Here's a fresh start in 2009 with a new ACC thread. Sure, there is stability as a 12 team conference, but you never know what's going on with the members nor the other conferences.

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I say they are all staying and they're set like the SEC & Big 12

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WRANGLERS 153-55-1 CVFL CHAMPS '04 '05 '09 '12

NFL CHAMPS '29 '30 '31 '36 '39 '44 '61 '62 '65 '66 '67 '96 '10

BW/WAC/MWC CHAMPS '77 '82 '85 '88 '89 '91 '92 '93 '99 '12
['08 NCAA BASEBALL CHAMPS]

Yes, the 5 anchor conferences seem set until the Big 10 moves, that perhaps forcing the Pac-10 to expand.

What action there is will be in the BE, MWC, SB and WAC.

I still think there is a very very slim possibility (< 2%) that the ACC expands to 14 within the next 5-10 years. Of course, I also realize the logisitics of 14 team conferences and the trouble that the ACC had the last time when they went to 12. However, please consider the ACC is falling behind the the SEC and Big 10 in revenue. How can they close that gap?

The targets would be to try to capture more of the NE TV markets (UConn, Rutgers, and Syracuse). The other way the ACC would expand is - of course - they would take ND as #13.

Expansion to 14 (no ND) would depend on many things. First, what is this next ACC TV contract worth? Again, please note how much MORE the Big 10 and SEC are getting for their contracts. Two, are any other conferences (besides the Big 10) implementing conference networks and how is that going? Third, the continued development of Rutgers and UConn in FB and the rebirth of SU FB.

Ultimately, the conference WILL not consider expansion UNLESS $$$ is there for it. Of course, one way to grow revenue is potentially via an ACC Network. States like NJ, Upstate NY, and Connecticut are worth quite a bit of money for this purpose.

Panther -

And the BE is just ripe again for a couple of their football schools to get cherry-picked in such a move.
And the ones left behind will experience that "Wow- what just happened ?" deja vu of 2003.
(Deja Vu all over again, as Yogi Berra would say !!!)

Has anyone noticed that the Big East's three (3) #1 seeds in the basketball tourney are all on the football side (UConn, Pitt and Louisville) ? Why again are the football 8 dependent on the non-football 8 ? Something about this grand conference basketball tourney at Madison Square Garden on ESPN.

Before they get blind-sided AGAIN, the football 8 really ought to consider splitting off, expanding to let's say 10 with Memphis and Central Florida, and setting up a conference with HUGE exit fees.

Gees ! Now you have an all-sports conference.... you are no longer being jerked around by whatever Notre Dame is contemplating... the exit fees could equate to some sort of "stability".
Your basketball side contains UConn, Pitt, Louisville, Memphis (I think that's 4 of the top 5 nationally at this instant). Let's not forget WVU and Cincinnati and Syracuse (all PRETTY GOOD year in - year out in BB). Can Tranghese or the new guy claim (with a straight face) that ESPN or any other network would not be IN LOVE with the opportunity to televise that ???

Uconn and Syracuse in the ACC...would love to see that. The ACC would have to be able to get a bump to their TV contract with those two.

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is there any chance of that happening? I'd like it too. It would cause more dominoes to fall, leading to more talk for us.

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WRANGLERS 153-55-1 CVFL CHAMPS '04 '05 '09 '12

NFL CHAMPS '29 '30 '31 '36 '39 '44 '61 '62 '65 '66 '67 '96 '10

BW/WAC/MWC CHAMPS '77 '82 '85 '88 '89 '91 '92 '93 '99 '12
['08 NCAA BASEBALL CHAMPS]

Just take a look at my post. The big question is how much will the next ACC TV contract be worth? The Big 10 got their '$$$' from the Big 10 network. The SEC got their money from ESPN ('essentially ESPNU'). If the ACC only gets a modest increase from their current TV deal, how can they increase revenue (catch up to the SEC and Big 10)? Do you think a conference will do nothing if they see a pot of gold waiting there to be taken? Which 'TV markets' are essentially still 'open' to be taken?

The Big East will always be cherry picked because the conference doesn't make the amount of money that the conferences closest to it (ACC and Big 10). Even if the cost was $10 million to leave the BE to goto the Big 10 or ACC, no school would hesitate to make that move. It is what it is.

Agreed. The Big East has the worst deal of the BCS conferences. So if a Big East school does the math, sees a move as increasing the total revenues (including additional travel costs) then they pull the trigger. Look at VA Tech. They were part of the BE vs ACC lawsuit and then pulled out of the Big East for the ACC.

One thing I've been thinking about lately about the Big East...

There are all these candidates mentioned for the Big Ten #12 spot. Syracuse, Pitt, Missouri, even Rutgers. But what about UConn? BC had shown that despite Maryland being their closest geographic rival, that the BC to ACc move has worked. UConn to Penn St isn't that much of a stretch.

I have always been a big fan of the ACC going to 14 and adding UConn and Syracuse. But the Syracuse football woes make that a problem.

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Of course the money matters but there are other benefits. The Big 10 has the CIC, respected academics (which is important to the Board of Trustees and President). It's stable. Affiliation with these schools may also lead to increase academic donatations and also a higher caliber application which may further increase the schools reputation.

Same thing applies to the ACC (other than the CIC). This stuff matters to the folks in charge.

As far at UConn and Big 10 #12 - the Big 10 has a contiguous state rule which of course could be amended if needed. But there are certainly better candidates than UConn out there in the pecking order. The Big 10 can afford to be choosy while the ACC couldn't. That's not to say that BC doesn't fit in the ACC (other than geography).

It comes down to time and circumstance on conference affiliations.

SU FB will turn around. The worst part of this whole thing is that Pitt is going to be left out.

Blog article discussing ACC expansion supporters vs ACC expansion opponents at http://www.850thebuzz.com/blog/?p=11524

nice idea...and then the mwc can be added as the 6th auto bid conference to maintain a majority of conferences without having to reduce the split among conferences

If pretty sure though that if the Big Ten were speaking with Maryland at some point in this scenario, that Maryland would also report back to the ACC. It's all part of negotiations. So put aside how much of an extreme longshot Maryland leaving would ever be. Instead, look at it as business negotiations: Maryland tells the ACC that the Big Ten might officially invite them and the average yearly revenue will be X dollars. The ACC then considers it's options: let them go and replace them, or follow suit and expand to 14. The ACC would then look to work with Maryland to find suitable members. So perhaps it's as simple as an ACC North division being created by inviting Syracuse and Rutgers (BC, Syracuse, Rutgers, Maryland, Virginia Tech, Virginia).

Who knows but I feel dirty anytime I try to make a rationale point and it includes a 14 team BCS conference.

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