Another plus with all the ACC teams is you would create not only the best football conference but the best basketball and baseball conferences. It would be extremely difficult for another merger surpassing the new ACC/SEC in any of the big 3 sports.

(06-26-2016 04:32 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  At a point we dilute down the product so much that nobody will care.

There is a cap on expansion, interest.

Totally agree. Too many schools. It becomes a league rather than a conference.

(06-30-2016 11:54 AM)USAFMEDIC Wrote:  

(06-26-2016 04:32 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  At a point we dilute down the product so much that nobody will care.

There is a cap on expansion, interest.

Totally agree. Too many schools. It becomes a league rather than a conference.

It will be interesting to see who the first group to cross the tipping point will be.

It's a game of cliff-chicken, who can speed towards the cliff-edge as fast as possible and get as close as possible to it without falling off.

(06-30-2016 06:30 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  

(06-30-2016 11:54 AM)USAFMEDIC Wrote:  

(06-26-2016 04:32 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  At a point we dilute down the product so much that nobody will care.

There is a cap on expansion, interest.

Totally agree. Too many schools. It becomes a league rather than a conference.

It will be interesting to see who the first group to cross the tipping point will be.

It's a game of cliff-chicken, who can speed towards the cliff-edge as fast as possible and get as close as possible to it without falling off.

I am not sure where that "tipping point" is, but I think the ACC is one school away from being "full" if Notre Dame remains a partial.

(06-26-2016 04:39 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(06-26-2016 04:32 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  At a point we dilute down the product so much that nobody will care.

There is a cap on expansion, interest.

The glacial pace at which we have proceeded to the brink of 16 has already passed the point of the average person's interest. I truly think it is in its final stage and even that may be arrested by developments.

If we added a Clemson or Florida State it would fire the imaginations of most of the faithful and they would likely see it as natural. Oklahoma might even raise that much interest. But seriously, I don't think the average SEC fan gives two hoots in hell about N.C. State, Virginia Tech, UNC, UVa, Duke, Miami, and Georgia Tech at best might raise the interest of Auburn, Tennessee, and Georgia folks, but not as much as they once could have. Other than Oklahoma there isn't much in the Big 12 that would interest our fan base. Everyone mostly hates Texas so there's that.

If the goal was to get to 16 they should have wrapped it up when they added Aggie and Mizzou.

As we have moved further and further away from our core, the new additions have become harder to digest. What once seemed really good on paper and publicly been a perfect fit may be a little more to swallow than meets the eye.
This I believe has slowed the pace. Everybody is being much more cautious. Texas A&M, Missouri, Louisville, Maryland and Rutgers were not as hand-in-glove as we might have been led to believe. If those schools didn't fit perfectly, how in the world could you assimilate Baylor, West Virginia, Oklahoma State, Kansas or TCU?

(07-04-2016 10:39 AM)XLance Wrote:  

(06-26-2016 04:39 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(06-26-2016 04:32 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  At a point we dilute down the product so much that nobody will care.

There is a cap on expansion, interest.

The glacial pace at which we have proceeded to the brink of 16 has already passed the point of the average person's interest. I truly think it is in its final stage and even that may be arrested by developments.

If we added a Clemson or Florida State it would fire the imaginations of most of the faithful and they would likely see it as natural. Oklahoma might even raise that much interest. But seriously, I don't think the average SEC fan gives two hoots in hell about N.C. State, Virginia Tech, UNC, UVa, Duke, Miami, and Georgia Tech at best might raise the interest of Auburn, Tennessee, and Georgia folks, but not as much as they once could have. Other than Oklahoma there isn't much in the Big 12 that would interest our fan base. Everyone mostly hates Texas so there's that.

If the goal was to get to 16 they should have wrapped it up when they added Aggie and Mizzou.

As we have moved further and further away from our core, the new additions have become harder to digest. What once seemed really good on paper and publicly been a perfect fit may be a little more to swallow than meets the eye.
This I believe has slowed the pace. Everybody is being much more cautious. Texas A&M, Missouri, Louisville, Maryland and Rutgers were not as hand-in-glove as we might have been led to believe. If those schools didn't fit perfectly, how in the world could you assimilate Baylor, West Virginia, Oklahoma State, Kansas or TCU?

XLance, what part of the SEC doesn't A&M and Mizzou fit into? Seems like it has been a pretty seamless transition to me. Kinda like South Carolina and Arkansas...

I don't want the SEC to move to 24!! I don't want to be like the Big FourTeen. That conference is going to collapse because of its own stupidity and we will too if we don't watch out!!

Assuming BIG getting Texas and Oklahoma...

SEC:
South Carolina - Clemson
Kentucky - Louisville
Tennessee - Vanderbilt
Georgia - Georgia Tech
Florida - Florida State
Alabama - Auburn
Ole Miss. - Mississippi State
Missouri - Texas A&M
Arkansas - LSU
North Carolina - Duke
Virginia - Virginia Tech
West Virginia - Pitt

Rivalries drive fan interest in sports. (Missouri and A&M dont really have any rivals in SEC)
New rivalries created (Virginia Tech - Tennessee)
New markets are added.

(07-11-2016 07:52 PM)1Dukie Wrote:  Assuming BIG getting Texas and Oklahoma...

SEC:
South Carolina - Clemson
Kentucky - Louisville
Tennessee - Vanderbilt
Georgia - Georgia Tech
Florida - Florida State
Alabama - Auburn
Ole Miss. - Mississippi State
Missouri - Texas A&M
Arkansas - LSU
North Carolina - Duke
Virginia - Virginia Tech
West Virginia - Pitt

Rivalries drive fan interest in sports. (Missouri and A&M dont really have any rivals in SEC)
New rivalries created (Virginia Tech - Tennessee)
New markets are added.

The Southwest Classic: A&M vs Arkansas. Renewal of rivalry from the Southwest Conference days.

(07-11-2016 07:52 PM)1Dukie Wrote:  Assuming BIG getting Texas and Oklahoma...

SEC:
South Carolina - Clemson
Kentucky - Louisville
Tennessee - Vanderbilt
Georgia - Georgia Tech
Florida - Florida State
Alabama - Auburn
Ole Miss. - Mississippi State
Missouri - Texas A&M
Arkansas - LSU
North Carolina - Duke
Virginia - Virginia Tech
West Virginia - Pitt

Rivalries drive fan interest in sports. (Missouri and A&M dont really have any rivals in SEC)
New rivalries created (Virginia Tech - Tennessee)
New markets are added.

I don't have a problem with that.

You could align it this way...

West: Texas A&M, Missouri, Arkansas, LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State

Central: Alabama, Auburn, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Louisville

East: Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, South Carolina, Clemson

Atlantic: North Carolina, Duke, Virginia, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Pittsburgh

You could play 5 division games, 3 permanent rivals, and 3 rotating games. That's 11 total. Space for one OOC game...

Love that setup. That east division would be a lot of fun.

(07-12-2016 01:29 AM)AllTideUp Wrote:  

(07-11-2016 07:52 PM)1Dukie Wrote:  Assuming BIG getting Texas and Oklahoma...

SEC:
South Carolina - Clemson
Kentucky - Louisville
Tennessee - Vanderbilt
Georgia - Georgia Tech
Florida - Florida State
Alabama - Auburn
Ole Miss. - Mississippi State
Missouri - Texas A&M
Arkansas - LSU
North Carolina - Duke
Virginia - Virginia Tech
West Virginia - Pitt

Rivalries drive fan interest in sports. (Missouri and A&M dont really have any rivals in SEC)
New rivalries created (Virginia Tech - Tennessee)
New markets are added.

I don't have a problem with that.

You could align it this way...

West: Texas A&M, Missouri, Arkansas, LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State

Central: Alabama, Auburn, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Louisville

East: Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, South Carolina, Clemson

Atlantic: North Carolina, Duke, Virginia, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Pittsburgh

You could play 5 division games, 3 permanent rivals, and 3 rotating games. That's 11 total. Space for one OOC game...

Mizzou may have come in with no rivalries but A&M has played Arkansas and LSU as many times or more than some of the other SWC teams. Getting those two key rivalry games back was a huge selling point for joining the SEC.

(07-12-2016 06:11 AM)ren.hoek Wrote:  Love that setup. That east division would be a lot of fun.

(07-12-2016 01:29 AM)AllTideUp Wrote:  

(07-11-2016 07:52 PM)1Dukie Wrote:  Assuming BIG getting Texas and Oklahoma...

SEC:
South Carolina - Clemson
Kentucky - Louisville
Tennessee - Vanderbilt
Georgia - Georgia Tech
Florida - Florida State
Alabama - Auburn
Ole Miss. - Mississippi State
Missouri - Texas A&M
Arkansas - LSU
North Carolina - Duke
Virginia - Virginia Tech
West Virginia - Pitt

Rivalries drive fan interest in sports. (Missouri and A&M dont really have any rivals in SEC)
New rivalries created (Virginia Tech - Tennessee)
New markets are added.

I don't have a problem with that.

You could align it this way...

West: Texas A&M, Missouri, Arkansas, LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State

Central: Alabama, Auburn, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Louisville

East: Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, South Carolina, Clemson

Atlantic: North Carolina, Duke, Virginia, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Pittsburgh

You could play 5 division games, 3 permanent rivals, and 3 rotating games. That's 11 total. Space for one OOC game...

The Central looks fun as well, excellent divisional setup. I just don't like playing 11 conference games. I love OOC games, the schedule would be fantastic though. Would work best in a champs only model. Who would be everyone's 3 rivals? 1 from each division?