Talks about why he may have missed the FSU to Big 12 story entirely.

"I have long discounted any possibility of Florida State leaving the ACC for the Big 12. That assessment was clearly inaccurate"

Missing the FSU to Big 12 story

Key points are...Does the ACC really want FSU and Clemson? Because from the outside looking in, it doesn't appear so...which is suicidal.

Brutally honest about the Big 12 and its so-called stability"

A lack of options and now money are the only things binding the Big 12 schools together. They share none of the brotherhood and vision for the future which exists in the SEC, Big 10 and Pac 12. When other options present themselves, or more money is available elsewhere, you can bet your bottom dollar the Big 12 will again destabilize as its members continue to seek a more desirable home.

And my favorite part:

Finally, and perhaps most inexcusable of all on my part, was my failure to remember that smart people do dumb things every minute of every hour of every day and they always have and always will. Executives who fought for 25 years to achieve positions of incredible prominence green-lighted the movie “Battleship.” It’s an absurd movie with a bloated budget which has no chance of success, yet there it is on the big screen because a room of smart people thought it was good idea at the time. The global financial collapse experienced in 2008 had as its architects some of the smartest people the world has ever known. Brilliant economists with more education and experience with money and markets than everyone reading this story combined almost brought our civilization to its knees because of their miscalculations and mistakes. Routine error is a condition of the human experience.

Cheers,
Neil

Good find, Neil. Not sure I support his conclusion. No serious source has been identified and no admission of any discussions/approaches/etc. have been proffered. Besides, not one person has offered a serious financial accounting or cost benefit analysis. All we get is internet rumors. Even the writers are not yet citing sources in the affected schools and conferences.

I've held all along that the a move to the is stupid on so many levels but wholly believable and justifiable if it was the SEC. A move to the Big 12 is $$ only, nothing more. I further don't think the SEC is ready to give up ground in Florida without some fight/trade off. We have yet to hear anything on that front.

I have my own favorite paragraph:

"I am certain Florida State and Clemson would prefer to be members of an aggressive, contemporary, innovative and visionary ACC rather than run off to the nation’s hinterland aligning themselves with a hodgepodge of schools they share nothing in common with, but that’s not what they are receiving from the ACC. Commissioner John Swofford’s inability or unwillingness to adequately and ambitiously leverage his leagues’ considerable assets to maintain a prominent position in college athletics stands as an historic failure and if the ACC’s momentum continues in the direction it’s currently headed the conference will be brought to ruin around him and his legacy will be that of the worst conference commissioner in the history of college sports – the man who killed the ACC."

and this part is very good also:

"Florida State and Clemson... feel greatly unappreciated at “home.”... they’re also able to give a big middle-finger to the conference which they feel – again, rightly so – took them for granted for so many years..."

If the ACC falls apart it will be because the commissioner and/or some of the school presidents didn't care enough to keep it together. The next 6 weeks or so will tell the tale, IMO.

(05-21-2012 10:50 AM)Hokie Mark Wrote:  I have my own favorite paragraph:

"I am certain Florida State and Clemson would prefer to be members of an aggressive, contemporary, innovative and visionary ACC rather than run off to the nation’s hinterland aligning themselves with a hodgepodge of schools they share nothing in common with, but that’s not what they are receiving from the ACC. Commissioner John Swofford’s inability or unwillingness to adequately and ambitiously leverage his leagues’ considerable assets to maintain a prominent position in college athletics stands as an historic failure and if the ACC’s momentum continues in the direction it’s currently headed the conference will be brought to ruin around him and his legacy will be that of the worst conference commissioner in the history of college sports – the man who killed the ACC."

and this part is very good also:

"Florida State and Clemson... feel greatly unappreciated at “home.”... they’re also able to give a big middle-finger to the conference which they feel – again, rightly so – took them for granted for so many years..."

If the ACC falls apart it will be because the commissioner and/or some of the school presidents didn't care enough to keep it together. The next 6 weeks or so will tell the tale, IMO.

He makes and excellent case for a Swofford "resignation".

(05-21-2012 10:50 AM)Hokie Mark Wrote:  Commissioner John Swofford’s inability or unwillingness to adequately and ambitiously leverage his leagues’ considerable assets to maintain a prominent position in college athletics stands as an historic failure and if the ACC’s momentum continues in the direction it’s currently headed the conference will be brought to ruin around him and his legacy will be that of the worst conference commissioner in the history of college sports – the man who killed the ACC."

I thought Marinatto was leading the voting for worst commissioner.

(05-21-2012 11:21 AM)OrangeXtreme Wrote:  I thought Marinatto was leading the voting for worst commissioner.

Given the superior resources at Swofford's disposal, if the ACC should fall apart he would be the worst commissioner of all time, hands down.

(05-21-2012 10:50 AM)Hokie Mark Wrote:  I have my own favorite paragraph:

"I am certain Florida State and Clemson would prefer to be members of an aggressive, contemporary, innovative and visionary ACC rather than run off to the nation’s hinterland aligning themselves with a hodgepodge of schools they share nothing in common with, but that’s not what they are receiving from the ACC. Commissioner John Swofford’s inability or unwillingness to adequately and ambitiously leverage his leagues’ considerable assets to maintain a prominent position in college athletics stands as an historic failure and if the ACC’s momentum continues in the direction it’s currently headed the conference will be brought to ruin around him and his legacy will be that of the worst conference commissioner in the history of college sports – the man who killed the ACC."

and this part is very good also:

"Florida State and Clemson... feel greatly unappreciated at “home.”... they’re also able to give a big middle-finger to the conference which they feel – again, rightly so – took them for granted for so many years..."

If the ACC falls apart it will be because the commissioner and/or some of the school presidents didn't care enough to keep it together. The next 6 weeks or so will tell the tale, IMO.

Yeah, but what is making them unhappy? They appear to want more $$$ than the rest of the league is getting, unbalanced payouts.

And yet, if any team deserves more $$$ it's VT, not either of them.

Cheers,
Neil

FSU has been whinning since they joined the league.
They were given everything, football championship game, baseball championship tournament, ACC basketball tournament and could never deliver a fan base.
Omni had an interesting post several years ago about television coverage. It showed that FSU couldn't even deliver 1 television station for the ACC network game in central Florida.
And now they think they should be getting more money than anyone else?

There article was full of buzz words but had virtually nothing in the way of substance.

(05-21-2012 12:43 PM)WakeForestRanger Wrote:  There article was full of buzz words but had virtually nothing in the way of substance.

The average football fan only hears the buzz words anyway