Article on WVU and the ACC...

[WickedOrange]

Every college football conference should scrap divisions. Here's the whole Power 5 plan.

 

[Hoo's That]

Every college football conference should scrap divisions. Here's the whole Power 5 plan.

Yeah, that's a pretty decent 4-5-5 line up. I'd make one small switch. Give Louisville to VPI (they're geographically closer to each other) and give us Ga Tech (some bad blood regarding "games we shudda won" on both sides).

 

[Btstimpy]

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'd be good with it. The ACC needs a stronger football brand. WVU is all about football just like Virginia Tech is. I also think regional rivalries are very important for fan interest in the product, and WVU would walk into the ACC with three rivalries already built in (Pitt, VT, and Syracuse).

WVU has good enough men's basketball for the ACC, and they would enable women's gymnastics to become an ACC sport. That has potential. Alabama has as many people attend women's gymnastics events as UVA does men's basketball. They go crazy over that stuff in the SEC. Perhaps the ACC could do the same over time.

I like UConn too for a lot of the same reasons. They would bring in Big East basketball rivalries and strengthen the ACC in New England. But UConn is not a football school. WVU is. Heck in their promotional video it screams at you.

 

[kirbivore]

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

I'd love to see it happen simply from the comedy of the Fraud of West Virginia's reaction

 

[omniorange]

It seems like what you're trying to set up is a system that works like going to a 4-5-5 schedule. If that's the case, you'll need to mix the teams up better.

WVU doesn't bring content to the mix that you think it does. They have a good football team, a good basketball team, and (as I have now been informed) a championship rifle team. "Everything else" basically is mediocre at best. On the men's side they have golf, soccer, swimming, and wrestling. That's it, 6 men's sports. Their women's sport list is better, but they don't play field hockey, volleyball, softball, or lacrosse. There are other schools that would bring just as much and maybe more content than WVU without the unruly (I'll be nice and just call them that) fans.

I actually prefer no divisions, but since the B1G and SEC have already nixed that but both do wish to eventually get to at least 16, I think more than 2 divisions is something they might agree to, as long as it is understood that every team must play at least 8 games in conference (which takes ND out of the equation for the ACC championship game). And whether with no divisions or a set-up of three divisions with 5 teams, either a 4-5-5 schedule or a 3-5-5 schedule can work. I prefer the former myself but there is opposition to that which I also understand and sympathize with from FSU and Clemson.

As for content, when I speak of content mentioned earlier in the thread, I am referring to ratings based content of which only two sports truly matter - football and men's basketball, not in terms of content for a conference network. I agree that a conference would never add WVU based only the latter. The ACC 's current problem is not conference network type mass content that won't grab ratings on national networks, of which the ACC already has in spades. What the ACC lacks is football strength and potential ratings in that sport. And of the "realistic" choices, WVU far exceeds any other candidate. Not to mention that they bring a solid men's bb program as well.

Cheers,
Neil

 

[Btstimpy]

I actually prefer no divisions, but since the B1G and SEC have already nixed that but both do wish to eventually get to at least 16, I think more than 2 divisions is something they might agree to, as long as it is understood that every team must play at least 8 games in conference (which takes ND out of the equation for the ACC championship game). And whether with no divisions or a set-up of three divisions with 5 teams, either a 4-5-5 schedule or a 3-5-5 schedule can work. I prefer the former myself but there is opposition to that which I also understand and sympathize with from FSU and Clemson.

As for content, when I speak of content mentioned earlier in the thread, I am referring to ratings based content of which only two sports truly matter - football and men's basketball, not in terms of content for a conference network. I agree that a conference would never add WVU based only the latter. The ACC 's current problem is not conference network type mass content that won't grab ratings on national networks, of which the ACC already has in spades. What the ACC lacks is football strength and potential ratings in that sport. And of the "realistic" choices, WVU far exceeds any other candidate. Not to mention that they bring a solid men's bb program as well.

Cheers,
Neil

West Virginia is sitting at a 58 ranking in the 2016 Director's Cup with only baseball remaining. That's roughly equivalent to Maryland at 57 and tied with UConn. It's substantially ahead of Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, and Pittsburgh. UConn and GT participated in baseball, so they will move up some.

West Virginia needs to work on Spring Sports to improve it, but like you said, they bring football and men's basketball which are most important, especially football.

 

[KaiserUEO]

Every college football conference should scrap divisions. Here's the whole Power 5 plan.

id have Cuse drop vpi and give them to lville.

lville will drop ND and we get ND with a 1-1-1 rotation.

 

[TexanMark]

What about West Virginia barbie?

That is a blast from the past...was she around back around 2002?

 

[KaiserUEO]

That is a blast from the past...was she around back around 2002?

before.

im guessing 99-00

 

[stlorange]

Anyone got any wv Barbie pics? gone but not forgotten

 

[TexanMark]

before.

im guessing 99-00

So in WV math she probably already has 3-4 grand kids.

 

[HOFCeluck]

Id expect the CFP to expand before ND ever considers giving up it's independence so the point is moot.

 

[Hoo's That]

One thing to keep in mind about this discussion of WVU, if WVU is available for unrestricted membership in the ACC, so is Texas. I'm very hard pressed to think of many ways in which having WVU would be better than having Bevo.

 

[721Comstock]

One thing to keep in mind about this discussion of WVU, if WVU is available for unrestricted membership in the ACC, so is Texas. I'm very hard pressed to think of many ways in which having WVU would be better than having Bevo.

An unlimited supply of batteries?

 

[jr4750]

An unlimited supply of batteries?

Great place to get rid of unwanted couches too!

 

[Chip]

One thing to keep in mind about this discussion of WVU, if WVU is available for unrestricted membership in the ACC, so is Texas. I'm very hard pressed to think of many ways in which having WVU would be better than having Bevo.

At the end of the day, geography will take back over. Texas fans/boosters aren't going to go for being part of a league where they become the geographic outlier. Too much history there.

I'm sure no one in the Big 12 wants to travel to WVU anymore. If they can work it out somehow, I bet they'd let them walk.

 

[Delmar]

This discussion is so different than the ones we were having when we didn't know where we would land. The ACC, despite minor annoyances, saved our butts. Now we are watching as less fortunate schools either find a home or freeze to death in the Northern Atlantic (a Titanic reference).

 

[IthacaMatt]

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.

I think there is some truth in this, and WVU would not be ND's first choice. To me, the only other alternatives worth considering would be to raid the Big 10 and offer either Penn State or Maryland to join the ACC with a full-time Notre Dame. Either of those would be home runs in my book. Not terribly likely, but if ND joins, it's a once-in-a-lifetime chance to shake things up.

 

[TerryD]

I think there is some truth in this, and WVU would not be ND's first choice. To me, the only other alternatives worth considering would be to raid the Big 10 and offer either Penn State or Maryland to join the ACC with a full-time Notre Dame. Either of those would be home runs in my book. Not terribly likely, but if ND joins, it's a once-in-a-lifetime chance to shake things up.

ND football is not joining a conference unless there is a P4 "champs only" mandate for the playoffs. Other than that, it is not joining.

 

[TheCusian]

ND football is not joining a conference unless there is a P4 "champs only" mandate for the playoffs. Other than that, it is not joining.

Ah - the voice of unreasonableness.

 

[omniorange]

Ah - the voice of unreasonableness.

But everything points to him being right on this, so I don't see how he is being unreasonable.

Cheers,
Neil

 

[TheCusian]

But everything points to him being right on this, so I don't see how he is being unreasonable. Cheers, Neil

I think he is right as to its likeliness, but it's unreasonable in that it makes no sense. "Right" means:

- less $
- less of a chance at the playoffs
- less games

- more freedom in scheduling 3 additional "OOC" than other P5 teams
- the independent conference championship game, oh wait
- a national footprint in the days when it doesn't matter as much

Not worth litigating again, honestly. Just a crazy stance.

 

[omniorange]

I think he is right as to its likeliness, but it's unreasonable in that it makes no sense. "Right" means:

- less $
- less of a chance at the playoffs
- less games

- more freedom in scheduling 3 additional "OOC" than other P5 teams
- the independent conference championship game, oh wait
- a national footprint in the days when it doesn't matter as much

Not worth litigating again, honestly. Just a crazy stance.

Understood.

In a way their "We will not be assimilated" attitude is something I begrudgingly admire from time to time. But then I remember that they chose assimilation in all sports but the one for which they have an actual fanbase.

Cheers,
Neil

 

[TerryD]

Ah - the voice of unreasonableness.

Just different goals and points of view that is all.

 

[TerryD]

Understood.

In a way their "We will not be assimilated" attitude is something I begrudgingly admire from time to time. But then I remember that they chose assimilation in all sports but the one for which they have an actual fanbase.

Cheers,
Neil

Russia would not be assimilated by Germany in World War II. Poland, not so much.

You have to have the ability as well as the desire to not be assimilated.

ND football is the marketing arm of the school. ND decided long ago that keeping it out of a conference was the best use of that marketing arm.