Conference realignment "Rumors" "tweets" "etc"

[BaltoBull]

Yes, if we get into the ACC, almost by definition, it wouldn't resemble the ACC we've known in the past. BUT, it keeps us with schools like Syracuse, Pitt, Louisville, and likely UConn and possibly Duke, that have name-recognition instead of being relegated back to obscurity. And yes, it would be the strongest BBall league with TV exposure that helps all sports AND with academic reputation. If your focus is only football-football-football, then you will almost certainly be disappointed. Still, I believe there is a measurable chasm between joining a revamped ACC versus staying behind (with a smaller gap between the ACC and the other "BCS" leagues) and that's what is at stake here. It wouldn't be the Promised Land, but it would maintain the gains we've made instead of taking an irreparable step backwards.

Do you really think the other conferences are going to allow the ACC to be a power-basketball conference after this? Look what the ACC did to the BE - they took Syracuse, Pitt and then Louisville - prestige, 'brand recognition' and basketball. Louisville is fortunate that they have football and that is what the ACC desperately needed to keep up with the other conferences and to not allow Louisville to go to the B12. When all hell breaks loose, I think the other conferences will cherry-pick what remains of the ACC as clean as they can.

I don't think Syracuse, Pitt, Duke and possibly Louisville will hang around the ACC after armageddon. Wake Forest will, maybe Boston College.

At some point, I do think the Catholic schools will finally split and do something with A-10 teams.

[Bull Martin]

It's the carrot on the end of the stick. At this point in the game, I don't think were ever going to sniff a BCS game. Look at all of the angst against Kent State possibly playing in the Orange Bowl. In a few years, that could be us and no matter what we do on the field against the competition we play, it will never be good enough.

Whatever angst there is against Kent State doesn't matter because if they move up just one spot in the BCS poll, they're automatically in a BCS game. There will be no more BCS games starting with the 2014 season. and the equivalent will be the 6 "Access" bowls and unless they change the rules, which I wouldn't be surprised if they did, we can get to one of those via the field ...

Yeah, but after this season the reality will be that USF making an access bowl or the tourny will be as shocking and frequent as seeing Kent State do it, which will also be followed by the Kent State like team getting the absolute ass blasted out of them by a Florida.

[BaltoBull]

It's the carrot on the end of the stick. At this point in the game, I don't think were ever going to sniff a BCS game. Look at all of the angst against Kent State possibly playing in the Orange Bowl. In a few years, that could be us and no matter what we do on the field against the competition we play, it will never be good enough.

Whatever angst there is against Kent State doesn't matter because if they move up just one spot in the BCS poll, they're automatically in a BCS game. There will be no more BCS games starting with the 2014 season. and the equivalent will be the 6 "Access" bowls and unless they change the rules, which I wouldn't be surprised if they did, we can get to one of those via the field ...

You're right, thank you for pointing that out. I totally forgot about the BCS bowl changing.

I still think the rules will be changed and the mantra will be something along the lines of 'market demand'.

[BaltoBull]

It's the carrot on the end of the stick. At this point in the game, I don't think were ever going to sniff a BCS game. Look at all of the angst against Kent State possibly playing in the Orange Bowl. In a few years, that could be us and no matter what we do on the field against the competition we play, it will never be good enough.

Whatever angst there is against Kent State doesn't matter because if they move up just one spot in the BCS poll, they're automatically in a BCS game. There will be no more BCS games starting with the 2014 season. and the equivalent will be the 6 "Access" bowls and unless they change the rules, which I wouldn't be surprised if they did, we can get to one of those via the field ...

Yeah, but after this season the reality will be that USF making an access bowl or the tourny will be as shocking and frequent as seeing Kent State do it, which will also be followed by the Kent State like team getting the absolute ass blasted out of them by a Florida.

Yes.

[Bull Martin]

Yes, if we get into the ACC, almost by definition, it wouldn't resemble the ACC we've known in the past. BUT, it keeps us with schools like Syracuse, Pitt, Louisville, and likely UConn and possibly Duke, that have name-recognition instead of being relegated back to obscurity. And yes, it would be the strongest BBall league with TV exposure that helps all sports AND with academic reputation. If your focus is only football-football-football, then you will almost certainly be disappointed. Still, I believe there is a measurable chasm between joining a revamped ACC versus staying behind (with a smaller gap between the ACC and the other "BCS" leagues) and that's what is at stake here. It wouldn't be the Promised Land, but it would maintain the gains we've made instead of taking an irreparable step backwards.

Do you really think the other conferences are going to allow the ACC to be a power-basketball conference after this? Look what the ACC did to the BE - they took Syracuse, Pitt and then Louisville - prestige, 'brand recognition' and basketball. Louisville is fortunate that they have football and that is what the ACC desperately needed to keep up with the other conferences and to not allow Louisville to go to the B12. When all hell breaks loose, I think the other conferences will cherry-pick what remains of the ACC as clean as they can.

I don't think Syracuse, Pitt, Duke and possibly Louisville will hang around the ACC after armageddon. Wake Forest will, maybe Boston College.

At some point, I do think the Catholic schools will finally split and do something with A-10 teams.

No the Big Leagues wont cherry pick the Dukes and Wake Forrests of the ACC out. It's all about getting a television viewer ship for football in an area you don't have covered. The only real way it would happen is if the PAC12 does the absolute asinine cherry picks a quad of 4 east coast schools. Then a school like Duke might be attractive to the B1G or B12.

[bullsbucsfan426]

Basically, I feel the best scenario is for the ACC to become the Big East of a couple of years ago and the Big East to become the C-USA from a couple of years ago.

That's definitely the best scenario I see. What worries me, though, is stuff like the quotes from Nick Saban about there eventually being just 60-70 "real" FBS schools, a bunch of irrelevant ones that are background noise and largely don't play the big dogs, and then FCS. In essence, there'd be 1A, 1AA (us), and 1AAA (what used to be 1AA). In that case, it's pretty much relegation and I question whether we could build a healthy fan base in that situation. But, again, it is what it is. I do like the basketball side of it, though.

I think we're worrying a little bit too much about our attendance numbers. The doom and gloom predictions of 20k at USF games won't happen unless we remain a bad team.

Look at ECU and UCF. They might not be big time schools, but as long as they're successful, they've drawn 30k to 40k a game.

We are not at the point of an Alabama or a Florida where we can draw 90k fans to a game, and we most certainly won't be for a while. Heck, even Miami fans are a pretty fair-weather bunch-at the USF-Miami game earlier this year I'd say the stadium was about 60/40 Miami at kickoff and the stadium was barely half full.

We regularly draw 40k a year so long as we're successful. I can't see that changing much as long as we put in 7-8 win seasons, because we're a low cost alternative to Bucs games and we will seemingly remain that way for the foreseeable future unless we get more big name opponents (such as a Miami or FSU) in town. It'll take winning the conference in the ACC (or getting in a BCS game next year) to get over the 45k to 50k hump.

[Economics_Nerd82]

I totally agree Martin. Guys, I get the feeling we are going to get the rug pulled out from us no matter what we do or where we go.

I read a post on the NCAAbbs board - sorry, but I don't remember which one, but I agree with that poster's sentiments when he said, "as soon as the 'valuable' teams are out of the ACC, the powers that be will figure out a way to rewrite the rules yet again and further consolidate power amongst the four conferences.". Once the big boys are gone from the ACC, do you think anyone will give a **** about them?

It's the carrot on the end of the stick. At this point in the game, I don't think were ever going to sniff a BCS game. Look at all of the angst against Kent State possibly playing in the Orange Bowl. In a few years, that could be us and no matter what we do on the field against the competition we play, it will never be good enough.

Let's face it, the Florida teams the B12 really wants are FSU and Miami. After reading endless articles and opinions, it seems what everything is waiting on is Maryland's exit fee from the ACC. Once Maryland has set the bar, no where close to $50m I believe, everyone will run to the door. Then once the 'prestige' programs are gone, then we would get the call up to the ACC. Big deal.

I can see it now, ESPN and the others will constantly trash and belittle the ACC much the way they are now the NBE with the additions of Tulane and ECU. They will sniff and look down their noses at us yet again.

I said this before and I still think the best course of action is for the NBE, CUSA and MW to break off and do it's own thing and get ready for the long haul. I know some of you hate the idea, thinking it's tantamount to admitting defeat, but I think it's time to be realistic.

If the moves being made really are towards 4 super-conferences of 16, where do we fit in? SEC and B12 will have FL covered with UF, FSU and Miami. Pac12 is out for us geographically and B10 is out of the question. No one has ever mentioned FSU or Miami going to the B10 and UF certainly isn't leaving the SEC.

Get ready guys, this is where we are and this is where we are going to be.

If these super conferences expand their in-conference games and start playing the "lesser" left out competition in the little conferences, I can imagine this having massive atheltic budget implications for I-AA schools who depend on those pay day games. Not to mention the left out teams that have higher operational budgets for stadiums and the like who will feel a crunch.

It won't matter Econ_Nerd. It's all about selling games and not sharing the pie. Once the conferences go to 16 (if they go), there won't be a need for 1-AA games. It will be about ratings and having two 'brands' play one another. A 1-AA team is not a 'brand'.

Furthermore, I think it will get to the point that scheduling a 1-AA team will be poison to your SOS and therefore, no one will dare play a 'lesser' school.

I think this is about ESPN and Fox having something akin to the NFL where 'every game matters' and every game can be hyped.

I agree. But, what I am saying is that those athletic teams that before relied on those pay day games for their funding will suffer.

[Kahoki]

Look at ECU and UCF. They might not be big time schools, but as long as they're successful, they've drawn 30k to 40k a game.

I can tell you from living and working 15 minutes from Bright house Stadium and who has a brother who is a junior at UCF. That is very inaccurate. UCF does not pull that type of crowd. The only way they can pull that is if it is a Thursday night game on ESPN and they have given out free tickets to give the perception of a full crowd.

There have even been articles in the Orlando Sentinel blasting the UCF fans for not showing up.

Edited November 29, 2012 by Kahoki

[BaltoBull]

I totally agree Martin. Guys, I get the feeling we are going to get the rug pulled out from us no matter what we do or where we go.

I read a post on the NCAAbbs board - sorry, but I don't remember which one, but I agree with that poster's sentiments when he said, "as soon as the 'valuable' teams are out of the ACC, the powers that be will figure out a way to rewrite the rules yet again and further consolidate power amongst the four conferences.". Once the big boys are gone from the ACC, do you think anyone will give a **** about them?

It's the carrot on the end of the stick. At this point in the game, I don't think were ever going to sniff a BCS game. Look at all of the angst against Kent State possibly playing in the Orange Bowl. In a few years, that could be us and no matter what we do on the field against the competition we play, it will never be good enough.

Let's face it, the Florida teams the B12 really wants are FSU and Miami. After reading endless articles and opinions, it seems what everything is waiting on is Maryland's exit fee from the ACC. Once Maryland has set the bar, no where close to $50m I believe, everyone will run to the door. Then once the 'prestige' programs are gone, then we would get the call up to the ACC. Big deal.

I can see it now, ESPN and the others will constantly trash and belittle the ACC much the way they are now the NBE with the additions of Tulane and ECU. They will sniff and look down their noses at us yet again.

I said this before and I still think the best course of action is for the NBE, CUSA and MW to break off and do it's own thing and get ready for the long haul. I know some of you hate the idea, thinking it's tantamount to admitting defeat, but I think it's time to be realistic.

If the moves being made really are towards 4 super-conferences of 16, where do we fit in? SEC and B12 will have FL covered with UF, FSU and Miami. Pac12 is out for us geographically and B10 is out of the question. No one has ever mentioned FSU or Miami going to the B10 and UF certainly isn't leaving the SEC.

Get ready guys, this is where we are and this is where we are going to be.

If these super conferences expand their in-conference games and start playing the "lesser" left out competition in the little conferences, I can imagine this having massive atheltic budget implications for I-AA schools who depend on those pay day games. Not to mention the left out teams that have higher operational budgets for stadiums and the like who will feel a crunch.

It won't matter Econ_Nerd. It's all about selling games and not sharing the pie. Once the conferences go to 16 (if they go), there won't be a need for 1-AA games. It will be about ratings and having two 'brands' play one another. A 1-AA team is not a 'brand'.

Furthermore, I think it will get to the point that scheduling a 1-AA team will be poison to your SOS and therefore, no one will dare play a 'lesser' school.

I think this is about ESPN and Fox having something akin to the NFL where 'every game matters' and every game can be hyped.

I agree. But, what I am saying is that those athletic teams that before relied on those pay day games for their funding will suffer.

I was trying to agree with you and say what you said. I worded my response poorly.

[TallyBull]

While none came right out, had all the earmarks of #GT. Could see either #UVa or #UNC as the other for 16.

— GREG SWAIM SHOW (@GSwaim)

November 30, 2012

Believe it if you want but Swaim says two more ACC teams will be gone in 7-10 days