Those who refuse to face facts always lose in the long run. My last sentence is the truth. Now you can match that by saying that west TX may have as many rodeo fans as college hoops fans, and I would not argue that point. But I can show you that TTU can fill a decent sized gym game after game in numbers larger than a few ACC schools can do.
So your starting point, in addition to operating off the Big East football sore spot, in assuming that TTU cannot have value is ESPN. The same network that not only is making the SEC absolutely key to all things it does in CFB, but now ESPN also grants SEC basketball many times more top time slots for basketball. ESPN has chosen to make the ACC utterly subservient to the SEC in all sports. `
Is ESPN fiscally ed, or is there a problem with the value of the ACC vis a vis SEC and BT? If the former, then soon ESPN will be out of business and thus any advice ESPN has given the ACC should be rejected anyway. If the latter, what do SEC and BT have that the ACC lacks?
Large state universities with proven large fan bases that both buy tickets and watch games on TV. ACC TV numbers for football games suck totally compared to SEC. Per capita CFB TV viewership sucks to high heaven compared to the entire South and midwest. CBS learned that in the 1990s. BE football was immediately given a TV deal with CBS - just 1 game per Saturday. But that was more national TV exposure than the ACC was getting. Why did CBS not keep BE football dn add more games? Because CBS discovered that even in NY, the SEC game would out draw the BE game the vast majority of times.
There is no guarantee that the ACC can survive at all past 2036, much less survive as a Major conference in whatever is there Top Tier for CFB. TV numbers declare that the ACC sure as Hell better make significant moves if it wishes to do so. Those moves need to make the ACC look much more like the SEC and BT:
1. More large state schools, preferably Flagship and/or Land Grant. 2. More schools located in states with excellent HS football. 3. More schools located in TV markets with proven LARGE CFB audiences. 4. More schools that make up fierce 'area' football rivalries.
You falsely portray my argument as TTech has no value, my argument is that ESPN and the ACC do not consider TTech as valuable enough for consideration. To get to that point or the point of invitation, there are deep analyses performed, TTech fell short, they are not in the discussion. Please show where ESPN and/the ACC has promoted TTech for addition to the ACC. Does TTech have some value, the Big 12 believes they do. ESPN and the ACC say not enough.
I never mentioned the Big East, you are bringing it into this argument. That is in the past. ESPN rejected the Big East and advised SU be one of new additions especially if the ACC wanted a network. History proves this point, several Big East schools were not invited, including Rutgers and UConn, both closer to NYC than SU.
We are not discussing SEC v. ACC as ESPN properties. If we were, it would have no bearing on the point that the ACC has not invited TTech. If ESPN thought TTech were beneficial to either conference, ESPN would recommend their addition accordingly. The fact is, ESPN has not recommended TTech to either conference rendering your point moot.
You are free to create a new thread to discuss ESPN's favoritism of SEC over ACC, which may get large support on this site.
No one is disputing the general consensus that land grant schools are generally best choices. Big state universities may have value, see TAMU. However, the seventh at best - school is not where the ACC should start.
Who said the ACC has a guarantee beyond 2036? Again, a red herring argument intended to distract from the fundamental principal that is a school does not add sufficient value, they will not get an invite. Is Wyoming getting an invite as it is the largest Wyoming state university? No, the do not bring sufficient value. If Wyoming suddenly did could they get an invite? Sure.
TTech is neither a land grant nor flagship school. No one disputes schools with better HS football should factor into the equation. TV markets with large fan bases is a reasonable argument, Lubbock is the 145th DMA, far behind many others, say, Houston (6th)? Should growth potential count? Should Houston be disposed of because Lubbock has 3% of the population and a higher percentage of fans? I would argue Houston has much greater potential, significant that they should be considered before TTech, but Houston does not meet the requirements established by the ACC and ESPN. Neither gets the invite. TTech has no natural rivalries. Nobody truly cares about them.
I am not opposed to expansion. I am against willy nilly expansion. If a team does not add sufficient value to the ACC and ESPN , there must be another compelling reason to invite them. TTech falls short of an invite. As does Houston, Baylor, TCU, and many more.
Whether any of us like it, the ACC is the third best conference, essentially the top 55 schools. Sure, we can debate individual schools' value, start a new thread if you wants schools kicked out. It is not easy to move into the top 50.