05-31-2003, 02:00 PM
Quote:Swofford and Hart said no decisions have been made as how to divide the 12 teams into two six-team conferences and that the three new teams would have input. A source familiar with the discussions said that a most likely scenario has emerged, one that would place Maryland, Duke, North Carolina and Georgia Tech along with newcomers Miami and Boston College in one division. That would leave Virginia, North Carolina State, Wake Forest, Clemson, Florida State and Syracuse in the other division.
In such a scenario, football and basketball scheduling would break down rather easily and allow teams to keep many of the home-and-home basketball matchups that have become quite popular.
For football, each team would play its division opponents and a "natural rival" from the other division every season and would play two of the other five teams from the other division each season on a rotating basis for a total of eight games, the same number that ACC teams currently play.
For basketball, each team would play its division opponents and natural rival twice each season and the remaining five teams from the other division once each season for a total of 17 games, one more than ACC teams currently play.
All 12 teams would play each other at least once and all would advance to the season-ending conference tournament.
The natural rivals also would be easy to decide: Maryland-Virginia, North Carolina-N.C. State, Duke-Wake Forest, Georgia Tech-Clemson, Florida State-Miami and Syracuse-Boston College.
Other details, such as sites for a football championship game and whether future basketball tournaments need to be held in dome venues, have yet to be discussed in earnest, another source said.
<a href='http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A59654-2003May30.html' target='_blank'>Washington Post</a>