I would like to start by saying that this decision hedges on one thing and one thing only, ACC basketball ticket allotment. The North Carolina Coalition (NCC) (Duke, Wake, UNC and NCSU) are not going to reduce their ticket allotment to the tournament to add a football championship game and possibly another bowl bid to a game that will not add revenue to the conference. The only way to increase seating os to move to a Dome and if you think the NCC is going to allow the Tourney to move to the Georgia Dome every year you are dreaming.
Do you think the ACC made or lost money on the following bowls: Tangerine, Seattle, Humanitarian? I could argue that the only bowls that turned a profit were Orange, Gator and Peach. We would have a lot of work to do, as a conference, to get our bowl slots to that of the SEC.
But if we went to 12 teams (10 or 11 is the wrong number) I would add Miami, BC and Syracuse. All three have very solid football programs. Basketball is always solid at the 'Cuse and Miami is up and coming. I can't speak to BC because I have no idea how good they are at hoops. Oh yeah, I think they have a fairly decent program at Miami in baseball.
This mix would bring in the largest possible television market which would help GT as we need exposure given the type of athlete we need to recruit. From an academic standpoint BC is solid and I view Syracuse as no different than Clemson. Miami is a different beast but hey the last ACC school we brought in was a party school so what the heck. Additionally, a road trip to Miami every other year (we should alternate the away years with our FSU game) would not be shabby.
ACC Division A: UNC, Wake, Maryland, FSU, GT, BC
ACC Division B (or Orange): NCSU, Duke, UVA, Miami, Clemson, Syracuse
Football: 8 Conference games. You play everyone in your division each year plus have 1 permanent opponent from the other division (Tech's should be Clemson). The other 2 conference games rotate between the remaining 5 schools in the other division (You play home one year, away the next and then rotate)
Hoops: 16 Conference Games, 10 against the other 5 teams in your division and one each against the other division.
Bowls:
BCS, Cotton (Big 12), Peach (SEC), Gator(Big East), Seattle (Pac 10), Tangerine (Big 10)
Does this work for anyone?
MacDaddy