(02-07-2014 04:25 AM)CrazyPaco Wrote:  

(02-06-2014 09:13 PM)texasorange Wrote:  I'm amazed that Penn State actually agreed to a four game series with Pittsburgh. That's not a bad step in the right direction.

Paterno was removed from power. That is absolutely the reason.

Absolutely. One had to grow up in Pennsylvania to truly understand what a bitter, egotistical, angry, vindictive bastard Joe Paterno really was.

(02-07-2014 07:32 AM)TerryD Wrote:  

(02-07-2014 04:25 AM)CrazyPaco Wrote:  

(02-06-2014 09:13 PM)texasorange Wrote:  I'm amazed that Penn State actually agreed to a four game series with Pittsburgh. That's not a bad step in the right direction.

Paterno was removed from power. That is absolutely the reason.

Absolutely. One had to grow up in Pennsylvania to truly understand what a bitter, egotistical, angry, vindictive bastard Joe Paterno really was.

For those not old enough to remember a time before conference realignment messed everything up, the BEST end-of-season rivalry games were always:

USC vs. Notre Dame
Ohio State vs. Michigan
Nebraska vs. Oklahoma
Alabama vs. Auburn
Texas vs. Texas A&M
Penn State vs. Pittsburgh

Those games were on national TV for a reason. Realignment messed up the Nebraska/Oklahoma and Texas/TAMU games, but Joe Pa destroyed PSU/Pitt all by himself.

(NOTE: FSU/Florida became really big in the 90s, but prior to that it wasn't on par with these; Clemson/SC is approaching this level but not quite there yet, IMO)

(02-07-2014 12:22 AM)tj_2009 Wrote:  

(02-06-2014 11:21 AM)Lou_C Wrote:  

(02-06-2014 11:12 AM)UofLgrad07 Wrote:  There are only two reasons to go to a 9 game conference slate in my opinion.

#1. Nine games are needed to provide enough inventory to launch the ACC network.
#2. Every other P5 conference is at nine games and the ACC is getting penalized for only playing eight.

Agree. And it's not even just inventory...there will be fewer games available, because more than half the games that would be lost would be home games most likely.

It would have to be a quality of content issue, with ESPN making it a demand, rather than just a quantity of games issue. I mean, the SEC has enough inventory at 14 teams and 8 conference games. It's not a numbers issue.

And if ESPN is going to dictate that, they need to be prepared to pay handsomely in my opinion, because there are real drawbacks.

The elimination of divisions is a much better way to increase the quality of content, while still allowing all the benefits of the 8-game schedule.

I am not sure about being penalized by only having 8 games. Perhaps from a strength of schedule point of view.
The main reason for going to 9 games in my opinion is to get more content for the ACC Network. The only way the schools will agree is if ESPN provides a lot more money to make up for the loss of an extra home game.

It doesn't. It actually reduces the number of possible games.

(02-07-2014 10:04 AM)Hokie Mark Wrote:  

(02-07-2014 07:32 AM)TerryD Wrote:  

(02-07-2014 04:25 AM)CrazyPaco Wrote:  

(02-06-2014 09:13 PM)texasorange Wrote:  I'm amazed that Penn State actually agreed to a four game series with Pittsburgh. That's not a bad step in the right direction.

Paterno was removed from power. That is absolutely the reason.

Absolutely. One had to grow up in Pennsylvania to truly understand what a bitter, egotistical, angry, vindictive bastard Joe Paterno really was.

For those not old enough to remember a time before conference realignment messed everything up, the BEST end-of-season rivalry games were always:

USC vs. Notre Dame
Ohio State vs. Michigan
Nebraska vs. Oklahoma
Alabama vs. Auburn
Texas vs. Texas A&M
Penn State vs. Pittsburgh

Those games were on national TV for a reason. Realignment messed up the Nebraska/Oklahoma and Texas/TAMU games, but Joe Pa destroyed PSU/Pitt all by himself.

(NOTE: FSU/Florida became really big in the 90s, but prior to that it wasn't on par with these; Clemson/SC is approaching this level but not quite there yet, IMO)

Clemson/South Carolina is nowhere near the level of those others historically. And if Pitt/Penn State had continued it would have lost much of its luster. While I'd like to see that game happen as often as possible, it's just not important nationally any longer.

(02-07-2014 07:32 AM)TerryD Wrote:  

(02-07-2014 04:25 AM)CrazyPaco Wrote:  

(02-06-2014 09:13 PM)texasorange Wrote:  I'm amazed that Penn State actually agreed to a four game series with Pittsburgh. That's not a bad step in the right direction.

Paterno was removed from power. That is absolutely the reason.

Absolutely. One had to grow up in Pennsylvania to truly understand what a bitter, egotistical, angry, vindictive bastard Joe Paterno really was.

Yup. Although I grew up in Jersey. Paterno either hated you like Pitt or looked at you as some charity case he could abuse with 2 for 1 series or at best 3 for 2 series like Temple.

(02-07-2014 07:32 AM)TerryD Wrote:  

(02-07-2014 04:25 AM)CrazyPaco Wrote:  

(02-06-2014 09:13 PM)texasorange Wrote:  I'm amazed that Penn State actually agreed to a four game series with Pittsburgh. That's not a bad step in the right direction.

Paterno was removed from power. That is absolutely the reason.

Absolutely. One had to grow up in Pennsylvania to truly understand what a bitter, egotistical, angry, vindictive bastard Joe Paterno really was.

+1! A world class arsehole who was COMPLETELY misrepresented in the national media for most of his career. The PSU propaganda machine would make Joseph Goebels envious.

(02-07-2014 10:37 AM)Kaplony Wrote:  

(02-07-2014 12:22 AM)tj_2009 Wrote:  The main reason for going to 9 games in my opinion is to get more content for the ACC Network. The only way the schools will agree is if ESPN provides a lot more money to make up for the loss of an extra home game.

It doesn't. It actually reduces the number of possible games.

It does reduce the number of games, but it increases the number of games you have absolute control of. I.e the ACC can move any conference game to the ACC Network: an OOC game is a little harder. Plus conference games are more valuable in terms of TV contracts because they are predictable.

Those are the reasons why some may want an extra game. But as stated there is a tradeoff.