I know there is more revenue in the ACC but I miss the Big East days. There is no way to go back at this point since they don’t sponsor football. I suspect a lot of old rivalries will come back in the next 5 years or so.
So many teams want to leave the ACC right now. When the grant of rights expires (or there is a buyout deal), there are going to be big changes in my opinion. FSU, Miami, Clemson, UNC, UVA, Cal, and Stanford will likely all leave. Probably others too.
The conference will likely made up of the prograns who don’t get offers from the SEC, Big 10, or Big 12. I’m guessing Syracuse, BC, Pitt, GT, Wake, NC State, Virgina Tech, and maybe Duke and Louisville will be the remaining programs. At least half of the leftover programs will be former Big East programs.
At that point, a conference (by whatever name) including Big East programs will probably be heavily considered. There is a strong probablility that the ACC will need to expand. The likely scenario is some of the best Big East programs will be in the mix. UConn is a no-brainer. Georgetown, SJU, and Nova would be good non-football additions.
Think about a conference of Syracuse, Pitt, VA Tech, Ga Tech, BC, Duke, NC State, Wake, UConn, Nova, Georgetown, and SJU. Maybe a few others if they add value like Povidence Seton Hall and Marquette. I’m old, but this would be fun. Some great nostalgic rivalries and a solid conference. Sure, the tv revenue wouldn’t be the same, but I don’t dislike this idea.
I know everyone will say it is a major downgrade in football, but the most valuable football programs will be leaving whether we like it or not. I’d prefer the old Big East-style hybrid over backfilling with AAC slop like USF, Memphis, Coastal Carolina, etc. This could be an exciting league with nostalgic rivalries.