Trying to make sense of the conferences as we know… for today at least.
After 4 weeks here is where the conferences stand
Against the BCS:
ACC (5-7)
Big East (4-7)
Big 10 (6-5)
Big 12 (6-2)
SEC (5-2)
Pac 12 (4-7)
Overall against FBS:
ACC (12-10)
Big East (13-9)
Big 10 (25-11)
Big 12 (20-2)
Pac 12 (12-10)
SEC (19-4)
At this point I would rank the conferences like so:
1) Big 12
2) SEC
3) Big 10
4) Pac 12
5) ACC
6) Big East
The ACC has a better win percentage than the Pac 12 but I think the top of the Pac-12 (Stanford and Oregon) is better than the top of the ACC (VT and Clemson) so I moved them up. The Big East has had a rough time but they still haven’t lost to an FCS opponent like the Pac-12, ACC, and Big 10 have. For all the talk of weak schedules, the SEC has only played 6 FCS schools, same as the Big 12 and Big 10. The ACC takes the crown with 10 FCS match-ups. Ouch.
The ACC might actually be weaker with Pitt and Syracuse. Pitt has no wins against non-conference BCS teams and Syracuse’s only BCS win came over Wake Forest… an ACC team.
Big 12 vs. SEC is an interesting question. The SEC is definitely strong at the top with Alabama and LSU but the bottom is also quite weak with Ole Miss, Miss State, and Kentucky. Traditional Big 12 bottom feeders Iowa State and Baylor actually look competitive while whether a top 15 team exists in the SEC east has yet to be proven. Texas A&M vs. Arkansas should tell us a little something about how these conferences stack up and I would love to see a BCS showdown between Oklahoma State and LSU.
Most teams are getting conference play kicked off so we won’t know much more about the how the conferences far against one another until the bowl season. At this point I’m betting a 1 loss Big 12 or SEC school would get the nod over an undefeated ACC squad (VT, Clemson, or GT) but that would be an interesting scenario. Still plenty of football left to play, so who know, perhaps the ACC will recover and make a good showing come BCS time.
Looks like someone got my letter. Over the weekend Commish Swofford made the first big move in the conference re-alignment wars. The ACC added Syracuse and Pitt.
As an ACC fan, I’m not really that happy with expansion in general and I’m definitely not happy with having Pitt and Syracuse in the conference (Miami and BC are bad enough, did we really need more Big East dead weight?), but I think Swoff did the best he could with what was available.
Now please stop.
14 teams is enough. 16 teams will further skew things and here’s why:
The ACC already claimed the two biggest prizes in the Big East. Send hate mail here UConn, South Florida, and West Va fans. Rutgers fans you can too but I really don’t think you exist.
7 team divisions allows for a divisional round robin with two cross-division games in an 8 game scenario. 8 team divisions just makes things messy and the two divisions almost operate like small conferences.
If the league stops now, things can be split geographically for divisions that make sense rather than the sufficiently vague Atlantic and Coastal variations. Here is how I would split things:
North:
- BC
- Syracuse
- Pitt
- Maryland
- VT
- UVA
- Duke
South:
- UNC
- NC State
- Wake
- Clemson
- GT
- Florida State
- Miami
Gasp! Duke and UNC in separate divisions? They can deal with it the same way Michigan and Ohio State will deal with it. Besides it will fit well for basketball too. ESPN would love to see the ACC tournament end with a classic Duke - Carolina match-up in Charlotte. (Screw you, Jim Boeheim, you join the ACC, you deal with the ACC’s traditions.)
Is the South division a little football heavy? Perhaps it looks that way now, but remember, things change. Miami looked like a heavy weight when they joined the ACC but it turns out Virginia Tech was longer term power. Who’s to say Pitt wouldn’t emerge or Maryland wouldn’t step up?
Most importantly, let’s try to preserve the little bit of tradition the ACC has left. The basketball tournament and football title game stay in Charlotte every year until the end of time. North Carolina is the geographic center of the league, most of the fans live within driving distance of Charlotte, and it is a neutral site with pro facilities. End of story.
Commissioner Swofford,
As you no doubt have read, Miami is hosed. Sorry, allegedly hosed. Let’s be completely honest here and just agree that ACC expansion has not worked out exactly as everyone hoped. Let’s review:
Boston College deliver the Boston TV market to the ACC. Boston TV market? I didn’t see anyone watching a BC game in Goodwill Hunting or The Town. Unless we add the Red Sox or the Patriots to the ACC that’s not happening. Well Boston College is at least good at basketball right…. hmm, well, we can give them a few more years right?
A sold-out, exciting championship game in Florida every year! I was in Jacksonville for the 2006 Wake Forest vs. Georgia Tech game. I don’t think I need to go into any more detail. Charlotte is at least a step in the right direction.
Miami is a national power and will make the ACC relevant. The ACC bought high and now it looks like we’re about to sell low… or maybe just call declare bankruptcy and pull out. Miami delivered the spotlight alright. It delivered pure and utter chaos. Miami makes Florida State look like model program. That’s an impressive feat.
Syracuse will deliver the NYC TV market. Wait, Syracuse didn’t even work out, did they? Virginia Tech was allowed in thanks to some political wrangling but so far that appears to be the one move the ACC got right.
I think the fans are willing to forgive these past transgressions if you’re willing to grow a pair and go big. (See Larry Scott Pac-12) How big? Texas Big.
The ACC should invite Texas A&M.
Positives:
- The ACC enters the Texas recruiting market.
- The ACC footprint grows and becomes less regional.
- Texas A&M adds a football pedigree and they aren’t half bad at basketball.
- Most of the ACC already hates Texas (see Mack Brown) so A&M will be a good fit.
Negatives:
- Travel… but is this really any worse than Miami or Tallahassee?
The Big East did it with TCU. We can’t let them pass us! Grow a pair Mr. Swofford and make the ACC relevant again.
Sincerely,
A humble ACC fan
