(09-22-2021 01:28 PM)Schema Wrote: As an alum of an ACC school, I'll just focus on that part.
It looks like Virginia Tech was stolen away by the SEC and Notre Dame worked through all of their issues regarding being in a conference and with the B1G in general and has decided to join them. I'm also assuming this is either 10 to 15 years from now or else media Grant of Rights have proven to be powerless. Additionally, this would mean that the scheduling agreement between the ACC and Notre Dame has either ended (2037) or been broken by the Irish. Anyway, in response to the Hokies being plucked away and Notre Dame breaking the ACC's collective hearts, the ACC responds by adding Rutgers, UConn, and USF.
I just don't see any reason for that. Nothing against those universities, but what would adding those three accomplish? The likelihood of conferences with 12 or more members still being forced to have divisions in order to host a conference championship game is slim. However, let's say it remains in place and the ACC needs to replace the Hokies with someone to get back to an even number of schools. Perhaps one or two of those schools could be on a plan B list for getting back to 14 schools, but I don't see any reason that the ACC would need to expand to 16 just because we lost Virginia Tech.
The alignment is more geographic and culture based than anything wile getting to 16-team super-conferences since it seems inevitable that 16 team power conferences are the end goal with ESPN and maybe one other partner controlling the media rights.
When I undid the Texas and Oklahoma move to the SEC, I added schools in similar "college towns" that have a strong football fanbase and tradition to get them back to 16. Yes I'm an ECU fan and I stuck them in the SEC with Va Tech and Central Florida. Partly homerism, but also the "college town" and tradition. Va Tech and ECU would secure eyeballs in all of NC and VA, while stealing some of the recruiting thunder from the ACC. Central Florida doesn't really fit the SEC model, and there is already a Fl SEC school, but their enrollment and market make them a pretty smart add to combat the number of ACC schools in Fl.
Notre Dame belongs with the Big10, we all know it though the scheduling alliance with the ACC has been interesting so far and I like it. I could see them picking the ACC over the Big 10, but not in my "fantasyland". Rutgers, UCONN, and S. Florida are obviously not an equal trade for ND, but again geography-wise they fit and ND hasn't exactly jumped into the ACC relationship with both feet. The Fl schools would object to S. Florida, but honestly who else is more appealing? You could argue Navy, but that left S. Florida on an island without an obvious home. UCONN would be accepted on Basketball pedigree, while Rutgers and S. Florida bring markets and potential in both basketball and football.
It may be in 15-20 years, but eventually we will all realize it doesn't matter to ESPN which schools they pay the money to, or how the conferences are valued against one another when they are controlling the lion's share of media rights anyways. It's six one way, half dozen the other.
Pairing the 16-team super conferences with the 10-team smaller conferences also sets up the possibility of a geographically based relegation system which I think is the only way to create an equitable playing field. The majority of the time the traditional power schools will stay at the top but relegation allows for upward mobility for smaller schools, even if their financial rewards for moving up are relatively small and likelihood of remaining in the P5 is slim.
ACC/CUSA Big12/SWC Big10/MAC PAC12/MWC SEC/Sunbelt
Just for ***** and giggles in the end. I'm recovering from covid and I'm quite bored.
/
Flame away, just don't act like it doesn't make sense
