(07-08-2015 10:54 PM)lumberpack4 Wrote: Now, let's go back and look at everyone's 13th and 14th program -
SEC - TAMU and Mizzou - are these football powerhouses with large national followings? No. But they put the SEC in Texas, Kansas City, and St. Louis.
ACC - Pitt and Syracuse - are these football powerhouses with large national following? No. But they put the ACC in NY State, NYC, Pittsburg, and Western PA.
B10 - MD and Rutgers - we know these are not football powers but they put the B10 in DC, Baltimore, and NYC (The B10 had a foot in southern NJ via Philadelphia and Penn State).
ACC - Louisville - when the ACC had to replace MD, they went into virgin territory for the ACC and took the largest DMA footprints they could get - the entire State of Kentucky, and Southside Indiana. Look at the Cincy DMA in particular, it caters to Cincy, SW Ohio, Northern KY, and SE Indiana. Making Cincy somewhat, but not completely redundant for the ACC.
You didn't discuss the other available options above so the analysis is being done in a vacuum.
Let's look at the SEC first. TAMU does have brand. It is a slightly lesser brand than either Texas or Oklahoma but it's markets alone trumps the brand discrepancy with Oklahoma (since the SEC knew it was going to get a network) and its institutional and cultural fit gave it the edge over Texas. Plus how interested would Texas have been anyway?
Once the SEC knew it had TAMU on board and Texas wasn't interested, OU was flirting with the PAC, and VT (which was considered the best possible addition showed also showed little interest) that basically left the SEC with Mizzou and WVU. In this case markets trump slightly better brand.
In the ACC's case, as good as WVU's brand is, it is only slightly better than Pitt and SU historically while Pitt and SU were far better academic and institutional fits than WVU. Basically Pitt and SU were the ACC's only real options despite what UConn fans think.
The B1G added Maryland and Rutgers because they couldn't get UVa, UNC, GT, etc to jump ship. So who were they going to add other than possibly OU and KU? And at the time they added Maryland and Rutgers, there was a slight concern that with what the ACC had done, PSU might get roving eyes. Delany had always wanted further into the eastern footprint of NYC and DC and used that slight threat of PSU leaving to get MD and RU on board.
When MD left the ACC that created an opening that again truly only had two options - Louisville or UConn - and Louisville's brand in football was greater than UConn's markets.
Quote:While it's true the ACC does not have a network at this time. They will, but even if they did not, that would not change the fundamentals of expansion since it's about making more money.
If you are ESPN, where does WVa make you the most money? In the SEC of course as it puts the SEC in the Pittsburgh, and DC DMA through WVa.
How do maximize the value of Iowa State? In the ACC.
ESPN maximizes the ACC, imho, by making it stronger in football.
What has more value? WVU or ISU vs the following the teams nationally:
FSU, Miami, Clemson, VT, GT and the semi-independent ND
What has more value? WVU or ISU vs the following teams regionally;
Pitt, Louisville, SU, BC, UVa, UNC, NC State
No matter how you slice it, WVU is more valuable to the ACC than ISU.
Quote:There are only a handful of programs that will turn on TV sets even when their programs stink. Notre Dame, USC, Texas, OU, Alabama, Florida, FSU, Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan, Miami, Navy - for other football programs, they have to have a good team. As far as expansion past 14 goes, unless one of the above schools is involved, new territory is what ESPN seems willing to pay for.
Agreed. And basically every conference has at least two of them.
But the B1G and the SEC have more than two and they have more just below at the next level down that turns on TVs when they are between good and great.
WVU is one of those latter type programs. ISU simply is not. Cincy simply is not. UConn simply is not. No disrespect to any of them since SU falls into the same category. And Tulane, who you mentioned in the previous post, isn't even anywhere near the level of an ISU, SU, Cincy, or even UConn.
Since the ACC is hampered by the lack of the programs that can get viewers to watch even when they are mediocre (by their standards), they need as much help at the next level down grouping as it can get - VT, Clemson, GT, and Louisville are there now and WVU only helps. Because if we are being entirely honest of the major players you cite above the weakest one is probably Miami who may be in danger of dropping to the next level down if they don't get back to being the U soon.
Cheers,
Neil
/
WVU President: WVU desires a closer school be added to the Big 12
