(04-13-2021 03:07 PM)random asian guy Wrote: Wake is not going anywhere.
Remeber the OBE conference? When VT was in the Big East in early 2000s, I was wondering why the Big East didn’t drop deadweight basketball teams like Providence or Seton Hall. The Big East didn’t shed a tear when Temple got booted. But that conference had never even considered dropping Providence or Seton Hall. In fact, they actually added more small basketball schools like DePaul.
Why? Beacuse these small Catholic basketball schools were/are the Big East. They were the core members whereas the football schools like WVU or VT were not.
For the ACC, the four NC schools and UVa are the voting block. They are the ACC. If Wake Forest and some other core schools got dropped, and the UNC and UVa lose their political power in the ACC, why would UNC/UVa stay? They would leave for a better paying conference.
Here is how I see the ACC voting block - as a staggered pyramid:
1. UNC/Duke
2. UNC/Duke/UVa - These are the "blues"
3. UNC/Duke/NCSU - A different kind of block
4. UNC/Duke/UVa/NCSU/WF - This is "Tobacco Road"
5. UNC/Duke/UVa/NCSU/WF/CU/VT/GT - This is the old ACC (yes this were VT is)
A smaller block is the old Big East:
1. BC/Syracuse/Pitt (No VT is not here)
2. When this block expands it adds Lousiville
Florida block
1. FSU/Miami (Miami actually meshes better than FSU)
Culturally:
ACC culture is Tidewater/Southeastern Atlantic with the exception of Clemson which is fully southern.
Clemson and FSU are the two "southern" schools.
ND, BC, Pitt, and Syracuse are "Yankee" schools even though technically Pitt is "Yinzer".
Miami is not quite southern, but not quite Hispanic.
Smarmy, patrician, paternalism is the core value of the ACC. That's what pisses off Clemson and FSU. Miami tends to get along with it. ND and BC handle paternalism very well. Syracuse much less so as well as Pitt.
You are correct to say that core will not "drop" Wake Forest. They will do their patrician duty to see that WF is kept whole in whatever manner is practical and I include VT in that.