POLL: What Old BE Team Should Join The ACC?

[Scooch]

"The story is" - Penn State was getting antsy and the B1G specifically went after Maryland and Rutgers to give them nearby teams. If the B1G hadn't expanded PSU would have been open to offers.

I would not in any way, shape, or form vouch for the validity of that story, but that what was being said at the time.

Yeah, I recall that story as well. I don't doubt that PSU didn't like being the easternmost outpost of a midwest league. Although I suspect the B1G was much more interested in getting home state rates for the BTN in NY/NJ and Maryland/DC than placating PSU.

Had the ACC been able to lure Texas and ND, and gotten the subsequent massive bump in media dollars that would have come from that, I imagine PSU would have been sincerely interested in leaving the B1G. But absent that, I doubt they were every really in play.

 

[Alsacs]

Just incorporate the 3+3+4 scheduling proposal and leave it alone.

 

[orangepassion]

Why bring in another G5 team to have to compete against on the recruiting trail?

 

[PoppyHart]

We could probably bring in poll choice under very favorable financial terms.

 

[HtownOrange]

The long play (20 or more years) is probably that the P5 negotiate a TV deal jointly, as does the NFL, MLB, NBA, et al. Considering the B1G got such a boost with generic ratings all around, the conferences know that TV has been underpaying for decades and is still keeping the lion's share of the revenues.

Recall that no conference wants to be cut out of the P5 but the reality is that the Big12 sucks in terms of generating revenue, with the PAC not far behind. The three eastern conferences generate much more money. Take a look at the population maps, the populace is greatest east of the Mississippi and west of the Mississippi is much greater in geographic footprint.

Eventually, the Big12 and PAC will fall behind or be "subsidized". The reality is that the P5 needs each other (and possibly a few more) to keep the highest level of returns coming in. Pooling all resources together for one negotiation would make the whole that much more powerful.

With cable losing households (no, they won't go away) and streaming gaining in popularity, conferences and teams gaining in TV production knowledge, and networks pocketing a lot of cash for less comparative expertise (as well as labor - the schools can use student labor at a fraction of the cost!), it makes more sense to band together.

If the P5 bands together as one negotiating team, realignment could occur based on geography and without much of the drama. Changes aren't permanent, but change is. (Tom Sawyer, Rush)

 

[omniorange]

In truth Scooch is correct, expansion will only happen if the $$$ is there. But how can the increase in $$$ be there when -

a) ND will never be in full;
b) the ACC needs to improve their football product on the field up and down the line-up; and
c) current divisional set-up fails to monetize the marquee match-ups the ACC does have to its fullest potential?

This is the dilemma the conference is faced with and why ACC expansion will likely always be reactionary than pro-active.

The only model I can think of that might be able to work to achieve monetary success (especially now in light of the slight move away from the cable households model to content demand model) is a 15-team set-up with realistic candidate WVU; increasing ND's commitment to 6 games annually with one of those games always being Miami, and the conference trying once again to get rid of the divisional requirement to hold a championship game and going to a 2-6-6 scheduling model (with 15 full members) that gets the more TV attractive regular season games that happen so rarely now (Clemson/Miami; Clemson/VT; FSU/VT; FSU/GT) cycled through quicker.

Obviously getting two of ND, Texas, and OU on board full-time would be best case scenario. But that isn't happening folks.

Cheers,
Neil

 

[nzm136]

Who knows really, it's not like any of this stuff is well planned. At some point there will be another frantic, inadequately-considered round of conference moves.

However, if anyone will make a decision that leaves money on the table to preserve their sense of self, it will be ND. And if they ever do join a conference, it's as likely to be the B1G than the ACC (if not moreso).

Anyway, there's no zero reason for the ACC to consider adding second-tier programs. If down the road they can finagle adding Penn State or Texas then that's a financially sound move. West Virginia, Cincinnati, UCF... blech.

Notre Dame is more likely to join the <insert conference here> than the B1G. There’s a history, and they didn’t write on each orher’s Facebook walls...


(And yes, I know that ND is in the B1G in ice hockey, but that’s a special set of circumstances, which wouldn’t apply to football.)

 

[nzm136]

I'll be a broken record in this thread, but the only reason a conference will expand is to grow their revenue. That comes from either from enlarging their cable network footprint or adding value to their national TV deal.

West Virginia, Cincinnati, etc. won't help meaningfully on either front. In fact some of the schools you guys are proposing might be net negatives from a financial standpoint.

As elimunelson said, I'd prefer the focus be on cleaning up the divisions and making sure we play nearly half the conference more than once every 6 years.

Fans pay bills, not TV markets. Otherwise <insert tiny metro-based conference here> would be curb stomping <insert rural football factory conference with more cows than people here> into financial oblivion. But alas, Nebraska, Alabama, Ped State, Oklahoma, etc. have programs that swim in cash.

Wild and Wonderful would add money. That’s why they landed a spot at the table. The UConn and oaks would add mouths. That’s why they scored a spot at the kid’s table.

 

[Briancuse]

Why wasn't WVU an option?

Wvu is the only old big east school I would be remotely interested in having in the acc.

 

[All4SU]

Can we get Maryland back from the Big Ten?

If not ND, that would be my first choice too.

 

[JeffCuse]

New England is the only region of the country that a P5 conference doesn't have locked down. Yes, the ACC has BC, but they don't have any fans outside of a few alumni that don't root for ND. The choice is obvious, but I won't say it or someone's head might explode. Someone who's name rhymes with hootch.

New England is also the only region that college football hasn’t locked down. Seriously. GRew up in Boston and virtually no one gave a damn lol

 

[Scooch]

New England is also the only region that college football hasn’t locked down. Seriously. GRew up in Boston and virtually no one gave a damn lol

You must not be familiar with CousCuse's work.

 

[orangecuse]

Republicans and Democrats will get along in Washington DC before Notre Dame will give up their independence. I hate having ND graduates in my family it’s cultish.
No expansion as if the ACC network takes off their will be no need for any more mouths.

Probably a better chance for the 'institution' they stand for also no longer having priests molest boys as well. Hope that isn't too offensive for some.

The whole ND "independence" pitch is such bull and malarky. If it was so dear and sacred to their heart
then their other sports would be independent also. It has everything to do with $$$ and basically getting away with having their cake and eating it too. Who wouldn't if you could? That's just the cold truth, and it has nothing to do with their righteousness, and spin of being/staying independent. You take that $$$ away or a significant part of it, and watch how fast they run to being a full member of a conference. ND and hypocrisy are synonymous.

 

[longtimefan]

In truth Scooch is correct, expansion will only happen if the $$$ is there. But how can the increase in $$$ be there when -

a) ND will never be in full;
b) the ACC needs to improve their football product on the field up and down the line-up; and
c) current divisional set-up fails to monetize the marquee match-ups the ACC does have to its fullest potential?

This is the dilemma the conference is faced with and why ACC expansion will likely always be reactionary than pro-active.

The only model I can think of that might be able to work to achieve monetary success (especially now in light of the slight move away from the cable households model to content demand model) is a 15-team set-up with realistic candidate WVU; increasing ND's commitment to 6 games annually with one of those games always being Miami, and the conference trying once again to get rid of the divisional requirement to hold a championship game and going to a 2-6-6 scheduling model (with 15 full members) that gets the more TV attractive regular season games that happen so rarely now (Clemson/Miami; Clemson/VT; FSU/VT; FSU/GT) cycled through quicker.

Obviously getting two of ND, Texas, and OU on board full-time would be best case scenario. But that isn't happening folks.

Cheers,
Neil

Nice to have you back.

 

[Hoo's That]

Probably a better chance for the 'institution' they stand for also no longer having priests molest boys as well. Hope that isn't too offensive for some.

The whole ND "independence" pitch is such bull and malarky. If it was so dear and sacred to their heart
then their other sports would be independent also. It has everything to do with $$$ and basically getting away with having their cake and eating it too. Who wouldn't if you could? That's just the cold truth, and it has nothing to do with their righteousness, and spin of being/staying independent. You take that $$$ away or a significant part of it, and watch how fast they run to being a full member of a conference. ND and hypocrisy are synonymous.

It's definitely $$$ driven. Two things drive their decision - getting opponents to play (especially late in the season) and getting access to the championship game when they merit consideration. The 5 ACC games help them with the first part and they were selected when they were worthy the last time. Now that they've made the deal with Stanford, they're guaranteed to finish the season in California, playing one of USC-w and Stanford at ND in early fall and the other in Cali at the end.

 

[IthacaMatt]

(West Virigina's) Awful academics. The ACC has a really good collective of schools from Boston College down to Miami.

Yeah, Louisville and Florida State's alumni are loaded with Nobel Prize winners.

 

[44Jack]

Can we just dump ND and add WVU and Cindy?

 

[CousCuse]

New England is also the only region that college football hasn’t locked down. Seriously. GRew up in Boston and virtually no one gave a damn lol

Because there has never been major college football there.

 

[Alsacs]

Because there has never been major college football there.

LOL Doug Flutie won the Heisman in the 1980s.
Boston doesn’t care about CFB because all the people went to different colleges and their isn’t state pride rooting for the state schools.

 

[CousCuse]

LOL Doug Flutie won the Heisman in the 1980s.
Boston doesn’t care about CFB because all the people went to different colleges and their isn’t state pride rooting for the state schools.

I will agree that we can have a different point of view.

 

[SWC75]

My musings from a year ago:

Imagining Conferences

I still like it, except maybe a 16 team playoff with the four highest ranked non-conference champions included. Don't worry. It isn't going to happen. It's just what i'd like to see.

 

[FRANKIEFAN]

Meh I'd like to kick a couple of them out so we can actually play our old BE rivals Miami and VT more than once every 6 years.

 

[TerryD]

Probably a better chance for the 'institution' they stand for also no longer having priests molest boys as well. Hope that isn't too offensive for some.

The whole ND "independence" pitch is such bull and malarky. If it was so dear and sacred to their heart
then their other sports would be independent also. It has everything to do with $$$ and basically getting away with having their cake and eating it too. Who wouldn't if you could? That's just the cold truth, and it has nothing to do with their righteousness, and spin of being/staying independent. You take that $$$ away or a significant part of it, and watch how fast they run to being a full member of a conference. ND and hypocrisy are synonymous.

It isn't motivated by money.

ND would make a lot more cash as a conference member in football than its current situation.

ND would be getting $51 million a year from the Big Ten, as opposed to its current $28 million a year or so.

It just doesn't want to. It likes its current status.

 

[elimunelson]

It isn't motivated by money.

ND would make a lot more cash as a conference member in football than its current situation.

ND would be getting $51 million a year from the Big Ten, as opposed to its current $28 million a year or so.

It just doesn't want to. It likes its current status.

One of the rare schools that probably could operate in any conference with any payout and still be wildly profitable due to their big donors.

 

[Trueblue25]

Cincy with a big win over UCLA. Happy they’re regaining some relevance