In the aftermath of the ACC Grant of Rights, it has been a lot of fun to take potshots at the numerous Hoopie message boarders and Twitiots who have spent the better part of a year flogging their sources for the imminent demise of the ACC.
The rumors and whispers of an ACC grant-of-rights have no basis in fact.
The beleaguered conference is not close to signing a grant-of-rights and discussions about one have been met with stiff internal resistance.
Internal resistance that my sources say could only be overcome by a significant increase in television money that puts the ACC on par with the Big 10, Big 12, Pac 12 and SEC.
Money like that could only come from a 24-hour ACC branded sports channel much like the Big 10 Network or the upcoming SEC Network and that doesn’t seem likely. Why not? Why shouldn’t the ACC, with perhaps the largest media footprint of any conference, be able to launch its own network?
It’s simple economics — ESPN won’t let them. ESPN owns the ACC’s tier 3 television rights (along with Raycom) and doesn’t want the ACC competing (in much the same markets) with the SEC channel set to debut in 2014.
I don’t think there was an ACC-based blog or twitter account that didn’t either get directly hit with this stuff or had to address it in some form from a reader for the past year.
So, when the Grant of Rights by the ACC came out yesterday there was a very amusing — and earned — outpouring of derision at the spectacularly wrong sources of so many levels of crap.
I’m going to start the Missouri to B1G rumors. Maybe I can be TheDudeofWF.
— Jake S (@BloggerSoDear) April 23, 2013
and
RT @nunesmagician: “Not a great day for Blogspot realignment blogs” – @jasonkirksbn. Or message board commenters with “sources”
— BC Interruption (@bcinterruption) April 22, 2013
and
Of course Barron did actually call out the WV blogger in a speech one time so signing this could just be the biggest troll of all time, too.
— D.C. Reeves (@Warchant_DC) April 22, 2013
Well, you get the idea. They made a nuisance of themselves to everyone. So, there was a lot of earned potshots being taken. I won’t pretend that I didn’t enjoy it.
Now lost in all of this is a simple truth. WVU was absolutely correct and had no choice but to go to the Big 12.
They weren’t going to get a call from the SEC. The Big Ten and ACC wouldn’t even sniff their academic standings. The Big 12 was their lifeline.
They might not find it a great fit. There are definitely struggles to readjust to recruiting in this new order. And their travel costs and issues are a huge pain. But, that said, it beats the hell out of being in the American Athletic Conference. Cinci would leap to the Big 12 in a second. UConn would probably as well. As would USF — oh, wait, at least one WVU loon is already saying that will happen and it will be spectacular.
And that’s the issue. For a bunch of Twitter loons and Hoopie message boarders it wasn’t enough that their beloved Mountaineers managed to find an (expensive and ill-fitting) escape hatch from the sinking Big East. The ACC — for whom they thought they should be a part — must die for their sin of not accepting the grace of West f*****g Virgnia in their midst (not to mention picking Pitt over WVU).
They couldn’t just leave it at theories or even admitted (and obvious) speculation. It had to be true! They had to be the “My sources” guy that every message board — regardless of topic or nationality has. So they have tried to spin the fantasies of ACC demise. Pushing the theories on all who didn’t think to block them on Twitter.
It hasn’t happened, and now they cling to their delusions. Trying to pretend that it was all so close.
They do make me smile, though.
There’s no need for the ACC to expand. Aside from the lack of any program that would create more revenue. They are at 14 in football. As I mentioned before, it is unlikely that the ACC goes to a 9-game sked. So, further expansion would make it even harder to play all teams on a regular rotation. You would have 7 division games and play only 1 team from the other division yearly w. 8 games. For example, that would mean facing FSU and Clemson once every 7 years — and once every 14 at home.
15 in basketball is not a big deal since b-ball has more games and doesn’t do divisions.
The Big 12 missed big on Louisville. BYU is focused on its independence (for now) — besides there’s only room in the Big 12 for one program to arrogantly demand the rest of the conference cater to their whims and desires. Expansiopocolypse is still about money. How does Cinci, UConn, etc help that other than more inventory. The Longhorn Network is a detriment to the Big 12 since it reduces inventory for a potential Big 12 network. But, hey, at least the individual schools still have those tier 3 rights.
Big12 right now, is a good conference. Any adds now besides BYU and Boise just water it down.
Why expand to 16 with also rans???
If they do, talk about a watered down conference.
Maryland move to Big10 may have been ACC’s saving grace.
Went and got Louisville, only other team outside of ACC that Big12 would have wanted.
Now, GofR, nice moves all the way around.
As I said, it was WVU’s only move, however, with them being d*cks about it, my Iowa St. rivalry and back to back hoop trips to Waco and Lubbock will continue on.
Keep PSU on the schedule, alternate with ND and I could care less if I ever see another couch burn.
So long!!!
Spoke like someone stole their lollypop. Really thought the end game would be getting UNC, UVA, Ga.Tech and Duke.
The arrogance of their fans had them getting all 4.
Had visions of being one of the top dogs in the Eastern Division with Ohio St., and put in Rutgers, Maryland and the 4 ACC schools.
He was allready thinking about road trips south.
It was honest of him. I’ll give him that.
He mentioned that most thought they would be getting two, many thought 4. Their logic was UNC and UVA were coming. To placate the Duke-UNC rivalry, we’ll just take Duke too.
understood on B12 and Thanks DAN as well for the comments.
Makes sense.
A lot of it internet garbage, but, some of it did come true.
Regardless, whether it was their fans or the conferences, or the internet, a break down that a lot thought might come true in the future was
BIG 12 would grab FSU and Clemson from the ACC and get Louisville and BYU. (and even thoughts on Miami and GTU)
BIG 10 would grab UNC, UVA and maybe GTU and DUKE.
SEC would grab Va.Tech and NC ST.
and so the ACC would be done, reform in some Big East ACC merger of leftovers, and that would be where Pitt would be once again.
So, this grant of rights is actually extremely HUGE!!!!
I actually sincerely apologize for using the phrase “also rans”. That’s not fair, could have been us.
I just don’t see UCONN, Cincy or the Florida duo (Central and South) having anything close to the history that Syracuse and Pitt have.
So, that’s who they have to choose from, and those schools just aren’t going to bring the money with them, to add them.
I hope someday, we could pick up UCONN to go with ND all the way in and have a fantastic 16 team conf.
ND will probably not, that’s a given. They had a great year this year, so that won’t help.
One thing I’ve learned, you never know anything anymore. ND was having some lousy teams and their ratings so-so. Kelly signed a long contract, what does that mean these days.
In the long run, probably not bad to have them committed to 5 games in football, and all in, in the other sports.
Especially if it helped get the GofR signed by everyone.
This really is big, for those of us who worried that the Big10 was just one headline away from ruining the ACC.
I was one of those that felt that could happen, and I’m glad I don’t have to think about it anymore!!!
Gettin’ ready for the Seminoles!!!!
Its funny how things change so quickly in how conferences are perceived. Just within the last two years, the Big XII looked like it was going to break-up with some teams even potentially joining the Big East. But somehow the conference not only survives but then is rumored to be part of a multi-conference attack to dismember the ACC. Now the ACC appears to be ahead of the Big XII in pecking order with its new GOR deal. Got to hand it to Swofford. He seems to have played his cards really well.
I mean seriously these are ‘southern’ schools indeed most of them were in the old Southern Conference before the formation of the ACC.
Maryland while a founding member, is not and never has been considered a ‘southern’ school.
Their forced neutrality in the Civl War cemented that forever.
The real southern schools would not schuck their southern roots and culture to go play in the Big “Yankee” 10, where also they wouldn’t be running things. UNC & the others very rarely have ever traveled north of the Mason/Dixon to play football. UNC playing in the Burg a few times being the exception.
They will accept some Yankee teams into their conf. (note, it’s their conf.) like BC, Pitt, Syracuse and Miami. Yes Miami is more yankee than southern. But that is far different than being 2nd fiddle to the Yankees of the B1G.
That was never going to happen. Only in Frank the Tank’s blog and the mind of many Hoopies.
The B1G and their arrogant fans just got a good kick in the ass of reality !!!
Any chance, slim as it was, the WVUlgars had of joining the ACC went away with Luck as AD. He is slick, but everyone wants to take a shower after 5 minutes with him.
Their days of overachieving are done and spin the Big 12 as best they can while traveling 2400 miles roundtrip just to get to the nearest outhouse is only going to get more and more expensive!
I disagree that the B12 was their best and only move. They and UC and UCONN should be the anchor of the American conference.
That is where WVUlgar performs best and can keep down expenses and draw students from.
At the end of the day, facts matter. And the fact is that travel costs and brand dilution are the tip of the iceberg for the leaky vessel piloted by Captain Luck.
We cheapen ourselves by any engagement with them and I wouldn’t schedule them in anything!
From the money perspective, Rutgers came out even more fortunate, getting the invite into the BIG10 along with Maryland. The down side to that however is the same geographical issue that WVU is now coping with. If you live in NJ, there isn’t exactly any day trips to go watch a Rutgers away game in the BIG10 conference, is there? Unless you own a Leer jet.
terrible history in FB and BB. However the
excitement of the B10 will fad quickly as
they will be a perennial last place team
in FB and be at best middle of the pack
in hoops. Generally speaking
NE kids want to play on the east coast
particularly in hoops.
seriously though, UCF/USF? Have fun with that one Hoopies. Not gonna make you’re travel expenses much less. Though I suppose Tampa/Orlando is better than middle of nowhere Iowa/Kansas.
Are there any provisions about the rest of the conference kicking out a member? I wouldn’t be completely against doing a wake vs. UCONN trade… Would be a really scummy move, but I think it would be fun for everyone who isn’t WF.
I don’t think that Rutgers and MD get added to the Big 10 if the Big 10 had known a Grant of Rights was coming.
I make this point from a Pitt fan perspective in respect to real or perceived recruiting advantages/disadvantages for Football and Basketball. I don’t think it would be good for Pitt, Cuse and BC to have another BIG team in their primary recruiting region.
I am ignoring, of course, any (at least near-term) disadvantage in revenue distribution among ACC teams adding UConn would bring.
The Louisville selection was done to appease FSU and Clemson … UConn definitely fits the ACC footprint.
If ND never goes all-in, so what. You have a 14 team Fball league with stability and some of the most populated markets in the country, and ND locked in where its Fball can’t join any other conference without giving up all of its Bball related TV revenue (even if that’s not huge) to the ACC. A private school will think very long and hard before it gives away revenue, since it doesn’t have taxpayer money to fall back on.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m anything but a ND lover, its just reality, they are the bid dog in generating Fball revenue.
It wouldn’t have suprised me to see a headline from Chas on the Blather……
“Here we go, UNC and UVA to hold press conference today at 3:00”
Ah, well, finally some safety and security.
Football I say we are 3 years away.
Basketball, probably 2 if we get the right guys in the system
Baseball, next year will be a struggle, but a good recruiting class is coming in so I say 2-3 years
Pitt passed on the B12 invite from Texas, it was probably that action along with BC rejection of inviting UCONN that got Pitt into the ACC.
two questions I have reading your past two posts is:
– why won’t ACC go to 15+ ND and add 1 more school? Is it simply logistics or other reasons?
– Would B12 do something bold such as go after remaining ‘big east’ teams that are good and jump to 14-16 (cinci, ucon, usf, ucf, etc) and then create and east division.. truly become a national conference and run west and east divisions?
If ACC sees 16 as inevitable just wonder why not get it done?
thanks,