First order of business congrats to the first ever team national champion Wrestling Buckeyes.

So whilst moaping around after getting our azzes handed to us by Zona, I happened upon this somewhat dated rant from our old pal The Dude of West Virginia. http://dudeofwv.blogspot.com/2013/11/the...s.html?m=1 While I can't vouch for his sources or work he did bring up a really great question which I don't think has been satisfactorily answered yet. His primary question was why did Florida State sign the ACC grant of rights. I'd like to include Georgia Tech in that question. There was fear that the ACC could be raided by some combination of the B1G/SEC and to a lesser extent the Big 12 but the ACC already had a contract in place and could have conceivably kept of operating without FSU and GT signing a grant of rights.

Their signatures were a huge bit of leverage that was worth far more than a couple million per year. Now this is wild speculation and i have no inside information but if I were these two schools I would have exacted a hefty price for my signature. Something along the lines of: The ACC will have an operational Network by XYZ time or 1. We could leave the conference without penalty or 2. The ACC will match what the SEC schools are earning for their TV rights.
The SEC already has great programs in Florida and Georgia so they dont need FSU or GT. But the B1G certainly wanted GT and probably would have taken FSU in spite of them not being AAU. How much value would the ACC have lost without its most dominant football program and only a skeleton presence in Atlanta? The old guard of UVA, Duke, and UNC would have been under serious pressure from a financial standpoint to consider the SEC or B1G.

Fast forward 2 years since the signing of the grant of rights and the Good Ole Boy deal with Raycom is still a huge hindrance to the ACC Network coming to fruition. I'm not sure what they got for their signature but if a network is not forthcoming then IMO they sold too cheap.

They should have watched the Mouse closely. Here's a hint, if the mouse's lips are moving, it's a scam. Mice have no lips.

(03-25-2015 03:46 PM)Big Ron Buckeye Wrote:  I'm not sure what they got for their signature but if a network is not forthcoming then IMO they sold too cheap.

because the dude of WVU is to Frank the Tank what creationism is to peer reviewed science.

One is based on legitimate evidence/proof. The other is based on story telling and catering to what people WANT to hear.

What if the FSU rumors were seriously overblown and they never had any intention of leaving?

There's the ticket...people were buying into rumor mongoring. The ACC, for the most part, doesn't want to split up. Maryland only left because they were in dire financial straights and thought the B1G could help them out.

(03-25-2015 03:53 PM)TexanMark Wrote:  

(03-25-2015 03:46 PM)Big Ron Buckeye Wrote:  I'm not sure what they got for their signature but if a network is not forthcoming then IMO they sold too cheap.

This is about the almighty dollar

Virginia Tech, Clemson, NC State, Georgia Tech, Florida State, Miami, and Louisville should look to split from the ACC if UNC, Duke, and Virginia in up going to the SEC or Big Ten. Those schools could really form another good Southern Conference with the likes, of West Virginia, Cincinnati, Memphis, TCU, SMU, Houston, South Florida, UCF, and East Carolina.

(03-25-2015 04:51 PM)Carolina_Low_Country Wrote:  Virginia Tech, Clemson, NC State, Georgia Tech, Florida State, Miami, and Louisville should look to split from the ACC if UNC, Duke, and Virginia in up going to the SEC or Big Ten. Those schools could really form another good Southern Conference with the likes, of West Virginia, Cincinnati, Memphis, TCU, SMU, Houston, South Florida, UCF, and East Carolina.

Why not just Virginia Tech, Clemson, NC State, Georgia Tech, Florida State, Miami, WVU/UC, and Louisville?

(03-25-2015 04:04 PM)Rabbit_in_Red Wrote:  There's the ticket...people were buying into rumor mongoring. The ACC, for the most part, doesn't want to split up. Maryland only left because they were in dire financial straights and thought the B1G could help them out.

It was not just money.

UM system president Kirwan fell in love with the B10 when he was Ohio State chancellor. HE wanted MD in the B10 and he had the power to make it happen unilaterally. Remember Wallace Loh was Kirwan's employee even though UM College Park has a board.

Kirwan and Delany presented a set of figures to the MD board the compared old ACC revneu with future B10 revenue, skewing the fiscal advantage to MD. Kirwan wanted out of the ACC in part because MD's leadership role in the ACC had dwindled to nearly nothing over the last 60 years.

MD, Duke, and Clemson led the pullout from the Southern Conference. They led the blackball against West Va., and VT. UNC managed to displace MD's leadership role in the ACC after Bob James died and Gene Corrigan took over the job. Over a decade with Swofford has only solidified the UNC/Duke/UVa axis.

On top of that, the deference shown to VT and treating them like a full member upon admission rankled MD. Moreover, VT became more important to the ACC than MD. MD also was against ND on a non-full football basis, and did not want to be in a northern ACC division. NC State hiring Debbie Yow was one of the last straws as they planned to blame her for decades of mismanagement that had occurred since the day Len Bias died.

It's about 40% money and 60% other reasons that MD left.

(03-25-2015 05:27 PM)nzmorange Wrote:  

(03-25-2015 04:51 PM)Carolina_Low_Country Wrote:  Virginia Tech, Clemson, NC State, Georgia Tech, Florida State, Miami, and Louisville should look to split from the ACC if UNC, Duke, and Virginia in up going to the SEC or Big Ten. Those schools could really form another good Southern Conference with the likes, of West Virginia, Cincinnati, Memphis, TCU, SMU, Houston, South Florida, UCF, and East Carolina.

Why not just Virginia Tech, Clemson, NC State, Georgia Tech, Florida State, Miami, WVU/UC, and Louisville?

Because that doesn't promote any G5 schools. That is, after all, the goal of realignment, isn't it?

If Missouri were to leave the SEC for the B1G, would the SEC teams sign a GOR?

Or have they?

(03-25-2015 05:33 PM)lumberpack4 Wrote:  Delany presented a set of figures to the MD board the compared old ACC revneu with future B10 revenue, skewing the fiscal advantage to MD. Kirwan wanted out of the ACC in part because MD's leadership role in the ACC had dwindled to nearly nothing over the last 60 years.

MD, Duke, and Clemson led the pullout from the Southern Conference. They led the blackball against West Va., and VT. UNC managed to displace MD's leadership role in the ACC after Bob James died and Gene Corrigan took over the job. Over a decade with Swofford has only solidified the UNC/Duke/UVa axis.

On top of that, the deference shown to VT and treating them like a full member upon admission rankled MD. Moreover, VT became more important to the ACC than MD. MD also was against ND on a non-full football basis, and did not want to be in a northern ACC division. NC State hiring Debbie Yow was one of the last straws as they planned to blame her for decades of mismanagement that had occurred since the day Len Bias died.

It's about 40% money and 60% other reasons that MD left.

I didn't know many of these yummy morsels of infighting amongst the ACC. I knew that South Carolina felt "penised" so they left in 71. And for similar reasons Clemson considered leaving shortly thereafter. One of the puzzling things about the ACC has been how they have treated football schools. It almost has the feeling of the Big East where Basketball schools were making decisions without regard to how it would affect football schools. I think the league is safe from (what they did to the Big East) if they get a Network. But if they dont... I think Georgia Tech is gone next time around.

The reality is, the ACC had the opportunity to implode...and it didn't. Instead, they all signed on the dotted line. I don't understand why it's hard for people to understand that the ACC schools are, by and large, happy with one another and their situation. And please...the conference with the largest media footprint won't be left out of the network business.

(03-25-2015 05:36 PM)Dasville Wrote:  If Missouri were to leave the SEC for the B1G, would the SEC teams sign a GOR?

Or have they?

The B1G has a grant of rights but doesn't need one. The SEC doesn't need one either. If a school is hell bent on leaving... let them. There are many others that would line up to take your place.

(03-25-2015 05:53 PM)Big Ron Buckeye Wrote:  

(03-25-2015 05:36 PM)Dasville Wrote:  If Missouri were to leave the SEC for the B1G, would the SEC teams sign a GOR?

Or have they?

The B1G has a grant of rights but doesn't need one. The SEC doesn't need one either. If a school is hell bent on leaving... let them. There are many others that would line up to take your place.

As one of the schools that were waiting in line...... I agree!

(03-25-2015 05:53 PM)Big Ron Buckeye Wrote:  The B1G has a grant of rights but doesn't need one.

Obviously there are people in power at the Big Ten that think they do need one, because not only did they sign one, but they've already signed an extension to it that runs another 20 years.

(03-25-2015 04:51 PM)Carolina_Low_Country Wrote:  Virginia Tech, Clemson, NC State, Georgia Tech, Florida State, Miami, and Louisville should look to split from the ACC if UNC, Duke, and Virginia in up going to the SEC or Big Ten. Those schools could really form another good Southern Conference with the likes, of West Virginia, Cincinnati, Memphis, TCU, SMU, Houston, South Florida, UCF, and East Carolina.

That's a very good point. You'd have some solid football cache but I still think if UVA, Duke, & UNC ever left that NC State, VaTech, GT, and FSU could also leave. SEC doesn't have a presence in North Carolina or Virginia. B1G wants to go south to make up for the declining relative population. If ever there was a chink in the armor (especially among the Virginia/Carolina crew)... the SEC and B1G followed by the Big 12 would carve up the ACC like a Thanksgiving turkey.

The real questions is why is everyone so bent on believing that the ACC doesn't generally want to be together?

(03-25-2015 06:05 PM)nzmorange Wrote:  The real questions is why is everyone so bent on believing that the ACC doesn't generally want to be together?

Because without that hope their big realignment dreams are dead?

(03-25-2015 06:05 PM)nzmorange Wrote:  The real questions is why is everyone so bent on believing that the ACC doesn't generally want to be together?

Something just doesn't add up. The fundamental question which no ACC aficionado will answer honestly is why would any organization sign up for something that is not in their interest? FSU had massive leverage and to tell me they were not given something for that signature is naive. UNC and Duke have abused their ranking at the head of the table for years, you want to tell me that FSU didnt get anything for keeping the gang together? Im not buying that.