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Conference Realignment: the obvious solution

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RedSquare

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Was thinking about this yesterday, after talking with a friend who is a senior executive at one of the networks.

Our conclusion was that the ultimate power move is for the SEC and ACC to fully merge.

If that happens, from a sports perspective, you would have the dominant conference for all three major sports, plus the significant minors as well as the key Women’s sports.

Plus, the ACC brings what the SEC doesn’t have: major media markets. South Florida, NY, DC/NoVa Metro, …. The SEC has local and regional location based interest, but zero national and international media footprint. You add the ACC, it’s game over. The logistics are also much more manageable than the Big Ten trying to integrate the California schools.

This would be a game changer.

Interested in everyone else’s thoughts.
 
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CaneinBroward said:
It would be nice, but I just don't see the TV contract paying out at the same amount (let alone increasing) per team with the deadweight of the entire ACC included in that scenario (Wake, NC State, BC, etc.).
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This. Merging the conferences would likely a mean a higher payout per school for the ACC, but the SEC would be taking a pay cut. Plus, they would have to figure out how schedules work with 30 teams.

The only reason they would even consider this is if they felt bad for the schools that would otherwise get left behind, but considering every move they have made so far is to strengthen their conference, often at the sacrifice of college football overall, there is no way this is happening.
 
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RedSquare said:
Was thinking about this yesterday, after talking with a friend who is a senior executive at one of the networks.

Our conclusion was that the ultimate power move is for the SEC and ACC to fully merge.

If that happens, from a sports perspective, you would have the dominant conference for all three major sports, plus the significant minors as well as the key Women’s sports.

Plus, the ACC brings what the SEC doesn’t have: major media markets. South Florida, NY, DC/NoVa Metro, …. The SEC has local and regional location based interest, but zero national and international media footprint. You add the ACC, it’s game over. The logistics are also much more manageable than the Big Ten trying to integrate the California schools.

This would be a game changer.

Interested in everyone else’s thoughts.
Click to expand...


I think 30 is too many, or "too big a jump to make all at one time".

I think you would try to offload some teams to the Big 10, such as Syracuse, BC, Pitt, Mizzou, Vandy, and either GaTech or Louisville.

24 might work better than 30.
 
Shogungts said:
This. Merging the conferences would likely a mean a higher payout per school for the ACC, but the SEC would be taking a pay cut. Plus, they would have to figure out how schedules work with 30 teams.

The only reason they would even consider this is if they felt bad for the schools that would otherwise get left behind, but considering every move they have made so far is to strengthen their conference, often at the sacrifice of college football overall, there is no way this is happening.
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My friend and I talked about this. It’s just the opposite. His point was that the MQ of the ACC would likely be accretive. Which is why the idea makes some sense.
 
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Twenty-four is the next number for expansion; that's where we're headed. The SEC and B1G are way out in front of the ACC and the gap is going to keep getting bigger if the ACC doesn't act swiftly and decisively.

The ACC has to be the first to 24 if they don't want to have their best teams (from a football perspective) leave for the P2. Clemson, Miami, FSU, and VT are GONE by 2025 if the ACC doesn't make the move right now.

They need to make an aggressive push to become truly bicoastal by taking UW, Oregon, and a California or Arizona team; grabbing a couple Midwest teams for balance; and then make an all-out push to get ND to accept full membership BEFORE ND to the B1G becomes the next major domino to fall in the ACC's demise.

Of the three not-so-powerful P5 conferences that remain, the ACC is actually best positioned to join in the eventual P3/P4 that's soon to come because they haven't lost any marquee teams yet. But that's not likely to last much longer as I'm sure the football-first schools are all very busy right now securing their individual futures.
 
RedSquare said:
Was thinking about this yesterday, after talking with a friend who is a senior executive at one of the networks.

Our conclusion was that the ultimate power move is for the SEC and ACC to fully merge.

If that happens, from a sports perspective, you would have the dominant conference for all three major sports, plus the significant minors as well as the key Women’s sports.

Plus, the ACC brings what the SEC doesn’t have: major media markets. South Florida, NY, DC/NoVa Metro, …. The SEC has local and regional location based interest, but zero national and international media footprint. You add the ACC, it’s game over. The logistics are also much more manageable than the Big Ten trying to integrate the California schools.

This would be a game changer.

Interested in everyone else’s thoughts.
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I have hated the thoughts of 2 big conferences but the more I think about it i I can see the sport not getting ruined. Once it’s done and it’s just the SEC and BIG u can then split up those teams into divisions he’ll u could even label them ACC division and keep it the way it always was. Set up like the nfl where u keep all the rivalries together
 
canes732 said:
I have hated the thoughts of 2 big conferences but the more I think about it i I can see the sport not getting ruined. Once it’s done and it’s just the SEC and BIG u can then split up those teams into divisions he’ll u could even label them ACC division and keep it the way it always was. Set up like the nfl where u keep all the rivalries together
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It's not ruined for those who get in, which will be determined by how many schools each conference takes in. There will be some former long-time Power 5 conference members who will effectively get sent back to Div I-AA in the next year or so if everything proceeds as expected.
 
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CaneinBroward said:
It's not ruined for those who get in, which will be determined by how many schools each conference takes in. There will be some former long-time Power 5 conference members who will effectively get sent back to Div I-AA in the next year or so if everything proceeds as expected.
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agreed. there's a high probability that this happens.
 
RedSquare said:
Was thinking about this yesterday, after talking with a friend who is a senior executive at one of the networks.

Our conclusion was that the ultimate power move is for the SEC and ACC to fully merge.

If that happens, from a sports perspective, you would have the dominant conference for all three major sports, plus the significant minors as well as the key Women’s sports.

Plus, the ACC brings what the SEC doesn’t have: major media markets. South Florida, NY, DC/NoVa Metro, …. The SEC has local and regional location based interest, but zero national and international media footprint. You add the ACC, it’s game over. The logistics are also much more manageable than the Big Ten trying to integrate the California schools.

This would be a game changer.

Interested in everyone else’s thoughts.
Click to expand...
Thank you. I haven't LOL'd so hard all weekend.
 
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