New ACC logo with Syracuse and Pitt added. Question is, will the map have to shift over when Notre Dame joins?
The Past
Am I the only one that misses the old ACC seal?
The last two years have probably been the most critical two years in the history of the Atlantic Coast Conference since it's inception over 60 years ago. Yes, bigger than bringing in VT, Miami, and BC in the mid 2000's. Bigger than bringing in Florida State in the early 90's. BIG. Like, survival vs. extinction big. Don't think a prestigious athletic conference with history and success on its side can die? Just take a look at the WAC: a 50+ year old conference which once included teams like Arizona, Arizona State, BYU, and Utah... and just played its last football season this year. It happens, and it almost happened to the ACC.
So what started all this? Well, it could be argued that the ACC began it all when it raided the Big East back in the mid 2000's, but that's old hat and the Big East largely recovered by adding programs like Louisville, Cincinnati, and South Florida (all of which have enjoyed some degree of football success the past couple of years). In reality, this latest mess began with the expansion of the Pac Ten and Big Ten each to twelve teams, shifting power in the Big 12 towards the University of Texas. This in turn opened the flood gates for discontent amongst Texas A&M fans, and pretty soon caused the Aggies to jump ship for the SEC (who was reluctant at first to welcome them).
This is where things got interesting. It was pretty obvious that the SEC was not going to add just one team to expand to 13 schools. Odd numbers don't work well in the divisional format which makes scheduling and championship games easier in college football. So the real question was, who would the SEC add as the 14th member and would they stop there or go on to 16?
The most logical option would have been to poach a team from the ACC with the most obvious choices being Florida State, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Miami, and/or Virginia Tech. Of those, FSU and Clemson certainly topped the list and had plenty to offer, so why didn't it happen? Well, it's all a matter of speculation really, but rumors have circulated since that SEC members Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and Kentucky formed something of a voting block to keep invitations from being extended to any of their respective in-state rivals (Louisville being the rival of Kentucky). Whether this is true or not, the fact is it never came to fruition and instead the SEC plucked off another Big 12 team in Missouri (quite an odd choice... I still forget about them being in the conference to this day).
This left the ACC in somewhat of a peculiar situation. On the one hand, pressure from the SEC made it increasingly necessary to expand to 14 teams, but on the other hand, the ACC's football-oriented schools (FSU, Clemson, VT, etc) were concerned about watering down the brand further with mediocre programs from the Big East. For a short while rumors came from Austin that Texas was an expansion target, but no doubt these were nothing more than self-made rumors to strengthen their own position within the Big 12. So it was that most Nole and Tiger fans would have been content with sticking to 12 teams, but the ACC felt it necessary to expand in order to keep up. And so, against the wishes of FSU and Clemson the ACC invited Syracuse and Pittsburgh (both on the football level of say, Wake Forest or Maryland).
The last time Syracuse was relevant in football, this was the type of equipment players still wore.
Instead of stabilizing the league, this immediately had the opposite effect of course. The Big 12 found itself in a stronger position than weeks earlier with the addition of West Virginia and TCU, and now with Clemson and Florida State disgruntled, it seemed a very real possibility that those two schools might also be heading west. For a period of a couple weeks, all signs pointed to the ACC breaking apart. (And let me make this point here, if FSU or Clemson ever leave the ACC, the conference WILL breakup or become a remnant of its former self.) This did not happen however, due to the shocking addition of Notre Dame for all sports except football and a guarantee to play 5 ACC opponents a year on the gridiron. This move saved the ACC... for a while.
The final, and in my opinion, greatest strengthening move came just a couple months ago when Maryland surprised the conference by announcing it was leaving for the Big Ten. The ACC was left with a choice to make: invite UCONN (which the basketball and academic powers would have preferred) or invite Louisville (the MUCH better football and overall athletic program). This was the key choice: choose wrong and the conference likely splinters apart. Ultimately the ACC went with Louisville and we will now see how I think that choice will play out.
The Future (alternate title: How I Believe the Big 12 and SEC Majorly Blew it)
When it comes to my feelings towards the ACC, as any of my friends can tell you, they vary widely from day to day or even hour to hour. There are times that I am completely fed up with the conference and wish FSU would leave immediately, and then there are times that I'm proud to be part of a conference with such diverse and established institutions. I guess it largely depends on just how bad the officiating has been recently...
Well, like the dichotomy of my opinions, there is also a rigid divide between FSU fans who wish the school would leave what they view to be the weakest and worst conference in the country and those who are optimistic that the ACC is the next "big" thing in college sports. Neither is completely wrong, nor are they completely right, but what I am about to say about the future of the ACC is surely to disappoint one group more than the other:
I believe the ACC is here to stay.
That's right, I wouldn't count on annual games with Oklahoma or Georgia anytime soon. But it's not all bad news if you're primarily a football fan, I do believe that the ACC is on the path to becoming one of the stronger football conferences in the country. Will they be better than the SEC next year? Probably not. But do remember that college athletics is a thing of flux. The dominant SEC of today was actually a pretty weak SEC in the 90's and early 2000's. Now, don't get too excited. I'm not sure when or if the ACC will ever pass the SEC in football dominance, but I can tell you that it no longer will be the "distant 5th best football conference in the country." In fact, some of that gap has already begun to close this year... just take a look at the Pac 12 or even the Big 10 and Big 12. I'm not saying the ACC was better than any of those leagues this year, but it certainly wasn't that far behind... and that trend will continue.
Why am I so confident? There are just too many schools now with historical success on the gridiron and/or dedicated athletic departments to return to a state of apathy. Florida State, Clemson, Virginia Tech, Louisville, (5/8ths of) Notre Dame... these are teams that are locked and loaded for instant national success: teams with avid fan bases and goals of national championships. Miami, North Carolina, NC State, Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh, and Virginia... these are teams that may have some hurdles to overcome, but are good enough to compete across the major conferences and dedicated to improving their current stock. As it stands, in my opinion, all the ingredients for success are there. Now all that is required is time.
So why the jab at the Big 12 and SEC in the section title? One word: Louisville. The Cards would have EASILY jumped at an invitation to either league, but neither saw the UofL as worth expanding for. I believe this could be the biggest mistake in all of the drama that has been conference realignment. True, Louisville doesn't have the sexy ring that say, Texas A&M, Notre Dame, or West Virginia have, but it does have something even more important... $$$. That's right, Louisville has the single largest athletic budget in the country and ALL of their sports are not just good, they're great... and getting better. Louisville is completely sold on becoming an athletic power, they have a vision, very much like how Florida State had a vision in the 80's and 90's (speaking of which FSU, Louisville, GT, and VT were all once in the Metro Conference together). Just think about it: Louisville football nationally ranked with 2 BCS victories, Louisville basketball nationally ranked and a regular elite eight appearance, Louisville baseball a regular postseason figure and regional host. There is nothing not to like and I'm telling you, the Big 12 and SEC let a big one slip through their hands when they let the ACC grab the Cardinals. In the case of the Big 12, it was their indecisiveness to action and as for the SEC, it was the fear and/or pride of a handful of their members to extend invitations to their natural rivals. Whether or not this ends up directly hurting either league is impossible to predict, but what isn't impossible to predict is just how much this helped the ACC.
Maryland was a mediocre basketball team with terrible football and baseball programs and a notoriously obnoxious fan base (maybe the only thing Florida State, Clemson, Duke, and North Carolina fans can all agree upon). Replacing Maryland with Louisville was a major upgrade which has not only stabilized and likely saved the league, but also improved its competitiveness in every single sport.
So perhaps it's time to start looking towards the future, because for once, the future of the ACC looks bright. What's that? It's the light at the end of the tunnel.
Closing Thoughts:
The ACC has already announced that Louisville will simply take Maryland's place in the Atlantic Division in 2014 when they join. This will result in the following divisional alignment:
Atlantic Division: Boston College, Syracuse, Louisville, Wake Forest, NC State, Clemson, Florida State.
Coastal Division: Pittsburgh, Virginia, Virginia Tech, North Carolina, Duke, Georgia Tech, Miami.
What I propose is instead of simply adding Louisville to the Atlantic, instead add them to the Coastal and move Georgia Tech to the Atlantic. This makes perfect sense for many reasons: 1. Georgia Tech is the closest ACC opponent to both Florida State and Clemson, and is in turn a natural rival to both. 2. Louisville's football rise helps even out the divisions, especially if VT and Miami continue to struggle. 3. Louisville's closest ACC opponents (in football) are Pitt, UVA, and VT so it makes since for them to be in a division with them. Of course, as we all know, things that make the most sense rarely ever happen.
Long live the lack of common sense!
-JT
No comments:
Post a Comment