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Archive for the category “Conference Realignment”

26 Feb 2013
7 Comments

FOOTBALL COMPETITION AND REVENUE: PART I

This is a two-part series—a joint venture between HokieMark, who founder of http://accfootballrx.blogspot.com/ and acaffrey, founder of this blog.  We all need to thank HokieMark for putting this data into a very useful spreadsheet that allows the analysis. This data is out there for anyone to see. You may think you know what the correlation is between spending on football and on-field success. The purpose of this two-part article is to analyze whether you were right—what is the true correlation, if any, between spending on football and on-field success. Part I will explain the nature of the concern and some of the analysis. Part II will complete the analysis. Instead of publishing these on different days, we’ll publish them on different blogs. Remember to check out both. And we hope that you will take the time to comment on the discussion.  This is Part I.  Here is the link to Part II.

Part I

From 1973 to 1975, Florida State went 4-29 in football. Needless to say, the Seminoles were not a football “king” back then. In 1976, they hired a head coach named Bobby Bowden. Bowden had immediate success in turning the Seminoles into a decent football school, with a 10-win season and Tangerine Bowl appearance in 1977 and an 11-win season and Orange Bowl appearance in 1979. By 1987, the Seminoles went 11-2, beginning an incredible streak of fourteen straight 10+ win seasons. During this period, Florida State moved from football independence to the Atlantic Coast Conference (“ACC”). This did not slow the Seminoles down at all. As the calendar passed into a new millennium, Florida State was a football “king” by any definition.

However, for an 18-year-old college freshman on September 1, 2012, it had been quite a while since Florida State was in the hunt for a national title. Indeed, this person would have been in the first grade the last time the Seminoles had a 10-win season—the 11-2 campaign in 2000. To that person, college football was all about the Southeastern Conference (“SEC”), with schools like LSU, Florida, Auburn, and Alabama winning national title after national title. Meanwhile, Florida State was struggling to get into the ACC championship game. How times had changed.

Of course, that same college freshman would have spent the summer of 2012 listening to Florida State fans discuss how they absolutely needed to move to a better football conference. To these fans, Florida State could not compete with their neighbors in the SEC because of the huge revenue disparity. It is unclear whether these fans were using money as an excuse for the mediocrity of the prior decade or expressing concern about the next decade to come. Fortunately for the Seminoles, Jimbo Fisher did not care about the revenue, instead just going back to doing what always worked in the past—developing recruits and coaching them well. In 2012, Fisher led the Seminoles to a 12-2 record, an ACC Championship, and an Orange Bowl victory.

But what about that proverbial “smoke” regarding the inability to financially compete with the SEC schools on the football field? Is there “fire” underlying this oft-repeated concern? Well, two ACC blogs decided to take a look at the actual numbers.

As a preliminary matter, it should be noted that revenue has not prevented non-AQ schools from being competitive. Boise State spent approximately $8M on football for data ending in June 2012. Future Big East members Houston and Tulane each spent more, actually.

Boston College spent more than twice as much as Boise State—an amazing $18M! Interestingly, Boston College also spent $10M on basketball, as well as $5M on hockey. The Eagles may have struggled on the court and on the field, but they spent some serious money to try to be competitive. Unfortunately, it did not work. You do not need a fancy degree to figure out that Boise State is a LOT more successful at football right now than Boston College.

We do not need to pick on Boston College. A lot of big spenders did poorly. Duke spent over $20M on football. Tennessee and Vanderbilt spend a similar amount of money on football–$20M and $19M, respectively. It has been quite a while since either played in a BCS bowl. Of course—these statistics are further interesting. Duke and Boston College spent about $38M on football, while Tennessee and Vanderbilt of the vaunted SEC spent about $37M on football. Can critics of the ACC really suggest that the ACC does not care about football when two of its private schools are spending more than two SEC counterparts?

Of course, not all SEC schools bother to spend as much on football as Tennessee and Vanderbilt. The Mississippi schools put a total of $24M into their two respective football programs. Kentucky does a little better, investing $14M.

Surely, the uber-wealthy Big 10 is all about football, right? Not so fast. Illinois, Minnesota, Indiana, and Purdue all spend less than $17M on football. In fact, those four schools spent a total of $63M. That is approximately $16M per school.

But what about the ACC? Well, as noted above, Duke and Boston College do their part, spending $38M between them. Wake Forest, another school criticized for its football prowess (despite tending to beat Florida State), did lag behind by spending only $15M on football. Future Big 10 member, Maryland, fits right in at $14M. Still, these four ACC schools spent $67M on football, more than the four Big 10 schools discussed above.

In Part II, we will move away from the lower echelon of football success and take a look at the big football names and football expenses.


Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Basketball, Conference Realignment, Football, Hockey, Opinion and tagged , , , , , , , ,
20 Feb 2013
3 Comments

Taking Action on Conference Realignment- Contact Information for Fans

UPDATE- With recent rumors  that UNC, GT, UVA and FSU are leaving, please focus on those schools, Jim Delany, John Swofford and ESPN if you are going to contact someone on this list. Unfortunately, I could not find email addresses for John Swofford, Jim Delany and John Skipper. If you DO find them, please post them to the comments section, and I will edit this post. It appears that the greatest need can be found with these parties. We deserve a say in this too. This is OUR conference. I’ve included my original message below. DON’T FORGET TO SIGN THE PETITION ON CHANGE.ORG.

Thank you to everyone who has provided feedback on my latest article regarding conference realignment. I really appreciate it, and this type of discussion is why I enjoy Atlantic Coast Confidential so much. While I plan discuss issues such as television ratings and academics in the near future, I wanted to provide everyone with a comprehensive list of individuals with a significant stake in the ACC’s future.   While this is all public information, please respect the time and position of these individuals, if and when contacting them.

I truly believe that the ACC has a bright future in college athletics. Yes, many changes can be, and need to be made, for the league to reach its full potential. But this is why I have provided the information below. Joining another conference is a short-term solution without a long-term vision. While football is driving the flow of money right now, its future is in doubt due to rule changes, governmental intervention and increasing awareness of injuries. Baseball was once America’s past time, but was replaced by football. Ice skating and boxing were once among the most popular sports in the country. If, and of course there are many factors involved, football ceases to be on top, where would you want your school?  Would you want to be geographically and culturally isolated, playing very few of your longtime rivals, or would you like to be in a group based off of common geographic, athletic, academic and social characteristics? No other conference has better media markets, basketball, lacrosse, baseball, soccer and academics than the ACC. Our football is undeniably on the way up. There is more potential in the ACC than any other conference. Please share this with your friends, retweet it, post it on Facebook, or whatever you need to do. By working together, and having our voice heard as fans, I believe that we can make a difference.

Boston College
Father William P. Leahy, S.J. (william.leahy@bc.edu)
Office of the President
140 Commonwealth Ave.
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467

Bradley J. Bates (brad.bates@bc.edu)
Director of Athletics
140 Commonwealth Ave.
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Clemson University
Dr. James F. Barker, FAIA (jbarker@clemson.edu)
Office of the President
Clemson University
201 Sikes Hall
Clemson, SC 29634

Dan Radakovich (athldir@clemson.edu)
Director of Athletics
Jervey Athletic Center
PO Box 31
Clemson, SC 29633
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Duke University
Dr. Richard H. Brodhead (president@duke.edu)
Duke University
207 Allen Building
Box 90001
Durham, NC 27708

Kevin White (kwhite@duaa.duke.edu)
Director of Athletics
Box 90555
Durham, NC 27708
____________________________________________________________________________________
Florida State University
Dr. Eric J. Barron (ebarron@fsu.edu)
Office of the President
600 W. College Avenue
Tallahassee, FL 32306

Randy Spetman (rspetman@fsu.edu)
Director of Athletics
PO Box 2195
Tallahassee, FL 32316
____________________________________________________________________________________
Georgia Tech
Dr. G.P. Peterson (bud.peterson@gatech.edu)
Office of the President
Georgia Institute of Technology
North Ave.
Atlanta, GA 30332

Paul Griffin (njameson@athletics.gatech.edu)
Acting Athletic Director
150 Bobby Dodd Way, N.W.
Atlanta, GA 30332
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

University of Louisville
Dr. James Ramsey (jrrams02@louisville.edu)
Office of the President
University of Louisville
Louisville, KY 40292

Tom Jurich (tom@GoCards.com)
Director of Athletics
Athletics Department
University of Louisville
Louisville, KY 40292
________________________________________________________________________________________________
University of Miami
Dr. Donna E. Shalala (dshalala@miami.edu)
Office of the President
University of Miami
PO Box 248006
Coral Gables, FL 33124

Blake James (dgentile@miami.edu)
Director of Athletics
University of Miami Athletics
5821 San Amaro Drive
Coral Gables, FL 33146
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
University of North Carolina
Dr. Holden Thorp (chancellor@unc.edu)
Office of the Chancellor
103 South Building
Campus Box 9100
Chapel Hill, NC 27599

Bubba Cunningham (bubba.cunningham@unc.edu)
Director of Athletics
UNC Athletic Department
P.O. Box 2126
Chapel Hill, NC 27514
__________________________________________________________________________________

North Carolina State University
Dr. Randy Woodson (Chancellor@ncsu.edu)
Office of the Chancellor
Campus Box 7001, A Holladay Hall
Raleigh, NC, 27695

Deborah A. Yow (d_yow@ncsu.edu)
Weisiger Brown Building
2500 Warren Carrol Dr.
Campus Box 8502
Raleigh, NC 27695
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

University of Notre Dame
Rev. John I Jenkins, C.S.C. (president@nd.edu)
Office of the President
400 Main Building
Notre Dame, IN 46556

Jack Swarbrick (tinkham.1@nd.edu)
Director of Athletics
University of Notre Dame
C113 Joyce Center
Notre Dame, IN 46556
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

University of Pittsburgh
Dr. Mark A. Nordenberg (norden@pitt.edu)
Office of the Chancellor
University of Pittsburgh
107 Cathedral of Learning
Pittsburgh, PA 15260

Steve Pederson (spederson@athletics.pitt.edu)
University of Pittsburgh
Department of Athletics
PO Box 7436
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Syracuse University
Dr. Nancy Cantor (ncantor@syr.edu)
Office of the Chancellor
900 S. Crouse Avenue
Crouse-Hinds Hall, Suite 600
Syracuse, New York 13244

Dr. Daryl Gross (Djgross@syr.edu)
Director of Athletics
Manley Field House
1201 E. Colvin St.
Syracuse, NY 13244
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

University of Virginia
Dr. Teresa A Sullivan (jdb4d@virginia.edu)
Office of the President
PO Box 400224
Charlottesville, VA 22904

Craig Littlepage
Director of Athletics
McCue Center- PO Box 400846
Charlottesville, VA 22904
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Virginia Tech
Dr. Charles W. Steger (president@vt.edu)
Office of the President
210 Burruss Hall
Blacksburg, VA 24061

Jim Weaver (weaverj@vt.edu)
Director of Athletics
Virginia Tech Athletics Department
Jamerson Athletic Center/Cassell Coliseum/Merryman Center
Virginia Tech (0502)
Blacksburg, VA 24061
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Wake Forest University
Dr. Nathan O. Hatch (nhatch@wfu.edu)
Office of the President
211 Reynolda Hall
P.O. Box 7226
Winston-Salem, NC 27109

Ron Wellman (halldf@wfu.edu)
Director of Athletics
PO Box 7265
Winston-Salem, NC 27109
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
John Skipper
President- ESPN
ESPN Plaza
Bristol, CT 06010

John Swofford
Commissioner
Atlantic Coast Conference
4512 Weybridge Lane
Greensboro, NC 27407

Jim Delany
Commissioner
Big Ten Conference
1500 West Higgins Rd
Park Ridge, IL 60068

Larry Scott
Commissioner
Pac-12 Conference
1350 Treat Blvd
Walnut Creek, CA

Mike Slive
Commissioner
Southeastern Conference
2201 Richard Arrington Blvd. North
Birmingham, AL 35203

Bob Bowlsby
Commissioner
Big 12 Conference
400 East John Carpenter Freeway
Irving, TX 75062

 

Posted by Mr. Tar Heel in Basketball, Conference News, Conference Realignment, Football, UNC Correspondent
20 Feb 2013
18 Comments

Big 10 Expansion Petition

Until something more concrete is conceived, please consider signing and sharing this petition against Big 10 expansion:

https://www.change.org/petitions/the-ncaa-presidents-especially-big-10-presidents-stop-the-big-10-from-continuing-its-expansion#share

Whether you are a Big 10 fan that hates the addition of mediocre athletic institutions like Rutgers/Maryland and are otherwise sick of money driving things… or whether you are a fan of an ACC school who hates the idea of joining a midwestern conference… something needs to be done to give the fans power back.  We are the ones that make college athletics interesting, appeal to advertisers, etc.  If we stop caring, the money WILL GO DOWN.  Please stop giving us reasons to care less…

UPDATE: Even Frank the Tank is beginning to wonder about fire behind the rumored smoke.  http://frankthetank.wordpress.com/2013/02/19/b1g-dirty-south-expansion/     Do not complain if something goes down and you did not share your voice before it happened.  The University presidents are too elitist to care, but maybe trustees will hear the message and wonder whether short-term $$$ is worth the long-term move to ambivalence by the fan bases.

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Conference Realignment, Opinion and tagged , , , ,
19 Feb 2013
10 Comments

Big Ten Expansion, ACC Contraction?

The dominoes have been falling steadily.  Part of me just wishes the dominoes would go ahead and fall so we can be done with the madness.  It looks like another domino will fall soon.

It depends what you want to believe, but where there is smoke, there is fire. The big realignment pundits are all over this, including Frank the Tank. He paints a fairly pessimistic picture, basically saying “I’ll believe it when I see it.”

I think any departing ACC school would be a fool to announce before the Maryland suit settles, but the ACC looks anything but stable at this point. Could the Big Ten ruin the ACC?

Update: from a man who is a caricature of himself, self-endowed as “the Dude,” a title only reserved for the real Lebowski.  I digress.  Here’s what he said:

As Allen alluded to in his comments, many of these rumors are likely just that.  However, there have been enough of these rumors that something is bound to stick eventually.  Assuming UNC were to leap to the Big 10, where do you see the other ACC schools going?

Posted by Duke in Conference News, Conference Realignment, Uncategorized and tagged , , , , , ,
19 Feb 2013
25 Comments

Ending Conference Realignment- The Role of the Fans

UPDATE- I will be posting contact information for all future/current ACC school Presidents and ADs (except for Maryland), as well as information for ESPN and all major conferences tomorrow morning (2/20)

Maryland’s Short-Term Fix, Destroys a Long-Term Vision

As realignment rumors heat up in the WVU circles, I wanted to continue my series on conference realignment. Today, I wanted to touch on the fan’s role in all of this. At times, it seems like our opinions don’t matter at all. When Maryland first announced their intentions to join the Big Ten, prominent alumni spoke out against President Wallace Loh’s practically singular decision. He claimed that due to the confidential nature of the talks, he was unable to involve more people in the decision-making process. Basically, this meant only one thing in common speech- He wanted to do what he wanted to do. He didn’t care what anyone else thought. Any responsible school president would have realized that a decision of this magnitude, one that uproots a school from its athletic conference of over 60 years, needs more than an outsider’s input and opinion. Big decisions have big implications. That’s why even though the benefits of the Charlotte Bobcats rebranding as the Charlotte Hornets are painfully obvious, they’re still conducting serious research to determine the best move going forward. For a team coming off of the worst season in NBA history, it’s pretty telling that they’re willing to make this kind of investment. They want to know how the fans feel because they know that this will affect the bottom line. Maryland didn’t care, they just acted. Fans weren’t given an opportunity to speak, and when they did, it was too late. Don’t let this happen to your school, or your conference.

Since Maryland’s Big Ten announcement, many fans and alumni have publicly reversed their opinion on the subject. And why not? They can’t change anything so they may as well be happy. Or at least convince themselves that they’ll be happy. But it won’t work. After all, who in the Maryland administration can say that  games against Iowa and Minnesota will be as exciting as the one against Duke last Saturday? They can’t. The only reason they can sell the “academic superiority” and “financial benefits” of a move to the Big 10 is because they have an inferiority complex stemming from their complete financial mismanagement and athletic mediocrity. They have to say something, even if it’s justifying “exciting new matchups” against “traditionally strong” teams like Wisconsin (last NCAA men’s basketball championship in 1941), Ohio State (1960) and Indiana (1987), teams that they have far less history against than members of the ACC. And that’s just basketball. If the Maryland football team was struggling with support when they played local rivals, how many tickets do they think they’ll sell for games against Indiana and Iowa? Will fans really show up for an Ohio State game, if they didn’t show up for  Florida State? Wallace Loh can say yes all he wants, but history points to no. The problem isn’t your opponents Maryland, the problem is YOU. You mismanaged your own budget, you devalued your own rivalries and you were the one putting unbelievably mediocre teams on the field and court for the last decade. You got yourself into this problem and the answer isn’t to join the Big Ten.

Proposed Expansion Disaster- UNC to the Big Ten

As a fan of an ACC school often rumored to be leaving, I know one thing for certain. If MY school joined the Big Ten, I would never care about it in the same way again. In fact, it would all but ruin college athletics for me. It takes decades for rivalries to develop and bonds to be formed. I don’t have 100 years to sit around and wait for games against Nebraska to suddenly and magically become interesting. I’m still not sold on BC and they’ve been in the league for 10 years. History and tradition DO matter and any forward-thinking school president can see that this. Think long-term, not short-term. Rivalries develop because of commonalities and any amount of money cannot change that. Maryland will soon find this out. UNC-Michigan is NOT a rivalry. Maryland-Iowa is NOT a rivalry either. Schools can’t change conferences and expect the perceived “benefits” to outweigh the drawbacks when the drawbacks are rooted in decades of history. The University of North Carolina is a Southern school with Southern traditions and Southern rivals. We’re in the conference that we’re in because of characteristics that transcend more than anything the Big Ten Network can give us. UNC joining the Big Ten would make every game a Boston College game for me. In other words, I really wouldn’t care to watch them.

Fan of a School vs. Fan of a Conference

People say that they’re a fan of a school not a conference, but let’s not pretend that it doesn’t matter who you play. Would Ohio State fans really be happy with a Mountain West schedule? No, they wouldn’t. Would Clemson fans be happy with a CUSA schedule? Absolutely not. The conference that a school is in is just as important as the school itself. A win over Bowling Green would not be as exciting to me as a win over Duke. A conference is the school’s identity. It determines over 60% of matchups in each sport. Schools grouped together to begin with because they had common goals and characteristics. That’s why I wouldn’t be happy with my school in the Big Ten. I’d rather be in the Big 12, SEC or Pac-12 than the Big 10 because honestly, there are more interesting opponents in each of those conferences. We have more in common. But above all, I want to stay in the ACC because that’s where we belong.

What Can Fans Do? Let the ADs, Commissioners and TV Execs Know What You Think

So what can we do as fans? I want to encourage you to write to Commissioner Swofford and conference ADs and presidents. Share your ideas with them. Share your vision. Tell what you like about the conference and tell them about what you don’t. Even contact Big Ten commissioner Jim Delaney, Notre Dame AD Jack Swarbrick and ESPN President John Skipper. They will certainly have a say in all of this before it’s done. Sharing your ideas doesn’t take very long and it’s worth a shot before it’s too late. I’ve done it before and heard back within weeks. At a time when our conference is in such a state of flux, it’s important for the fan’s voice to be heard. Your school BELONGS in the ACC and the ACC NEEDS to stay together. More money won’t solve your problems, I promise. You’ll end up as a misfit pariah like Maryland for the next 50 years. Think about it this way. Being rich doesn’t make Lil’ Wayne and Donald Trump any more similar. In fact, they could not be more different.

Posted by Mr. Tar Heel in Conference News, Conference Realignment, UNC Correspondent, Uncategorized
18 Feb 2013
7 Comments

FSU News: The Monday Chop

Latest news on everything FSU

FSU holds junior day:  FSU is in the middle of two big recruiting weekends.  Jimbo got a commitment from Kamryn Pettway, who is a 220 pound junior running back.  It is clear Jimbo is trying to find the next Lonnie Pryor.  Pryor played an enormous role in Jimbo’s offense, even as a “fullback” so I don’t think it’s a hard job to sell.  Jimbo is also pursuing QB JJ Cosentino pretty hard.  JJ tore his ACL in his sophomore year, so he might be a little underrated.  He comes from the same school as Dan Marino and… Sal Suneri.  Sal’s impact on the coaching staff, just from a recruiting standpoint, has been immense.  On the other side of the ball, all he pretty much has to say is that he coached Julius Peppers.

Looking forward to spring:  There will be many position battles this spring–the most important being at quarterback.  The candidates are Clint Trickett (an undersized coach’s son who knows the playbook in-and-out), Jacob Coker (an underrated QB out of high school with all of the physical tools), and Jameis Winston (a two-sport star who was the top dual threat QB in 2012).  One thing I’m worried about is the fact that Jameis Winston is playing baseball and does a good deal of pitching.  Pitchers get all sorts of elbow and shoulder injuries.  Wear and tear aside, the effect this can have on his throwing motion is unknown.  Folks have cited to the fact that Deion Sanders and Bo Jackson both played, at a high level, football and baseball.  Yes, but neither Sanders nor Jackson played QB.  This will be a story line to watch going forward and count me in the Coker camp.  Less wear and tear, one more year in the system than Winston, and a sole focus on football.

The lack of news on FSU’s new offensive coordinator:  The last public bit of knowledge about FSU’s offensive coordinator position was that Jimbo would be interviewing candidates.  Last week, we heard of two candidates, the former UCLA OC Mike Johnson and the current USC WR coach Tee Martin.  No other candidates have surfaced.  This could mean a few things–Jimbo liked one of them and is working on a contract or Jimbo was upset that information was leaking and is trying to do things more covertly.  My preference is still Chris Weinke to come in and be the QB coach.  It’s a bit delusional to think Jimbo would defer coaching QBs to Weinke, but it would be in the best interest of the program.  It is one thing to bring in recruits and show them sealed lockers of FSU greats.  It is another thing to actually have one of those greats on the sideline and recruiting.  Chant Rant was the first to float this idea, so I will give them due credit, but this just seems like a no-brainer move.

In other news:  Mario Cristobal, the former FIU head coach and current (well, no longer current) UM offensive line coach, has accepted a position with Nick Saban as their offensive line coach.  A lateral move in title, sure, but a tremendous opportunity for Cristobal.  Cristobal was on the UM staff for all of two months.  He even helped court former FSU OC James Coley to UM.  This won’t likely have any real long-term effect on UM, but for FSU fans, it’s a bit of a consolation prize to see Cristobal up and leave.  Also, and quietly, UM has lost a considerable amount of coaches this off-season.

Speaking of coaching changes:  FSU almost lost another assistant.  This time around it was Lawrence Dawsey.  Noles247 reported that NFL teams have called Lawrence Dawsey.  I really can’t speak to Dawsey’s coaching prowess–to be honest, I have expected more out of some of the FSU WRs like Rodney Smith and Kelvin Benjamin.  Those two receivers have the ability to control a game just with their size.  We just never seem to utilize them the way they should be and maybe that’s just more of a reflection of Jimbo’s offense than Dawsey’s ability to coach them up.  I will say this, however:  Dawsey is a loyal Seminole.  It’s clear he wants to be at FSU and so I hope they repay him in kind.

FSU’s ACC Championship Game woes getting attention:  A few outlets have been picking up the FSU story about the half-a-million-dollars-in-debt that it incurred just for appearing in the ACC Championship game.  One outlet, NBC Sports, opines that the only loss in this setting should be on the field–not in the pocket book.  If you want examples of how the ACC is not helping football schools, this may be one of them.  The current formula is not working.  Sure, Swofford has said that they are working to ensure that no school suffers a financial loss because of its appearance in the game, but the ACC Championship games haven’t been relevant or exciting in a long time.  That indicates to me something has to change… granted, they’ve tinkered with the venue a few times, but is Charlotte really the best place?  I think it is too difficult to try and predict who will be in the championship game, so it’s not worth placing it in Charlotte or Jacksonville.  The right place should be at the stadium of the team with the better record, or a tie-breaker of some sort.  They can work out a 60/40 split and it may even be an added incentive for teams to push harder down the stretch.  The fact that FSU lost half a million dollars playing in this game is not going to help the ACC’s cause in trying to stick together.

My other hope for change is some divisional realignment.  FSU fans could care less about Pittsburgh–it is Georgia Tech that FSU should be playing every year.  It is one of the easiest things the ACC can do to help Florida State… a trip to Boston is more expensive and less exciting (on the field) than it is to Atlanta.  This is an ACC Blog, so I’m confident my colleagues will have varying opinions, but I like to stoke the fire some.

The only bright spot of the ACC Championship game, and winning it, is this awesome video about FSU going to the Orange Bowl.  Enjoy.

Posted by Duke in Conference Realignment, Football, FSU Correspondent, Opinion, Orange Bowl and tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,
17 Feb 2013
15 Comments

Taking a Stand Against Conference Expansion- In Defense of John Swofford

As a sports blogger, I love to talk about conference realignment. Why? Because it usually facilitates a lot of interesting discussion with our readers. BUT I HATE IT. It’s highly speculative, divisive and petty. It pits conference fans against one another, and leads to pointless name calling and trash talking. Like many others, I believe that conference realignment is ruining college athletics. It needs to stop. But as many sportswriters across the country publish that our conference is on the brink, I feel the need to clear up a few well-reported misconceptions. Love him, or hate him, John Swofford is the commissioner of the Atlantic Coast Conference. And unlike many, I believe that he’s the right man for the job. Below, I will set to defend him with facts based on history. If you don’t like what you read, remember that I am not responsible for your own school’s shortcomings and neither is the ACC. If Boise State has shown us anything, it’s that money and power aren’t always a precursor to success. It’s having the right people in place at the right time. John Swofford is the right man for the ACC.

Contrary to popular belief, John Swofford didn’t start realignment, the Southeastern Conference did.

The SEC was the first major conference to go to 12 teams, and then to 14. By doing this, they escalated the arms race, pursuing money, when tradition and fans were what really mattered. The ACC didn’t expand because we wanted to, we expanded because we had to. We did so with the best schools available, always fitting the athletic and academic profile of the conference, and always in a swift and efficient manner.

Contrary to popular belief, John Swofford doesn’t have some sort of mythical basketball agenda designed to keep The University of North Carolina on top.

Fans point to the fact that John Swofford is a former UNC Athletic Director and collegiate athlete as their evidence of his perceived North Carolina basketball bias. But John Swofford is simply one man in a long line of ACC-school affiliated commissioners, not a hand-picked puppet of The University of North Carolina system. The ACC has always had someone close to the conference in this position because it wants someone who understands the league and its members, not someone with no sense of its tradition or history like University of Maryland President Wallace Loh. Jim Weaver (Wake Forest), Robert James (Maryland) and Eugene Corrigan (Virginia, Duke) were all tied to the ACC somehow, and not surprisingly, not to The University of North Carolina. If the ACC hired a new commissioner today, it might come from a league school like Miami or Boston College. Only one thing would be certain- it would NOT come from The University of North Carolina. The point of having an ACC-school affiliated commissioner is to create familiarity and investment, NOT bias, and the league has been very successful at this whether fans want to admit it or not.

There’s no basketball-related bias either. It’s ridiculous to pretend that Duke University has more votes than Florida State when it comes to conference matters. They don’t. Even when grouped together, the North Carolina schools are less than a third of the voting membership. They weren’t even the majority when Florida State was added in 1991. Both recent expansions have happened since then, and history tells us that the expansion in 2004 was about nothing but football. A conference championship, stronger teams and new recruiting grounds were just some of the considerations that led John Swofford to add Miami, Boston College and Virginia Tech. Basketball was simply not considered and in reality, most of the North Carolina schools voted against expansion and it happened anyway.

Contrary to popular belief, John Swofford is not out to ruin the BCS National Championship aspirations of the football-first schools. In fact, he cares a great deal about football, and it’s the schools that blame him for their own mediocrity that have ruined the football perception of the conference.

John Swofford does not go out on the football field each Saturday. He’s not the one losing to South Carolina. He’s not the one getting out-recruited by Georgia. And he’s not the one getting embarrassed in the Orange Bowl. That’s the ACC member schools. While he played college football at North Carolina, he finished his career a long time ago. Don’t blame him for what’s happening on the field now. The fact is, that John Swofford DOES care a great deal about ACC football. People seem to forget that when Boston College, Miami and Virginia Tech were added, they were all at the top of the college football world. Scandals (Miami), coaching turnover (Boston College) and the inability to perform in bowls (Virginia Tech) have brought these programs down, not their conference or its commissioner. None of these teams have gone undefeated, or even gotten close since they joined the ACC, so they certainly can’t argue that they were left out of a championship because of what conference they’re in. They brought themselves down, and that’s simply a fact.

The same can be said for schools like Florida State, Clemson and Georgia Tech. If these teams can’t go undefeated in the supposedly “weak” ACC, why do they think they deserve “better?” What is “better” if you haven’t won a National Championship since 1981? (Clemson) Do you really even deserve to be called a football “power” when you can only claim two national championships and “basketball” school Pittsburgh can claim 10? (Florida State) No one would be calling North Carolina a basketball “power” that shouldn’t have to play teams like yours Georgia Tech if it hadn’t won a national championship since 1990. The reality is, that schools and fans want to blame John Swofford for the league’s poor football product, but they need to look in the mirror. No amount of money can make bad coaching hires, recruiting decisions and scandals better. It’s about what you do with the money, not about how much you have. Yes, money is nice. But Kentucky football is STILL bad, the SEC is rich, and I’ve heard that it’s good at football. The ACC positioned its schools for football success by giving it better competition and access to the highest level bowls. The schools did not capitalize on this and have no one else to blame, but themselves.

Let’s be honest. Many of you will probably reply to me and say that I only believe these things because I’m a North Carolina fan. That’s fine, you’re entitled to your own opinion. It’s what makes a blog like this so much fun. But what if I told you that I’m not only a North Carolina fan, but that I also have a Masters degree in Sport Management? Does that make me more of an expert? What if I told you that I’ve done extensive research on the history of the ACC and own numerous books on the conference written by non-North Carolina sources? How do you feel now? Probably the same. What if I told you that I have family members that have gone to at least six other ACC schools? Do you feel that I’m less-biased now? Probably not. We all have preconceived biases and conference expansion brings out these feelings in the worst way. But history has shown one thing, and it’s that John Swofford has done a great job and wants nothing more than the ACC to be on top.

This is the first article on a series of realignment-related topics that I hope bring about some great discussion for everyone. If you don’t agree with me, please contact John Swofford and let him know what you don’t like about the league. Contact your school president, or athletic director and tell them ways you think the ACC can improve. Your school’s athletic program will not get better by leaving the conference. You’re where you are for a reason, and if we work together we can make the ACC into the strongest league in the country. Don’t let an undervalued television contract and a lack of recent football success blind you from the overall quality of academic and athletic prowess in the ACC. We have the best television markets, basketball, lacrosse, soccer, baseball and academics in the country. We have geographic conformity and longtime rivals. We have tradition and THAT MATTERS. Don’t let realignment ruin what we have because in the end, you won’ t have any of your friends to help you count your empty money.

Posted by Mr. Tar Heel in Conference News, Conference Realignment
13 Feb 2013
36 Comments

ACC Poll Day–If Notre Dame Went All-In with the ACC, Who Do You Like For Team #16

Today is a good day for a poll.  Query–if Notre Dame was to shock the world by going “all-in” for the ACC, giving it 15 teams, who would you like for team #16?  Let’s assume that schools from the SEC, Big XII, and Big 10 are out of the mix because…. they are.  Nobody is taking a pay cut to join the ACC.  It is what it is.

The candidates:

  • Connecticut.  Pros–outstanding hoops (mens and womens) & competent football, with at least one BCS appearance.  Rivalries with Syracuse and Pitt, and a huge rivalry potential with Boston College.  Even Duke-UConn womens hoops would be huge.  Cons–only competent football, not outstanding football.  Geographical overlap with Boston College.  Not a pedigreed football name.
  • Cincinnati.  Pros–new market (southern Ohio), good football recently, and some decent hoops.  Close to Pittsburgh & Louisville for potential rivalries.  Cons–small market, as Ohio is dominated by Ohio State, while neighboring Kentucky is  swallowed by Louisville and Kentucky.
  • Navy.  Pros–national name and a partner for Notre Dame.  Back into the Maryland/DC market.  Cons–terrible hoops in the post-David Robinson era.  Football would not exactly be an upgrade–although it is hard to say that Navy is demonstrably worse than UConn or Cincinnati in the big picture.
  • South Florida.  Pros–outstanding location for football recruiting and potential.  Cons–ACC already has the Florida market in check with Miami and FSU.  Hoops team has not done much, and the football team has underachieved of late.  Not a national name by any stretch.
  • Temple.  Pros–Philly market, good hoops history, and potential for football.  Cons–football has been more bad than good in the modern era, especially in the absence of a certain Mr. Golden.
  • Hybrid craziness.  Let’s say #16 gets to be UConn for hoops, Navy for football, and Johns Hopkins for lacrosse–take it or leave it, folks.  Or some other combination, like VCU for hoops subbing in for a UConn not being happy with a partial membership.

Anyone else out there?  This seems to be the list.

Who do you like and why?

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Basketball, Conference Realignment, Football, Opinion and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
12 Feb 2013
11 Comments

Conference Realignment–ACC Needs to be Wary of History Repeating Itself

Frank the Tank has a new entry for your perusal.  In this latest blog entry, the opinion is that Fox, rather than ESPN, is responsible for the demise of the Big East.  The Confidential disagrees.  Moreover, the Confidential cannot help but think that the ACC needs to be very wary of the destruction of the Big East to prevent, to the extent possible, the demise of our great conference.

As a preliminary matter, there is no doubt that Fox’s entry into the sports networking landscape has been a contributing factor.  If nothing else, the partnership with the Big 10 has dramatically altered the college sports landscape.   Fox’s role in conference realignment is obvious.

But the demise of the Big East began long before the loss of Rutgers, Maryland/Louisville, Notre Dame, and the Catholic-7.  Rather, the demise began with the loss of Pittsburgh and Syracuse.  And, really, the loss of Pittsburgh and Syracuse began with the inability of ESPN and the Big East to negotiate a restructured deal.  While ESPN was willing to ride the Longhorn Network into town to save the Big XII, ESPN did not bother to do anything to save the Big East from demise.  Rather, it allowed (directed?) it’s partner, the ACC, to take two of the Big East’s most valuable properties–Syracuse and Pittsburgh.  Even if Fox was behind every other move that decimated the Big East (see West Virginia, TCU, Maryland, and Rutgers), the reality is that ESPN never stepped up to the plate to save the Big East.

As ESPN continues to lose the rights to major college programs, one wonders if ESPN is going to go the route of MTV.  Once, MTV showed videos… with an occasional non-video show sprinkled in.  At some point, MTV stopped showing videos.  And it’s been decades since this author has cared about MTV.  Every pass through revealed less about “music” and more about reality TV.  Presumably, MTV is still profitable and pleasing to its owners.  Is ESPN going to follow suit and devote more resources to news & shows where reporters yell at each other?   It certainly runs contrary to the prevailing logic that live sports are among the best television products out there because people cannot fast forward through the commercials.

In any event, the question that begs is whether ESPN will step up to the plate to “save the ACC.”   ESPN helped save the Big XII.  But, with every program that moves from the ACC to the Big XII or Big 10, ESPN will lose the exclusive rights to that school.  And one wonders whether Fox will be content to allow ESPN to share in the Big XII and Big 10.  If this is a business battle between Fox and ESPN, Fox seems to be winning.  The Big East was “collateral damage” in that battle.  The ACC needs to ensure that ESPN does not view the ACC as collateral damage.  It is unclear exactly what the ACC can do… but at least being wary of ESPN and history repeating itself is a very small step one.

What do YOU think?  Is ESPN working for or against the ACC these days?


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Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Conference Realignment, Opinion and tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,
08 Feb 2013
10 Comments

Notre Dame Unlikely to Play ACC Hoops in 2013-2014

Not much to comment about here… the reports are that Notre Dame is unlikely to get out of the Big East in time for the 2013-2014 season.  At least part of the issue is what is going on with the so-called “Catholic 7” and their formation of a new league.  Notre Dame certainly does not want to be in a hoops conference with the leftovers from the Big East.  But if the Georgetown, Villanova, Marquette, and DePaul group is still around for 2013-2014, the urgency to leave is reduced substantially.

We can expect the anti-ACC (i.e. West Virginia bloggers) to say that this is “proof” that the ACC is about to be raided and/or that Notre Dame is getting cold feet.  If that is true, it will only be dumb luck for those bloggers.  Even a broken clock is right twice a day.  If you throw out rumors every week, you will be bound to get a few right over a long enough period of time.

On another note, Frank the Tank has an interesting update on the Catholic 7 and the Big 10’s possible interest in Johns Hopkins for lacrosse only.  The Confidential continues to ponder whether the ACC should consider Navy for football only.  Another partner for Notre Dame.

 

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Conference Realignment, Football, Lacrosse and tagged , , , ,

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