(10-17-2020 09:43 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  So where do WF and N.C. St go?

(10-17-2020 05:16 PM)Nerdlinger Wrote:  OK, I didn't think I had to specify college sports, but just retitled the thread.

(10-17-2020 10:21 PM)Renandpat Wrote:  If players aren't paid, these fantasy threads are worse than those which keep them broke

(10-19-2020 08:02 AM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  The ACC has too much of a country club mentality back then to make this a reality.

the scenario I think would have been the most interesting is if around 1952-53 if instead of coming to an agreement with UNC and forming a breakaway conference if SC and Clemson had gained entry into the SEC while Maryland became more closely associated with the Eastern Independents to their North.

Then I think the chances of a Paterno Conference become a greater reality and I think that group could poach the SoCon’s best.

(10-19-2020 10:30 AM)CitrusUCF Wrote:  Actually, I'd just go back to 1953 when the ACC could have gone to 12 and instead of Penn included Penn State:

Penn State
Maryland
Virginia
Wake Forest
UNC
Duke
NC State
South Carolina
Clemson
Georgia Tech
Georgia
Florida

(10-19-2020 11:16 AM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  

(10-19-2020 10:30 AM)CitrusUCF Wrote:  Actually, I'd just go back to 1953 when the ACC could have gone to 12 and instead of Penn included Penn State:

Penn State
Maryland
Virginia
Wake Forest
UNC
Duke
NC State
South Carolina
Clemson
Georgia Tech
Georgia
Florida

That would not have worked in 1953. Penn St would not have joined a segregated conference.

Having the Georgia schools and Florida in there would be pretty cool. Was there any actual talk with those schools in the 50s or is this purely for fun speculation?

(10-19-2020 09:49 AM)Nerdlinger Wrote:  

(10-19-2020 08:02 AM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  The ACC has too much of a country club mentality back then to make this a reality.

the scenario I think would have been the most interesting is if around 1952-53 if instead of coming to an agreement with UNC and forming a breakaway conference if SC and Clemson had gained entry into the SEC while Maryland became more closely associated with the Eastern Independents to their North.

Then I think the chances of a Paterno Conference become a greater reality and I think that group could poach the SoCon’s best.

The scenario presented in the OP involves ACC defections later than the '70s -- more like in the 2000s and 2010s. The alternate Big East in this timeline is a strong football-first conference that manages to attract both Miami and Florida State in the early '90s, leaving the ACC without a dominant football school and resulting in the general irrelevance of the conference. Maryland is actually first to defect to the Big East, along with Clemson and Georgia Tech in the 2000s. After NC State wisely accepts an SEC invite in the 2010s, the Big East drops Temple (for similar reasons as it did in 2005 in our timeline) and invites the old school ACC core of Duke, UNC, and UVA, who begrudgingly accept.

Big East (1976): Boston College, Notre Dame, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Syracuse, Temple, West Virginia

ACC (1976): Clemson, Duke, Maryland, NC State, North Carolina, Virginia, Wake Forest

~~~~~~

Big East (1992): Boston College, Florida State, Miami-FL, Notre Dame, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Syracuse, Temple, Virginia Tech, West Virginia

ACC (1992): Clemson, Duke, Georgia Tech, Maryland, NC State, North Carolina, Virginia, Wake Forest

~~~~~~

Big East (2005)
Eastern: Boston College, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Miami-FL, Notre Dame, Rutgers, Virginia Tech
Seaboard: Syracuse, Clemson, Penn State, Florida State, Pittsburgh, Temple, West Virginia

ACC (2005): Cincinnati, Duke, Louisville, NC State, North Carolina, South Florida, Virginia, Wake Forest

~~~~~~

Big East (2015): see OP

ACC (2015)
East: Central Florida, East Carolina, Memphis, South Florida, Temple, Wake Forest
West: Baylor, Navy*, Rice, SMU, TCU, Tulane

Notes
Cincinnati to Big Ten
Houston to Pac-16
Louisville to SEC