Quote:Wilkie01 Posted on Jul 3 2005, 06:58 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Neil do you think the ACC will go to 14? I do not.
Will they go to 14 now? Probably not. They've basically told everyone they are 'southern' conference - and all of the good 'southern' teams that could make 14 work financially, aren't interested in leaving the SEC.
Would they have eventually gone to 14 if the original ACC expansion plan had taken place? Yes, I'm convinced they would have. By selling themselves as an Atlantic Coast version of the Pac-10, they would have become the prohibitive favorite to land ND when the Irish decide they actually want (or need) conference affiliation. ND's main concerns with conference affiliation is that it would take away from their 'unique' place in football history as an indy. The only conference they would even consider joining as a full member up until 1999 was the B10 mainly due to its academic standing. But it is wary of being dominated in a conference with Michigan and tOSU and larger state schools while ultimately having ND being perceived of as a north central institution in a north central conference.
But, to be in a conference that covers the major northeastern cities where a lot of their subway alums live, with the academic prestige of the ACC, with like-minded institutions, a good mix of private and smaller public schools that operate like privates and to be perceived as 'special' - being the only institution from a state not associated with the Atlantic Coast - that definitely would appeal to ND's ego and image.
An ACC with SU and BC also would have been given serious consideration by PSU, whose main problems with the Big 10 are:
Refs, Travel, and No true rivalries - Doubt ACC refs would be much of an improvement, but ACC travel would be much easier and not as extensive for the Nits and three of the six opponents they have played the most would then have resided in the ACC.
Get one or the other, and expansion to 14 just might be worth it. Get both and there would be no doubt.
BC and SU would have given the ACC a 'foothold' into Boston and NYC markets. ND and PSU in addition to those two, gives the ACC total control of both markets in college athletics, plus Philly, plus also giving them a foothold into Chicago.
Miami and FSU in one division, ND and PSU in the other means the ACC championship game leap-frogs the SEC as the biggest $$$ maker in conference championship games.
With ND and PSU, the Citrus and the Cotton both fight over the ACC for bowl representation - meaning more $$$.
SU and ND added to the ACC means more NCAA bb units for the league then simply adding Miami, VT, and BC brought. It also increases the value of the bb contracts as well as the ACC tourney.
It's the only scenario where 14 currently would definitely make $$$ - and yes, if you haven't figured it out yet, when in a previous post I alluded to securing 'one bird' in hand (Miami) while having an eye on 'two birds' in the bushes, the two birds were ND and PSU.
Pitt would have been the fall back school had either ND or PSU balked 5-7 years down the road. The 5-7 years down the road was twofold in purpose - to get the ACC stable at 12 and making $$$ and to allow ND time to get its house in order.
Cheers,
Neil