I think everyone assumes that the ACC will get to 16 eventually, assume the ACC get’s Notre Dame, does the ACC really need another? 3 divisions of 5 teams in a 8 conference game schedule looks to be win-win for everybody.
Division “A”
1 FSU
2 BC
3 Syracuse
4 NC State
5 VT
The same numbered teams plays a cross division game every year with 1 rotating game in each of the other 2 divisions. Most of the traditional rivals are still in tact, i’m open to better division alignments.
The ACC championship can be determined by a 4 team playoff with the 3 divison winners and a wild card. The division winner with the best conference record will host the game in their own stadium against the wild card team. The divison winner with the 2nd best conference record will host the game in their own stadium against the other division winner. The ACCCG will still play in Charlotte the following week.
First, I am still holding firm that Notre Dame will not be in the ACC. Also, I am still suspecting the there will be some defections to other conferences. Now I have been on the FSU/Clemson to the Big12, but the SEC could go after an NC State and a Virginia School to extend their TV market in those states.
I would actually like to see an 18 team conference if we are going to expand. That would allow just 8 conferences games in just your own division and the winner of that division would play the winner of the other division. There would be no crossover games unless they wanted to schedule one as one of the 4 Non-Conferences games that wouldn’t count in order to fill out a schedule. That would allow more flexibility in scheduling.
For Example:
ACC South:
Clemson
Ga Tech
Miami
FSU
USF
Wake
NC State
Louisville
UCF
ACC North:
Va Tech
UNC
Duke
Uva
Maryland
BC
Syracuse
Cincinnati
Pittsburgh
I picked teams that I think are attainable, but I think Penn State Could be possible if we could offer them a the right deal and perhaps a “fresh Start” in a league that would welcome them.
Back to the original question, I think the ACC must have 16 teams if it hopes to keep up.
The television revenue pie will get split up 16 ways instead of 17 ways (including the ACC office). What other school besides a pipe dream of Penn State could add to the revenue without taking it away? Even though I did not mention it, that’s part of reasoning behind the 15 schools.
Everyone is going to 16. When that happens just where is the SEC going to go to get to 16? NC State is a given, they want in NC and the mid Atlantic. VT? No way they turn down the nation’s best conference and all the money that will follow.
Once that happens, FSU and Clemson are gone. Hell, they are already having private discussions with the Big 12.
If your in some bubble and think expansion is done, then go ahead and build your 16 team ACC league with FSU, VT, NC St and Clemson. But, if you believe expansion is going to kick up again, you better start planning on ECU et al.
Everyone is going to 16. When that happens just where is the SEC going to go to get to 16? NC State is a given, they want in NC and the mid Atlantic. VT? No way they turn down the nation’s best conference and all the money that will follow.
Once that happens, FSU and Clemson are gone. Hell, they are already having private discussions with the Big 12.
If your in some bubble and think expansion is done, then go ahead and build your 16 team ACC league with FSU, VT, NC St and Clemson. But, if you believe expansion is going to kick up again, you better start planning on ECU et al.
I think what our UNC comrade is missing is the fact that Clemson,VT,FSU, NCState may Not want to leave the ACC, but the economics of college football will be the deciding factor.
For the ACC schools that want to build on their Football program, is will take some serious money to continuously upgrade the facilities and to pay top dollar for coaches and coordinators. If the ACC is financially the best place, they will stay, if not then we will see…..
Notre Dame keeps coming up as another example. They have made it clear they want to remain an independent. Many of you, especially the UNC fans seems to think they will have to join a league and it will be the ACV when the BCS comes out with a new contract…......Well if Notre Dame can be compelled to join the ACC the the 4 schools could also be compelled to jump to another conference.
If the SEC wants into N. Carolina… ECU is available. I believe that school would bring less baggage. As for the Big12… they need Pitino, and want Pitino. Or, as is proposed here the ACC may dissolve and then ESPN will be off the hook for their contract. They can then throw that money at the Big12, and get them off that “other” network.
Alas, my beloved Heels may end up in the SoCon, but that would be ok, as I could still check up on them here at Southern Pigskin. I believe UNC would still be eligible for the NCAA tournament in bball, which is all the school cares about.
I’d also like to add, that IF ND joins the ACC… if another member school chose to leave that would fly in the face of common sense. Everyone knows ND hangs the CFB moon. They haven’t won in a while, but that doesn’t matter. They’re ND, and that says it all.
I think it’s common sense to think that the ACC and other conferences have tried to woo Notre Dame. If I was the ACC commish I would show this proposal to Notre Dame to guage their interest. They are in fact an east coast school located in the mid-west.
I would like to know from the FSU, Clemson, UNC, NC State, and fans of other ACC schools if this conference division set up I made in my original post is just as good, same or worse than the eventual 9 game, 2 division set up?
The FSU fan in me tells me this is much better as we get to play GT, our closest ACC neighbor and keep our minor rivalry with NCSU and Wake as well as playing Syracuse in basketball twice.
So I’ll ask….what does everyone think about the ACC trying to lock down Friday night games? No one watches the MAC on Tuesday nights, why should they watch the ACC on Friday? I think its stupid TBH, sure its a prime time game slot….but I don’t know, I don’t think it will generate what they want it to. To be it seems like they are trying to settle for something, or scramble to find something to pickup their TV deal some.
I like your second division post better then your first. As to it being better or even to the 9 game 2 division set up…..hmm. Gotta think about it.
I haven’t heard this about Friday. I hope not. Friday games are stupid for college football.
As to the Big 12, it is silly that teams would want to go to a conference that almost disintegrated. Hell WVU wouldn’t be there if they had somewhere else to go. That is why I think it is so dumb that now it seems to be the rage to join on this board.
I know people on here don’t think about anything else, but ADs and presidents think about more than football. The ACC isn’t going anywhere and it isn’t losing anyone. It will only get bigger.
Sorry to burst your bubble. People who think NCSU is going to the SEC don’t know NCSU or their admin very well. They are as blue blood ACC as it gets and while VT is new on the block, they have been around the ACC since they start. They love it and once again aren’t going anywhere.
Let me add on to the idea. The way I drew up the division set up is that you have 6 of the same schools locked into your schedule forever, the other 2 games will rotate. If you were to rotate home and away it would take 8 years to cycle through all of your conference opponents. What I like even better is to cycle through your opponents every 4 years, the 2nd cycle you would play home or away depending where you played on the first cycle.
I believe UNC would still be eligible for the NCAA tournament in bball, which is all the school cares about.
At least you know what you are. I believe this is the first time you have actually come clean and stated Football is not on UNC’s Radar as a point of focus. We have been saying that about you and Duke all along, which is also what the overall direction of the ACC seems to want to go…...and that is why we are debating this.
Raleigh and Charlotte TV Market makes NC State the ideal NC school for the SEC. Carter-Finely Stadium is a good field and would probably expand to around 65-70K because SEC schools would travel well to that campus for games.
