Article on WVU and the ACC...

[sutomcat]

As the future of the B12 looks more and more cloudy, WVU may be looking East for a way out.

Mitch Vingle: WVU and the ACC, football odds and hoops

 

[SU94]

Personally, I'd love it. They should be #16 if ND ever signs on the dotted line (someday in the next decade IMHO).

Agreed, WVU does not bring a market, but they bring a solid football (and hoops) brand that would strengthens the ACC beyond its tangible worth as 1/16 partner.

The Mountaineers would also serve as an important bridge between the northern and southern portions of the conference. Lastly, an ND-West Virginia ticket would also keep the ACC's public-private ratio largely in balance.

 

[Killdozer]

Personally, I don't like the idea of splitting the pie 16 ways if one of the new teams don't bring additional market value.

 

[TheCusian]

Personally, I don't like the idea of splitting the pie 16 ways if one of the new teams don't bring additional market value.

Just because they don't bring a strong tv market, doesn't mean they don't bring additional market value. Would you rather watch Clemson v WVU or Clemson v UCF? Their name has value.

 

[Whitey23]

I seem to remember academics being an issue with WVU's potential move at one point. Louisville's inclusion seems to have taken care of that hangup.

 

[RF2044]

Personally, I'd love it. They should be #16 if ND ever signs on the dotted line (someday in the next decade IMHO).

Agreed, WVU does not bring a market, but they bring a solid football (and hoops) brand that would strengthens the ACC beyond its tangible worth as 1/16 partner.

The Mountaineers would also serve as an important bridge between the northern and southern portions of the conference. Lastly, an ND-West Virginia ticket would also keep the ACC's public-private ratio largely in balance.

I don't know that WVU fits the academic profile of the ACC institutions, but I would much prefer than as a sixteenth team than Uconn.

 

[Scooch]

That piece was just idle speculation based on a number of assumptions, the most important being that ND feels compelled (or is compelled) to join a football conference. Personally I think the latter is unlikely to happen anytime soon.

Everyone knows that WVU's existence in the Big 12 is a freak occurrence due to the stupidly chaotic nature of the conference realignment that happened a few years back.

I miss them as an annual football opponent -- they were the closest thing to a historic, heated rival we've had over the past 25 years (and yes I know they care more about Pitt, VT and Maryland). I'd love to play them again.

 

[SU94]

Personally, I don't like the idea of splitting the pie 16 ways if one of the new teams don't bring additional market value.

Coupled with Notre Dame, they'd bring value to everyone. On an island, not as much (and a 15-team conference is NOT desirable). Plus, from my shoes, the difference between dividing by 16 or 17 (remember, the ACC Office gets a share) is pretty negligible.

Does WVU has some blemishes? Sure it does (small market/state, academics below average). But they also check a lot of boxes (brand, history, existing rivalries, home field advantage, geography, state school).

Look, if the choice is ND/Texas or ND/Oklahoma vs. ND/WVU, I get it. Sorry Mountie.
But, I'd gladly take ND/WVU over UConn (duh!), Cincy, Temple, Central Florida or South Florida.

 

[TheCusian]

That piece was just idle speculation based on a number of assumptions, the most important being that ND feels compelled (or is compelled) to join a football conference. Personally I think the latter is unlikely to happen anytime soon. Everyone knows that WVU's existence in the Big 12 is a freak occurrence due to the stupidly chaotic nature of the conference realignment that happened a few years back. I miss them as an annual football opponent -- they were the closest thing to a historic, heated rival we've had over the past 25 years (and yes I know they care more about Pitt, VT and Maryland). I'd love to play them again.

And we play for a trophy!

 

[Eric15]

I seem to remember academics being an issue with WVU's potential move at one point.

I've always wondered why academics matter in an athletic conference. Does Stanford's reputation suffer because it's in a conference with Arizona State? Does Vanderbilt's reputation suffer because it's in a conference with Auburn? etc.

(ASU and Auburn are perfectly fine schools, but they aren't elite)

 

[44PRIDE]

Those couch-burning hayseeds pissed off ALOT of people during conference realignment. They (and their inbred sisters) can rot in their B12 hell for all I care.

 

[OrangePA]

As the future of the B12 looks more and more cloudy, WVU may be looking East for a way out.

Mitch Vingle: WVU and the ACC, football odds and hoops

If I were a WVU fan I would want out of the Big XII and into the ACC asap.

 

[BlazeOrange]

That piece was just idle speculation based on a number of assumptions, the most important being that ND feels compelled (or is compelled) to join a football conference.

The 2nd most important speculation is that after getting ND, the ACC will go looking for another team.

I'd expect a two team add, maybe with separate announcements to give each school a moment in the limelight. I also expect that the conference would allow ND to name their dancing partner (hopefully that is a standing offer already). Not sure where WV would stand in the pecking order according to Irish eyes - I'd guess as "acceptable" but not a preferred option that would actually get ND in the conference sooner.

 

[Hoo's That]

Just. Not. Happenin'. We just got rid of one set of battery-throwing couch burners. Why in the world would we want to bring in another set of them, especially since most all of them have been rooting for the demise of the ACC? The Dud and all his compadres can go play with themselves when the Big XII implodes.

 

[Scooch]

Just. Not. Happenin'. We just got rid of one set of battery-throwing couch burners. Why in the world would we want to bring in another set of them, especially since most all of them have been rooting for the demise of the ACC? The Dud and all his compadres can go play with themselves when the Big XII implodes.

I'm fairly certain the ACC and it's member institutions will not be making any business decisions to spite Internet message boarders.

 

[MSOrange]

I would love West Virginia because I enjoyed the rivalry in football. I realize they don't add much market value though.

Thus ends one of my few contributions to a realignment thread, because the subject generally bores me. I prefer to talk about the action on the field.

 

[Delmar]

WVU has wanted to be in the ACC for decades, going back to when it was in the old Conference with Virginia Tech, The Citadel, Davidson, Furman, and a few others. I've heard that UVA vetoed any possibility through the years, but they were not alone in opposing WVU in the ACC. Maybe some of our UVA friends on the board can confirm that.

 

[orange79]

Coupled with Notre Dame, they'd bring value to everyone.

Only ESPN can answer that question, not you, and not me. As Killdozer said, if they don't bring enough money to increase the per team payout, I don't want them.

Of course, as Scooch correctly pointed out, the assumption in that article was ND joining. If that was the case, ND could ask for North Dakota St to be #16, and the per team payout would still increase.

And then there's that pesky GOR...

 

[Hoo's That]

WVU has wanted to be in the ACC for decades, going back to when it was in the old Conference with Virginia Tech, The Citadel, Davidson, Furman, and a few others. I've heard that UVA vetoed any possibility through the years, but they were not alone in opposing WVU in the ACC. Maybe some of our UVA friends on the board can confirm that.

If we did vote them down we weren't alone. I believe there's little love lost between them and UNC-CHeat and dook as well. They really don't bring much to the table sports-wise, and there are a number of potential #16s to come in with ND (if we're assuming that happens) who do have a complete competitive program to make them not even a third choice. That's especially true when you consider that if we're in a situation where WVU is available, so is Texas. I keep harping back to this, but, one of our gurus insists that Texas was offered the ND deal first, but turned it down. He says they won't turn it down if offered a second time.

Added in edit - IIRC, NC State also was pretty upset with WVU as one of the reasons why NC State happily left the Southern Conference for the ACC. There must have been a lot of opportunities to add them between 1953 and 2002, and they weren't added.

 

[Hoo's That]

Only ESPN can answer that question, not you, and not me. As Killdozer said, if they don't bring enough money to increase the per team payout, I don't want them.

Of course, as Scooch correctly pointed out, the assumption in that article was ND joining. If that was the case, ND could ask for North Dakota St to be #16, and the per team payout would still increase.

And then there's that pesky GOR...

Any conference's GOR would become void if the conference votes to dissolve because the rights holder wouldn't exist anymore. We're not about to pay anybody any money to get WVU.

 

[orange79]

They really don't bring much to the table sports-wise

Ahem - defending and 18 time NCAA Rifle champions. Photobucket burning couch

 

[Hoo's That]

Ahem - defending and 18 time NCAA Rifle champions. Photobucket burning couch

I stand corrected. Maybe that's where the feud with NC State arose.

 

[Jake]

I'm all for any team that ND wants to bring. #15 is the big fish...

 

[NJCuse97]

With Gordon Gee at the controls, WVU is looking to the B1G for a bail out.

 

[TheCusian]

I stand corrected. Maybe that's where the feud with NC State arose.

I imagine a feud where they both miss due to incompetence and happen to hit a wandering scarlet knight. And no one cares.