Notes from Recent Preseason Polls
On Monday, I noticed two offseason polls of interest: the first one was a post Spring football poll for 2013 by ESPN’s Mark Schlabach and the second poll was for college basketball on CBS Sportsline.
Here’s a quick breakdown of each:
Football Top 25
ACC (3) 4. Louisville, 12. Clemson, 14. Florida State
Big 10 (5)
Big 12 (5)
SEC (6)
Pac 12 (4)
Notre Dame was ranked #10.
I’m excited about the GOR signed last week, but I’m embarrassed by the lack of solid football programs in the conference. The potential is there-I’m speaking about Miami, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, NC State-for the ACC to consistently have at least five teams in the Top 25.
Basketball Top 26
On the other hand, the new ACC received a ton of respect in the Sportline Poll. Four ACC teams were ranked in the Top 11 and seven were ranked overall.
ACC (7) Louisville, Duke, UNC, Syracuse in Top 11
BIG 10 (5)
BIG 12 (1)
Pac 12 (2)
SEC (3)
Florida State and Louisville were the only ACC schools to appear in both (football and basketball) polls. FSU will certainly move up in basketball if Andrew Wiggins picks the Seminoles in the next two weeks.
Strength in Basketball Helpful for ACC Network?
Most media pundits have pointed to the direct correlation between football performance and television money. However, few mention the fact that conference network money is driven by “quality” inventory beyond football. I believe the number of solid basketball programs with diehard fan bases will make the ACC Network viable for ESPN and profitable for all of the teams that recently made a commitment to the conference. How many people are going to be watching the SEC network? (FYI: I will not watch.) All of the notable football games are covered by the national networks. Are people going to watch Alabama vs. Vanderbilt in basketball? Meanwhile, the Big 10 has a similar advantage to the ACC with several viable non-football programs to provide year round inventory and interest.
The Confidential 