Syracuse Conference Alignment - Opinions?

[IthacaMatt]

So, for hoops, if we and Pitt get admitted into the ACC, and then the ACC adds Texas and Notre Dame for basketball, but not football, this would be my choice for divisions:

ACC North

Syracuse, Miami, Boston College, Pitt, Maryland, Va Tech, Virginia - and Notre Dame for hoops.

ACC South

Duke, North Carolina, NC State, Florida State, Ga. Tech, Clemson, Wake Forest - and Texas for hoops.

That is a really fine looking league. One game against every other team, and a designated "rival" game that was home and home. 16 team conference schedule. Everybody to Conference tournament - 4 rounds, no byes.

 

[HoustonCuse]

Matt that looks terrible to me but I think you are right. No way will UNC and Duke let either BE program into their division. They will do round robin in each division and 2 interdivision games for a 16 game schedule. Then it's off to Hazzard County (or wherever the hell they play it) for the conference tournament. You'll see Duke in the Carrier Dome once every 6 to 8 years. Yippie.

 

[jordoo]

How is Miami in the North?

 

[IthacaMatt]

Am I the only one who thinks the BE is likely going to disintegrate one way or the other in the next few years? My first choice would be to stay in the BE and make it a viable BCS football conference, but I don't see how that happens. If that is the case, we HAVE to move. You can't be left behind.

Big East is the new Metro Conference / Conference USA. It will stay alive because there needs to be a BCS conference for the left overs. I'm just glad that we won't be in the "garbage disposal" / "kitchen sink" conference when the dust settles. This show Cantor and Gross being very proactive, not waiting for the Big East idiots in Providence to allow the league to get even worse and more diluted, and since we never really were a fit for the Big 10, this seems like an outstanding move. Hope we can close the deal this time.

 

[cliftonparksufan]

Worst part will be Mike Patrick calling our ACC games instead of Sean, Raf, and Bilas. Best part we will be in a stable football league and will have good basketball matchups with Duke, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Maryland, Boston College, and Wake Forest.

Don't be so sure we don't see those guys going forward. They are really the #1 team now.

 

[IthacaMatt]

How is Miami in the North?

Former Big East school, and a very significant number of their alumni are "Yankees" not native Floridians. Reunite the old Big East and it sets up for Fla State & Miami to meet in the conference championship game, once Miami recovers from whatever punishment results from their latest violations. Think long term here, we already saw Miami go on probation when they were in the Big East before.

Matt that looks terrible to me but I think you are right. No way will UNC and Duke let either BE program into their division. They will do round robin in each division and 2 interdivision games for a 16 game schedule. Then it's off to Hazzard County (or wherever the hell they play it) for the conference tournament. You'll see Duke in the Carrier Dome once every 6 to 8 years. Yippie.

No, it's going to be every other year. You'll play every team once, and the location will shift back and forth. Going to pods of 4 teams gets you never seeing certain opponents. Playing everyone once is far better, and keeps more of a league feel than playing teams every other year. I know that TV wants that programming. ESPN wants Duke and Carolina in the Dome. It will be huge ratings.

 

[44USMC]

Also it looks like thr texas longhorns are heading to the acc as well . Now we got a power conferance .

For some reason, I heard Jesse "The Body" Ventura announce that statement in his classic WWF 1980s mold.

 

[netman99]

I don't understand the long or short term benefits of it. Everyone says football "drives the bus" but I'm struggling to understand that. Is it simply because the NCAA steals all the basketball tournament revenue and the archaic bowl system directly pays the schools? Either way we have all seen the numbers and we know that basketball pays the bills at Syracuse, not football. And how is NC State, UNC, Duke, Wake and Maryland a better football lineup than Pitt, UConn, Louisville, WVU, USF?

And with that said, I am a basketball guy. I think a move to the ACC destroys the basketball program. We no longer will have any relevant presence in Philly which is our bread and butter recruiting area and we risk losing Baltimore and DC which are our other pipelines. If kids from B'More wanted to play in the ACC they would have been going to Maryland and if you notice, kids have been picking SU over the Terps for 10 years. We may not love playing Rutgers, Marquette, etc. But how is Clemson, Virginia, Florida State, Miami, and Virginia Tech better than that. The ACC has UNC and Duke - that is it. We will be redheaded step children there, we will lose our northeast schedule which allows us to recruit and go to road games. We lose being a founding member of what has become the top basketball league in the country, and worst of all we lose the Big East Tournament and MSG.

I pray this news is false because this move will absolutely suck for SU basketball. Combine this with JB retiring soon and we could be seeing the close of a great era of basketball at SU.

Can't agree more...In four years, or sooner, we will be like BC fans, reliving the glory years. Terrible move for basketball. Unless ACC steals UConn, Louisville and a few others, the Big East will still be the premier basketball conf. Look for Kansas to jump to Big east next.

 

[netman99]

Vt, Miami a

This is the comparison -

When the ACC adds teams, it gets Syracuse and Pitt, institutions that make sense on a lot of levels.

When the Big East adds teams, it gets TCU and Nova, institutions that don't make sense on a lot of levels.

I for one welcome our new tobacco road overlords.

Yep, when they added Miami, VT and BC that made lot of sense also. That sure worked out well for ACC basketball. Didn't do much for football either.

 

[44USMC]

Vt, Miami a

Yep, when they added Miami, VT and BC that made lot of sense also. That sure worked out well for ACC basketball. Didn't do much for football either.

It's funny how this move will do much to improve the perception of the ACC though. Both Pitt and SU make sense for both sports and their respective levels of play.

 

[orange79]

So, for hoops, if we and Pitt get admitted into the ACC, and then the ACC adds Texas and Notre Dame for basketball, but not football, this would be my choice for divisions:

Big East 6 + 2

Syracuse, Miami, Boston College, Pitt, Maryland, Va Tech, Virginia - and Notre Dame for hoops.

ACC South

Duke, North Carolina, NC State, Florida State, Ga. Tech, Clemson, Wake Forest - and Texas for hoops.

That is a really fine looking league. One game against every other team, and a designated "rival" game that was home and home. 16 team conference schedule. Everybody to Conference tournament - 4 rounds, no byes.

Fixed

 

[domestu]

With the reports that we along with Pitt have already made an application to the ACC, I'm wondering what everyone's opinion is of joining an ACC and apparently leaving behind not only our the traditional basketball only rivals Gtown, Nova and St. Johns...but now, also apparently leaving our all sports rivals as well, UConn and of more recent vintage Louisville.

I understand the need for this on the football side, but as a guy who is predominantly a hoops fan I think a move like this is going to take a heckuva lot of getting used to.

I don't mind the idea of games against Duke, UNC and Maryland, but I am not sure how our basketball status will be impacted by joining a league that is clearly ruled from Tobacco Road. Do we have enough cache to avoid becoming a second or third fiddle member such as BC and Maryland are in my view? Having JB as the head coach will help in this regard. When matters impacting basketball come up its hard to dismiss the opinion of someone with JB's credentials. When Hop takes over we lose this advantage.

Unless our Football program really really steps it up (and I know that is the goal) I don't see how we are going to be anything less than the new guy on the block who always feels like they aren't really ever a part of the in crowd.

I will be extremely disappointed if we are left in a position where we have to give up annual games against Georgetown, Nova and UConn. To a lesser degree St. John's. Of course I won't miss Rutgers, Seton Hall or the Big Mid Westerns.

Having spent the better part of the last 20 years trying to tear down the ACC and make arguments for why the BE is a better basketball conference this will be a tough pill to swallow. Not to mention that the BE has finally gotten to the point where I think it is clearly superior such that it doesn't even feel like a fair argument anymore.

Leaving the NE as a conference base will suck as well. Like many here, I don't live in Syracuse so having Syracuse play in MSG, Philly, the RAC and other NE locations provides additional opps to see the Orange that likely won't exist in an ACC world.

Will also suck for those of us located in areas that will still be BE areas, as I assume it will mean less TV access to the Cuse.

I know there are lots of opinions voiced in the other threads, but I thought I would start one dedicated to folks opinions of this if it happens as opposed to the ones discussing the information leaking out.

 

[longtimefan]

For some reason, I heard Jesse "The Body" Ventura announce that statement in his classic WWF 1980s mold.

The Texas angle could be worrisome. If they are forced by politics to drag TTech along, and the rumors about ND getting a BE type of deal from the ACC are correct, there is only one spot left. Which would likely go to Pitt.

 

[stuckinbig11]

It is 7:55pm and the ACC still sucks.

 

[shermstheman]

So, for hoops, if we and Pitt get admitted into the ACC, and then the ACC adds Texas and Notre Dame for basketball, but not football, this would be my choice for divisions:

ACC North

Syracuse, Miami, Boston College, Pitt, Maryland, Va Tech, Virginia - and Notre Dame for hoops.

ACC South

Duke, North Carolina, NC State, Florida State, Ga. Tech, Clemson, Wake Forest - and Texas for hoops.

That is a really fine looking league. One game against every other team, and a designated "rival" game that was home and home. 16 team conference schedule. Everybody to Conference tournament - 4 rounds, no byes.

 

[pfister1]

So, for hoops, if we and Pitt get admitted into the ACC, and then the ACC adds Texas and Notre Dame for basketball, but not football, this would be my choice for divisions:

ACC North

Syracuse, Miami, Boston College, Pitt, Maryland, Va Tech, Virginia - and Notre Dame for hoops.

ACC South

Duke, North Carolina, NC State, Florida State, Ga. Tech, Clemson, Wake Forest - and Texas for hoops.

That is a really fine looking league. One game against every other team, and a designated "rival" game that was home and home. 16 team conference schedule. Everybody to Conference tournament - 4 rounds, no byes.

I think you're probably on the money with the alignment. K says as much in his quotes today.

"Krzyzewski said he would like to see the ACC go to 16 for an easy eight-team divisional split in basketball and football with champions of two divisions. "We can keep the round robin in each division and keep some tradition," Krzyzewski said. "I wouldn't want to see one line of 14 or 16 teams. One of the weaknesses of the current Big East is that you never know who plays one another. The SEC hasn't been able to define their two divisions in basketball as well as they have in football."

I read his quote to say this is pretty good as long as you don't F with the Carolina schools getting their home and away series against each other each year.

It's wonderful for football, but an absolute blow job for basketball. On our hoops schedule...

We keep games against Pitt and Notre Dame...oh Boy!
Lose UConn get home and away with Maryland in return
Lose Nova get home and away with BC in return
Lose Louisville get home and away with Miami in return
Lose Georgetown get home and away with Va Tech in return
Lose West Virginia get home and away with UVA in return

We also drop games against Cincy, Marquette and St. John's ..... we'll get to play UNC and Duke every now and then and in the Dome every once in a blue moon. If they rotate two games against the other division on a fair basis doesn't that mean we play each team once every four years and have that team in our place just once every 8 years? If they increase to an 18 game schedule then you'd play UNC and Duke every other year and seem in our place every four years.

Seems like hoops is taking one big time for the athletic department, lets hope the football program can capitalize on the opportunity because its seems like a huge gamble to me.

 

[rstone7727]

We keep games against Pitt and Notre Dame...oh Boy!
Lose UConn get home and away with Maryland in return
Lose Nova get home and away with BC in return
Lose Louisville get home and away with Miami in return
Lose Georgetown get home and away with Va Tech in return
Lose West Virginia get home and away with UVA in return

 

[MooseHaas]

I think UConn will ultimately end up in the ACC so we'll preserve that rivalry.

Actually maybe they end up in the Big Ten.

 

[PoppyHart]

This is likely the best CYA response for the short term. In 10 years, however, we won't even have conferences imo. Technology, especially via online sources, will continue to proliferate, and schools will essentially be free agents, negotiating their own distribution agreements. There will be no use for regional or conference affiliations.

 

[BlueCurtain]

Worst part will be Mike Patrick calling our ACC games instead of Sean, Raf, and Bilas. Best part we will be in a stable football league and will have good basketball matchups with Duke, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Maryland, Boston College, and Wake Forest.

Who says ESPN won't try to move Big Monday to the ACC? The Big East leftovers are like the high school chick who gained 50 lbs at your 10 yr reunion.

 

[BlueCurtain]

Can't agree more...In four years, or sooner, we will be like BC fans, reliving the glory years.

Since when did BC have glory years?

 

[IthacaMatt]

Vt, Miami a

Yep, when they added Miami, VT and BC that made lot of sense also. That sure worked out well for ACC basketball. Didn't do much for football either.

Sure it did. Va Tech has kept ACC football relevant while Miami and Fla State went thru down periods. It worked out well for ACC football. BC has provided some good years, too, for the depth of the conference, although they've been screwed on their bowl games. But didn't they win at least 8 games for several years in a row?