esayem
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RE: Just for fun: ACC's 16th member
(10-17-2020 07:16 PM)random asian guy Wrote: (10-06-2020 04:25 PM)RUScarlets Wrote: (10-06-2020 03:56 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote: This is by far my favorite proposal for a 3 division ACC.
I don’t know that all of the protected crossovers are necessary. The only ones you really need are FSU-Miami, and some among the N.C. schools.
I can also see this 2 division model working:
Atlantic (North): BC, Cuse, Pitt, VT, ND, Miami, Louisville, Cincy/WVU
Coastal (South): UVA, UNC, NC St, Duke, WF, GT, Clemson, FSU
Only the 7 divisional games are mandatory. FSU-Miami, and UVA-VT both agree to annual OOC games in perpetuity.
No way ND would play in that no brand division. The only can see this setup is if ND is out, and ESPN wants to snipe UC and sell off the AAC TV rights. WVU would be the only other viable school to make it a complete 16, but ESPN would not pay big make that reunion a reality, and WVU leaving would not damage the Big 12 enough to tip the balance of power. As a fan of the old Big East, I think they can make the money work, but 16 divided by 2 is no longer a single conference if we're being honest. You still need a 4 team mini playoff to make it viable.
(10-17-2020 11:50 AM)CrazyPaco Wrote: (10-17-2020 09:44 AM)Wahoowa84 Wrote: (10-16-2020 09:51 PM)CrazyPaco Wrote: (10-16-2020 04:34 PM)esayem Wrote: West Virginia may have a small population, but it’s proven it can support two successful FBS teams. WVU was chosen over Louisville, Cincinnati, USF, etc., so I’m really not convinced the age of the state’s population matters. They may only have ~200k living alumni, but they must have many more non-alumni fans that keep their attendance high.
Once again, just by placing a conference member in a state doesn’t guarantee any relative presence in that state. Nobody is running around Tennessee or Louisiana calling them AAC states for instance. ECU isn’t recruiting the heck out of Ohio because they play in Cincinnati every other season. That argument has been proven wrong over and over again. UNC recruited Trubisky without having any team from Ohio on their schedule.
WVU was chosen over Louisville for the B12 for a couple reasons. One, they were willing to leave the Big East immediately, without notice, and pay a huge exit penalty. WVU and Louisville were both lobbying hard to get in and got their politicians involved. I don't know Louisville's willingness to leave immediately, maybe they were willing, maybe they were negotiating that harder. The other reason was the B12, and their media partners, viewed WVU as an entry into the eastern market in general (that is sort toehold is besides the point for the B10, ACC, and even SEC). It's one of the reason the B12 wanted Pitt at first as well.
WVU has a demographic problem. Sure, they are relevant in WV, and have a lot of fans there, but state of WV really isn't relevant to anyone already in the east nor is it a place where, say ESPN, looks and goes, getting a team in there is going to make your contract more valuable.
All of that said, I think they'd be a good addition to the ACC because they fit geographically and bring competitive teams, I just don't think you'll see it happen because of the above reasons. They just aren't going to make any conference already in the east more money under the current circumstances.
Even though WVU would have much more value in the ACC or BIG, even in the SEC, there is little chance that they ever get an invitation to a power conference that is a better fit.
Their biggest problem is financial potential. Major conferences and college athletics have become big business. WVU’s potential is limited because they are in a relatively small, isolated, impoverished geography and their academics isn’t a positive differentiator. The SEC and BIG are way ahead of other conferences...the ACC is playing catch-up and can’t afford to add a school with limited potential.
What made Louisville the better choice over UConn, wasn’t just their commitment to football. Louisville had also embraced how big time college athletics had evolved...maybe they noticed how Ohio State was growing or maybe nearby Kentucky Wildcats was their model...their revenue, “profits” and valuations were well managed. Louisville was the antithesis of Maryland’s financial struggles. WVU doesn’t provide the same level of confidence in terms of long-term financial viability.
Their best chance to get an invitation is if Pitt and/or VT become more powerful programs in the ACC. Then their natural rivals can advocate for their inclusion. Similarly, Penn State or Maryland could advocate within the BIG...although that seems highly unlikely.
Pitt did advocate for WVU when Pitt joined the ACC, and also for their inclusion when Pitt was talking to the B12 prior to that. There's also just too much market overlap with WVU and other ACC teams. Louisville added a new market and has better athletic financials. I'm not sure who gets in the ACC if both Louisville and WVU were available in 2014.
Even if both were available, the ACC would have chosen Louisville in my opinion. I am not even sure if the ACC would have picked WVU over Cincy if Big 12 had taken Louisville instead of WVU.
It was a bitter pill to swallow Louisville over UConn. Why would WVU be any tougher?
Are people forgetting Jurich was selling his soul to get Louisville in the Big XII over WVU in the 11th hour and it still don’t work? The people in the know, knew WVU was the obvious choice. Better brand, better value, better overall program. Just the way it is.
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