Official (2015-2016) College Football Thread OSU#1

The problem with the two Non-AQ schools this year is that they're living up to the stereotype held by their doubters that they play absolute crap competition and come up short against better talent.

Kent State has a good win over Rutgers, but they also got blown out by Kentucky. The same Kentucky that is 2-10 and only has one other victory over FCS school Samford (who has a 2-9 record). It really hurts the perception of the team when your one loss is an old fashioned beat down at the hands of the second-worst team in one of the premier football conferences.

Northern Illinois' loss isn't nearly as bad, a one point loss to Iowa in the very first game of the season. However, that Iowa team is now 4-8 and turned out to not be very good.

I'm not saying I agree with the way all this works, but I can see why they're getting the short end of the stick here.
 
[quote name='blindinglights']The problem with the two Non-AQ schools this year is that they're living up to the stereotype held by their doubters that they play absolute crap competition and come up short against better talent.

Kent State has a good win over Rutgers, but they also got blown out by Kentucky. The same Kentucky that is 2-10 and only has one other victory over FCS school Samford (who has a 2-9 record). It really hurts the perception of the team when your one loss is an old fashioned beat down at the hands of the second-worst team in one of the premier football conferences.

Northern Illinois' loss isn't nearly as bad, a one point loss to Iowa in the very first game of the season. However, that Iowa team is now 4-8 and turned out to not be very good.

I'm not saying I agree with the way all this works, but I can see why they're getting the short end of the stick here.[/QUOTE]

I know this isn't your main point, but Kentucky was the worst in the SEC and it isn't close.
 
Yeah that Kentucky loss is really killing Kent St. Without their win over Rutgers, I doubt they'd even be in this conversation. The first step is in their hands however if they can't beat N.Illinois, the placement of the other teams doesn't matter. If they do manage to make it in, they will be a HUGE underdog. Especially against a team like Florida.
 
[quote name='munch']I know this isn't your main point, but Kentucky was the worst in the SEC and it isn't close.[/QUOTE]


Kentucky and Auburn have close records, 2-10 versus 3-9. There's not much to compare them on, but:

Auburn's best win: 31-28 OT W over 8-4 Louisiana-Monroe

Kentucky's best win: 47-14 W over 11-1 Kent State

Seems pretty close to me.

Are you an Auburn fan?
 
Yeah I kind of hope Kent state loses. They'd get curb stomped in a BCS bowl so it just makes for an unwatchable game. They're not Utah, Boise or TCU of recent years who beat good teams and were legit BCS Bowl caliber teams.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']Yeah I kind of hope Kent state loses. They'd get curb stomped in a BCS bowl so it just makes for an unwatchable game. They're not Utah, Boise or TCU of recent years who beat good teams and were legit BCS Bowl caliber teams.[/QUOTE]

Kent State is better than people give them credit for. In all likelihood they'll end up playing the winner of FSU/GTech, assuming they end up ranked in the Top 16. Having seen Kent State play in person, I can assure you their team speed is on par with top level BCS teams but their DLine is very small. I wouldn't be surprised if they gave FSU a game and they might very well beat GTech (again not saying much).
 
Maybe, but the record suggest otherwise. Curb stomped by an awful Kentucky team, beating an overrated Rutgers team (only ranked because the Big Least is awful) being the only remotely decent win.

Would rather them get left out and just have the crappy Big Least champ against the ACC winner in the Orange Bowl that no one cares about anyway. Kent getting in shifts the crappy Big Least champ somewhere else and ruins another BCS bowl.

Which is a shame as there are a pretty large number of solid 1 and 2 loss teams from major conferences this year so there could be some really good matchups otherwise.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']Maybe, but the record suggest otherwise. Curb stomped by an awful Kentucky team, beating an overrated Rutgers team (only ranked because the Big Least is awful) being the only remotely decent win.

Would rather them get left out and just have the crappy Big Least champ against the ACC winner in the Orange Bowl that no one cares about anyway. Kent getting in shifts the crappy Big Least champ somewhere else and ruins another BCS bowl.

Which is a shame as there are a pretty large number of solid 1 and 2 loss teams from major conferences this year so there could be some really good matchups otherwise.[/QUOTE]

An interesting take on things, especially coming from a WVU fan. The "Big Least" has done quite well in BCS bowl games especially when compared to the ACC, but to each his own. IMO Kent State would give FSU or GTech a good game. As a Rutgers fan I would prefer for RU to play FSU in the Orange Bowl rather than facing an SEC team in the Sugar Bowl. Miami or NOLA is good either way as long as RU wins on Thursday.
 
WVU did well in BCS bowl games. Only other Big East team to win post 2004 when Miami, BC and VT bolted was Louiville in 2006 over a mediocre Wake Forest team. Otherwise the Big East champs have gotten embarrassed in BCS bowls.

Conference was a joke, and I'm happy as hell to be out of it. More fun watching us go 7-5 (assuming we don't choke against Kansas) than the Big 12 than the 10-2, 9-3 seasons we were having in the Big East with maybe only one big out of conference game to really look forward to each year. Hard to get excited about playing someone like Rutgers who we beat 17 straight times through last year. With the Big Least schedule no wins were big and all losses blew as they were upsets to teams we should beat everytime. I can get a lot more excited playing teams like Texas, Oklahoma, K-State etc. even if it means we're going to take more losses (which it does).

But yes, the ACC was even worse over that span. That's why I like the Orange Bowl just being the Big Least champ vs. the ACC champ. Get the two champs from leagues no one cares about in one game, and let the other BCS match ups be big time teams from the real power conferences.

Kent State would probably beat GT as they're terrible. But I don't see them beating FSU and FSU would steam roll Kent State.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']WVU did well in BCS bowl games. Only other Big East team to win post 2004 when Miami, BC and VT bolted was Louiville in 2006 over a mediocre Wake Forest team. Otherwise the Big East champs have gotten embarrassed in BCS bowls.

Conference was a joke, and I'm happy as hell to be out of it. More fun watching us go 7-5 (assuming we don't choke against Kansas) than the Big 12 than the 10-2, 9-3 seasons we were having in the Big East with maybe only one big out of conference game to really look forward to each year. Hard to get excited about playing someone like Rutgers who we beat 17 straight times through last year. With the Big Least schedule no wins were big and all losses blew as they were upsets to teams we should beat everytime. I can get a lot more excited playing teams like Texas, Oklahoma, K-State etc. even if it means we're going to take more losses (which it does).

But yes, the ACC was even worse over that span. That's why I like the Orange Bowl just being the Big Least champ vs. the ACC champ. Get the two champs from leagues no one cares about in one game, and let the other BCS match ups be big time teams from the real power conferences.

Kent State would probably beat GT as they're terrible. But I don't see them beating FSU and FSU would steam roll Kent State.[/QUOTE]

If I'm not mistaken, I don't believe an ACC team, besides VTech, has won a BCS bowl game since 2000. So yeah the ACC has been God awful. I would like to see Kent State get in there and steal an at large bid from Oklahoma. I like rooting for the smaller conference teams. Plus, how do you know that Kent State is not the next TCU, Utah or Boise State?
 
They could be the next TCU etc. But to be so they need to schedule and beat real teams in the regular season. That's how those teams earned their BCS bids.

It's moot anyway. The BCS is gone after next year. Mid-majors will never make the 4-team playoff, and not one will give a crap about the "access bowls" as they're calling them now after the playoff starts other than fans of the teams playing in them anyway.
 
I'm good with the idea of Kent St. making it into a BCS bowl, even if they do get their clock cleaned. I'm glad there are a lot of good teams from the big conferences that will be playing in the non-BCS bowls as it will make some of those games more appealing to me as a fan. Back in the day the bowls were all about matching up teams that rarely, if ever competed against each other. I'm not saying I like the idea of tons of bowl games just for the sake of getting a bunch of 6-6 teams to play in the postseason but I also don't like how a huge amount of the bowl game focus is solely on the BCS bowls. In a perfect world there would remain a middle ground so I like the fact that there could be some really good games between quality teams in some of the non-BCS bowls. If Kent St. getting in helps make that happen then I'm all for it.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']They could be the next TCU etc. But to be so they need to schedule and beat real teams in the regular season. That's how those teams earned their BCS bids.

It's moot anyway. The BCS is gone after next year. Mid-majors will never make the 4-team playoff, and not one will give a crap about the "access bowls" as they're calling them now after the playoff starts other than fans of the teams playing in them anyway.[/QUOTE]

Totally agree. I think the new system will be worse than the BCS for mid major teams. Heck, I'm sure at least 2 of the seats each year will be filled by SEC teams, since half the country thinks they are the only ones who play "real" football. There is no perfect system but baby steps.

On a slight tangent, if the 4 super-conferences ever come into existence, they (the powers that be) can implement a real playoff system. The top fourteen teams from the 4 super conferences and two at large bids, can compete in a sixteen team playoff to determine the best team in the country.
 
[quote name='kill3r7']There is no perfect system but baby steps.[/QUOTE]


I believe that the 16 team model that I posted about before would be as close as we could get. All 11 FBS conference champions plus five at-large bids for the top 5 non-conference champions. Every single team from every conference gets a chance and it's a whopping 4 extra games for any given team (assuming they get to the championship game).

I'm starting to think that it's not really the extra games that the presidents, conference commissioners, and athletic directors are really concerned about. I'm more inclined to believe that the friction against a true full blown playoff is due to the fact that it would make all other bowl games plummet in popularity and decrease the revenues for teams that don't make it into the 16 team playoff.
 
[quote name='blindinglights']I believe that the 16 team model that I posted about before would be as close as we could get. All 11 FBS conference champions plus five at-large bids for the top 5 non-conference champions. Every single team from every conference gets a chance and it's a whopping 4 extra games for any given team (assuming they get to the championship game).

I'm starting to think that it's not really the extra games that the presidents, conference commissioners, and athletic directors are really concerned about. I'm more inclined to believe that the friction against a true full blown playoff is due to the fact that it would make all other bowl games plummet in popularity and decrease the revenues for teams that don't make it into the 16 team playoff.[/QUOTE]

The big boys have no interest in sharing any of the real revenue with mid majors. At best you get 2 at large bids. 1 for ND and 1 for a mid major. It's all about making the most money for the power conferences. They hold the keys to the kingdom and there is no way they relinquish that power.
 
Meh, I think the best model is to just get to four 16 team leagues. Take the champs and then two at larges form those leagues for a six team playoff. Two highest ranked champs get first round byes. Keeps a lot of importance on the regular season as you can't lose many games, and doesn't water it down with small conference teams that will never win it all anyway.

Make that the new BCS division (or whatever you want to call it), left out teams can be a new D1 and do what ever kind of post season they want, drop down to FCS etc.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']WVU did well in BCS bowl games.[/quote]
They potentially won't play in one again.

It's moot anyway. The BCS is gone after next year. Mid-majors will never make the 4-team playoff, and not one will give a crap about the "access bowls" as they're calling them now after the playoff starts other than fans of the teams playing in them anyway.
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BCS is still there. It is still the ones determining who those 4 are. Mid-majors not making the "playoff" shows that it still isn't a playoff.

We as fans deal with the fact that even with this new system, a real champ is still not determined. FBS is the only sport that doesn't have a 16+ playoff to determine a true champion.
 
http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/_/id/8682572/tulane-join-big-east-all-sports-source-said

Tulane joining the Big East in all sports.

From twitter reports, the Big East almost dissolved yesterday. Came up two votes short--with DePaul and Marquette being the only two basketball only members who voted against dissolution.

ACC also met to try to get a vote for a grant of rights (schools give conference their TV rights for set amount of time like in Big 12 to add stability), but couldn't get support. Also wasn't support for inviting UCONN. Schools divided over UCONN/Louisville as UMD replacement apparently.

Big 12 expansion committee had a meeting yesterday, but haven't seen any reports of leaks from that.

Again, just twitter reports so take it all with a grain of salt of course.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/_/id/8682572/tulane-join-big-east-all-sports-source-said

Tulane joining the Big East in all sports.

From twitter reports, the Big East almost dissolved yesterday. Came up two votes short--with DePaul and Marquette being the only two basketball only members who voted against dissolution.

ACC also met to try to get a vote for a grant of rights (schools give conference their TV rights for set amount of time like in Big 12 to add stability), but couldn't get support. Also wasn't support for inviting UCONN. Schools divided over UCONN/Louisville as UMD replacement apparently.

Big 12 expansion committee had a meeting yesterday, but haven't seen any reports of leaks from that.

Again, just twitter reports so take it all with a grain of salt of course.[/QUOTE]

ECU is also joining the Big East in the event Navy decides to join the ACC.
 
[quote name='lordopus99']They potentially won't play in one again.


BCS is still there. It is still the ones determining who those 4 are. Mid-majors not making the "playoff" shows that it still isn't a playoff.

We as fans deal with the fact that even with this new system, a real champ is still not determined. FBS is the only sport that doesn't have a 16+ playoff to determine a true champion.[/QUOTE]

Actually the new playoff system is better than the current system but not by much. At least we get to see some good games between the power conferences and determine a "true" champion. The mid majors will always be outside looking in even if they were to expand to a 16 team playoff. At the end of the day it's always about money and power, something the mid majors do not have.
 
Thing is TCU and Utah are in power conferences. So it's really just BYU and Boise to worry about in terms of mid majors who legitimately have shown they belong in the top tier.

No other mid majors are, or ever will be, national title caliber teams anyway. Or at least it's very unlikely going forward with all the shifting around.

So hopefully those two end up in the Pac or Big 12 when all this shifting around is said and done.
 
All it takes is a good year and a wealthy donor to step up and invest in the program (not *all*, but near impossible to breed success without these). Part of why I'm in favor of the MAC champion making a BCS game and getting the money and national exposure that goes with it. I'm 80% certain that if NIU and KSU scheduled Iowa and Kentucky at the end of the season they'd both be 12-0 now with the growth that these teams have shown over the year.
 
I just don't care about these piddly little schools. It works in basketball where you can have a huge tournament over 3 weeks.

It doesn't work with 120 teams in football IMO. Schedules end up too unbalanced, and you just can't have the huge tournament to sort it all out like the can in basketball.

And its just much harder for small schools to compete in football than in basketball. Basketball one or two great players can lead a team and make a tourney run. Football requires a lot more top level talent with 11 starters on both sides of the ball and need for depth in back ups.

I just want to watch the big time programs play each other. Get the have nots out of the mix. If I was a fan of one of these small schools, I'd rather them be in a lower division where they actually have a chance of competing for a title.

Make D1 more like the NFL. 64 Teams max. No games against lower division teams. Put the conference champs and a couple at larges in a playoff. And finally have a true champion decided on the field.

Even better, make it affiliated with the NFL and have the league chip in some money since they're basically getting a free minor league right now. Same with the NBA. Stop wasting state and school money on athletics instead of academics when the pro leagues are benefiting from not having to run their own minor league system like MLB does.
 
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[quote name='dmaul1114']

Even better, make it affiliated with the NFL and have the league chip in some money since they're basically getting a free minor league right now. Same with the NBA. Stop wasting state and school money on athletics instead of academics when the pro leagues are benefiting from not having to run their own minor league system like MLB does.[/QUOTE]

Agreed.
 
Man, is the Big East desperate at this point. Some facts about Tulane that Brett McMurphy just tweeted:

Tulane's last bowl game: 2002; last NCAA trip 1995; this year's home football actual attendance vs. SMU 2,119

They really should have just voted to disband and have the basketball only schools raid the A-10 and make a strong basketball league. Have the football schools end up in ACC or Big 12 for the top couple and the rest back somewhere like CUSA where they belong.

No way they survive by adding loser programs with no fan support. Just delaying the inevitable.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']Man, is the Big East desperate at this point. Some facts about Tulane that Brett McMurphy just tweeted:

Tulane's last bowl game: 2002; last NCAA trip 1995; this year's home football actual attendance vs. SMU 2,119

They really should have just voted to disband and have the basketball only schools raid the A-10 and make a strong basketball league. Have the football schools end up in ACC or Big 12 for the top couple and the rest back somewhere like CUSA where they belong.

No way they survive by adding loser programs with no fan support. Just delaying the inevitable.[/QUOTE]

The Big East is still negotiating a TV deal. I assume NBCSports will not sign a basketball only league. So they have no choice but to keep the league alive. Their best chance is to pit NBCSports against ESPN and hope one of them overbids for a diminished product. At this point if UConn leaves the BBall schools don't have much to offer. You have to figure the BIG12 grabs Louisville and Cincinnati and that's it for the Big East. They probably lose the Garden to the ACC, for their conference tournament, and I wouldn't be surprised if one of the other leagues (maybe B1G) makes a play for Barclay's Center. The TV money in NY is outrageous and most of these schools have a healthy alumni base in the tri-state area.

Having said all of that, I do think adding ECU was a good move on their part. They have a very solid fanbase.
 
They aren't getting any kind of TV deal until the realignment stuff halts and NBC knows what they're getting.

With all the rumors of the Big 10 and SEC and Big 12 possibly ripping apart the ACC, any TV deal negotiations are going to be on hiatus until things calm down.

ECU is a good add, and a team that should have been added to the Big East long ago.

After the 2004 raid they never should have added Marquette and DePaul as basketball only schools. They should have immediately went to 12 football programs and gotten teams like ECU, Memphis etc. that they have now. The league would have been much more stable in that case.


But the Big East is just in limbo right now. No one's grabbing their schools other than maybe the ACC. The Big 12 isn't going to go after teams like Cincy or L'ville until they're sure the ACC is going to survive. If the Big 10 does grab UVA and GT as rumored, they're going to pounce on the ACC big time and try to get big time programs like FSU and Clemson.

If that fails, only then do they think about teams like Cincy, Lousiville, BYU etc.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']They aren't getting any kind of TV deal until the realignment stuff halts and NBC knows what they're getting.

With all the rumors of the Big 10 and SEC and Big 12 possibly ripping apart the ACC, any TV deal negotiations are going to be on hiatus until things calm down.

ECU is a good add, and a team that should have been added to the Big East long ago.

After the 2004 raid they never should have added Marquette and DePaul as basketball only schools. They should have immediately went to 12 football programs and gotten teams like ECU, Memphis etc. that they have now. The league would have been much more stable in that case.


But the Big East is just in limbo right now. No one's grabbing their schools other than maybe the ACC. The Big 12 isn't going to go after teams like Cincy or L'ville until they're sure the ACC is going to survive. If the Big 10 does grab UVA and GT as rumored, they're going to pounce on the ACC big time and try to get big time programs like FSU and Clemson.

If that fails, only then do they think about teams like Cincy, Lousiville, BYU etc.[/QUOTE]

Their contract with ESPN is up at the end of this season so they are getting a new TV deal no matter what. Someone will pay for their product. The question is who and for how much.
 
Of course. But not until this expansion stuff dies down. I don't look for them to get a new deal (assuming the survive at all) before this summer at the earliest.

My guess, if any thing major happens it goes down as follows.

Big 10 goes to 16. Mostly likely with UVA and GT. UVA is consistently mentioned in the rumors out there, GT sometimes swapped with UNC or UCONN (that seems far fetched to me).

That happens then the SEC goes to 16 with VT and NC State.

Big 12 then goes to 16 with some combination of six remaining ACC schools, and maybe Louisville and/or BYU mixed in depending on what happens with ACC leftovers potentially merging with Big East leftovers for more of a basketball centered league.

Not saying anything else happens. But if it does, that's my best guess on how things go down based on all the rumors and "insider" info out there on forums and twitter.
 
I agree that it would be nice to somehow involve the NFL/NBA in the monetary support of major college athletics in order to allow funds to be spent on academics although I'm not really sure how it would work out. As for the Big East, I think the conference might as well throw in the towel. Tulane is an absolutely worthless addition when it comes to major college football, ECU is a better choice but really won't make much of a difference. I feel like they belong in the second tier we are referring to.

I also have to agree (albeit somewhat reluctantly) that the 120something teams in FBS (D1-A) need to split into two groups, there is such a divide in the landscape of the college game now that it doesn't make any sense not to. The GAP (in resources, financial support, and on-field product) is just too great to ignore. I'm not sure how it shakes out however. Obviously; the Big Ten, SEC, and Pac 12 will still be around but I could see both the Big 12 and ACC sticking it out also. I say this because I'm not sure that there is a hard and fast number of schools that make the cut. 64 teams works out well on paper and all but realistically there might be a different numbered result, especially at first.

I say this because there are simply more teams than 64 that would probably make the cut. If we assume that all current members of the Big Ten (including the new pair), SEC, Pac 12, Big 12, and ACC remain in this top tier that already adds up to 61 teams. Adding N.Dame only leaves you two more teams if you'd like to arrive exactly at 64. The previously mentioned Boise St. and BYU would fit the bill. That leaves out any worthy additions from the Big East and some might also argue for the three service academies to be included. If those three are added along with Louisville, Cincinnati, and Pittsburgh we arrive at 70 teams making the cut.

If all of the teams are required to join a conference (for real, not half-assed N.Dame style), I could see it happening with the Big Ten and SEC at 16 schools, the Pac 12 at 14, and the Big 12 and ACC at 12 schools each. Or the simpler 14 schools in each conference could also happen with 70 teams and five conferences. If some schools remain as independents the numbers are all different though. We will have to wait and see what happens but I feel that there are between 66 (current big 5 conferences plus ND, Boise, BYU, Louisville, and Cinci.) and 72 (the 66 plus the service academies and 3 oddballs, teams like Syracuse, Hawaii, Fresno St., and Nevada off the top of my head).
 
The ACC is the one that could potentially get raided, especially if FSU and Clemson leave for the SEC or BIG12. Keep in mind FSU along with Maryland voted against raising the exit fee. This fact will play a big role in the lawsuit that just got underway. I'm sure they'll settle but if they don't it could have great ramifications on college sports. From a legal standpoint it's a very interesting lawsuit, since Maryland has always voted against the implementation of an exit fee and being a state institution it brings into question whether a corporation (ACC) can impose a tariff on the state.

Anyhow, there's a decent chance UVA and UNC(highly doubtful) would join B1G. The 64 teams would simply come from the SEC, B1G, PAC12 and BIG12. The rest are going to be left out there hanging in the wind, which isn't all that different from what's happening now. The level of play in these conferences would be significantly better and I doubt we'll see many undefeated teams. There will always be a couple of at large bids to appease the masses going to the schools outside the 4 superconferences.
 
Great comment on the ACC vs Maryland lawsuit. I would not have thought of it that way (corporation vs the state) without that insight. It is very interesting indeed.
 
Not surprised. ACC had little choice but to get off their academic high horse and invite Louisville to sure up the football side of things. UCONN would have been a terrible add. They fit he academic profile of the league, but honestly who cares about that when we're talking about sports conferences.

UCONN football is terrible, especially with Edsall gone. Who knows if UCONN basketball will remain a power now that Calhoun is gone. With Louisville they get a solid football program and an elite basketball program.

From what I'm reading ESPN (who has the ACC tv deal) put a lot of pressure on them to take Louisville rather than UCONN. The ACC apparently voted on both yesterday and couldn't get the votes for either, but did in the 7am conference call this morning after ESPN stepped in and pressured them as they saw that only a strong football addition had any chance of keeping teams like FSU and Clemson from leaving--since they were both struggling in the BCS rankings this year with teams with more losses ahead of them due to weak conference SoS.

Fate of the ACC is really in the hands of the Big 10 though. With how much more money per school their TV deal is, any ACC school would jump at an invite. So if they go after some combo of UVA/GT/UNC to get to 16 more dominoes will fall.

The ACC really screwed themselves by inviting good academic schools that are medicore to weak in football like BC, Pitt, and Syracuse. They'd have been in much better shape if they invited schools like Louisville and WVU from the start. Football strength of schedule would be stronger. They'd have programs with rabid fanbases that get big ratings on ESPN and got more in their TV deal etc. Now they're stuck with a basketball heavy league, and TV deal that's around $15-16 million per school when the other power leagues are over $20 million and increasing, and are thus very vulnerable to poaching. They're very likely to pretty much end up as the Big East as they lose more teams and replace them with Big East teams and are left with just them and the schools they have like Wake that no one wants.
 
I guess the other presidents finally convinced the North Carolina schools that improving the football was necessary.

Apparently, Cincinnati is still making a large campaign to be added over Louisville or UConn. They offer a larger television market, but Louisville's large investment in their sports programs seems to be giving it the edge.
 
Cincy, UCONN and USF will be next in line if (more like when) the ACC loses more schools.

Welcome to the Big Least 2.0. But no need for you to worry as VT is likely in the SEC if that happens.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']Not surprised. ACC had little choice but to get off their academic high horse and invite Louisville to sure up the football side of things. UCONN would have been a terrible add. They fit he academic profile of the league, but honestly who cares about that when we're talking about sports conferences.

UCONN football is terrible, especially with Edsall gone. Who knows if UCONN basketball will remain a power now that Calhoun is gone. With Louisville they get a solid football program and an elite basketball program.

From what I'm reading ESPN (who has the ACC tv deal) put a lot of pressure on them to take Louisville rather than UCONN. The ACC apparently voted on both yesterday and couldn't get the votes for either, but did in the 7am conference call this morning after ESPN stepped in and pressured them as they saw that only a strong football addition had any chance of keeping teams like FSU and Clemson from leaving--since they were both struggling in the BCS rankings this year with teams with more losses ahead of them due to weak conference SoS.

Fate of the ACC is really in the hands of the Big 10 though. With how much more money per school their TV deal is, any ACC school would jump at an invite. So if they go after some combo of UVA/GT/UNC to get to 16 more dominoes will fall.

The ACC really screwed themselves by inviting good academic schools that are medicore to weak in football like BC, Pitt, and Syracuse. They'd have been in much better shape if they invited schools like Louisville and WVU from the start. Football strength of schedule would be stronger. They'd have programs with rabid fanbases that get big ratings on ESPN and got more in their TV deal etc. Now they're stuck with a basketball heavy league, and TV deal that's around $15-16 million per school when the other power leagues are over $20 million and increasing, and are thus very vulnerable to poaching. They're very likely to pretty much end up as the Big East as they lose more teams and replace them with Big East teams and are left with just them and the schools they have like Wake that no one wants.[/QUOTE]

IMO as long as BC keeps voting against UCONN they won't make it into the ACC. I do believe ESPN played a part in choosing Louisville over UCONN, who IMO would have been the better "fit" not based on their football profile but based on their location, TV market and academics. If the ACC was willing to compromise their academics, why not accept WVU 2 years ago?
 
Good move by the ACC to add the Cardinals to their roster. As that article points out, they are a genuine step up from Maryland athletically for the conference. When considered along with the N.Dame deal, the ACC is moving more towards sticking around. Stick a fork in the Big East with regards to being a major college football conference. The MAC, MWC, and maybe even the WAC will be stronger football conferences.
 
[quote name='kill3r7']IMO as long as BC keeps voting against UCONN they won't make it into the ACC. I do believe ESPN played a part in choosing Louisville over UCONN, who IMO would have been the better "fit" not based on their football profile but based on their location, TV market and academics. If the ACC was willing to compromise their academics, why not accept WVU 2 years ago?[/QUOTE]

If they lose more schools they won't have much choice but to add UCONN. There aren't many decent options left. No school will leave a power conference for the ACC so all they can do regional is take Big East schools.

They weren't willing to compromise on academics before as they were arrogant and didn't think any of their schools would leave, and they thought they could get a TV deal on par with the other leagues.

They were wrong. They can't get that kind of money as football drives things and it's a terrible football program. FSU and Miami are the only marquee elite programs and Miami has been down for a long time and FSU is still working their way back from being down. And money drives everything and they got a slap in the face on that front when UMD, a founding member, bolted for more money from the Big 10.

They're hoping adding Louisville will at least appease FSU and Clemson and Miami who have been unhappy at the addition of basketball schools that water down their SoS and hurt them in the BCS rankings. But it won't have any impact on the schools the Big 10 may be targeting. If the Big 10 wants UVA/GT etc. they get them. The ACC is just hoping they can sure up the league and stop others from bolting for the SEC and Big 12 if that happens.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']Cincy, UCONN and USF will be next in line if (more like when) the ACC loses more schools.

Welcome to the Big Least 2.0. But no need for you to worry as VT is likely in the SEC if that happens.[/QUOTE]

Ditto.
 
Interesting tidbit from the ESPN.com article.
http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/_/id/8685541/acc-votes-add-louisville-cardinals-source-says

The ACC also considered UConn and Cincinnati for membership. However, sources told ESPN the league only wanted Louisville because there is a sense among league presidents that the ACC can add more schools at a later date if the ACC lost any other schools.
Click to expand...

They're definitely planning for losing more schools and looks like UCONN and Cincy are next in line as replacements.
 
Opus, what is your take on Jimbo Fisher? I've read on more than a few Seminole message boards that fans are not happy with him as head coach despite his record and recruiting.
 
[quote name='blindinglights']Opus, what is your take on Jimbo Fisher? I've read on more than a few Seminole message boards that fans are not happy with him as head coach despite his record and recruiting.[/QUOTE]
I am not sold on him. Our QB is 6'5 240lbs and real quick with his legs yet Fisher refuses to use him in run plays. Last guy that was this big and quick he and his team won a National Championship i.e. Cam Newton. When Chris Thompson went down, we put in Devonta Freeman (a back who proved he couldn't do it hence losing his starting gig from a year ago) over the big physical young back James Wilder Jr. Fisher doesn't have the killer instinct that other coaches display. It cost us the NC State game with his relaxed playcalling. I guess I just expected more based on his success at LSU.

As for recruiting, it was still going to be great no matter who our coach is. FSU has tradition and is a nationally known program. Kids want to come just for the name alone. We had great recruits even at the end of Bowden's career (as we were losing).
 
Your take on Fisher is similar to an FSU fan that know, he also said that he was hoping for more. I also agree with you that losing Mark Stoops could be a blow. He's done good things with his defenses, we'll see how he does with the Kentucky job. At least he doesn't have to deal with a fan base used to winning on the gridiron!:lol:
 
Kent State goes down 44-37 in 2OT, ending their BCS hopes.

Hoping K State and Oklahoma win tomorrow. Two Big 12 teams in BCS bowl means more $$$ for WVU since the conference bowl money gets split up among the 10 teams.

On the realignment front, some more buzz picking up about UVA and GT to the Big 10 with some tweets from some TV reporters etc.

UCLA up 24-17 on Stanford late in the 3rd in the Pac 12 title game.
 
Yep, the Golden Flashes couldn't quite get it done. Because they were only ranked 21, N.Illinois probably won't make it to 16 even with the win. Sucks for the MAC for sure. Stanford pulled out the victory to head to the Rose Bowl so UCLA will drop though.
 
OU held on to beat TCU. Now for K-State to take care of Texas so the Big 12 likely gets two BCS bids--which comes out to around $1 million extra per team in the league.

WVU is rolling Kansas as expected, 35-7 at the half. First team since 2007 to have two receivers with over 100 catches on the year. Hopefully Bailey wins the Biletnikoff--his stats are far better than the other two finalists. But USC hype will probably get it Lee.
 
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