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[QUOTE="Btstimpy, post: 1855113, member: 2043"]
I agree.  The opportunity for the ACC to own the northeast was gone when Penn State went to the Big Ten.  And now that the Big Ten also has Rutgers and Maryland, they solidify a place in the Mid-Atlantic.   What I'm analyzing here is whether or not the ACC has an opportunity to own New England if the ACC had both Boston College and Connecticut.  This opportunity still exists.  But if the Big XII enters the equation and takes UConn, is that opportunity gone forever for the ACC?

That's where I'm at.  And what does the ACC lose longer term if we pass on this opportunity?   I'm not at all concerned about losing Rutgers or Maryland.  According to the NY Times map of college football fan preference, less than 15% of college football fans in the state of New Jersey are Rutgers fans.   And, in Maryland less than 30% are Maryland fans for most of the state.  This is among college football fans, and we already know professional sports dominate both states.   Penn State has high support in both New Jersey and Maryland, so their additions were just as play things for Penn State.

But in Connecticut, more than 60% of college football fans support UConn.  I don't want to see the ACC pass on an opportunity it will regret when it has the chance.  I don't know if the Big XII will invite UConn, but they are on a short list.   How many fans UConn has outside of Connecticut isn't as important as how many they have within Connecticut IMO.

This is the map I'm referring to:  [URL]http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/10/03/upshot/ncaa-football-map.html?_r=0[/URL]
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