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Simply put, because of UM's new commitment to Big Boy football, the ACC is finally getting what they "paid for" roughly 2 decades ago.
I don't need to go into the whole song and dance of how we were supposed to face the Noles twice every year with a good chance that we would be vying for the NC GM (now, the CFP). Most of you already know this.
Who could've known (certainly not the ACC 2 decades ago) that our school was actually the beneficiary of some real luck in who our AD was for most of the 80's, the coaches who saw the potential here, and of course, the growing talent (remember, people saw FL as a talent rich state, but viewed CA, TX and some others above it). And then, when our luck ran out with AD's, and eventually HC's, the lack of vision cost us 2 decades. TWO. DECADES.
On a related side note - imagine if UM's leadership had not played hard ball with Butch and convinced him to stay....? Anyhoo....
Onto the present and the future...
That investment the ACC made in us is about to pay off BIG TIIME!! And, not just because we're playing BIG BOY FB and are quickly building a juggernaught that they can point to for national recognition, though that is certainly going to happen. Basically, the U is about to save the ACC.
In fairness, the ACC and even the U, since we are a part of the ACC, should tip the hat in gratitude to Dabo and the leadership in Greenville. As the post-Jimbo Noles and the U for most of the last 2 decades, floundered under bad, football leadership, the ACC was slowly going from where it was when Clemson was rising, UNC was doing alright, VT still had some pep in its step and the Noles were dominating.
It wasn't THAT long ago when the ACC won most of the individual awards in CFB and the Natty around the same time. But then, as everyone here knows, the leadership at the current powers exercised prudence and insisted on excellence, so the "Arms Race in CFB" REALLY got going, but all the ACC schools except for CU, didn't keep up.
Dabo's success was falsely tent-poling the ACC while the rest of the conference slowly drifted and didn't adjust to the new landscape. Now, Dabo/CU are slowly falling back due to several factors and the ACC is in desperate need of some team to come along and at least give the impression that we are a P5 conference even if its validity is dropping fast.
Here's why these recent moves by the U will save the ACC:
Not only will we bring balance to CFB (hopefully, USC will help us with the balance thing).
But, watching the U's example, I expect over the next half decade, for at least half of the ACC to up their commitment and bring the ACC back to being the #2 football conference like it was a decade ago.
It's exciting and the CFB world, although they are already back to hating us, needs us. We're not the hero they wanted, but we are the hero they needed.
I don't need to go into the whole song and dance of how we were supposed to face the Noles twice every year with a good chance that we would be vying for the NC GM (now, the CFP). Most of you already know this.
Who could've known (certainly not the ACC 2 decades ago) that our school was actually the beneficiary of some real luck in who our AD was for most of the 80's, the coaches who saw the potential here, and of course, the growing talent (remember, people saw FL as a talent rich state, but viewed CA, TX and some others above it). And then, when our luck ran out with AD's, and eventually HC's, the lack of vision cost us 2 decades. TWO. DECADES.
On a related side note - imagine if UM's leadership had not played hard ball with Butch and convinced him to stay....? Anyhoo....
Onto the present and the future...
That investment the ACC made in us is about to pay off BIG TIIME!! And, not just because we're playing BIG BOY FB and are quickly building a juggernaught that they can point to for national recognition, though that is certainly going to happen. Basically, the U is about to save the ACC.
In fairness, the ACC and even the U, since we are a part of the ACC, should tip the hat in gratitude to Dabo and the leadership in Greenville. As the post-Jimbo Noles and the U for most of the last 2 decades, floundered under bad, football leadership, the ACC was slowly going from where it was when Clemson was rising, UNC was doing alright, VT still had some pep in its step and the Noles were dominating.
It wasn't THAT long ago when the ACC won most of the individual awards in CFB and the Natty around the same time. But then, as everyone here knows, the leadership at the current powers exercised prudence and insisted on excellence, so the "Arms Race in CFB" REALLY got going, but all the ACC schools except for CU, didn't keep up.
Dabo's success was falsely tent-poling the ACC while the rest of the conference slowly drifted and didn't adjust to the new landscape. Now, Dabo/CU are slowly falling back due to several factors and the ACC is in desperate need of some team to come along and at least give the impression that we are a P5 conference even if its validity is dropping fast.
Here's why these recent moves by the U will save the ACC:
- First, the obvious - with this commitment, we can expect at the very bare minimum to dominate the Coastal. I know I'm an optimist, but with the money we are spending on coaches and everything else, I don't think it's crazy to say that by the 2nd year, we will become an annual top 15 team with respectability and a trajectory that is pointed to the top.
- Now that the sleeping giant has awakened, I do expect us to mostly mop the floor with the ACC, but I also believe that at least some of these schools will recognize the need for their programs to hit their donor base and stop saying the excuses that we've always used "The school will NEVER spend that kind of money." Every school playing D1 football has multiple fat cats who have the ability to relieve some of their tax burden by donating to their fave school.
- Regarding the teams with elite potential - There are only 3 schools with elite potential UNLESS, UNC or VT get those donors to step up big time: UM, FSU and CU. At the moment and until proven otherwise, that's it. The ripple effect of the U playing Big BOY football will force the Nole donors to look at themselves in the mirror and realize that they have to match us or keep drifting, and the leadership at Clemson will have to circle the wagons, stop the drift and spend even more.
Not only will we bring balance to CFB (hopefully, USC will help us with the balance thing).
But, watching the U's example, I expect over the next half decade, for at least half of the ACC to up their commitment and bring the ACC back to being the #2 football conference like it was a decade ago.
It's exciting and the CFB world, although they are already back to hating us, needs us. We're not the hero they wanted, but we are the hero they needed.
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