Delany...

[Millhouse]

The worst thing about the ACC's current divisional alignment is that it makes it as if we're not in the same conference as nearly half the league. It is preposterous that we only play UVA, VaTech, Duke, UNC, GaTech and Miami once every six years.

There is literally not another sport I follow where my favorite team goes that long between playing every other team in the league. I mean I get to see my Patriots play the Arizona Cardinals more often than I get to see SU play Virginia. It's insane.

It's also terrible for TV.

The ACC has to find a way to end this silliness pronto.

in my mind the division is a conference and the once every six games are out of conference games. i don't care one bit about the football championship game. i agree that it's all very goofy. there's not a great reason to play nc state all the time and miami hardly ever

 

[TheCusian]

in my mind the division is a conference and the once every six games are out of conference games. i don't care one bit about the football championship game. i agree that it's all very goofy. there's not a great reason to play nc state all the time and miami hardly ever

I'd love it if Babers would respond with "who?" when asked about a team from the other division not named Pitt

 

[Scooch]

Well if they don't know for sure who the most popular college football team in the country is part of the reason may be that the TNS-ESPN football polls are no longer released annually like they used to be.

Cheers,
Neil

One can look at ratings too. ND is a heavy hitter, no doubt, but not #1.

 

[Scooch]

Is that true? I always assumed that ND moved all needles the most. Do you think if they put all the teams up for bid tv rights wise, that ND wouldn't be the #1 pick? I think to me that's the barometer, the eye balls watching tv weekly and consisently.

ND is top 5, absolutely. If I were drafting I would consider taking Ohio State, Michigan and Texas ahead of them. Maybe a couple other schools as well.

 

[Scooch]

Yes, ND does not have the clout with audiences it used to have, but that means what to you?

ND outside the BT is a major threat to the BT. Recent events should mark how and why. No matter how gigantic BT schools are, no matter that they get a totally crooked (as in he cares not a bit how many violent criminals play for him) HC like Meyer who wins the NC, outside the midwest most CFB fans care very little about the BT. The ones like me who hate the BT, do not have it in the way that makes us watch the hated thing. Many who do not hate the BT are simply bored by it.

The BT fears Southern football, and the midwestern located power ND in the Southern based ACC is a deep fear because the threat is so great.

There are only 2 leagues that have been in the playoffs every year. The SEC and the Southern founded and Southern based ACC. You get ND, with its unique national fan base and national recruiting power, to move from 5 ACC games per year to the full slate, meaning ND is part of the race for a berth in the ACC Championship, and ACC football TV numbers will go up even more, as will the ability of ACC teams to recruit nationally, but especially in the midwest: where ND is located near Chicago, and where the BT MUST totally dominate recruiting and TV audience.

OK.

 

[omniorange]

One can look at ratings too. ND is a heavy hitter, no doubt, but not #1.

Ratings can be an indicator but when Miami was winning and getting great ratings was the majority of that because they were everyone's favorite team or was a part of that because some fans watched hoping they would lose?

Cheers,
Neil

 

[Scooch]

Ratings can be an indicator but when Miami was winning and getting great ratings was the majority of that because they were everyone's favorite team or was a part of that because some fans watched hoping they would lose?

Cheers,
Neil

This is why I didn’t include Alabama in a subsequent post.

And you know as well as I do, when ND is lousy their ratings suck.

 

[WoadBlue]

I can't speak to whatever was discussed prior to SU and Pitt joining the ACC but I do remember you bringing this up when Swofford was attempting to get the rule changed. I believe in that thread you linked a Southern Pigskin article on the topic that you may have written.

You sold me on that concept then and I haven't changed my mind since. Only main difference I can recall back then was you wanting a 9 game conference schedule while Scooch and I thought that was unrealistic with the ND arrangement and the annual SEC/ACC rivalry games. I assume you have come around on that issue?

Anyway props for spreading the concept throughout ACC fandom.

Cheers,
Neil

Those annual ACC-SEC in state games plus ND plus the fact that the ACC itself wasn't founded until 1953 and BE football was a 1990s baby, which means most of us have not played each other at least 60 times all mean 8 is better than 9.

The BT is another case. I would advise the BT to continue playing 9 league games, but non-divisionally with 5 annual rivals and the remaining 8 divided into 2 groups of 4 that alternate. Just the number of BT teams that have played one another at least 70 times means the league needs more annual games than ACC teams require, and also needs more games between teams not now in the same division.

 

[TerryD]

If ND lost 1 game they wouldn't have been in the Final 4. Georgia and Ohio State would have been ahead of them so maybe they notice this and act accordingly? Being undefeated is the Teflon Don for them but 1 loss puts them in the pile with the rest and 2 losses kicks them out for good. ACC, they have a shot with 2 losses.

ND well knows this, accepts this, and is ok with this.

 

[WoadBlue]

Is that true? I always assumed that ND moved all needles the most. Do you think if they put all the teams up for bid tv rights wise, that ND wouldn't be the #1 pick? I think to me that's the barometer, the eye balls watching tv weekly and consisently.

ND would be the #1 pick because its fan base is truly national. Any team that wins big has people across the country who wish to watch it play, but most fan bases are regional. ND's is truly national.

That is the reason ND would be nuts to join a conference even for basketball that is about the midwest. And that is the reason the BT stupidly added Rutgers and Maryland: to have a northeastern presence in case ND would join, as long as it gets the thrill of playing Rutgers.

 

[HtownOrange]

ND would be the #1 pick because its fan base is truly national. Any team that wins big has people across the country who wish to watch it play, but most fan bases are regional. ND's is truly national.

That is the reason ND would be nuts to join a conference even for basketball that is about the midwest. And that is the reason the BT stupidly added Rutgers and Maryland: to have a northeastern presence in case ND would join, as long as it gets the thrill of playing Rutgers.

You are under valuing Rutgers. The B1G has a built in body bag game for its marquee programs, they think they get NYC fans (though they can't get NJ fans), they brought in Harvard on Sunday through Monday and USC on Saturdays, they brought in the first CFB co-champs - that 1869 team was elite, ony two played at that level in the entire country!, They even had the Empire State Building lit up in red when they beat the cardinals (nevermind the obvious fact that the Cards wear red, too, thus teh ESB was lit for either team...), but hey! how could the B1G miss by taking Rutgers? All it costs is an equal share of the BTN...eventually. Oh, wait, we're talking Rutgers, my bad...

 

[Cusefan95]

Then play 1 game and schedule 11 byes.

They would be left out.

According to ESPN, the playoff team strength of schedules:

Oklahoma 27
Notre Dame 34
Clemson. 47
Alabama. 50

I think there’s some major issues with how strength of schedule is calculated - but based on the current methodology, the committee is ALWAYS going to have an impossible task justifying not including an undefeated Notre Dame team in the playoff due to a weak schedule.

Not most of the time - ALWAYS. It’s a fantasy to think otherwise.

 

[Cusefan95]

One can look at ratings too. ND is a heavy hitter, no doubt, but not #1.

This is an absolutely stupid debate, because it’s irrelevant. What matters is the MAXIMUM popularity of a program, if/when they are a consistent national championship contender with regular championships to boot. That’s unknowable for most programs - which includes everyone except Alabama and Clemson currently.

I remember NYC being absolutely dominated by Mets fans in the mid-80s - most of the folks wearing Strawberry jerseys then switched over to a Jeter jersey when the Yankees surged in the 90s and the Mets went in the crapper. Since it’s basically stayed that way for 25 years, NYC is dominated by Yankees fans (and will be until the Wilpons sell the Mets to decent owners...oops, going off topic there a bit).

I don’t think we have any idea what the max upside of Notre Dame is - they haven’t won since ‘88, they’ve only played for one championship since then in a game where nobody gave them a chance...will the kids and grandkids of people that rooted for Notre Dame turn back into fans if they’re winning, or is the cycle broken due to the long dry spell? No way anyone has any idea on that.

I do know that there’s a gigantic number of front-running idiots that swing the popularity of teams wildly - it’s absurd how many Golden State Warriors jerseys I see on kids in NEPA right now.