Big Ten expansion

People keep mentioning Arkansas leaving the SEC. Look at the SEC finances compared to the Big 12. NEVER gonna happen.

 

You, of all people, don't remember that South Carolina was once an ACC member? As much as some on this board want me to wave the ACC homer flag, this isn't the place.

The Big Four? Not going anywhere.

Virginia and Virginia Tech? Can't see it.

Maryland? Headbutt might not let Debbie Yow live to see it.

Clemson? Twenty years ago, no. Now? Why not? Clemson thinks itself a football school in a basketball conference (get those last two words, Mr. Swofford?) and ruled the roost back in the day. Death Valley was the most feared venue in the ACC. Then Florida State came along, then Miami and Virginia Tech. Death Valley is just another stadium now. Clemson has never been noted for its basketball ... women have been trying to pick up the pieces since the last of the Jim Davis Era and Oliver Purnell just left the men's program to awake the ghosts at DePaul. It could happen.

Miami? Why not? They opted for Big East over ACC over scholarship money years ago, and Swofford sweetened the pot to finally coax them into the fold. Who's to say the SEC can't pony up the bucks to do the same?

Florida State? No way 10-15 years ago as they were busy steamrolling the ACC in football. Now? Might not be such a stretch. Get Miami and Florida State into the SEC and watch an already towering monster of a football conference become even moreso. Also, it would force all three of them to play one another every season, and that should be worth a little cash.

Boston College? I would think they like being in the ACC, but the travel has to be a headache given that the outlier status geographically.

Don't get me wrong ... I don't want the ACC to lose anyone. But to think that the ACC is just so amazing that no one could be lured away? That's a fool's bet.

 

Yeah, and I know how @#$@#$ the Chickens were while wandering the wilderness of independency/Metro Conferency.

And while anything could happen, it would just really surprise (and I guess disappoint) me to see the ACC busted up. Then again, I'm still a bit of a sucker for the 8-team ACC.

 

It's out of loyalty, if the Texas schools still have any. Remember, TCU, SMU, Houston, and Rice were all SWC members with UT, A&M, Baylor, and Tech before they broke up in '96. TCU may not add no TV sets, but everyone in Texas would disagree somewhat with that assertion.

 

My wife would be rather upset.

 

Me too. Shouldn't have expanded to 12 strictly for a championship game which has drawn flies.

The eight-team league you're thinking of? With the exception of Clemson, I think that's very safe. Seriously doubt Virginia Tech goes anywhere. So it's Clemson, BC, Miami and Florida State which might be of concern IMO, if anyone.

 

OK, so the Big Ten and Pac-10 want more teams.
What does the ACC do? It certainly cannot attract any SEC team (NO SEC team will leave), so does it focus on Pitt/WVA/Syracuse? The SEC may add but only if Texas/A*M/Oklahoma want in (I think)
This is a big mess but talking about college football rather than how bad the Brew Crew is at Miller Park is always better in my book.

 

Here's the thing ... I'm not sure it makes financial sense for ANY conference to expand, other than the Big Televen.

They can simply add cable companies. Every other conference (I think) would have to tear up and sign new television deals. And in this economy, I'm not sure anybody's going to be able to significantly increase their payout-per-school by adding teams.

 

Even though it left the SEC in the '60s, Tech's fan base and boosters still see themselves as outsiders in the ACC. Tech has always felt like it fit in more in the SEC than anywhere else, and if it got the chance I have no doubt it would fly to the SEC in an instant.

 

The ACC first has to get its own house in order. Its TV deal, already paltry compared to the SEC's, expires next year. It won't get anything approaching the SEC's because of the marketplace. So either Swofford needs to be very persuasive with ESPN, Fox or whoever, or they need to start an ACC Network.

Failing that, they just need to hope the SEC decides not to raid the four southern-most schools - and on its own, the ACC needs to target the Big East. Syracuse wanted to come five years ago, why not now? Why wouldn't UConn want to be a good travel partner for BC? Pitt would like the ACC if the Big Ten isn't interested. ... Athletically, West Va. and Louisville would be attractive, but academically they're not.

And as an alum, I only see one scenario where Maryland bolts. It gets advance word that the four southern schools are going to go to the SEC, and the above-listed Big East schools aren't replacing them. Therefore Maryland looks at the landscape, dreads being in a league with South Florida and East Carolina, and informs the Big Ten that it would bring a couple top 20 markets in D.C. and Baltimore.

Otherwise, Maryland just has too many historic ties to the ACC, and its alumni and student-base - strong in New England, New York, Pa. and NJ - is much more attracted to the ACC than just another Big Ten or Big East school.

 

If Texas, A&M et al had any loyalty to their former SWC brethren, they wouldn't have bolted to the Big 8 (now 12) without them. Texas and A&M are more likely to want to keep TCU and SMU down than build them up by inviting them along, since Texas and A&M want to own the Dallas-Fort Worth market themselves (and already do).

I agree with ucacm -- TCU does not help the Big 12 one bit, especially since the Frogs can't even fill a 40,000-seat stadium with a team ranked in the top 10, and TV-wise they don't draw flies.