The ACC did the wave-making in the last round of major college conference expansion. If the Big Ten adds a 12th team, an option the conference announced last week it would explore, then the ACC could be the one feeling the ripple effect.
The Big Ten, which apparently wants to get into the conference championship game business, has already been shot down by Notre Dame (again). Three Big East teams are allegedly next on the radar: Pittsburgh, Syracuse and Rutgers.
But if the Big Ten's 12th member doesn't come from the Big East, then where? Missouri, for geographic reasons, has been bandied about as a possibility. Here's where the ACC comes into play, follow the dominoes:
Mizzou leaves the Big 12; the Big 12 grabs Arkansas (a natural rival from the former Southwest Conference) to replace Mizzou; the SEC comes calling for Clemson (or Florida State, as Rivals suggests) to replace Arkansas.
That leaves the ACC in need of a new dance partner and really it should go for two because given the chance, the ACC should dump Boston College. No offense to
BC, but geographically it just doesn't fit and there's no TV pot-of-gold in the mythical Boston market.
An expansion mulligan would be intriguing to say the least.
Losing BC would eliminate any need to go for UConn, Syracuse or Rutgers.
Geographically, and for football reasons, East Carolina and Navy would make sense, certainly for football purposes and as far as basketball reasons go, the ACC could use a little help at the bottom of the standings.
Or they could go back to the Big East well, for Louisville (a poor academic fit) or for West Virginia (football + hoops - TV market).
Either way, it's the Big Ten's move.
Comments
Why BC?
Mon, 12/21/2009 - 17:02 — LetsGoPittHaving grown up in Big East country, I have lots of opinions about several conference's make-ups:
1. Why did the ACC go after Boston College? Did they not know that New Englanders' first love is the Red Sox? Then you have the Celtics and now that the Patriots have been hot, they get a lot of consumers time and money. College sports, well, guess someone at the ACC office failed to do their research: College Hockey is THE college sport in New England!! BU, BC, UVt, Harvard, UNH, etc. No one up there cares about college hoops, let alone ACC hoops. Football? It is more of a nice social outing on a crisp fall day, these are outdoors people, they aren't going to watch ACC or even Big East football.
2. Big East basketball. Obviously the best hoops conference the past decade, but this 16 team conference is ridiculous. Depaul? Marquette? Those places are almost in Canada! (OK, so 'cuse is close to, but you get my drift).
3. Big East football needs: BC, Army, Navy, Villanova(moving up in 2011) and ECU. (Send Louisville to Big Ten, XII, wherever)
4. And the ACC: add Temple, a basketball school in a city that LOVES basketball! Close to MD, so you can get a nice little rivalry there.
Thoughts??.....
Interesting theory...
Mon, 12/21/2009 - 17:17 — Heels20...and I know I'm going to catch a lot of crap for this, but I think the ACC is improving as a whole in football and Temple does not qualify. If Temple would be a championship competitor in basketball, then I could understand, but with VT, GT and da U aiming for the top, as well as UNC, Clemson and FSU starting to play real football, I think the ACC will be second only to the SEC in a couple years.
I wouldn't mind trading BC for Syracuse, but that would never happen.
Temple
Fri, 01/01/2010 - 04:02 — LetsGoPittDo you not remember John Cheney's Owl's teams??? And where is Temple this year? 10-2 and looking good. A-10 has some good teams in Temple, Xavier, and Dayton.
Temple
Fri, 01/01/2010 - 04:02 — LetsGoPittDo you not remember John Cheney's Owl's teams??? And where is Temple this year? 10-2 and loking good. A-10 has some good teams in Temple, Xavier, and Dayton.
Definitely no to temple
Tue, 12/22/2009 - 11:31 — willncsuTrade BC for WVU and be done with it. Their obnoxious couch burning fans would be very entertaining during football season. Can you immagine those crazy rednecks filling up Wallace Wade or Keenan and trashing Duke or UNC's campus? That would be hillarious. I like Miami, FSU and Clemson and think they will stick around.
WVU
Tue, 12/22/2009 - 14:05 — Heels20Since ECU was unable to fill Kenan, trash our stadium or win, I don't think we'd have too much to worry about with WVU.
easy
Tue, 12/22/2009 - 19:48 — gvillegatrPirate fans come from all over this state and this Union unlike WVa and ncsu students and fans who come from the country.
crazy rednecks
Tue, 12/22/2009 - 13:16 — gvillegatrmirror! boo!
lets see
Sun, 12/20/2009 - 23:54 — gvillegatrI'll give Free Shoes, Miami and BC up for WVa, USC and UT.
I know this won't happen, but i'd do it.
In guess you need something
Sun, 12/20/2009 - 20:57 — tjfooseIn guess you need something to write about, and you did put a '?' at the end of the title...
But c'mon JP, do you seriously think there is any possibility of an ACC team leaving for the SEC?
I'd say maybe, but only after the Democratic Party nominates Dick Cheney for President.
No way Clemson or FSU leaves for the SEC... such a move would only increase the difficulty of a football championship 10 fold while losing ACC basketball money and prestige (though I admit, both have been falling recently).
Only positives I could see would be the SEC's relaxed standards for admitting football/basketball recruits, but that would come at a cost heavily outwayed by the negatives.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Mon, 12/21/2009 - 13:39 — jpg (author)That's the reason to leave any conference for the SEC. That $2 billion deal with CBS/ESPN dwarfs every other conference's deal.
Plus, does Clemson really care about anything but football? That would put them in good company in the SEC.
— JPG
If Clemson cant even win in the ACC...
Tue, 12/22/2009 - 11:25 — willncsuWhy would they go to the SEC? They would be a doormat just like their rival, SC.
There IS interest at Mizzou
Sun, 12/20/2009 - 09:50 — AgentPierceThere IS interest at Mizzou for an invite from Jim Delany. Mizzou for Big Ten makes lots of sense for lots of reasons. Then the dominos start falling.
Anything that gets BC out of ACC is a good thing. Fine school and fine folks ..... Who cares? Straight trade for West Va works. Let SEC have Miami.