(10-02-2020 01:30 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  

(10-02-2020 12:30 PM)TerryD Wrote:  

(10-02-2020 09:30 AM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  

(10-02-2020 09:05 AM)ken d Wrote:  

(10-02-2020 06:24 AM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  This was a solid post that I had forgotten about. There are a couple places where I think things could have gone a little differently:

Rutgers jumping on board the ACC—if Rutgers is approached by the ACC at the same time as Pitt and doesn’t leak the invite to the Big Ten (who then invites Rutgers and Maryland) I could see Pitt and Rutgers both joining the ACC and Maryland staying. The Big Ten stays at 12 unless they pursue schools on the Western edge of their footprint.

Big 12 staying at 10: The only reason WVU got in the Big 12 is they needed a replacement for Missouri and fast. I could see them adding TCU and staying put. This would mean that there would still be a Big East football/AAC with these members:

WVU, Cincinnati, Louisville, UConn, USF, UCF, SMU, Houston

and possibly: Navy (fb only), Memphis, Temple, ECU (fb only if BE, full member if AAC)

If the autobid to the NY6 bowls stays intact maybe Boise St (fb only) and San Diego St (fb only) are also in that mix.

I don't think that Maryland leaving had anything to do with who was or was not in the ACC. They were in desperate straits financially, and the ACC's projected revenues weren't enough to pull them out of the hole. And, why would the ACC want Rutgers if they already had Syracuse? For the Philadelphia market?

The real life Pitt/Syracuse add was motivated by a desire to reopen the tv contract as well as shore up the conference against a potential raid from another BCS conference. It was also meant to be a preemptive territory grab to keep the Big Ten from further expanding in the Northeast.

A hypothetical Pitt/Rutgers add fills in a footprint gap between Cuse/BC and the rest of the conference—effectively making the whole East Coast the ACC footprint. They also help prime the pump for a ND add down the road.

Maryland is still going to be poor but with the ACC striking first there’s no one in the northeast to pair them with and Missouri isn’t available in the West side. Maryland has no where to go.

Please explain exactly how Rutgers would have "primed the pump" for ND to join the ACC ??

ND loves playing in those big northeastern markets—you can’t get much bigger than NYC.

It’s but one of many components of building a ND Friendly conference:

1. big northeastern markets
2. academically prestigious private schools
3. Southeastern recruiting

Even when ND offered to play Rutgers back in the Big East days, they only wanted to play in the old Meadowlands (now Met Life).

In fact, Rutgers turned down a multi-game scheduling offer from ND back then because ND didn't want to play Rutgers at Rutgers Stadium/High Point Solutions Stadium/SHI Stadium.


ND can play in New York/New Jersey any time it wants to, and has, at the Meadowlands/Met Life and at Yankee Stadium.

They can and have played a number of schools, Army, Navy and Syracuse (including Rutgers) among others, at those venues.

ND has been playing in New York since Knute Rockne. It doesn't need to be a conference member with Rutgers to do so.

https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/co...987219002/

Rutgers as an ACC member opponent would not have and still would not "move the needle", let alone "prime the pump" for ND football to become a permanent member of the ACC under this or any other possible scenario.

But, I appreciate the analysis. I asked and you answered.