(08-31-2021 07:15 PM)Wahoowa84 Wrote:  

(08-31-2021 05:28 PM)Statefan Wrote:  

(08-31-2021 03:16 PM)Wahoowa84 Wrote:  

(08-30-2021 10:48 PM)Statefan Wrote:  

(08-30-2021 08:19 PM)Hokie Mark Wrote:  I'm sure you're correct - regional ACC rivalries will never do better than ACCN, and ESPN would probably love to more some of them to ESPN+

Best long-term strategy is to fill under-served markets - namely, the week BEFORE Rivalry Week.

No college football fan is going to watch VT and UVa unless they are a VT fan. We already know the outcome

Pot calling the kettle black. Stick to your own problems trying to beat the Heels…
2017 UNC @ NCSt 271k viewers; VT @ UVa 2.144m viewers
2018 UVa @ VT 3.550m viewers
2019 VT @ UVa 2.840m viewers
2020 NCSt @ UNC 1.000m viewers

FWIW - UVa is generally VT’s highest rated Coastal Division opponent. The rivalry game gets higher ratings than VT’s games against Miami, UNC, Pitt, GT or Duke.

IMO, ESPN and the ACC have done a nice job promoting the UVa-VT rivalry.

You have a football rivalry with VT? Wow, that's news. One win in the last 17 years, two wins in the last 20 years and just 18 wins since you blackballed them and kept them out of the ACC. Is that a rivalry?

We are 31-36 against UNC since the ACC was formed and 25-29 since we had a legitimate football stadium (1966). In the early years we played at UNC or at the fairgrounds in Raleigh, but not in tiny Riddick Field very often, so we rarely had a home game with them or Duke. From 1941 until 1966 we hosted UNC once. Just once. UVa has no similar excuse with VT.

…and if you exclude the last two decades of Beamer recruits, the records look a lot different. The point being, the overall records are what they are unless you start making excuses.

IMO, a rivalry is the game(s) that you enjoy winning the most. UNC would probably stop the games against NC State a lot sooner than VT and UVa.

The Ratings for the VT/UVA game are one reason it will never be moved off of Thanksgiving weekend. It's a thanksgiving tradition in the commonwealth to watch the game after Turkey day. Everyone I know watches the game and most of them are not college football fans.