Final Day in the BE

[Scooch]

Hopefully this is well-received (though this is probably a group that doesn't need to be reminded of that). But elements at the Dome can be pretty hostile toward visitors. Would like to see that improve.

Generally speaking, the Dome crowd is like going to a petting zoo for opponent's fans. I've seen tons worse treatment of SU fans at almost every other venue I've been to... and I've never been to Morgantown to boot.

 

[Resonator]

Hopefully this is well-received (though this is probably a group that doesn't need to be reminded of that). But elements at the Dome can be pretty hostile toward visitors. Would like to see that improve.

Those 'elements' exist in every fanbase. And, the fanbases need to police themselves. Call out the knuckleheads who are making it tough for others to enjoy the goings-on on the field, or, the court.

 

[Shenexon]

I haven't quite gotten to the point of saying we are the ACC. I'm still stuck at "We're in the ACC." But I love HCSS's attitude of going there and taking them by storm. I'm sure we'll forever be "those damn yankees."

I think many in the ACC would prefer that we come in and be competitive than come in and struggle. There are enough struggling programs and the ACC needs more schools to thrive, in football & basketball...in all sports for that matter. They may not like losing to us but want us to help make the league stronger. Can't wait.

 

[OttoMets]

Generally speaking, the Dome crowd is like going to a petting zoo for opponent's fans. I've seen tons worse treatment of SU fans at almost every other venue I've been to... and I've never been to Morgantown to boot.

Oddly, I've been treated well in Morgantown (and in most other Big East towns). I've found that the old "Midwesterners are friendly" generalization doesn't always ring true, though - at recent neutral sites, Indiana, Ohio State, and (really surprisingly) Indiana State have had some aggressive folks in their fanbases.

To be fair, it's not actual Syracuse fans who get out of hand at the Dome: it's either rough townies who come to get liquored up (the once-a-season types who show up for event games) or students who get into wild 19-year-old boy mode. But it's easy to paint with a broad brush, and the end result is the same for visiting fans.

As Resonator says, good for us to self-police.

 

[uncbare]

By this time Maryland had joined the ACC and Penn State subsequenntly joned the Big 10, permanently dashing hopes for a true northeastern football conference.

Maryland was a charter member of the ACC and was in the Southern Conference with all the other charter members of the ACC prior to that. (Virginia had actually left the Southern Conference but came back to the ACC within months of its founding in 1953.)

We in the ACC think about what-could-have-beens also. If South Carolina hadn't left in anger in 1971. If we had taken them back when they wanted to come back in the early 1980s. If Penn State had not been rejected, despite interest, in the 1980s because their basketball program was too weak and the ACC valued its round-robin and tight geography too much to think about moving north before the B1G thought about moving east. Syracuse was the other consideration in the 1991 expansion that resulted in FSU joining the league, rejecting an offer from the SEC. Syracuse waffled because of their deep (and respectable) ties to the Big East schools. So, our what could have been is this:

BC
Cuse
PSU
Pitt
Maryland
UVa
Va Tech
UNC
NC State
Duke
Wake
South Carolina
Clemson
Ga Tech
FSU
Miami

The idea of more than 12 teams in a conference, even in 2003, was unthinkable. There was strong consideration to moving to 14 then after Warner got involved with Va Tech to the ACC leaving Syracuse odd-man-out. It just seemed unthinkable and too much. (Of course, that process was a disaster and the votes barely came around for 12.)

The last what-if will always be - what if Loh had not become the President of Maryland. What if the ACC had negotiated a more forward-looking TV contract in 2007 (with room for a network) etc.

I think the only way to look at most of these moves is as a series of individual circumstances influenced by a number of factors important to individual schools. (If there were no LHN, there would be no Big 12 today and Tex, Tex A&M, TT, Okla and Okla St) would be in the Pac 12 with Colorado. Utah and BYU would still be in the MWC, etc.

In the end, it's done. And I love the ACC (always have) and where it ended up.

It's great to have new schools who are genuinely excited to be here. (You guys, Pitt and UofL.) Hopefully, that will rub off on some of the schools who have already been here (FSU especially) and the conference will get its pride back. I think it's well on its way. The strongest effect of the GOR is that we've all stopped looking outside (and fantasizing or dreading change - NO UNC fans wanted the Big Ten - NOT ONE!) and now we are looking inside and focusing on winning.

WELCOME 'CUSE. Thrilled to have you.

 

[All4SU]

Clemson > South Carolina
PSU would have been good to have. But that's not happening.
Maryland is the only loss. Not because they are so too (they're not) but they are a great market, and a good transition state between the north and the south. Syracuse has played Maryland quite a bit over the year, and they would have been a natural rival helping to connect SU, BC and Pitt to the rest of the ACC.

I am of the belief that ND is never coming all in on football. That's why I think WVU could be that transition/connector team. Along with Louisville. Get to 16 plus ND as a partial.