Academically West Virginia would be a huge outlier in the ACC. There are three academic microscopes so to speak - ARWU type rankings that recognize the role of graduate research and rank accordingly. Ranking systems for all universities keyed toward undergraduate admissions statistics are another type. Then there are rankings that leave out private universities because they are difficult to compare. Here's one -
https://www.niche.com/about/methodology/...versities/
ACC public schools range from a high of UVa at 3 and a low of FSU at 28. Then a huge leap to Louisville at 101.
For comparison the Big 10 public schools range from Michigan at number 1 to Indiana at 39, then a huge leap to Nebraska at 59.
The bottom 6 of the P-5 schools are Tennessee at 87, Oregon State at 89, Kentucky at 90, West Virginia at 94, LSU at 95, and Louisville at 101.
The Appalachian nexus of Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Louisville is not by chance. Admissions into West Va are almost non-competitive for in state students and WVa was not set up to be exclusive.
Opposition to West Va is built on three main issues:
1. The academic mission difference between WVa and UVa, Duke, WF, GT, etc., is huge.
2. The location's weather and fan behavior - Morgantown gets real winter weather and that's not something 8 schools south of Virginia really like. Their fans have done some really ugly things over the years and personally I put them in the general orbit of MD and Philadelphia fans.
3. West Va suffers from the duplication of a market coverage niche that is already taken care of by VT, UVa, Pitt, and Louisville.
West Va is just not going to be the ACC's 16th or 17th school as longs as UVa, Duke, GT, and WF have a vote. However, I can see West Va getting into the ACC as an 18th, but only as part of a deal that addresses landing spots for Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas