incentives in this relationship are only going to amplify the current problems with college sports. SEC Network is to college sports what Fox News and . . . the liberal media are to politics.
Before I pivot to agreeing with you, I want to point out you forgot Louisville, which is probably the #4 ACC team until Miami/UNC get their acts together or ND swaps the promise ring for a wedding ban.
That said, the ACC needs to take control of its imagine. Who the hell is running our conference? It's a complete joke. Everything about the ACC's branding screams Russell Athletics. If I was the ACC commissioner, I would realize that the SEC has 1 and only 1 strength - football. Their geographic footprint comprises the only part of America that's less appealing than the flyover states: Athens GA; 2 cities in Alabama, 2 cities in Mississippi, a city in Arkansas, Gainesville Florida, Columbia South Carolina. Moreover, every SEC program uses the exact same dumb band songs (with different words), the same exact dumb bowl stadium design, has the same dumb morally and socially unacceptable fan base, and bland uniforms (purple & yellow! Orange and blue! bright red! Maroon! name a tackier color scheme - i dare you).
Right there, I'm branding ACC football around the city game day environment (Miami, Atlanta, Pittsburg, Louisville, Boston) - who cares if its 100% true - it's a brand, it's how you identify yourself. I'm branding the ACC around the authentic Identities of the programs - GT & ND are as college football tradition as college football tradition gets. The U, the seminole war chant, the death valley hill thingy. The only thing that comes close in the SEC is...rocky top? Gator chomp? barking? Also, I'd never sell the football program alone. Always ACC sports. Otherwise, why do we have the 4 NC teams + Syracuse? I'd also add a soccer program to every ACC school b/c I think soccer is about to blow up in the U.S.
Lastly, I'd take the biggest strength of the ACC and use it make the SEC look like a backwoods cockfight betting league - quality research universities. I know the ACC has some sort of academic research program, but I'd increase it 10 fold. Duke, UNC, GT, Wake Forest, Miami, Pitt, BC, UVA, ND, am i missing any? As research universities become more integrated with private industry, a collaboration among these top flight universities becomes more valuable. Not only could you share data and joint-fund initiatives, you would have a platform of 14 stadiums, fan bases, and universities + your own TV network with a large audience. It's shark tank on steroids. Instead of having those dumb college commercials that appeal to no one, why don't you use that airtime to highlight startups associated with that university? No one applies to GT because they saw the cake race on a commercial. However, you tell people the story about ICE's beginnings and how they went on to buy the NYSE, you've probably caught a few 16 year olds attention. Duke, GT, UNC, WF = technology and financial industry powerhouses. I'd implement whatever payment technology innovation that came out of ATL or RTP into every stadium. To hell with a blimp, we're broadcasting aerial shots from drones. It's a win-win. SEC's brand depends on it winning football games. That's not a high barrier. A brand built on intelligence and technological innovation - that can't be replicated by the SEC. I mean,does Starksville even have internet access?
Whoever is running the ACC is acting like a SEC fanboy reject. Hire Steven Koonin as the ACC commissioner and the ACC would topple the SEC in less than 3 years.
Skeptic's archnemesis until GTSwarm does us part,
The Optimist
