Given that the regional footprint ship has already sailed, a conference can expand from north to south or from east to west. If the only consideration is football, you can live with east-west expansion (and if you are already in the west, going east is a plus). With most games being played on Saturday, the trip home isn't terribly onerous.

But if you are talking basketball, returning to the eastern time zone from the central on a Wednesday night really sucks. It's not so bad for the western team returning home, because they pick up an hour heading in that direction. The league would no doubt try to schedule around that, but it sure complicates matters.

I agree the only Texas school worth doing that for is Texas, and I'm not so sure about them.

For the ACC, I would see them add ND as a full-time member (thanks to the potential voting bloc) and West Virginia (closer proximity to ACC schools and restore old rivalries with Pitt and SU).

(01-27-2014 08:35 AM)omniorange Wrote:  

(01-26-2014 06:36 PM)Marge Schott Wrote:  The only moves the ACC should make are to get into the I-95 area between DC and Boston and to get into Texas.

Don't necessarily disagree with this, but since the I-95 areas between DC and Boston are Baltimore, Philly, NYC, Hartford/New Haven, and Providence I'm not sure how the ACC accomplishes it. I highly doubt FSU and Clemson would agree to Temple and UConn as #15 and #16 for football and I don't see a partial hybrid happening in the ACC (with Georgetown, Nova, and St. John's joining ND) although I could live with it while not necessarily loving it.

The only team worth pursuing to get into the state of Texas is Texas. And I don't see that happening.

Cheers,
Neil

Oklahoma is an elite football school. It would be great if the Big XII imploded and Texas and Oklahoma became available. I doubt the ACC would mind having those two schools in the league. I seem to remember that Texas looked down on the lower academic standards of the SEC so it would seem to be a perfect fit for the ACC if the Big XII ever implodes.
I suppose this probably would not happen as long as Texas is running things in the Big XII.

(01-27-2014 09:02 AM)XLance Wrote:  

(01-26-2014 06:36 PM)Marge Schott Wrote:  The only moves the ACC should make are to get into the I-95 area between DC and Boston and to get into Texas.

The ACC has been very careful to avoid this area and was happy to cede it to the B1G (the Maryland defection not withstanding).
While it would be nice to get a slice of the Texas market, it presents many logistical problems (see West Virginia).

Happy? I call BS. And, uh, Maryland was a pretty big loss in that region. But I also think you assume I mean, "Invite Uconn!" which isn't what I said. I also didn't say, "Invite Texas and only Texas!"

(01-27-2014 08:35 AM)omniorange Wrote:  

(01-26-2014 06:36 PM)Marge Schott Wrote:  The only moves the ACC should make are to get into the I-95 area between DC and Boston and to get into Texas.

Don't necessarily disagree with this, but since the I-95 areas between DC and Boston are Baltimore, Philly, NYC, Hartford/New Haven, and Providence I'm not sure how the ACC accomplishes it. I highly doubt FSU and Clemson would agree to Temple and UConn as #15 and #16 for football and I don't see a partial hybrid happening in the ACC (with Georgetown, Nova, and St. John's joining ND) although I could live with it while not necessarily loving it.

The only team worth pursuing to get into the state of Texas is Texas. And I don't see that happening.

Cheers,
Neil

Well, I didn't suggest adding Temple and/or UConn. But I'd gladly trade Wake for either of them.

I was thinking bigger.

(01-27-2014 08:05 PM)Marge Schott Wrote:  

(01-27-2014 08:35 AM)omniorange Wrote:  

(01-26-2014 06:36 PM)Marge Schott Wrote:  The only moves the ACC should make are to get into the I-95 area between DC and Boston and to get into Texas.

Don't necessarily disagree with this, but since the I-95 areas between DC and Boston are Baltimore, Philly, NYC, Hartford/New Haven, and Providence I'm not sure how the ACC accomplishes it. I highly doubt FSU and Clemson would agree to Temple and UConn as #15 and #16 for football and I don't see a partial hybrid happening in the ACC (with Georgetown, Nova, and St. John's joining ND) although I could live with it while not necessarily loving it.

The only team worth pursuing to get into the state of Texas is Texas. And I don't see that happening.

Cheers,
Neil

Well, I didn't suggest adding Temple and/or UConn. But I'd gladly trade Wake for either of them.

I was thinking bigger.

By Bigger I assume you mean PSU and ND?

Cheers,
Neil

Sounds good.