More teams=better for the ACC? Not opposed to it, but it’s not necessary if the ACC can hang on to what they’ve got.

When expansion came to the ACC back in the mid-2000s, football was key to the deal for 12 teams to an ACC Championship Game. With the Big Ten looking to become the Big 14 or 16 now, the domino effect will most likely be a divide and conquer of the Big East mega-conference if the right teams leave. What does the ACC do with all of this?

Right now, I don’t think the ACC needs to expand, but–if they do, basketball should be in mind this time. I don’t think there are any “can’t miss” football rich teams out on the market like a Virginia Tech/BC/Miami(but then again, we didn’t know they were on the market back then).  Teams thrown around include Syracuse which would be an excellent addition to the conference for another basketball-rich team. If you look at the Big East on the basketball side, they are the best overall conference despite the back-to-back titles for the ACC. Add a couple basketball powers from the Big East and the conference becomes that much better.

Maryland blog Testudo Times has West Virginia, Louisville, South Florida, Cincinnati, and East Carolina as possibilities in the case that the Big Ten goes 16 teams. They go on to discuss the geographic and academic fit-issues with each school which are valid points. I personally would love to add West Virginia and another one of those schools or more, but I blog and do not have the call on such decisions.

Will expansion further break up the Tobacco Road rivalries? Possibly, but I think it could be structured where they don’t lose much in the deal. But they are only four of 12 teams in the conference and money comes with each NCAA Tourney win and TV markets. With NC State’s struggles in the last few years, there are only three consistently competitive squads in NC(granted, two of the better programs in college basketball history included there). Adding a Syracuse can cooperate with BC for blanketing that Northern market and add a deadly, tradition-rich team for the NCAA Tourney.

On the other side, if the SEC/Big Ten come calling for ACC squads–can the ACC hold them off? Clemson and Florida State are two of the more likely SEC candidates. I’m not sure any ACC team would fit with the Big Ten geographically. With the money the SEC is bringing in, you have to think they would be listening. Clemson is an original member of the ACC, and with a stronger emphasis on academics now–that might stave off any other conference’s advances. For Florida State, coach Fisher obviously has experience with SEC football so that would be interesting. For the ACC, keeping these squads is paramount for a respectable football conference which may be why a proactive expansion could be in the cards.

In the case of the ACC’s big expansion of BC/VT/Miami, the ACC went with a delayed reaction to the SEC’s move in the 90s. I will argue until my face is as blue as the ACC logo that the expansion was a positive for the conference as a whole. If they move quickly like the Big Ten, they could be at or ahead of the curve, but I don’t think they will expand with their emphasis on keeping tradition and strong academics. The most likely scenario is that another conference comes calling for an ACC team and the conference works hard to keep everyone intact.

To expand or not to expand, that is my question to you.

Tags: ACC Basketball, ACC Football, Boston College Eagles, Clemson Tigers, Duke Blue Devils, Florida State Seminoles, Maryland Terrapins, Miami Hurricanes, NC State Wolfpack, North Carolina Tar Heels, potw, Wake Forest Demon Deacons

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 22nd, 2010 at 10:14 pm and is filed under Basketball, Football. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.