FootballFan247

Look, in all fairness, one doesn't have to look very far on this board to see so many miserable people. Every Saturday it's free entertainment on this forum

Football conferences are going to want to see schools are serious about putting revenue toward their sports programs. Every team in sports say they want to win, it's a "put your money where your mouth is" concept. Big 12 doesn't want to share conference money with a team that can't generate revenue from other sources.

Sure. Let's say the Big 12 did lose it's Power 5 status due to it's lack of "elite" teams; you're going to start seeing conversations about these other conferences. The only ACC teams that's any good is Clemson and Notre Dame. Everyone else sucks. FSU fell off a cliff after Jimbo left, Miami hasn't been relevant in 20 years, NC State and North Carolina are average at best, Duke has basketball but their football team is garbage. Who else is there? Pac 12 is in an even worse situation I think because of their geographic location out west. You have USC and UCLA and Oregon and while UCLA is doing good so far, they've been really bad for many years prior. USC has been bad for several years now, Oregon is iffy at best now, and after them it's a massive drop off. I don't know what order I'd exactly put them in, but I know those 3 conferences all have massive flaws that nobody ever seems to acknowledge. See above.

Texas and Oklahoma left because the SEC offered more money. UCF, Cincy, and Houston are in the Big 12 because it's more money. Whatever teams the AAC selects for expansion will leave because it's more money. All this stuff is based on their programs making more money. It has nothing to do with teams being "elite" and it never did. Let's be real honest here: The Big 10 and the SEC are the two best conferences in college football, then the Big 12, ACC and Pac 12 follow behind, then the AAC and rest of the G5 conferences. Big 12 isn't going to lose it's status as a Power 5, because if they did, it's going to be such a slippery slope for inclusion it just wouldn't be worth it.

Maybe if any of those programs actually do anything of sustenance in college football to make them relevant, they wouldn't even have to ask. Not too many people tuning in to see Wake Forest and UNC play football on TV......

That sounds great on paper, but geographically it would be a nightmare. Penn State, Ohio State, and Michigan having to travel to California on a regular basis? The costs would be insane and remember, it's not just football, it would be all the sports teams. That get's real expensive real quick.

Once again, the issue isn't how attractive USF can be to the ACC or how much money they can invest, it's that there are already two schools in Florida with major political clout in FSU and Miami. They influence Clemson (which they easily could) and there's no pathway for USF. UCF has the same issue. Houston had it in the Big 12 until Texas decided to leave, and Cincinnati experienced it with Ohio State in the Big 10.

Unless Big 10 and Pac-12 are willing to share their own TV revenue with the ACC (and I peace in the Middle East is more likely than that) there's not much any conference can do to force another conference to take on another team. On an unrelated note: Of all the Power 5 conferences, the Pac-12 is in the worst shape long term because nobody wants to play out west unless it's USC or UCLA (when they're good, and 2021 aside they haven't been for many years) and the rest of the conference is really weak. I also think Texas and Oklahoma leaving to go to the SEC is a major mistake, and they obviously didn't learn anything from Nebraska going to the Big 10 and Miami going to the ACC. Oklahoma and Texas are going to have a way tougher time staying relevant going against competition they can't beat much like Nebraska and Miami found out the hard way.

Yeah and since they moved into that stadium, attendance has gone down and the program is mediocre. Miami also has more in state name recognition than USF has at this point. Not even remotely close to being the same thing.

Probably worth pointing a few things out regarding realignment: 1. USF (and UCF for that matter) isn't going to be allowed into the ACC as long as Miami and Florida State are part of that conference no matter what the stadium/football program situation is. That's just not going to happen. 2. Pac-12 isn't going to expand into Florida or any other East Coast teams, because that would be dumb geographically and time zone wise, and insanely expensive due to travel costs. 3. SEC (see ACC). Florida may only have one vote, but as one of the SEC's crown jewel programs, they probably have enough clout to torpedo any USF/UCF ambitions for the conference. 4. Big10 - Certainly a possibility due to the Florida market, but they're definitely going to require an on campus stadium with at least 50-75k seating capacity, along with some consistent success in the football program 5. Big 12 - Still the most likely from a long term standpoint, but if UCF has success in the Big 12 and gains more political clout, they could make it very challenging for USF to get in the conference.