(05-21-2019 06:55 AM)Hokie Mark Wrote: A Clemson fan who goes by MSTiger02 [IIRC] on this site wrote a guest article for ACCFootballRx in which he contends that the ACC's original plan was to add Miami, BC and Syracuse (not VT). He goes on to assert that if that had happened, VT would most likely be in the SEC today (instead of Missouri).
What if everything had gone according to plan?
Sometimes it works out best when things DON'T go according to plan (e.g. Louisville replacing Maryland also).
Thoughts?
2003 If the ACC takes Syracuse, Boston College and Miami then....
In ~2010 it might have caused these moves by 2012:
SEC: Texas A&M and Virginia Tech (Why: Footprint model Virginia has more people than Missouri)
Big 10: Maryland and Rutgers (Why: Still the best 2 population wise)
Big 12: T.C.U. ( They only needed 1 and TCU had UT's favor)
PAC: Utah and Colorado (Why: Nothing would have really changed for them.)
ACC: Pittsburgh, and West Virginia (Why: Both good at multiple sports and both are new markets)
When Maryland departs Louisville is still the replacement.
So the PAC would have looked like this:
Arizona, Arizona St., California, Cal Los Angeles, Colorado, Oregon, Oregon St, Southern Cal, Stanford, Utah, Washington, Washington St.
The Big 12 would have looked like this:
Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas Tech, T.C.U.
The SEC would have looked like this:
Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Louisiana St, Mississippi, Mississippi St, Texas A&M
Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech
The Big 10 would have been the same.
The ACC would have looked like this:
Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina, N.C. State, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Virginia, Wake Forest, West Virginia
Geographically it would have been more cohesive with fewer outliers.
What would it have meant for today?
The emphasis of the Big 10 for realignment might well have been Missouri and Oklahoma.
The emphasis for the SEC might have been Texas and Kansas, unless Texas wanted Tech (2 ESPN favorites).
The PAC might have been looking for Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Missouri to go to 16, but would still be in the same shape they are today and still not likely to land them.
Provided N.D. would still have been a partial then the ACC probably would still be dreaming of an independent Texas association.