OT: You can choose 4 schools from the ACC to join the Big 12

Football
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Duke: BB blue blood and geographic fit for Cincy and WV
Miami: Usually a good football team and geographic fit for UCF
Pitt: Decent football and basketball geographic fit for Cincy and WV
Louisville: Basketball and football credibility and geographic fit for Cincy, WV, Pitt, and Duke

This would give us more regional interest in populous areas which means increased eyeballs watching on TV.

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Wow, amazing how we all have four different schools. They must have more desirable brands than we thought.

I personally think they stay together IF they only lose 2 - 4 football schools.

They’d have no reason to freak out and join a blue bloodless Big 12 if that’s exactly where they already are after the 2-4 school raid.

Plus, the playoff spots will be that much harder to land.

It’s a lateral move!

Now
more than 4 leave for a P2, all bets are off because its Armageddon, anyway!

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Depends

  • If the ACC reaches a settlement with FSU/Clemson, then I agree nothing changes and ACC survives at least until around 2030
  • If the ACC takes it to court and loses, consider the ACC dead
  • If ESPN doesn’t extend the media deal and that somehow voids the GOR, then consider the ACC dead

Can’t force a team to stay if there’s no media deal to pay them. There’s a live and healthy media deal with the Big 12

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The GOR isn’t with ESPN, it’s with the conference.

The ACC owns “any” media rights of their member’s home games (on ESPN/ABC, Fox, CBS, Apple, Amazon, etc.) Through 2036.

ESPN can’t void the GOR
only the conference can.

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Miami plays football an hour off campus in a dump. Bye.

Virginia Tech and NC State are in for sure. They’d be top 5 football attendance schools in Big 12 and both have solid hoops.

Then it comes down to Georgia Tech, Pitt, and Louisville.

Louisville has best facilities and fan support

Georgia Tech has market size but worst fan support that is trending wrong direction.

Pitt gives solid market and WVU a rival but they play in an NFL stadium and despite announcing 40k we all see those empty yellow seats.

So VT, NCSU and UL are in.

I’d lean GaTech over Pitt for 4th.

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Yes but the conference has a fiduciary duty to compensate its members by legal contract (hence part of the lawsuit by FSU) at an adequate payout via a media network

If ESPN does not extend the contract (they aren’t legally obligated), then there’s no money being paid to the members of the conference. If the ACC fails to secure a deal that satisfies the remaining members, then you have lawsuits on your hands by every member of the conference

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I agree North Carolina State and Virginia Tech are the two LOCKS.

The next two come with a bunch of arguments for or against.

Why do we want 20 if only 2 are LOCKS?

That’s a lot of mouths to feed and id hate to become the Conference of Misfit Toys

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None of us have access to the GOR but im sure if ESPN chose not to renew, the ACC would have a negotiating window to find a deal with another media partner before the GOR expires.

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ESPN has yet to take the extension. Why?

They are probably waiting to see if FSU (and Clemson) can get out of the ACC. If they get out of the ACC, then why should ESPN take the extension? Again, they aren’t legally obligated.

If the extension isn’t taken up, then the ACC has to find a new media deal. Who’s going to partner with the ACC? FOX? No. ESPN? They didn’t extend.

Does ESPN renegotiate the deal to a lower number? Will the conference members accept this? If not, then how can they be bound to the GOR if the conference breaks their fiduciary duty?

By that point, FSU, Clemson, UNC, and possibly Virginia join the P2. 4-6 remaining ACC teams join the Big 12. The rest of the leftouts are forced into the Group of 5.

Who wins? ESPN. Who loses? ACC. Suffers an almost identical fate to the PAC. ESPN no longer has to dish out 30 million dollars to Boston College and Wake Forest

This extension option literally changes everything. If it weren’t for that provision, then I agree ACC is intact until 2036.

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I choose Georgia Tech. Atlanta is easier to get to than Blacksburg, VA

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You think a 20-22 school Big 12 with NO FOOTBALL BLUEBLOODS is winning?

Keeping our number lower at 16 makes us more exclusive and allows OUR brands to grow and compete for Playoff spots.

If the 4 big brands are gone, only NC STATE and Virginia Tech are big enough brands for us to add.

The others only make our Conference more crowded and more dilluted.

I could see us adding those 2 Plus 2 Basketball only brands ( Duke, UCONN, Gonzaga)

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Florida State and Clemson aren’t true blue bloods, just FYI. The only true “blue blood” (football) in the ACC by historic definition is Notre Dame, who is merely a scheduling partner. That being said, I know what you’re trying to say and I’ll agree along those lines.

It doesn’t even matter in the grand scheme. The demise of the ACC is completely separate as to whether or not the Big 12 expands. Two different scenarios.

Don’t forget that Yormark made sure the CFB Playoff Contract has a “look-in” provision in case of future expansion, which automatically allows the CFP Bid System to be revisited. That can only mean one thing. Yormark expects the Big 12 to expand for football too.

It’s inevitable that bare minimum, 2 teams end up joining the Big 12. I fully expect to be 4.

You’re not high on Miami, but they still have some of the best TV ratings in the ACC. Not close to FSU, but it’s still enough for ESPN to pay for (and FOX) in the Big 12

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For those picking Virginia Tech, does anyone think the DMV area actually cares about football as much as the metro areas of southern schools like Miami and Georgia Tech?

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Their colors remind me of Aggies mixed in with the Horns.

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Virginia Tech drew nearly 87,000 for a game vs Boise State at FedEx Field in Landover so I’d say yes.

They average about 65,000 in rural Virginia. Miami and GT often play in front of sub 20,000 crowds.

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NCST, VT, Louisville and Duke.

I picked Duke over Miami/GT cuz Duke basketball is far better than anything Miami or GT could offer. WV and UC will survive without Pitts.

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Strangely, Miami has more cache nationally than they do at home. When I was in Broward they had Gino Turretta was doing commercials begging people to attend games.

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Do we really need another A&M type school in the conference?

We already have Tech, BYU, Oklahoma State, Kansas State, Iowa State, and Utah.

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Miami usually has a problem with putting at least 40,000 butts on the seats in their home games! So, that’s why I think they shouldn’t join and some other teams should because they don’t have a problem with surpassing that!