The Jacket
The Coat
- Joined
- Jun 17, 2002
- Messages
- 32,006
This come's from a guy who posts on a board I attend called "Operation Sports", a sports video game forum.
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No one is going to completely get what each institution wants. New Blood is not going to change the Tobacco Road traditionalists. Old School can't expect the ACC to survive w/out change. The ACC WILL change. The 12 schools can either lead that change or be thrown about by the wake caused by others moving w/the times. Since they've already stirred the waters, they had best come to some conclusion or get drowned.
First they need to come to some realizations. The conferences do not need to split in divisions in football & b-ball. The Big 12 has divisions in football but not in basketball. The same can be done in the ACC. Geography doesn't need to come into play. We've got 10 SE teams & 2 in the NE. Geography has already been blown out of the window.
Also, there is no need to worry about balancing the proposed divisions. A probation here, a couple of better-than-expected recruiting classes there, & the balance you started w/becomes completely lopsided. I'm sure the SEC looked balanced @ the beginning of their 12 team league, but Florida, Tennessee & Georgia all dominate it now. Five years from now, Auburn, LSU & Arkansas might be calling the shots.
Therefore, here are my 3 compromises:
1. Division Alignment
This would be in football only. Div1- Maryland, UVA, UNC, Duke, NC State, Wake. Div2 - Miami, FSU, BC, Syracuse, GaTech, Clemson.
This will keep most rivalries intact. 'Noles, Tech & Tigers don't want the travel? TOUGH. You asked for it, you should have to do carry the bulk of the extra travel. Miami already makes trips to BC & Syracuse so that shouldn't be that big of a deal. BC & Syracuse travel to Florida already.
Each team in the divisons will play each other once a year. They'll rotate 2 games from the other.
2. Basketball scheduling.
Each school gets 5 schools that they'll play twice each season. That'll leave 6 others. 3 Home, 3 Away. That will equal the current 16 game conference schedule. No division. Here's what it might look like w/teams in bold the definite matchups. The others are negotiable.
UNC - Duke, Wake, NCSt, UVa ,Clem
Duke - UNC, Wake, NCSt, MD, FSU
NCSt - UNC, Duke, Wake, Clem, Syra
Wake - UNC, Duke, NCSt, Clem, BC
MD - Duke, UVa, BC, Syra, Miami
Clem - GaT, FSU, UVa, NCSt, UNC
UVa - UNC, MD, Clem, BC, GT
FSU - Miami, Clem, GaT, Syra, Duke
GaT - Clem, Miami, Wake, FSU, UVa
Mia - FSU, Syra, BC, GaT, MD
Syra - Miami, BC, MD, FSU, NCSt
BC - Miami, Syra, MD, UVa, Wake
This keeps the traditional rivals intact. The Big East 3, already familiar w/each other, continue to meet. Syracue & BC already go to DC to play G'twn. They can always switch some of the other games around.
3. Tourney Tickets
Who says all 12 have to be invited to the tournament? The last 2 in the ACC get to plan for spring break early. 10 teams go to the tourney, just 1 more than the current 9. Teams 7-10 have "play-in" on Thursday. Higher remaining seed play #2 on Friday, lower plays #1. Now you have the traditional 8 on Friday.
This accomplishes a number of things. 1) The ticket crunch is minimized. 2) The lowly attended 1st round now has 4 schools to attend. 3) The 1st round can potentially help the RPI of some on-the-bubble teams.
I don't think any of the 3 above suggestions would cause too much of a headache for anybody. Maybe it's not what they wanted, but it's better than nothing. UVa is caught between a rock & a hard place. The Big East 3 are afraid of playing 2 seasons as a lame-duck? Try playing after the deal has fallen through. UNC & Duke want to preserve the status quo? The status quo will be dead & gone if there are mass defections because this falls through, or if UVa decides to vote yes. At least this will enable them to keep some of Tobacco Road's
____________________________________________
No one is going to completely get what each institution wants. New Blood is not going to change the Tobacco Road traditionalists. Old School can't expect the ACC to survive w/out change. The ACC WILL change. The 12 schools can either lead that change or be thrown about by the wake caused by others moving w/the times. Since they've already stirred the waters, they had best come to some conclusion or get drowned.
First they need to come to some realizations. The conferences do not need to split in divisions in football & b-ball. The Big 12 has divisions in football but not in basketball. The same can be done in the ACC. Geography doesn't need to come into play. We've got 10 SE teams & 2 in the NE. Geography has already been blown out of the window.
Also, there is no need to worry about balancing the proposed divisions. A probation here, a couple of better-than-expected recruiting classes there, & the balance you started w/becomes completely lopsided. I'm sure the SEC looked balanced @ the beginning of their 12 team league, but Florida, Tennessee & Georgia all dominate it now. Five years from now, Auburn, LSU & Arkansas might be calling the shots.
Therefore, here are my 3 compromises:
1. Division Alignment
This would be in football only. Div1- Maryland, UVA, UNC, Duke, NC State, Wake. Div2 - Miami, FSU, BC, Syracuse, GaTech, Clemson.
This will keep most rivalries intact. 'Noles, Tech & Tigers don't want the travel? TOUGH. You asked for it, you should have to do carry the bulk of the extra travel. Miami already makes trips to BC & Syracuse so that shouldn't be that big of a deal. BC & Syracuse travel to Florida already.
Each team in the divisons will play each other once a year. They'll rotate 2 games from the other.
2. Basketball scheduling.
Each school gets 5 schools that they'll play twice each season. That'll leave 6 others. 3 Home, 3 Away. That will equal the current 16 game conference schedule. No division. Here's what it might look like w/teams in bold the definite matchups. The others are negotiable.
UNC - Duke, Wake, NCSt, UVa ,Clem
Duke - UNC, Wake, NCSt, MD, FSU
NCSt - UNC, Duke, Wake, Clem, Syra
Wake - UNC, Duke, NCSt, Clem, BC
MD - Duke, UVa, BC, Syra, Miami
Clem - GaT, FSU, UVa, NCSt, UNC
UVa - UNC, MD, Clem, BC, GT
FSU - Miami, Clem, GaT, Syra, Duke
GaT - Clem, Miami, Wake, FSU, UVa
Mia - FSU, Syra, BC, GaT, MD
Syra - Miami, BC, MD, FSU, NCSt
BC - Miami, Syra, MD, UVa, Wake
This keeps the traditional rivals intact. The Big East 3, already familiar w/each other, continue to meet. Syracue & BC already go to DC to play G'twn. They can always switch some of the other games around.
3. Tourney Tickets
Who says all 12 have to be invited to the tournament? The last 2 in the ACC get to plan for spring break early. 10 teams go to the tourney, just 1 more than the current 9. Teams 7-10 have "play-in" on Thursday. Higher remaining seed play #2 on Friday, lower plays #1. Now you have the traditional 8 on Friday.
This accomplishes a number of things. 1) The ticket crunch is minimized. 2) The lowly attended 1st round now has 4 schools to attend. 3) The 1st round can potentially help the RPI of some on-the-bubble teams.
I don't think any of the 3 above suggestions would cause too much of a headache for anybody. Maybe it's not what they wanted, but it's better than nothing. UVa is caught between a rock & a hard place. The Big East 3 are afraid of playing 2 seasons as a lame-duck? Try playing after the deal has fallen through. UNC & Duke want to preserve the status quo? The status quo will be dead & gone if there are mass defections because this falls through, or if UVa decides to vote yes. At least this will enable them to keep some of Tobacco Road's