from an article by Jared Shanker, ESPN:

Quote:from a College Football Playoff perspective, there hasn't been any benefit of playing a nine-game conference schedule through the playoff's infancy.

A conference without divisions would alleviate some of the scheduling issues, but it could put a damper on postseason races. Division races assure at least a few compelling games every weekend deep into the season, critical for TV.

Neither is a new idea, nor is flipping Georgia Tech to the Atlantic and flopping Louisville to the Coastal. It would create an annual game between Florida State and Georgia Tech, but FSU athletic director Stan Wilcox didn't sound too interested in making that rivalry a yearly occurrence when asked in March. The flip would certainly provide advantages, but FSU's desires will hold a lot of weight.

It seems like ESPN knows where the ACC's bread is buttered...

I call bs on ESPN knowing more than the FSU insiders I talk to who all say FSU would love to play GT every year. If FSU carries weight as ESPN says (which I dont buy either), then GT and FSU will play every year somehow in the near future.

IMO, this whole thing is about negotiating between ESPN and the ACC for an ACC Network. If they do the network, ESPN wants the ACC to improve the football schedules (possibly by changing the divisions, or eliminating them, or going to 9 league games). ESPN doesn't care HOW the ACC does it, they just want a better football product so they can sell an ACC Network channel to cable companies. In the end, it's all about how much money ESPN can make off of it.

9 games will be a tough tough sell. I just dont see that likely when at the very least 1/3 of the league is adamantley opposed to it.

If somehow a 9th game is added, I hope it is another guaranteed inter divisional game as opposed to a rotating one.

FSU - Ga Tech
Clemson - Va Tech
Miami - Louisville
UNC - Wake
Duke - NC State
Pitt - BC
Syracuse - UVA

(05-08-2015 01:31 PM)Ragu Wrote:  I call bs on ESPN knowing more than the FSU insiders I talk to who all say FSU would love to play GT every year. If FSU carries weight as ESPN says (which I dont buy either), then GT and FSU will play every year somehow in the near future.

I'm assuming that:

A. GT has made it abundantly clear to FSU that THEY do not want that as an annual game, at least at the expense of others. At that point it's embarrassing for FSU to continue to pine for GT publicly...

and/or

B. Jimbo Fisher has a lot less enthusiasm for facing GT's offense on an annual basis as long as Paul Johnson is there

The fact is, this FSU love affair with GT, of which I am a part, is not all that requited.

I'm fine playing FSU annually. I am NOT fine giving up Duke, UNC, UVA, and Pitt to do so.

Swofford needs to locate his big boy pants, get a ACCDN better than the SoConDN pronto, and go divisionless with permanent rivals. MAN UP.

Just a bit of a passing thought:

But just move VT and GT to the Atlantic Division and move Syracuse and Boston College to the Coastal Division. Makes the Atlantic a challenging division to alleviate FSU's fears of SOS and still have Miami vs FSU. We could also call it the "Publics" vs the "Privates", although I'm too lazy right now to look-up all the schools to see if those descriptions would fit. Happy Friday everyone. May you all enjoy your weekends.

(05-08-2015 05:27 PM)georgia_tech_swagger Wrote:  I'm fine playing FSU annually. I am NOT fine giving up Duke, UNC, UVA, and Pitt to do so.

Swofford needs to locate his big boy pants, get a ACCDN better than the SoConDN pronto, and go divisionless with permanent rivals. MAN UP.

Why the heck would you want Pitt over fsu? I get the others

(05-08-2015 05:27 PM)georgia_tech_swagger Wrote:  I'm fine playing FSU annually. I am NOT fine giving up Duke, UNC, UVA, and Pitt to do so.

Swofford needs to locate his big boy pants, get a ACCDN better than the SoConDN pronto, and go divisionless with permanent rivals. MAN UP.

You fail to mention Va Tech, but I can understand why:

Date Opponent (record) Result Score Site
9/20/2014 @ *Virginia Tech (7-6) W 27 24
9/26/2013 vs. *Virginia Tech (8-5) L 10 17
9/3/2012 @ *Virginia Tech (7-6) L 17 20
11/10/2011 vs. *Virginia Tech (11-3) L 26 37
11/4/2010 @ *Virginia Tech (11-3) L 21 28
10/17/2009 vs. *Virginia Tech (10-3) W 28 23
9/13/2008 @ *Virginia Tech (10-4) L 17 20
11/1/2007 vs. *Virginia Tech (11-3) L 3 27
9/30/2006 @ *Virginia Tech (10-3) W 38 27
9/24/2005 @ *Virginia Tech (11-2) L 7 51
10/28/2004 vs. *Virginia Tech (10-3) L 20 34

Since VT joined the ACC, GT is just 3-8 against the Hokies.

(05-08-2015 05:27 PM)georgia_tech_swagger Wrote:  I'm fine playing FSU annually. I am NOT fine giving up Duke, UNC, UVA, and Pitt to do so.

Swofford needs to locate his big boy pants, get a ACCDN better than the SoConDN pronto, and go divisionless with permanent rivals. MAN UP.

And at this point I don't even care if FSU plays GT every year. Too many fans of worthless teams in the Coastal b and m about it incessantly when football schools bring up the fact that some of the best matchups (FSU vs GT/VT, Clemson vs Miami/VT) are the most infrequent.

But we better dadgum play them every 2 years, and no less frequent than every 3 years.

Problem is, there are MULTIPLE scheduling alternatives that work for EVERYBODY, but Swofford is too non-visionary to see them or to implement them. Just look at these articles being posted by ACC writers. They do a horrible job of truly exploring alternative "divisions". David Teel had a similarly poor article recently, too.

(05-08-2015 06:39 PM)Ragu Wrote:  

(05-08-2015 05:27 PM)georgia_tech_swagger Wrote:  I'm fine playing FSU annually. I am NOT fine giving up Duke, UNC, UVA, and Pitt to do so.

Swofford needs to locate his big boy pants, get a ACCDN better than the SoConDN pronto, and go divisionless with permanent rivals. MAN UP.

Why the heck would you want Pitt over fsu? I get the others

Institutional "fit".

(05-08-2015 10:06 PM)Marge Schott Wrote:  

(05-08-2015 06:39 PM)Ragu Wrote:  

(05-08-2015 05:27 PM)georgia_tech_swagger Wrote:  I'm fine playing FSU annually. I am NOT fine giving up Duke, UNC, UVA, and Pitt to do so.

Swofford needs to locate his big boy pants, get a ACCDN better than the SoConDN pronto, and go divisionless with permanent rivals. MAN UP.

Why the heck would you want Pitt over fsu? I get the others

Institutional "fit".

They can claim that. If a school in the conference from fricken Georgia takes Pitt over fsu it is more about avoidance Gt has made some moves that make me wonder if they ever care to be a football power or if they just want to settle for a good year once and awhile

To be fair, that's GTS's preference. I'm not sure if most GT people feel that way or not.

(05-08-2015 08:54 PM)Hokie Mark Wrote:  You fail to mention Va Tech, but I can understand why:

Sorry, we're just not that into you. I'm sure if we didn't play every year Beamer would still cry over chop blocks just the same. While hilariously getting called for more than GT does when they play.

(05-08-2015 06:39 PM)Ragu Wrote:  Why the heck would you want Pitt over fsu? I get the others

Historical program in a major pro city, with a huge cow college with a decidedly filthy closet in the same, many MNCs in their program history, some old history with the integration game the GA Governor protested in the 1950's (Orange? Sugar?) Bowl (which Dodd played and won anyway).

Would I want to play FSU over Pitt? Ehhhhh probably. But I wouldn't want to give up ALL FOUR of those teams to play FSU, which is what this stupid "UofL GT swap" idea would do. GT has no interest in anybody in the Atlantic except Clemson (they already play every year) and FSU. It's a net huge loss in that swap.

The UL/GT swap is a 5-year old proposal from the time of 12-team conferences that "journalists" are too stupid to realize is likely against the wishes of both schools, while simultaneously ignoring the fact that the swap will do NOTHING to change one division facing the other just once every 6 years.

Yeah I don't think that sole swap would happen. And I get not wanting to lose all those teams for just fsu. I just didn't think Pitt over fsu made sense.

With the model of 2 protected division rivals and 1 crossover gt could keep duke Pitt and Clemson every season then rotate unc and uva

Gt. duke/Pitt
Pitt. Gt/Miami
Duke. Gt/unc
Unc. Duke/uva
Uva. Unc/va tech
Miami. Pitt/va tech
Va tech. Uva/Miami.

Then all schools see each other twice every 4 years.

One thing for sure. The fastest way to make the ACC more compelling is to get the better teams in front of each other as often as possible. The argument against a 9 game schedule just doesn't hold water when you look at how it increases flexibility for big game enhancement. I wanna play GA Tech and VA Tech and Miami more often. To my knowledge the biggest obstacle to these improvements are the coaches themselves. Not sure exactly why but my guess is one thing - Job Security. I also don't get the GA Tech attitude of no interest in playing a fuller cross league schedule. I guess it goes back to old traditions.

(05-09-2015 05:08 PM)RedGrad Wrote:  One thing for sure. The fastest way to make the ACC more compelling is to get the better teams in front of each other as often as possible. The argument against a 9 game schedule just doesn't hold water when you look at how it increases flexibility for big game enhancement. I wanna play GA Tech and VA Tech and Miami more often. To my knowledge the biggest obstacle to these improvements are the coaches themselves. Not sure exactly why but my guess is one thing - Job Security. I also don't get the GA Tech attitude of no interest in playing a fuller cross league schedule. I guess it goes back to old traditions.

Yes it does. There are other ways to increase frequency that don't require 9 games. Do that. Your football schools demand it.

According to Swoffard there's just not enough of a push from the coaches and AD's to change the current format. My guess is this is what we get. It's a big miss if you ask me.