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The Next Realignment Begins

ND is head scratchingly not an AAU member. It really is an official criteria to be invited, but perhaps there might be an exception made.

ND's value would give the ACC the ability to re-negotiate a better TV deal as a full member.
The AAU is about graduate research. While UND has many graduate programs, all good, it is not a graduate research focused institution. Rather its main deal is a very good basic college education.

Same can be said about many private schools. Many see their mission at aimed at just being the best undergrad college they can be. Two different things.
 
To be brutally honest, I bet the SEC and Big 10 raid the ACC.

I agree that wvu back in 2012 or whenever this first happened, was in much better shape to be included.
Now? Not so much. They haven't made any noise in Big 12 football minus the first 5 games they ever played. Basketball is routinely a Sweet 16 level program but no further. Everything else is just whatever. Their TV market is awful and small. Their academics, while better, aren't on par with the ACC. I read somewhere around #241, making them the lowest of P5 schools.
They'll scream "but...Louisville!" Which was a scramble move by the ACC when MD left on a semi-unknown basis, so they bypassed Louisville's academics and looked at what else they had to offer.

Its doubtful the ACC needs to rush this since its who THEY need, so they can really look.

Hence why I thought Cincy was a better option given their location, large student body, endowment is in the billions, TV market is quite large, growing city, better academics, and their football team has had recent success and basketball is always competitive. As I said, the ACC also gets the recruiting ground in the state of ohio, where they don't have a presence in.
I don't know how the SEC could raid anyone. Adding OU and UT puts them at 16 teams which was the magical number when the playoff was created.

It will be interesting to see what the B1G does and if any unexpected moves happen.
 
Isn't ND already an ACC team in everything else, but football. As I recall the ACC already wants their football and in order to get their other sports in ND had to agree to a compromise to olay X amount of ACC teams in football each year.

For whatever reason they didn't or couldn't get that deal with the B1G. Maybe the B1G was steadfast on all or nothing. I can't remember.

The thing with ND is they are going to hold out as long as possible because they can and they don't want to share that NBC money.
 
It seems to me that ND is the school that needs to find a conference home- fast. I understand the background but times are changing. I can't see any reason why a P4 would need them
 
yes, but why does ND want in that declining league (relative to SEC and B10)? if they can get in the Big10 that's where they should go.
Notre Dame has a far better chance of being in the college playoff mix in the ACC than they would in the Big 10 in football. Right now, the only real national contender to make a 12 team playoff in the ACC is Clemson with UNC having a puncher's chance. There is a huge drop off after that. In the Big 10, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Iowa (in most years) and Penn State all have a legitimate shot at making a 12 team playoff. Then there are spoiler teams like Michigan, Michigan State, and Indiana who can surprise nearly anyone in the league at any given time. Also, they are already integrated with the ACC in a lot of aspects in multiple sports so the scheduling impact, etc. of joining a conference would be less intrusive. Lastly, ND could have a much stronger voice and could exert far greater influence on the ACC than they could ever could in the Big 10. I don't think that the money drop off would be as big as some might think if they throw their own weight behind renegotiating the ACC media contract and somehow leverage that with their current independent deal that they have with NBC.
 
If the SEC is raiding other conferences and they wanted to really F things up... Take Texas and Oklahoma, then grab Clemson and Virginia Tech (kick out Vanderbilt and Missouri).

• I realize South Carolina, Florida and Georgia wouldn't allow this, but man if you wanted a football conference I don't think you could get much better than...

Clemson - Georgia
South Carolina - Florida
Tennessee - Kentucky
Virginia Tech - Arkansas
Alabama - Auburn
Oklahoma - Texas
Ole Miss - Miss State
LSU - Texas AM
 
Isn't ND already an ACC team in everything else, but football. As I recall the ACC already wants their football and in order to get their other sports in ND had to agree to a compromise to olay X amount of ACC teams in football each year.
Notre Dame plays all its sports in the ACC, except football, and hockey, as the ACC doesn’t sponsor hockey. Hockey plays in the Big 10, which has a mathematically challenged 7 members for hockey.

In football, UND plays five games vs. the ACC one year, 6 the next. It also uses ACC referees.
 
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Notre Dame has a far better chance of being in the college playoff mix in the ACC than they would in the Big 10 in football. Right now, the only real national contender to make a 12 team playoff in the ACC is Clemson with UNC having a puncher's chance. There is a huge drop off after that. In the Big 10, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Iowa (in most years) and Penn State all have a legitimate shot at making a 12 team playoff. Then there are spoiler teams like Michigan, Michigan State, and Indiana who can surprise nearly anyone in the league at any given time. Also, they are already integrated with the ACC in a lot of aspects in multiple sports so the scheduling impact, etc. of joining a conference would be less intrusive. Lastly, ND could have a much stronger voice and could exert far greater influence on the ACC than they could ever could in the Big 10. I don't think that the money drop off would be as big as some might think if they throw their own weight behind renegotiating the ACC media contract and somehow leverage that with their current independent deal that they have with NBC.
I agree with most of what you said.

If the ACC stays in tact as it is now and adds ND it's a good league, I don't see it in same league with B10 and especially not a B10 that elevates with 2 of the four additions I mentioned. I guess it comes down to who ND wants to be with in a conference and is it all about money or is it about the easiest path....and maybe being in a southeast US league is better than the rust belt. I'm sure they'll figure it out.
 
Isn't ND already an ACC team in everything else, but football. As I recall the ACC already wants their football and in order to get their other sports in ND had to agree to a compromise to olay X amount of ACC teams in football each year.

For whatever reason they didn't or couldn't get that deal with the B1G. Maybe the B1G was steadfast on all or nothing. I can't remember.

The thing with ND is they are going to hold out as long as possible because they can and they don't want to share that NBC money.
Honestly, at this point I could almost see ALL of the P5 teams joining 1 conference with 4 divisions as a way of eliminating the NCAA.
 
Honestly, at this point I could almost see ALL of the P5 teams joining 1 conference with 4 divisions as a way of eliminating the NCAA.
I would think you're probably looking at 2 conferences (minimum), with ESPN controlling the SEC and ACC, and Fox Sports controlling the B1G and Pac 12. That's what you need to keep your eye on, with teams potentially moving to other conferences long term.
 
Honestly, at this point I could almost see ALL of the P5 teams joining 1 conference with 4 divisions as a way of eliminating the NCAA.
That's not too far off from what they were attempting to do when they created the 4 team playoff. Had they been able to accomplish the four 16 team conferences then they'd probably already had broken off. Oliver Luck pretty much said that was their intentions when all this madness started back in 2011.
 
Not likely to happen as plenty of P5 schools really don't hold the value they think they do.
Lol. You're assuming they are honest with themselves. Half the P5 doesn't even belong on the same level of the other half of the P5. That bottom half are closer to the G5 than they are ever belonging with thr likes of tOSU, OU, Bama, UT, Clemson, ND, USC(historically), Michigan, and PSU.
 
Lol. You're assuming they are honest with themselves. Half the P5 doesn't even belong on the same level of the other half of the P5. That bottom half are closer to the G5 than they are ever belonging with thr likes of tOSU, OU, Bama, UT, Clemson, ND, USC(historically), Michigan, and PSU.
As the future is looking, it doesn't appear they'll have a choice of honesty or not. Plenty of mid/lower tier P5 schools are going to be left without a conference.
 
A lot of speculation about ND here, but I do remember reading somewhere that the agreement they made with the ACC when they joined included a clause that said if Notre Dame joined a conference it had to be the ACC - and that agreement runs through 2036. Could be wrong.
 
That's not too far off from what they were attempting to do when they created the 4 team playoff. Had they been able to accomplish the four 16 team conferences then they'd probably already had broken off. Oliver Luck pretty much said that was their intentions when all this madness started back in 2011.
 

They are going to go to a larger playoff and the SEC(and probably others) want to dominate the playoff. 16 team playoff? Ok, we get 8 teams! That's what it is about. It is all about the money. Follow the money.
Honestly this is all a joke now. I read something yesterday that said with the addition of OU and UT the next SEC deal is going to be close to or over 1 billion. That's insane.

The G5 really does need to see reality and decide if they want ignore it or just go ahead and do our own thing.
 
Honestly this is all a joke now. I read something yesterday that said with the addition of OU and UT the next SEC deal is going to be close to or over 1 billion. That's insane.

The G5 really does need to see reality and decide if they want ignore it or just go ahead and do our own thing.
Frankly, I kind of like it. Now I can watch Texas vs LSU, Oklahoma vs Alabama. Great matchups all of the time. College football will be even better than the NFL(it already is) . The SEC is going to crush it. What a Saturday lineup. Prime Time games all of the time. The best league just added two of the most historic programs of all time into their already stellar line up.

If I were them, I would go make a play for Clemson and North Carolina as well.
 
Honestly this is all a joke now. I read something yesterday that said with the addition of OU and UT the next SEC deal is going to be close to or over 1 billion. That's insane.

The G5 really does need to see reality and decide if they want ignore it or just go ahead and do our own thing.
The G5 just needs to do its own thing. The separation between us and the P5's just made a huge jump and will only get wider. We need to stop kidding ourselves that we can somehow compete with these guys in football, really quit worrrying about it. Do what Marshall can do and do it well. Thats all we can ask for. Screw the P5, screw the playoffs. Once the dust settles, the G5 should create their own playoff.
We'll either end up in a new AAC, stay in CUSA (ugh), or be in a eastern based regional league - which I like the best. Marshall football will always be around and that's all I care about.
 
ND has less than zero need to join a conference in football.

None.
I'd bet the SEC is going to be a big influencer (probably along with the Big 10) to convince the CFP committee that ND is fine where it is, to disrupt or completely delay the ACC from forcing ND to join their league, so they'll be stuck where they are and not expand. That'll either allow them to cherry pick the teams they want and leave everyone else out.

Notre Dame essentially is holding the cards for the ACC, and knows they're really the only valuable program, or else the ACC would've been filled by now.
 
As the future is looking, it doesn't appear they'll have a choice of honesty or not. Plenty of mid/lower tier P5 schools are going to be left without a conference.
Plenty? How do you figure that? Do any of you honestly believe the Pac, B1G, ACC, or SEC is going to take a G5 team?

The SEC currently has 14 members and adding UT and OU brings them to 16.

The ACC currently stands at 15. Let's say for arguments sake they take WVU. That puts them at 16.

That leaves 7 teams left in the Big XII. Those teams being OkSt, KU, KSU, ISU, TCU, TT, and Baylor.

The Pac-12 has 12 teams and the B1G had 14 teams. That's 6 spots left for the remaining 7 Big XII schools to fill.

So if the Big XII is cannablized then 1 team is going to be left holding the bag. Let's say that somehow and someway ND's hand is finally forced to join a conference in football. That means 2 teams will be stranded.

If you go back to when the playoff was created the intention was 4 conferences of 16 teams.

Even if say UCF gets the nod or UC gets the nod. You're only looking at a possibility of 4 current P5s without a home. Maybe Boise, but I don't think they're getting in. Their brand was a lot hotter when TCU got in the Big XII and they made more sense than WVU did at the time and there was zero interest. Boise maybe ends up in the Big XII this time around because the MWC's statement led on that they are getting out in front of potential movement.

I am not sure where you get "plenty" of teams are going to be left without a conference. There's not just going to be one mega conference or two of 20 teams and the rest left out. Also the Pac-12 and B1G can posture all they want, but if the SEC goes to 16 teams the rest will follow.

I'd say that OkSt, TCU, and TT are most likely going to end up in the Pac-12. Who their 16th team will be I'm unsure. Maybe Baylor maybe KSU. I could see Baylor going to the ACC because of their basketball. KU and ISU have already been in talks with the B1G so I'd assume that is their two additional teams.

Like I said you're looking at a max of 4 P5s left out. Still I highly doubt any G5 school gets in. I don't care how much Houston, UC, and UCF puff out their chests. What's going to likely happen to them is the B1g XII is going ro scramble to keep their conference in existence and add Houston and UC or UCF, but just like when the Big East tried the same it's not going to be enough to keep the other Big XII members happy. So it will be interesting to see of those AAC team arrived at a party that everyone has already left and now hanging in the wind or burn needless money like Boise did when they joined thr Big East before the second raid and were able to get out with a penalty fee.

What we all need to be concerned with is what our Administration is doing. We'd better be on the phones with the AAC day and night positioning ourselves and have backup plans in store for the MAC and Sun Belt because you best believe if by chance we lose any CUSA teams and we're not one of them we're going to drop further out of relevance and be playing in a what would amount to be an FCS conference in what would be left with CUSA.
 
The biggest fruit hanging out there is Notre Dame. While wvu is a candidate for the ACC, obviously they would take Notre Dame in a heartbeat. Would you take wvu while Notre Dame is still out there hanging? Right now, Notre Dame is out there in the drivers seat. All they have to do is make a call to the Big 10 or ACC and they would have immediate membership. So, does wvu go to the ACC while Notre Dame is still out there. That would give the ACC their 16th member.

hey we took wvu, a year later Notre Dames says we want to join a conference now. Big 10 is not going to take wvu. Nor Pac 12.

I am wondering if the ACC just stands down for a bit to see what Notre Dame does.
 
Plenty? How do you figure that? Do any of you honestly believe the Pac, B1G, ACC, or SEC is going to take a G5 team?

The SEC currently has 14 members and adding UT and OU brings them to 16.

The ACC currently stands at 15. Let's say for arguments sake they take WVU. That puts them at 16.

That leaves 7 teams left in the Big XII. Those teams being OkSt, KU, KSU, ISU, TCU, TT, and Baylor.

The Pac-12 has 12 teams and the B1G had 14 teams. That's 6 spots left for the remaining 7 Big XII schools to fill.

So if the Big XII is cannablized then 1 team is going to be left holding the bag. Let's say that somehow and someway ND's hand is finally forced to join a conference in football. That means 2 teams will be stranded.

If you go back to when the playoff was created the intention was 4 conferences of 16 teams.

Even if say UCF gets the nod or UC gets the nod. You're only looking at a possibility of 4 current P5s without a home. Maybe Boise, but I don't think they're getting in. Their brand was a lot hotter when TCU got in the Big XII and they made more sense than WVU did at the time and there was zero interest. Boise maybe ends up in the Big XII this time around because the MWC's statement led on that they are getting out in front of potential movement.

I am not sure where you get "plenty" of teams are going to be left without a conference. There's not just going to be one mega conference or two of 20 teams and the rest left out. Also the Pac-12 and B1G can posture all they want, but if the SEC goes to 16 teams the rest will follow.

I'd say that OkSt, TCU, and TT are most likely going to end up in the Pac-12. Who their 16th team will be I'm unsure. Maybe Baylor maybe KSU. I could see Baylor going to the ACC because of their basketball. KU and ISU have already been in talks with the B1G so I'd assume that is their two additional teams.

Like I said you're looking at a max of 4 P5s left out. Still I highly doubt any G5 school gets in. I don't care how much Houston, UC, and UCF puff out their chests. What's going to likely happen to them is the B1g XII is going ro scramble to keep their conference in existence and add Houston and UC or UCF, but just like when the Big East tried the same it's not going to be enough to keep the other Big XII members happy. So it will be interesting to see of those AAC team arrived at a party that everyone has already left and now hanging in the wind or burn needless money like Boise did when they joined thr Big East before the second raid and were able to get out with a penalty fee.

What we all need to be concerned with is what our Administration is doing. We'd better be on the phones with the AAC day and night positioning ourselves and have backup plans in store for the MAC and Sun Belt because you best believe if by chance we lose any CUSA teams and we're not one of them we're going to drop further out of relevance and be playing in a what would amount to be an FCS conference in what would be left with CUSA.

Still better than Marshall's current situation.
 
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The biggest fruit hanging out there is Notre Dame.

I am wondering if the ACC just stands down for a bit to see what Notre Dame does.
I think this is the second biggest question out there right now...

1. Does the Big12 try to soldier on and poach AAC teams? Or does it disband entirely as members leave for the SEC, Big10, Pac12 and ACC?

2. Does Notre Dame finally pick a conference, and if so which one?

3. With a theoretical "Power 4" of 16 teams not needing to play G5 teams (they could play 12 league games, or play 10 league games and 2 other P4 teams) does the G5 still remain with the P4 in any capacity or break off into another subset somewhere between the 64 big boys and the FCS?
 
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Plenty? How do you figure that? Do any of you honestly believe the Pac, B1G, ACC, or SEC is going to take a G5 team?

The SEC currently has 14 members and adding UT and OU brings them to 16.

The ACC currently stands at 15. Let's say for arguments sake they take WVU. That puts them at 16.

That leaves 7 teams left in the Big XII. Those teams being OkSt, KU, KSU, ISU, TCU, TT, and Baylor.

The Pac-12 has 12 teams and the B1G had 14 teams. That's 6 spots left for the remaining 7 Big XII schools to fill.

So if the Big XII is cannablized then 1 team is going to be left holding the bag. Let's say that somehow and someway ND's hand is finally forced to join a conference in football. That means 2 teams will be stranded.

If you go back to when the playoff was created the intention was 4 conferences of 16 teams.

Even if say UCF gets the nod or UC gets the nod. You're only looking at a possibility of 4 current P5s without a home. Maybe Boise, but I don't think they're getting in. Their brand was a lot hotter when TCU got in the Big XII and they made more sense than WVU did at the time and there was zero interest. Boise maybe ends up in the Big XII this time around because the MWC's statement led on that they are getting out in front of potential movement.

I am not sure where you get "plenty" of teams are going to be left without a conference. There's not just going to be one mega conference or two of 20 teams and the rest left out. Also the Pac-12 and B1G can posture all they want, but if the SEC goes to 16 teams the rest will follow.

I'd say that OkSt, TCU, and TT are most likely going to end up in the Pac-12. Who their 16th team will be I'm unsure. Maybe Baylor maybe KSU. I could see Baylor going to the ACC because of their basketball. KU and ISU have already been in talks with the B1G so I'd assume that is their two additional teams.

Like I said you're looking at a max of 4 P5s left out. Still I highly doubt any G5 school gets in. I don't care how much Houston, UC, and UCF puff out their chests. What's going to likely happen to them is the B1g XII is going ro scramble to keep their conference in existence and add Houston and UC or UCF, but just like when the Big East tried the same it's not going to be enough to keep the other Big XII members happy. So it will be interesting to see of those AAC team arrived at a party that everyone has already left and now hanging in the wind or burn needless money like Boise did when they joined thr Big East before the second raid and were able to get out with a penalty fee.

What we all need to be concerned with is what our Administration is doing. We'd better be on the phones with the AAC day and night positioning ourselves and have backup plans in store for the MAC and Sun Belt because you best believe if by chance we lose any CUSA teams and we're not one of them we're going to drop further out of relevance and be playing in a what would amount to be an FCS conference in what would be left with CUSA.
As Josh said, after the P5 shuffle ends, G5 league not named the AAC will basically be FCS. Even a watered down AAC will drop in level of play and respect. The rich get richer.
And to be honest, it doesn’t bother me.
 
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As Josh said, after the P5 shuffle ends, G5 league not named the AAC will basically be FCS. Even a watered down AAC will drop in level of play and respect. The rich get richer.
And to be honest, it doesn’t bother me.
See this is the thing. We already are. They just pat us on the head with the "Access Bowl" and we buy it. The AAC with the whole P6 garbage is embarrassing. The gap between the P5 and the G5 due to money and permitted access is larger than the grand canyon.

We just need to do our own thing and let the P5 feed off of each other.

Being the best G5 conference is like being the tallest midget.

The AAC will be raided. It will be raided by the Big XII in an effort to stay viable like the Big East attempted to do. Just like then it will fall flat and the Big XII will either cease to exist or morph into another AAC. By 2025 the Big XII will either cease to exist completely or be a re-branded G5 conference with maybe one or two Big XII holdovers.
 
Plenty? How do you figure that? Do any of you honestly believe the Pac, B1G, ACC, or SEC is going to take a G5 team?

The SEC currently has 14 members and adding UT and OU brings them to 16.

The ACC currently stands at 15. Let's say for arguments sake they take WVU. That puts them at 16.

That leaves 7 teams left in the Big XII. Those teams being OkSt, KU, KSU, ISU, TCU, TT, and Baylor.

The Pac-12 has 12 teams and the B1G had 14 teams. That's 6 spots left for the remaining 7 Big XII schools to fill.

So if the Big XII is cannablized then 1 team is going to be left holding the bag. Let's say that somehow and someway ND's hand is finally forced to join a conference in football. That means 2 teams will be stranded.

If you go back to when the playoff was created the intention was 4 conferences of 16 teams.

Even if say UCF gets the nod or UC gets the nod. You're only looking at a possibility of 4 current P5s without a home. Maybe Boise, but I don't think they're getting in. Their brand was a lot hotter when TCU got in the Big XII and they made more sense than WVU did at the time and there was zero interest. Boise maybe ends up in the Big XII this time around because the MWC's statement led on that they are getting out in front of potential movement.

I am not sure where you get "plenty" of teams are going to be left without a conference. There's not just going to be one mega conference or two of 20 teams and the rest left out. Also the Pac-12 and B1G can posture all they want, but if the SEC goes to 16 teams the rest will follow.

I'd say that OkSt, TCU, and TT are most likely going to end up in the Pac-12. Who their 16th team will be I'm unsure. Maybe Baylor maybe KSU. I could see Baylor going to the ACC because of their basketball. KU and ISU have already been in talks with the B1G so I'd assume that is their two additional teams.

Like I said you're looking at a max of 4 P5s left out. Still I highly doubt any G5 school gets in. I don't care how much Houston, UC, and UCF puff out their chests. What's going to likely happen to them is the B1g XII is going ro scramble to keep their conference in existence and add Houston and UC or UCF, but just like when the Big East tried the same it's not going to be enough to keep the other Big XII members happy. So it will be interesting to see of those AAC team arrived at a party that everyone has already left and now hanging in the wind or burn needless money like Boise did when they joined thr Big East before the second raid and were able to get out with a penalty fee.

What we all need to be concerned with is what our Administration is doing. We'd better be on the phones with the AAC day and night positioning ourselves and have backup plans in store for the MAC and Sun Belt because you best believe if by chance we lose any CUSA teams and we're not one of them we're going to drop further out of relevance and be playing in a what would amount to be an FCS conference in what would be left with CUSA.

When the Big 12 even thought about expansion, like 20 G5 schools threw their names out there. NONE were invited. Its because their value to the conference was not as high as the amount they'd pay to said school.

I've read as high as 75% of the Big 12 revenue was based off of OU and UT alone and as low as 50%, so lets meet somewhere in the middle and say 60%.
Thats a significant amount and that means the remainder schools contributed roughly 7.5% of that revenue...and thats if all are the same value (they're not).

You forgot a huge parameter for Big 10 invites is the AAU accreditation. IT DOES MATTER to the Big 10 presidents, who won't sign off on inviting anyone unless that is something said school has.
The Big 12 will have Iowa State and Kansas who'd qualify for inclusion and Kansas has a basketball program worth more than some P5 football programs. Iowa State, well, they're not a bad catch.
Thats 2 schools from the Big 12 that could be invited...no more...no less.

Who's to say the Big 12 is even going to expand? They already have (well, for now) been making more money than anyone. So they can hold off and see what sort of contract the SEC will now get...no rush and when/if they need to expand? THEY will choose who to invite based on their own criteria.

The Pac-12 hasn't done a thing and doesn't seem likely to move yet. Last I read they, "are open to possible expansion but not actively pursuing it."
There has been talk the Pac-12 gets plucked by the Big 10 and teams like Oregon and USC depart. The Big 10 and Pac 12 have a close relationship and a long history together. Again, speculation.

But say USC, Oregon, Washington, and UCLA departed the Pac-12, how big of a revenue hit is that?

What you're seeing are individual schools making up a large amount of the revenue, with several others hiding behind them, claiming high value by association alone.

The ACC is held at perverbial gunpoint by ND, and I bet ND will soley determine who joins with them (if they ever do).

You could see a similar situation from the Big 10 to ACC as I said Pac-12 since plenty of ACC schools are AAU.

Finally, the AAC is actually in a higher position in terms of its teams deciding to leave or not.

None of them have been in a rush to join and likely won't until they get an idea of how much the remaining Big 12 will be worth, and it'd have to be significantly less for them to depart.
However, the remaining Big 12 would add value to the AAC, so it's be the other way around for teams to join.

If anything, the Big 12 does invite some AAC schools but loses its Power Conference status.
 
The biggest fruit hanging out there is Notre Dame. While wvu is a candidate for the ACC, obviously they would take Notre Dame in a heartbeat. Would you take wvu while Notre Dame is still out there hanging? Right now, Notre Dame is out there in the drivers seat. All they have to do is make a call to the Big 10 or ACC and they would have immediate membership. So, does wvu go to the ACC while Notre Dame is still out there. That would give the ACC their 16th member.

hey we took wvu, a year later Notre Dames says we want to join a conference now. Big 10 is not going to take wvu. Nor Pac 12.

I am wondering if the ACC just stands down for a bit to see what Notre Dame does.
Exactly. The ACC's TV contract is awful, but they also don't want to piss off ND. As its been stated, ND is contractually tied to the ACC if they joined a conference. wvu adds zero value when compared to others.
It'll be a bidding war for ND between the Big 10 and ACC, since easily, the contract I just mentioned, could be changed.

As I also said, I bet ND determines who they go with if they got to the ACC.
 
If the ACC doesn't get ND then they won't take WVU. It would make no sense. WVU would bring nothing but another mouth to feed.
 
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Notre Dame is not joining a conference in football.

It doesn't need to for TV money, scheduling, or access to the playoffs.

Any talk about ND needs to deal with those three things.

Also I'm related to ND boosters and they would rather join the MAC than the Big 10 because of past treatment.
 
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And the plot thickens yet again. The Leftover Little 8 commissioner has sent a “cease and desist” letter to ESPN HQ. According to this particular conspiracy theory, ESPN and the AAC office were/still are working with two unnamed LL8 members to move to the AAC. (Unnamed means Iowa State and WVU, BTW). Apparently if three or more teams file to leave, the conference is dissolved automatically and immediately and the TV deals are voided. WVU and ISU, the geographic outliers in the league and the two schools with the least to offer any other conference in media and legitimacy terms, gets a place to land. The AAC gets more $$ and the thought-controllers at Sports Center and Game Day start to buy into this P6 nonsense. And ESPN and the Big 2 gets more $$ more quickly.

Remember, if you are a fan of any G5 school, your enemy is the AAC.
 
I will tell you exactly the options right now as far as WVU goes:

There is serious talk of the SEC wanting to go to 20 teams, allowing for 4, 5 team pods. WVU/Ok State would be in if they expand to 20.

ACC is the option if the SEC stays at 16. WVU is more attractive than people give them credit for. Large fan base (compared to most ACC teams) and very good TV ratings, which is more important than population footprint this time around.

Very distant possibility of B1G, but that is totally on Gee's influence. WVU has increased their research profile, which will help, but we are still a long way off from being AAU.

One thing I have been assured of, WVU will like their landing spot regardless.
 
I will tell you exactly the options right now as far as WVU goes:

There is serious talk of the SEC wanting to go to 20 teams, allowing for 4, 5 team pods. WVU/Ok State would be in if they expand to 20.
The SEC is not going past 16... There is no incentive to do so. The reason they are expanding to 16 is because OU and Texas are huge revenue generators... Why would they then add 4 more teams that are not major revenue generators? To slice the pie, which they just worked hard to make much bigger, even more ways? That ain't happening.

The only way the SEC would go to 20 is if they could entice 4 more major revenue programs to come on board, and by major I mean Notre Dame, Ohio State, Michigan, Clemson (no offense to WVU).

WVU's most likely option is the ACC if Notre Dame says no thanks to becoming a full member yet again. After that, pretty much any scenario is on the table at this point.
 
I will tell you exactly the options right now as far as WVU goes:

There is serious talk of the SEC wanting to go to 20 teams, allowing for 4, 5 team pods. WVU/Ok State would be in if they expand to 20.

ACC is the option if the SEC stays at 16. WVU is more attractive than people give them credit for. Large fan base (compared to most ACC teams) and very good TV ratings, which is more important than population footprint this time around.

Very distant possibility of B1G, but that is totally on Gee's influence. WVU has increased their research profile, which will help, but we are still a long way off from being AAU.

One thing I have been assured of, WVU will like their landing spot regardless.

So you say serious talk and then go back and say, "Well...if that isn't true."

The SEC isn't expanding past 16 and if they do, they'll raid the ACC and only the best/most valuable ones. This would be the likes of Clemson, FSU, Miami, etc., not wvu.
Compared to the money, alumni base, endowments, and overall influence, wvu falls well short.

At any point, if the SEC does say they'll expand,
wvu would have to contend with 14 ACC schools and 7 leftover Big 12 schools and somehow be better than all of them?
Not happening.

wvu can't sell its own people to stay, pays outsiders to live in it, with terrible internet all around, a crumbling infrastructure, poor academics, and incompetent state leadership...yeah, wvu is a swell addition to a conference all about making money.

The ACC is the best option for wvu however, wvu is not the best option for the ACC.
The ACC rejected wvu for its academics. "Louisville!!" Yes, Louisville, but they showed they had more to offer, combine that with a bit of a panic reaction at the time, they got the exception. You think the ACC is going to make another one, for you? They used their "get out of jail free" card, in this case, "accepting a lower quality academic institution into a high academic conference" card.

One problem with wvu fans is they think they can pick and choose, with how they talk when the reality of it is, the big conferences pick and choose who they want, and if they wanted you, they'd have had you by now.

The Big 10...spare yourselves the embarrassment. Not only will they not take you, they'll reject your application with a letter showing the last decade of your school's entire institutional operations and point out how tremendously underacheiving it is. They'll then remind you of where you are on the college ranks. They're arrogant, rich, academic/athletic assholes, they know it, and they don't care.

Gee was booted from ohio state for remarks that were socially insensitive towards specific populations. We mustn't forget Brown University's "E. Gordon Gee Lavatory Complex" either.
That's your damn near 80 yr old president, expected to somehow rekindle ties with a conference that already has forgotten he exists? Good luck on that.

Of course wvu will like their landing spot. They'll brag the conference needed them, even if it is the AAC, and will never accept they weren't much to begin with.
Sadly though, wvu is too broke to go the one route they seemingly got the closest to a national title in, the route they spent the most time in, and (probably) the route everyone in the NCAA would like to see them exist in...Independent.

While wvu may like to believe, "all P5 schools are equal" the reality is, "some P5's are more equal than others."
 
I will tell you exactly the options right now as far as WVU goes:

There is serious talk of the SEC wanting to go to 20 teams, allowing for 4, 5 team pods. WVU/Ok State would be in if they expand to 20.

ACC is the option if the SEC stays at 16. WVU is more attractive than people give them credit for. Large fan base (compared to most ACC teams) and very good TV ratings, which is more important than population footprint this time around.

Very distant possibility of B1G, but that is totally on Gee's influence. WVU has increased their research profile, which will help, but we are still a long way off from being AAU.

One thing I have been assured of, WVU will like their landing spot regardless.
Only option in your scenario I could possibly see is the ACC. It would be a great "fit" for them and their fans do travel and are scattered throughout the Southeast. Other than that, BIG 12 goes to the Little 8 or adds teams but will most likely drop to G5, AAC or welcome to CUSA.
 
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