Oh, lord the expansiopocolypse just keeps rolling. Let’s start with the latest and work backwards to Tulane.
There was a sense of inevitability that the ACC was going to take another team after Maryland decided to depart. In theory, the ACC could have stayed at 13 for football and 14 everywhere else with ND. But, that just isn’t how expansiopocolypse works.
It seemed that UConn would be the obvious choice. Actually on the East Coast. With BC’s obstinate AD Gene DiFillipo retired, that barrier was done. Including Hartford, Connecticut actually gives UConn a bigger TV market than Louisville. Better academic ranking. All the things that go into present-day conference realignment.
Plus, when you put UConn in there with Syracuse and BC, there’s a strong argument that the ACC would have some real market penetration in both NYC and Boston — at least insofar as there is interest in college sports in those markets. Cable outlets like SNY might be much more inclined to align with ACC interests with both Cuse and UConn part of the package — especially since they will have to worry about YES becoming aligned with Rutgers and the Big Ten.
But…
Louisville is simply the stronger athletic program. The grumblings from Clemson and FSU (and VT as well) have been quite loud about the need to improve the football in the conference. Louisville offers that along with a great basketball tradition. Additionally, there is a clear and very firm commitment to the athletics.
Plus, and this is important, Louisville may not have been there when the ACC would have needed them if they waited.
A source with knowledge of the ACC’s discussions said a big reason that the ACC moved so quickly to add Louisville was that the Big 12 was interested as well.
“This is a unique reset moment,” said a person with direct knowledge of the move. “Schools that weren’t in the mix may come into the mix. Some schools on the sidelines now seem more relevant, especially if we going to start about 16.”
The ACC has also been also contacted by UConn, USF, Cincinnati and Navy. None of those schools are being sought after by other leagues, meaning that if the ACC moves to 16 schools there’s no rush to add one of them now.
That wasn’t the case with Louisville.
Last year when the ACC invited Pitt and Cuse, the Big 12 (or at least the Texas mouthpiece) was making a bit of noise about being interested in Pitt. If the ACC had grabbed Cuse and UConn (or even Rutgers as an example), there is no doubt that Pitt would have had no choice but to go to the Big 12. That played a role. The ACC couldn’t count on Pitt being there in the next round of expansiopocolypse the same way they could with UConn. Maybe not the deciding factor, but another check on the Pitt side of things over UConn.
That was a definite factor once more. And once more UConn got left behind.
UConn is relatively isolated geographically in terms of other conferences. Given the shifts it is conceivable that they could still end up in the Big 12, but unlikely. The ACC or Big East are their only destinations. UConn could wait last year. And when the ACC decided it wanted to replace Maryland, it quickly realized it could still wait on UConn.
Now this should be one more chance for the ACC to fix the divisions alignment. Virginia Tech will object but the chance to geographically fix the divisions.
North: Pitt, Syracuse, BC, VT, UVa, Louisville, Wake Forest
South: FSU, Clemson, GT, Miami, Duke, UNC, NC St.
Assuming the “protected rivalries” are kept for a 6-1-1 schedule, VT could still get Miami which could placate them a bit.
Of course there was greater urgency from UConn, Louisville and Cinci to somehow get out of the Big East. After yesterday’s news of adding Tulane in all sports and East Carolina in football only.
A move that not only smacked of desperation all around, but further drove home the point that the Big East simply lacks other options to bring to their conference.
Villanova fans are bemoaning all the “what ifs” dating back to when the Big East tried to get them to move to 1-A football at the same time UConn did so.
USF fans are wondering what the hell their AD and president are doing.
Cinci fans are out there somewhere.
The basketball schools are doing the math and grimly reaching the same conclusion that was there last year. That they still need even the crappy football-side if they want to make any money. That going off on their own is still not financially viable
Big East basketball has gotten watered down with the recent addon’s of mid-majors.
Teams such as Georgetown, Villinova, Seton Hall, St. Johns, etc will have a tough time recruiting and their basketball programs will go downhill. Time for them to leave now.
ACC just got stronger as Louisville is an upgrade to Maryland in football and basketball.
Does academics matter? proximity? basketball as opposed to football? I thought football was everything today. I know tradition and rivalries are stone dead.
If I understand the situation correctly, all that matters is ratings. No wait it’s not even that – it’s the number of cable-bundle packages that can be pawned off in a given market? Is that right?
This is all pretty dismal. Makes it hard to be a fan of college sports.
So now that the Big East is going to become third rate…does Madison Square Garden cancel their contract with BE for the BE tourney and thus open the door to the ACC tourney coming to NYC. (It couldn’t before 2016 though since next 3 ACC tourney’s are in Greensboro).
I serious doubt the ‘new’ BE is going to sell out MSG or be anything like the past tourneys. (Big Ten could even try to play there tourney there now.) With Barclays arena in Brooklyn now the BE can move across town.
Football pays the bills but just look at the quality of this conference now when basketball is considered. With Syracuse, Pitt and Louisville now in the mix for BB, will the Refs have to rethink the way they call ACC games. These three teams are going to bring a more smash mouth BE style of play into the conference for sure. Move over Duke and NC, you’re going to have some company showing up at the top of the BB heap in the near future.
I’m really looking forward to the move to the ACC if for no other reason than I now feel that we are going into a conference that actually knows how to run their business. Maryland shows their hand and just like that the ACC trumps that move by grabbing a better future fit for the conference in Louisville than Maryland has been.
There is NO argument in looking at the TV market or the fan support between the two either. I live in Northern VA and Maryland gets no respect from the major TV and newspaper outlets down here. They are on the par with other schools like Georgetown, Howard, American and George Mason and even get less press than schools like VaTech and Virginia when it concerns the football programs. Maryland’s fan base is also non committed and are much more aligned by the pro sports in town with the Redskins and the Wizards support being far superior to that of the Maryland fan base.
I’m just glad to be leaving the Big East before the lifeboats are launched. Now with both Rutgers and Louisville gone and other schools reconsidering their previous decisions to join and then Notre Dame’s also abandoning the BE, it is just a sinking ship.
No offense to either school, but bringing in East Carolina and Tulane is nothing more than the first signal flare being fired by the BE leadership before the ship actually goes down.
Now I’m sure who I’m rooting for to win the game tomorrow night between Rutgers and Louisville. Go Ville!
Hopefully, now we can refocus on what is important THIS week for Pitt football. Beat USF!
Now lets see if Pederson can parlay our extra millions into some sustained success as well…
I don’t think jumping to 16 so quickly is the smart play.
I believe Cincy, and definitely UCONN will be there in the future if we need them.
Big10 isn’t going to take either to get to 16. If the Big10 is ever going to 16, they’re thinking of trying to raid the ACC, or if wanna go west Kansas and KSU.
Big12 could think of Cincy down the road, but now that Louisville (their top choice with BYU) is off the table, I don’t think Texas will want anyone, unless, again, it’s a raid on the ACC.
Getting Louisville and making Maryland pay as much as lawyerly possible are the big items now.
And on another note – it’ll be nice to make return visits to P.T.’s gentlemen’s club in Louisville. Not to mention the Louisville La Quinta Inn and the downtown White Castle which both rank as top establishments to visit for “hospitality”.
There chances of winning Big12 is slim to none…
Wheras… there chances of winning ACC is 50/50. Look at WVU and what happened to them when they go and play BigBoy football…
The fans in the stands will start to diminish when they start losing… then count the extra money it will cost for ALL teams in all sports to travel alll over kingdom come… The more money from the league would be offset by higher costs and less income from attendance.
If ACC allows ND to keep all their NBC TV revenue in exchange for forfeiting its share of any ESPN football revenue and also allows ND to keep all their bowl revenue and forfeit their share of the ACC’s shared bowl revneue, in exchange for going “all in” including football, I bet ND takes the bait.
If ACC somehow gets ND all-in, it now becomes the predominant confernece and will be one of the big 4 conferences with 16 teams. Now, the ACC looks like the odd man out with the B10, Big12, Pac12 and SEC surviving.
Swafford better grow a pair and start thinking outside the box or in 3 years Pitt/Syr/Lou will find themselves in the same place they were when they abandoned the BE. As much as I dislike ND nation you don’t need R2D2 to tell you they are the ACC’s only hope.
becomes
Pitt’s crossover rival. The north-south split
feels too much like the BE vs the ACC. It
is important to avoid that senario.
Instead of putting down the new Big East, we should root for their success, at least those of us who have decried the greed of Jim Delaney, Notre Dame, Texas, etc. A basketball league with Cincy, UConn, Memphis, Temple, and Georgetown will still be good.
I think that the ACC made the best move available to them at the moment…and I too would like to see WVU added to the ACC when the Big 12 collapses…it makes geographic sense and would upgrade the football profile of the conference without compromising basketball or other sports…
I doubt FSU, Clemson, Miami or GT will be going to the SEC… Florida, South Carolina and Georgia will not allow another team in from the same state.
To the Big 12??? More likely than SEC.
And most importantly, I’m feeling very happy and relieved that Pitt is not still aboard the Titanic that is the Big East…
Since he thought losing Pitt & Syracuse wasn’t a big deal to the BigEast in basketball. And that Temple & Memphis brought as much to the table.
Hope the Zoo remembers when little Ricky comes to town !
And just like those Shanghaied drunken sailors, they have no idea where the SS BigLeast is headed.
lol
I disagree with the premise that ND is never joining a conference. If we assume 4 conferences with 16 teams is inevitable and a playoff between winners of those conferences, ND will have no choice. Agree with you, ND won’t voluntarily join, but I believe they will ultimately be strong-armed into it.
Also, if you assume the 4 conference arrangement for basketball (with ACC dropping its stupid concession to ND), then ND finds itself adrift with no chance for a meaningful game for most of Dec through early March when conference schedules kick in. TV won’t pay for ND basketball games against no-name teams willing to fit them in.
Ultimately, I believe ND falls into a conference, why not the ACC?
I think that is why the B10 will stay at 14 until ND chooses. I hate that ND has the power that they do, but facts are facts.
Actually by taking L-Ville, the ACC might have put two of their teams in “play” if the Big 12 decides to go to 12. So I hope that isn’t the case but L-Ville is no longer on the chess board.
And that also probably eliminates Cincy for the Big 12, as they would have been the stable mate for L-Ville.
So just as taking ND off the chess board prompted a response from the conference that desperately wanted ND, that being the BIg 10. This latest move might prompt a response from the Big 12.
Like going after FSU & Clemson, ouch !
Comment by Iron Duke 11.28.12 @ 12:37 pm
I would imagine the Big 12 ran the numbers on adding L-Ville & Cincy and it didn’t significantly increase the revenue for each school.
If you remember the Big 12 wanted PITT, before WVU because we are still a Top 25 TV market and of course because of our glorious history in Football and recently basketball. š
From what I’ve been reading the LongHorn Network hasn’t exactly been a big success, (as of yet) as only 3 million or so ATT cable subscribers have signed on.
The key to ACC survivability is dependent on what Texas does. It either goes out West (PAC12) with her 3 consorts to become the PAC 16 or it stays put and expands the Big 12 (which has only 10 teams, lol). But the Big 10 has 14 now and the BigEast is only eastern in name(Boise State, Houston, SMU, Tulane, San Diego State, Memphis) and mainly basketball, this is as crazy as the country and the world have become. Oy Vey !
Sports is a reflection of society, I think someone once said.
As for the Zoo getting on him. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think after Little Ricky’s sex romp in the restaurant, with a wife and kids at home, I believe Smug Smile Steve came down and addressed the zoo before the game to remain honorable and classy.
I don’t know, screwing a bimbo at a restaurant table with a family at home, maybe a little public ridicule wouldn’t be so bad.
That’s just me though.
They need to form some sort of network. Pretty difficult to do given their lack of overall football appeal, but maybe something can be worked out with the ND -NBC/Comcast deal plus a way to poach PSU.
Highly unlikely and never going to happen, so let’s see what the next big move is.
SEC could then add Kansas & K State (as they’re a package deal I believe) and would give Mizzou back her big rival in Kansas. Plus those 2 would bolster SEC hoops. Also keeps the SEC from poaching the ACC.
Now for who the Big 10 (14) takes to get to 16, that is a large question mark.
Schools still left on the chessboard would be:
Iowa State
Wvu
Baylor
Uconn
Cincy
TCU
USF
Plus a whole consortium of teams at various stages of entering or exiting the BigEast lol
Can’t see the Big 10 being interested in any of these schools listed above. Which means they’ll probably do some more poaching. Do they go west or south or maybe even east again ? Not much out west to poach. Maybe they take Baylor & TCU to get the BTN into Texas, as actually these two schools have better football programs than RU & Maryland and Baylor is very good in basketball now as well. But as we’ve seen with the Big 10, it’s cable subscribers they’re interested in and would Baylor & TCU be able to get the BTN on basic cable in Dallas, etc. Seems far fetched.
Be interesting to see how this all plays out.
Nerve racking but interesting !
Big 10 – 24.6 (note Rutgers and Md only get partial $ for 6yrs)
PAC 12 – 21 guaranteed, up to 30 possible
Big 12 – 20 (+ Longhorn network for Texas)
ACC – 17.1
SEC – I’ve seen everywhere from $15-20, but renegotiating currently, and creating upgraded SEC network; will easily be at the top when all said and done.
Avg. Viewership 2011-12 seasons (in thousand):
CONF. Hoops. Football Total
SEC 1,272 4,447 5,669
Big 10 1,496 3,267 4,763
ACC 1,247 2,650 3,897
Big 12 1,069 2,347 3,416
Big East 1,049 1,884 2,933
PAC 12 783 2,108 2,891
Wow the PAC 12 commissioner based on those numbers (which are behind those of the ACC in football) did an incredible job on getting those number$. Also based on those numbers ACC outdraws Big 12 in football as well as the PAC 12.
I think he put it out to bid, which is something the ACC didn’t do, I believe. And I believe the Big 12 put theirs up for bid as well. So that begs the question, why didn’t Swofford put the ACC contract up for bid ?
I would still rather be Pitt and UConn, but I have to wonder if the Panthers would have been better off jumping at the Big 12 like the Hoopies did. I would hate to see the ACC become the Big East with a new name.
Penn State and Texas joining the ACC?!? Maybe the conference can add USC, Oregon, Florida and Ohio State too…
FWIW
I like the Louisville move to ACC…as an Indianapolis resident, I can make the short drive down I-65 to watch Pitt when they play the Cardinals.
I guess the best argument is this- PSU is going to feel the full brunt of the sanctions over the next 4-8 years. Maybe time for a change of scenery and the opening of a new era. If you can get ND as well, you have a conference that is stronger than the Big 10 and can ultimately be just as profitable in a new TV deal.
Maybe Tennessee would feel the same way and consider a jump to a conference it can better compete in, so long as ND was in. Knoxville is only 3.5 hours from Clemson, 4 hours from VT, and about 5 to 6 hours from all 4 tobacco road schools- Duke, UNC, NC State and Wake.
ND is only going to join either the Big X or the ACC. ND will be forced to join one of these conferences sooner or later in order to have a place for all their other sports. We will see if ND is really committed to the ACC if and when the ACC’s premier football schools start to be courted by the Big X, Big XII or SEC. Maryland was only a loss from a perspective standpoint (casts a shadow of vulnerability but no real damage to the conference). ND will not want to be a part of a watered down ACC just like they wanted no part of a watered down Big East. If ND does not move into the ACC when there is a real threat to losing the Florida and/or Virginia Schools, then we will know that all that talk about the ACC being a better fit then the Big X was a bunch of smoke and mirrors. ND will be resigned to moving into the Big X at that point as the Big X will hold all the cards and only accept full membership as ND will not want to move all their other sports into the Big XII (only other option). It will be interesting to see how this will all play out. And if ND picks the ACC, a big time dance partner will follow. It won’t be Cincy or Uconn.
The BE Catholic Schools need to move for their own good. Grab X, Dayton, maybe even St. Joes and Duquesne from the A10 and you have a generally cohesive league. Pretty damn good one too.
As for the ACC, I still shoot for the stars and court PSU. But I will take UC and UCONN. I like the way UCONN’s Prez responds to things. She has chutzpah.
(hate this work machine. it doesn’t like the space bar. or maybe i should get back to work.)
keep calm
hail to pitt