FSU,Miami, Clemson, and Georgia Tech should not be in a pod or division together. You need to even out the divisions/pods. Like they have now.

_________________
RODGERS
MATHEWS
2012

Are Syracuse and Pittsburgh going to be in the ACC in 2013 or 2014? Or are they waiting for the commisioner thing to smooth out?

From comments made by BE folks, including Marinatto, a few months ago, it was assumed that Pitt & Syr would be released for ACC membership in 2013.
But you know what thet say about assume.

Deal.

Seems...kind of low for 14? Kind of makes 12 more appealing? Or is this a good deal for programs like Wake and BC?

If Florida State decides to bolt for the Big 12, it does not mean the Big 12 will automatically want a 12th school and take a second ACC school in the process. The new Big 12 Commissioner has stated there is no magical number for the Big 12 membership. The conference could remain at 10 and not expand at all. That options seems very unlikely if Florida State were interested in joining the Big 12.

The Big 12 could only expand with one school because a lot of Big 12 schools do not want a football championship game. This would allow for 10 conference football games in the Big 12 providing round robin football. With all the complaining in the SEC with some SEC coaches only wanting division games to count in the football standings, the Big 12 could decide to hold up with only 11 schools or look at the possibility of taking Notre Dame for 12 school for all sports except football.

The possibility of losing Florida State does not have to be fatal blow to the ACC in football and could actually make the alignment of divisions better geographically.

If Florida State decides it wants a change to be more competitive in the future football wise with its close neighbors in the SEC and bolts, which school would the ACC want as a replacement?

Rutgers or UConn would be the most likely choice to replace Florida State. I believe Rutgers would be the better choice. The ACC could finally split into true North and South divisions and keep the four NC schools together in the same division.

North

Boston College
Syracuse
Rutgers (?)
Pitt
Maryland
Virginia
Virginia Tech

South

North Carolina
Duke
NC State
Wake Forest
Clemson
Georgia Tech
Miami Fla

A north-south divisional alignment was discussed last year and rejected because Virginia and Va Tech opposed it. Nothing has changed. It really is quite doubtful that FSU will opt to join that lot in the Big 12.

I'd vote to toss out FSU. Seriously. The only reason FSU chose to go to the ACC over the SEC was because FSU was lacking confidence in their program's long-term visibility and their own viability in that conference. Hey, if you're that unhappy and think the conference so Carolina-centered; if you think yourself that big of a "big fish" and that small of the "small pond" ACC, go to Bevo or go to Slive. Grow a set and roll the dice.

Even if it isn't today, I hope it's soon, and I hope the ACC urges them to shop around "or else." It's not that I think the ACC is faultless; the ACC was too impatient to get into Florida and didn't want to take Miami because of their "gangsta" image, so "caveat emptor, ACC," but this a member speaking out of place and really tarnishing the conference that has been steadfast for what 50-60 years?

I feel bad for VT and Clemson, who's names get dropped in these things but have so much administrative support for the conference. FSU is a bad egg, and it's finally showing. VT seems genuinely happy in the ACC; they were nothing until they got the forced invite, and have been running with the opportunity ever since.

This may just be the case of one trustee running his mouth.

These days you have far too many journalists and bloggers hanging on every word of people remotely connected to the true decision-makers.

The renegotiation with ESPN was brought about solely to adjust the current contract for the inclusion of Pitt and Syracuse.
ESPN was not required to modify everything to keep up with the PAC / Big XII.
That occurs when there is an open bidding process again when the current contract expires.

If Florida State's President were in the cat-bird seat and truly wanted to switch conferences, he would not be so engaged in damage control right now.

This entire realignment mess could move to a conclusion if there weren't a few organizations draggin their feet.
Big XII wants to get to 12 or 14. Just pick who you want and quit dragging this out !
Notre Dame - Independence isn't viable going forward. Anyone will take them. Pick a damn confernece and end the drama....
Big East is a dysfunctional mess. Split already and fill out the football side and the basketball side in a RATIONAL manner.

They don't pay that president enough. Really.

I agree that B12 needs to move. I think they are playing a game to knock loose better fruit they couldn't normally reach. Some think this is a maneuver to keep the SEC out. The SEC doesn't want what the B12 has. This is the B12 building inventory as to not be "the next Big East."

Get ready, NOLA and Houston...Rice and Tulane are coming at you in the Big XII!!!

Florida State President is complaining about the Big 12 and if the conference is a good fit when the Big 12 has had no formal contact with the school. This is just tacky to complain about a conference that has not made any offers to your school or attacks on the ACC.

Florida State and the entire ACC are paying for sins committed over the last few years concerning football.

It is not ESPN or the Big 12 fault that Miami went into the tank after leaving the Big East and is sinking further into irrelevance.

It is not ESPN or the Big 12 fault that Florida State held on to a long time football coach until the program slipped into mediocre irrelevance. I have nothing but respect for Bobby Bowden, he was just left on the job to long.

It is not ESPN or the Big 12 fault that expansion candidate Boston College fell off the map and into irrelevance. If you research this board, many of us thought WVU, Virginia Tech, and Miami were the best option to expand to 12 during the first raid. We all warned the ACC, yet, the ACC decided on Boston College and Syracuse and actually got a break the first time around with the state of Virginia politics. What would the ACC been like if there were no Virginia Tech football over the last five years.

It is not ESPN or the Big 12 fault that Maryland fires a long time coach with ties to school and hires a virtual unknown with UConn. Hey anybody can make a BCS bowl in the Big East regardless of the coach abilities.

It is not ESPN or the Big 12 fault that North Carolina keeps getting caught cheating and falls further into football irrelevance.

It is not ESPN or the Big 12 fault the ACC expanded in the same manner with Syracuse and Pitt on the second round or Big East raids and did not learn a lesson from the first expansion raid. For a conference that claims academic excellence, they do not have good vision with expansion based on football.

It is not ESPN or the Big 12 fault the ACC football champion Clemons was humiliated in the Orange Bowl and the second BCS representative Virginia Tech lost to Michigan which many thought the Big Ten member was a bit overrated. Guess again, the ACC proved this incorrect.

It is not ESPN or the Big 12 fault the ACC has only 2 BCS wins in the history of the BCS. The lowly Big East has more BCS wins.

It is not ESPN or the Big 12 fault when the new BCS college final four is determined each year and no ACC team will be involved without AQ status.

It is not ESPN or the Big 12 fault that Florida State fans want a change to a stronger football conference.

Every ACC member is to blame for the wows of ACC football and the reason the TV contract is falling far below the other four power conferences which includes the Big 12.

Why should Florida State not want to join a stronger football league.

Football is driving the revenue bus and the ACC just does not seem to get the concept. Ditto its evil twin the Big East.

Maybe FSU really wanted to express their frustrations by allowing B12 talk to leak into the conversation. With their budget short-fall, and less than glorious fb success since 2005, and clear unhappiness with the recent TV contract update, they sound like posturing. The B12 scenario was a convenient avenue to vocalize certain sentiment in public fashion, while having no intentions of jumping to the B12.

When Clemson's name was batted about, though their circumstances have some differences with FSU, Clemson's leadership essentially called the reports nonsense. They gave a flat denial without a PRO and CON list. The rumors for them were put largely to rest.

This 20 to 25 million exit fee to leave the ACC is no joking matter. In a very hypothetical case, maybe FSU has a group of boosters that would pony up the fee. Only the other hand, where are they now to cover FSU's 2.4 million or so shortfall?

I believe the concern or issue with Florida State goes far beyond revenue sharing. Exit fees are just noise.

Assuming the BCS final four were installed and in place this upcoming season.

Florida State ACC conference schedule would include Wake Forest, Clemson, NC State, Boston College, Miami Fla, Duke, Va Tech, Maryland.

Only two of the above teams are in the pre season top 25 rankings.

If Florida State were in Big 12 this year and playing round robin football, the schedule would include Texas, Texas Tech, Baylor, TCU, West Virginia, Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State, Oklahoma State, and Oklahoma.

Florida State would have six teams ranked on the Big 12 schedule.

Home attendance would be just one of the benefits to a fan friendly football schedule playing in the Big 12..

Now if you use the above two conference schedule comparisons and Florida State goes 11 and 1 and has to compete with an undefeated LSU and one loss Alabama, which schedule helps Florida State more on gaining access to one of the lucrative BCS final four bowls.

There is no way three teams from the southeast are going to make regular appearances in the BCS final four.

Florida State is not really competing against the Boston Colleges, eventually Syracuse’s, Wake Forest of the world and is actually competing against the University of Florida, University of Georgia, University of Alabama, Auburns of the world to gain access to one of these final four BCS bowls.

As a football fan, I would be in panic mode at the thought of playing ACC football and trying to reach a BCS final four playoff.

Lash, you and I have butted heads before but I must give you credit, this is one of the best pieces you have ever written.

ACC "football" schools haven't delivered on the field, I'm not blaming so called "basketball" schools or anybody else but the job hasn't gotten done. Florida State has been the biggest disappointment for the conference so the bitchin' is embarrassing.

If FSU wants to talk to other conferences because they think they'd fit better and can make more money then that's fine but BOT Haggard has stepped out of line and has thoroughly embarrassed the school. There's right ways and wrong ways to do things and this not only the wrong way but a stupid way. I like what SEC commissioner Mike Slive once said, were like a duck on a pond. What you see on the surface looks like the is smoothly swimming but under the surface the feet are working feverishly.

Let's not forget these things go in cycles....

One year within the last decade OSU & Michigan were #1 / #2 all season. Some complained that both weren't set up in the NC game.
If memory serves, LSU (Jamarcus Russell) killed OSU.

I think it was 2005, BE had 3 of top 5 in polls, Rutgers, Louisville, USF (WVU in there two). Schiano now gone, Petrino long since gone, RRod gone.

FSU, Miami, Va Tech have all been highly ranked at times. Miami and FSU have gone through different head coaches.

Notre Dame was a feared opponent under Holtz, mediocre under Davies and Weis, may become a contender under Kelly.

My Point - the fortunes of all these teams can change in short order.
They can rapidly rise given a good coaching staff and a few good recruiting years.
They can rapidly fall when the NFL steals their coach, and recruiting suffers.
and they can be on a see-saw, up one decade, down the next.

The key to long-term success as a program is a secure conference home and a sharp AD/President who make good coaching hires,
along with decent facilities that all help with recruiting.
All the schools in the Big 5 conferences should be able to afford the latter, with the huge cash flow from these TV deals.

There is WAY too much hysteria about various programs being more or less desirable based on a few wins in a given year.
FSU should shut up, sit tight, and they'll be fine.
They have natural recruiting advantages in Florida.
Bobby Bowdens only come along so often, but they'll have soem good seasons in the future, regardless of conference affiliation.

I am in total agreement with the writer who said that the ACC may be the best place to be,
IF they end up pulling off a coup and landing Notre Dame for all sports.
The BE seems ripe to fracture, and Notre Dame had better be looking for a landing spot.
If it's the ACC, the next TV contract may be a doozie !

There's some panic at FSU but it's not about the ACC schedule. If FSU goes undefeated they are in, after that, it's a crap shoot for all 1 loss teams except the SEC. Florida State panic is that the have to compete with the SEC for recruits. Everyone knows that the SEC is about to get paid by ESPN.

This is FSU's nightmare. Florida is about to get somewhere around $25 million from the new SEC contract. Florida gets $10 million for their 3rd tier rights. FSU on the other hand gets (12 to) $17 million from the ACC and only got $379,000 last year for theirs.
Florida doubles FSU's take and that doesn't include the fact that UF has not only a bigger alumni base but a much richer alumni base.

If that's not enough of a problem, consider how close Alabama, Auburn and Georgia are to the Seminoles. Auburn 204 miles, Georgia 284 miles, Alabama 310 miles. FSU doesn't recruit against the ACC it recruits against the SEC.

Also look at the athletic budgets of those schools compared to FSU's. Alabama 124 million, Florida 123 million, Auburn 103 million and Georgia 92 million, compare that to FSU's 78 million. Louisville has a bigger budget than FSU at 87 million.

Now, that's the panic.