gman86

Why do VT fans like you complain so much? Jesus...

a P4 AD job. Whatever that is. I hope the message boards don't fret over whatever that is. Do people on this board expect Whit to go through some Game of Thrones style "walk of atonement"? "Shame! Shame! Shame!" (bell rings) C'mon people (not directed at the OP, but the critical people on the board in general)...

In case Duke/Wake goes 3OT's or something?

Teams are getting physical and doubling on Neo. Ball needs to find the open man when that happens and make them pay. Give opponents other players to worry about.

It is widely known that ACCN viewership is not reported. And since VT has played many games on the ACCN over the last few years, I believe viewership for VT is largely under reported. I simply do not believe that VT viewership is less than Wake or BC or Syracuse. That simply does not pass the reasonability test.

I would like to end the string of six-win (or fewer) seasons. :)

I think the goal is to have an AFC/NFC-style rivalry between the B1G and SEC. The problem is that there would be too many schools "left out," which would eventually cause a large audience to tune out. In your scenario, let's say FSU and Miami go B1G and UNC, Clemson, Kansas and uva (ugh) go SEC. That would add coverage to new states (Virginia, NC and Kansas). ND would have a decision to make, unless the P2 made an accommodation for them. That still leaves plenty of solid fan bases on the outside looking in: * VT, NC State, Pitt, GT, Louisville, Syracuse, etc * WVU, K State, OK State, Iowa State, Arizona, Arizona State, BYU, Colorado, Utah, etc * Stanford, Cal Will these schools just accept that they are minor league? Will the public accept that some schools are only included because they are grandfathered in? Schools like Northwestern, Indiana, Illinois, Vanderbilt, Rutgers, etc. You can make a good league out of the leftovers with compelling matchups. If done properly, the games could be more compelling than some of the mismatches in the P2. Break away and declare their own national champion... and DO NOT accept any invitation to the P2 playoff unless there is a leveling of the financial playing field. Don't legitimize their greed.

Much has been written over the last decade about the demise of regional rivalries as conferences and schools play musical chairs. And, sadly, CFB has survived without traditional rivalries such as Oklahoma/Nebraska, WVU/Pitt, and many others. The next domino to fall in the creation of a Super League is the loss of regional identity. Intersectional games used to happen only in Bowl Games or a very rare OOC agreement. I remember a PSU vs. Nebraska OOC game played maybe 30 years ago that was "must see", since intersectional games were almost never played on campus. (Now it's a B1G conference game and nobody cares.) In the next few years, the B1G and SEC will enjoy big ratings for new intersectional conference games between legacy programs. Games like these: * Ohio State / USC * Michigan / USC * Ohio State / Oregon * Georgia / Texas * Alabama / Texas * LSU / Oklahoma These games move the needle because they rarely play each other. But once the novelty wears off in a few years, will games like these be any different from a traditional middle-of-the-road B1G or SEC game? With everyone playing each other, many of these traditional powers will lose more games, and some will drop off (see Nebraska over the last decade). And then... the shiny new intersectional objects might have to be intersectional games with ACC and Big XII teams. Don't dismiss the interest generated by an intersectional matchup. Notre Dame does very well when they schedule an intersectional game with a school they rarely play. Heck, the first time Notre Dame played VT at Lane Stadium was nationally hyped (despite VT underperforming prior to the game). I expect the B1G and SEC are going to kill the golden goose with their restrictive Super League approach. But once the novelty of it wears off, there will be a lot of eyeballs interested in the schools left behind.

Looking at future schedules starting in 2026: * VT plays ODU six years in a row (3 home & 3 away) thru 2031. * VT plays Liberty four years in a row from 2027-2030 (3 home & 1 away) * VT plays a home game with JMU and VMI in 2026. It is probably to late to cancel JMU and VMI. If we can find an 2026 opponent, maybe kick VMI to 2029 to celebrate 125 years from first meeting? Otherwise, we would need to cancel the games with ODU and Liberty to make room for P4 opponents. I don't see why VT would cancel any existing P4 opponent on the schedule. B1G: * Maryland (4) - 2027, 2028, 2029, 2030 * Wisconsin (2) - 2031, 2032 SEC: * Ole Miss (2) - 2032, 2037 * Alabama (2) - 2034, 2035 * South Carolina (2) - 2034, 2035 Big XII: * Arizona (2) - 2029, 2030 * BYU (2) - 2030, 2033 Indy: * Notre Dame (4) - 2027, 2028, 2033, 2036

You're correct - before joining the ACC, VT was #3 on FSU's list. FSU Top 5: Miami, Florida, NC State, Wake Forest, VT. (Those Atlantic Division rivalries with NCSU and Wake made a difference). FSU is #11 on VT's most-played list. Here is VT's Top 15: 1. Virginia (104 games) 2. VMI (79) - quite the rivalry back in the day... last played in 1984 3. William & Mary (64) 4. West Virginia (54) 5. NC State (52) Richmond (52) 7. Washington & Lee (48) - last played in 1953... wow! 8. North Carolina (45) 9. Miami (41) 10. Wake Forest (40) 11. Florida State (38) 12. Clemson (37) 13. Boston College (33) - ugh, this game was first played in 1993 when the Big East started. 14. Maryland (32) 15. Duke (31) Other Stuff: * VT is #2 on Virginia's list (UNC, VT, VMI, Maryland, Duke) * VT is #4 on WVU's list (Pitt, Syracuse, Penn State, VT, Maryland) * VT is #4 on Miami's list (FSU, Florida, Pitt, VT, BC)

Yes, any school with a death wish can become independent. It would not have anything to do with cojones... it would be stupidity. The reason independence works for ND is the religious affiliation (the premier Catholic football team in the country) and their football success mostly achieved before any of us were born. I'm not hating on ND. But in your defense of their position, please don't talk pretend that any other institution can succeed on ND's path. ND enjoys privileged status and they take advantage of that to the fullest extent. Enjoy the privilege, but don't call out other schools for not having "cajones".

Not all Euro leagues are equal, so England's Premier League gets 4 auto-bids. Same for Spain (La Liga), Germany (Bundesliga), and Italy (Serie-A). Other countries may get only 1 or 2 qualifiers (think Netherlands, Serbia, Swiss, etc.) The CFP is basically saying B1G and SEC are the power leagues and the ACC etc. are not strong enough. It works and is accepted in soccer, so I suspect that's the future.

Love Soto. Hate Mets (and Yankees)! Ah well...

I have an idea... let's stop the "Fire the AD" after every close FB or MBB loss. Let's instead discuss the real problems: - time management - D needs to get one more stop

Is that something like irrefutable? Sorry to be the grammar police but it made me laugh. This conference realignment belongs in a house of ill repute :)

IIRC... big money interests approached the titans of European Soccer in multiple countries. Team like Bayern Munich, Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, etc. The idea was to create a Super League of the iconic teams from England, Spain, France, and Italy. There would be more games between these iconic team than currently occur with the annual Champions League competition. And the fans rose up and said "F-No". Not just "no", but expletive-no! In the eyes of the fans, this change would ruin the sport. And the super-teams involved backed down, even thought they would have made tons more money. Way to go European Soccer fans. I hope American College Football fans will eventually rise up and put a halt to this madness.

One of their takes is that rabid fan bases will matter. If millions of fans will subscribe to the coming Pay Per View channels, your team will be in. If VT fans get the reputation that they will spend to watch VT football, they will be included. Do the uva fans have that kind of rep? Interesting take...

I will admit that I don't follow the timeline closely. All I know is that Tex and Okie got out. I presume any other B-12 school with a P2 offer could do the same. No ACC school has found the exit path yet. It's clear that if there is one, FSU would be long gone by now. That's the difference I am speaking to. Did the B-12 GOR get put in place (or renewed) after the exodus and expansion? If so, that supports my statement that the B-12 teams have already been picked over once :)

I don't think the P2 expansion can be only about which schools increase the pie so much that it doesn't shrink the average per school. At this point, only ND might do that. If the networks are pouring in so much money, there has to be ACCPETANCE by the public that the P2 is the "Premier League". I think that's why Clemson, FSU, UNC (for the Jordan brand) and maybe Miami get considered. Adding them will not increase the total pie enough to justify it. But it will increase the level of acceptance. If left out, a third league with these schools may have legit contenders. The next step for acceptable is inclusion based on demographics. IMHO, that's where VA and NC are big untapped markets. Lots of eyeballs there to leave out. And make no mistake, fans bases for schools left out will have little interest in the P2 games of the week. This is where I'm hoping the P2 powers take a hard look at VT. Adding only uva does not really deliver VA for football. Hoo fans don't tune in to the football team anywhere close to how Hokie fans do. VT will be the dominant force in the football market wherever they land. It would not be smart to leave VT out. I'm probably being too optimistic. I can see wazzou and the beavs being left out because Oregon and Washington are the dominant teams in their state. Same for Wake, Duke and even NCSU (tho I hope they make it in). PSU > Pitt. UGA > GT. UK > L'ville. OU > OSU. Texas > TT and Baylor. It may not bode well for these schools for inclusion. But there is no universe where uva > VT in football. It would be like including Pitt and leaving out PSU and thinking that covers PA.

The programs in the B-XII are no longer bound to a GOR. The P2 has already evaluated them and left them for dead (for now anyways). There is no question that some ACC teams (maybe FSU and Clemson) are next in line once the ACC GOR is broken. I think we understand that after the ACC jewels are raided, the remaining teams are all in the mix with the B-XII teams. I think the discussion centers on the ACC teams now because that's the next move. ** Edited by gman86 at 3/28/2024, 11:49:32 AM

Yes, off by one game. I don’t think that warrants your facts in the way comment. Doesn’t change my point at all tho.

VT’s sweet 16 was NOT mostly because Liberty upset Mississippi State to become our opponent. Who is to say VT doesn’t beat the cowbells? That VT team was a tip-in away from OT with Duke to make the Elite 8. That VT team beat Purdue in the regular season… the same Purdue team that should have beaten uva in the final 4 if traveling was called properly. Whatever you want to say about Buzz, don’t denigrate his last VT team. They earned everything they got.

"Troll the board" - your words. If your idea of fun is to s-talk fans of a team on a winning streak on their board then you should really consider what value you bring to this planet :)

OP's path is solid. If VT wins those games, they should be in with a bunch of quality wins. At this point, 10 teams in the ACC have a path. That's why they play the games...

If you’re trying to defend VT, your priorities are: * put your top defender on Cattoor and run him off the three point line. * full court pressure on Pedulla and run him off the three point line. * deny Kidd and Poteat good position down low. * if Nickel is in, keep him off the threes. Teams will keep giving Collins open looks until he shoots better than Hunter or Chef Sean. When Collins is shooting confidently, look out! :)

I think you’re smart enough to refer to that event without the bias and name calling. It’s not really hard. And seriously, there is plenty to blame Swofford for without that event. PLENTY! Including the things on your list :)

You make great points about FSU, but… How many times to you have to be told to check your political BS at the door? Leftist mob? Left is all butthurt? I suspect you use the women’s room not out of principle, but because real men know how when to STFU :) Merry Christmas my man. Be better in 2024 :)

I don't think UNC has the juice to dictate expansion partners to the SEC. The SEC holds most of the cards for southern schools who desire entry (FSU, Clemson, GT, UNC, NCSU, VT, uva). I presume that the SEC would be the first choice of these schools vs. the B1G (but maybe not in some cases?). Let's play this out... Assume SEC wants UNC and opens discussions with them. Assume UNC wants uva as a partner. Assume SEC would prefer VT over uva. (not a prediction, just playing this out as an exercise) If UNC threatens to go to B1G unless uva is included... I would think SEC would invite VT, then come back to UNC and say "in or out"? I think UNC blinks. If not, UNC and uva go to B1G and SEC gets VT and NCSU. VT and NCSU form natural border rivalries in the SEC -> UK, UT, USC. Furthest travel is Texas and aTm. UNC and uva for natural border rivalries in the B1G with Maryland and... (PSU? Rutgers?) Plan for travel to west coast, nebraska, iowa, minnesota... have fun :) I don't think SEC will GAF what UNC wants :)

Any replays available?

Yes, he had a tough game shooting last night. I think he was likely in his own head about it after the first few didn't fall. I expect he will work that out. His D and energy looked good. He will be guarding the opponents best players (with Cattoor). That will keep him on the court. Don't give up on him after one game.

The BE was formed as a basketball conference, by basketball schools. The problem they had was they has a couple of Power-5 level football schools (Pitt, BC and Cuse) mixed in with the majority of primarily Catholic private schools that did not play football on the D1 level (G'town, Prov, St Johns, Nova, Seton Hall) and UConn. The problem with the BE was not vision. They were visionaries to create the basketball conference in the first place. I'm sure they understood that football was increasing driving the bus. The problem is... the basketball schools did not care - and they had all the power. The BEFC was a compromise for the basketball schools to have their cake and eat it too. Add WVU and Miami in all sports and VT and Temple for just football - to keep the basketball schools the voting power. When you look at the BE from a football-only perspective and criticize them for not making more football moves, you're not understanding that this was a basketball-centric conference and the majority of schools wanted it that way. Trained-geese was paid by basketball. He was not an idiot - he did what he needed to do to draw his paycheck. That just did not line up with what VT and other football schools needed.

All the FB is #1 folks... please hear me out. When Whit was hired, Beamer (CFB) had all the power. Beamer had more pull than Weaver following the near-miss with UNC in 2000. From that point on, the AD couldn't really touch CFB or the FB program. The ESPN article describes VT FB in decline under Beamer - before Whit was hired. When Whit was hired, the VT way under CFB was old school and out-dated. CFB was at the tail end of his career and he likely wasn't pushing for SEC-style spending to update facilities and hire more staff (on that level). When Whit hired FU and retained Bud, everyone thought it would be a home-run. It's a knee-jerk response to want Whit fired for that hire. One other thing people may not consider is Whit's contract. Message board posters don't pay Whit's salary or bonuses. I'm guessing Whit's contract doesn't say "Make FB Great Again" and ignore everything else. If it does, then yes he has failed. But I'm guessing his contract, bonuses and job performance expectations include things like improving a nearly dead MBB program, improving Olympic sports success, donations, etc. All those things some message board posters say they don't care about... may be critical for Whit in his performance evaluation. Of course FB is also a big part of it. He made a perceived "home-run" hire (Fu) that didn't work out in part due to lack or funding and perhaps some remaining staff not ready for change. It's not like Whit "walked down the hall" with Fu. So now, Whit learns and hires Pry - a hire that does not "win the press conference"... but he sure does seem like a great fit. No doubt Whit's fate may be tied to Pry at this point. I don't see the evidence that Whit should be knee-jerk fired tomorrow. Let's let this all play out. I, for one, am hoing for the best.

Thinking back to ACC expansion in 2004, ACC fans were talking like the ACC could go toe-to-toe in football with the SEC. ACC envisioned lots of FSU/Clemson and VT/Miami top 20 battles with the winner facing off in the ACCCG. Schools like NCSU, UNC, uva (at the time), GT and Pitt later on formed a solid middle. Obviously, it didn't work out that way. VT and FSU declined at the end of their HOF careers. Miami never got back, baby. And Clemson was down at the time. Clemson is now relevant nationally - better under Dabo than they ever were. What if FSU gets top-10 good again? What if Pry gets VT back to 9 or 10 win seasons in a few years? What if Miami finally puts up records to match their recruiting rankings? I know this is all about money. But all ACC schools should double-down on their football investments. When the ACC can get multiple schools into the playoff picture every year - and win some of these games, the reputation of the league will improve. Embrace the "underdog" role. It will take 5-6 years to turn around impressions... but if ACC reaches that potential around 2030, they will have leverage with ESPN. This seems like a way-better path than rats scurrying to jump ship.

The historic Power Schools in the B1G and SEC will do just fine (OSU Bucknuts, McChicken, State Penn, Bama, UGa, etc). Ask Nebraska how the B1G experience has been for them. Think Texas will love the SEC when they can't compete in the Big XII? USC and UCLA fans excited for teams like Minny and Purdoo-doo to replace Oregan and Stanford on their schedules (and think of this road trips)! Talk to any Maryland alums and ask how much they care about their "rivalry" with Rutgers and those matchups with Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, etc. They love the money, but they miss playing Duke and UNC. Does WVU care about Iowa State and the rest of the Big XII? Maybe that's why they are trying to fill their non-conference schedules with VT, Pitt and PSU. Now consider that when the dust settles, there will be good programs left behind. All of the Big XII, some Pac-12 leftovers and eventually ACC leftovers. Do Pitt fans care about PSU? GT fans root for UGA? If UVA gets into the B1G and VT is left behind, will the Commonwealth suddenly rally 'round the Hoos? The "left-behinds" may form a conference or two with regional rivals. If VT is part of that, think about schedules with WVU, Pitt, Wake, Duke, GT, Loserville, Cincinnati. Regional rivals yes... but with a second-tier feel to it. I don't see fans of these schools caring much about the B1G or SEC while their school is left behind. College football will erode bit by bit as each fanbase is shoved aside. And even some fanbases that "make it" will long for the good old days of regional conferences.

Or did Coach shorten his bench last night?

And led the 14-0 run in the second half? That guy?

Any update?

It was clear that MD totally outclassed Loser-vile. Even more so that VT outclassed Minny the night prior. I said it would have been more interesting for Minny @ Loser-vile and MD @ VT. Terps would be a handful for VT - would be a fun, competitive matchup. And the one dimensional Gophers would be better off playing the "me first" chuck-it-up Cards... in an unwatchable game LOL.

Purdue could have been a problem for other teams as well.

We should expect alternating years of Duke/Kentucky and UNC/Kentucky. Maybe they throw in a uva/Kentucky every once in a while. I can see VT getting matchups with aTm, SCar, Ole Miss, Cowbell U (do they do that indoors? Lol), Vandy etc. UT would be nice. Trying to think who VT would have the least interest in? Missou? VT never had a chance at Indiana or Sparty with the B1G. But at least we avoided sleepers like Rutgers and Nebraska. PSU however… ugh.

Did anyone else get a good look at the MJ Collins "injury" where he was layed out on the floor, got up slowly and limped downcourt? I went replayed it a few times... and I swear I saw PSU #10 Funk ("Punk") punch Collins in the balls as he was working thru a screen. Anyone else see that? If my eyes don't lie... F that guy!

The ACC is a premier basketball conference. There is a reason why the ACC gets (or should get) 7 or more teams in the NCAAT. VT can be a great team this season. And so can UNC, Duke, uva, Miami, FSU, etc. Both things can be true. If VT is truly on a par with these teams, then so many games are going to be great battles this season! LETS GO!!!

Love me some Justyn Mutts! Could listen to him all day! Looking forward to seeing him and the boys hoop!

I see many posts on here suggesting that the ACC should end it's relationship with ND? I don't see how that benefits the ACC at all. Yes, ND has made it VERY CLEAR that they will NEVER join the ACC in football. It also seems very clear that at some point ND will join a another conference for the B1G Bucks! So... what does the ACC gain by accelerating that process? GOR may last thru 2036, but Bowl Alliances and TV Coverage depend on eyeballs every year. * ACC gets better bowl alliances with ND in the package. * ACC teams host 2-3 games annually with ND - always good ratings * ACC teams play 2-3 games at ND (on NBC) annually - always good exposure ND seems to be content staying independent for the next few years and honoring the ACC scheduling deal. IMHO, the best thing the ACC can do in the next few years is for their power programs to return to glory (Clemson, Miami, FSU, VT) and have a few more programs really step up the competition (NCSU, Pitt, Louisville, GT). For this to happen, ACC teams need to start winning high profile OOC games. ND provides that opportunity. ACC needs to stop going 0-5 against ND every year - especially when ND is a top 25 team.

When this all first started, this is where I thought expansion could go while still maintaining regional rivalries. Let's simply rename some of your divisions to see this clearly: BIG(24): OLD PAC-8: Stanford, Cal, Ucla, USC, Washington and Oregon - (sorry WSU and OSU) OLD ACC (North-ish): PSU, MD, RU, UVa(sorry Hoos86), UNC, GT - (with PSU and RU added regionally) OLD BIG-10 (West): Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, Wiscy, NW, Illinois - (with Nebraska added) OLD BIG-10 (East): ND, OSU, UM, MSU, INDIANA, Purdue - (with ND added) SEC(24): "Best Of Old BIG-12": Texas, OU, KU, Mizzou, Ok State, Tamu - (sorry Tx Tech, Baylor, TCU, Iowa St, K State) OLD SEC (West): LSU, Bama, Ark, MISS, MSU , AUBURN - (with Ark added) OLD SEC (East): FLA, USCE, GA, KY, TENNESSEE , VANDY - (with USCe added) "Best of ACC (South-ish)": CLEMSON, FSU, NC STATE, MIAMI , VT, LOUISVILLE - (sorry BC, Cuse, Pitt, Wake, Duke) NOTE: I would swap WVU in for Loserville. The beauty of this is that it gets the old Big-10 and SEC teams back together again - they will surely love that! It also rejoins "the best of" Pac-8, Big-12 and ACC teams in their own divisions - again keeping rivalries... while "trimming the fat" of schools with "lesser followings". A grouping like that would basically be the B1G and SEC acquiring the best schools of the other P-5 league under their own banner AND preserving rivalries. I would be "ALL IN" to see something like this shake out.

The NFL does not have concurrent "rival" leagues playing at the same time and even playing their teams. The B1G and SEC may dominate air time and money, but I'm not sure their AFC/NFC concept will be widely accepted. PROS: - The B1G will have some great matchups among OSU, McChicken, PSU, USC, UCLA and a few other teams when they have good years (Sparty, Wisky, Iowa, etc.) - The SEC will have some great matchups among Bama, UGA, Okie, Texas and a few other teams when they have good years (Auburn, UT, Gators, aTm, etc.) - If they rig the playoff with a B1G playoff on one side and an SEC playoff on the other... with a B1G/SEC SuperBowl at the end, it will surely draw eyeballs for a while. CONS: - Good luck to Maryland, Rutgers, NW, Purdue, Indiana, Illinois, etc. You will be well paid for all the beatdowns. - Good luck to Vandy, UK, SCar, Mizzou, etc. You will be well paid for all the beatdowns. - Fans of schools left out will not accept their financial relegation. Clemson, FSU, Miami, VT, Oregon, Ok State, Stanford, Cal, UNC, uva, WVU, Pitt, Loserville, GT, NCSU, Colorado, ASU, Arizona, Washington, etc. The B1G and SEC won't take them all. Not even half of these. What good will a system be where Rutgers and Vandy have access that these schools don't? - Some of the power programs in the B1G and SEC will fall off (see: Nebraska). When you have all of these big programs playing each other all the time... somebody has to lose. Somebody has to be Texas LOL. The bloom will be off the rose on some of these programs. As a VT fan first and a college football fan second, I just don't see how I would be terribly interested if VT is left out. I may watch a few big games in the B1G and SEC on occasion, but my attention will remain where it has always been - VT games and ACC games that matter. The new World Order will make the B1G and SEC teams lots of money... but it will eventually kill the Golden Goose IMHO.

Hold firm on Conference Champs for all P-5 conferences. If SEC and/or B1G want to stage their own tournament... let them go ahead. It would draw some ratings... but honestly, would fans of teams not in the B1G or SEC really care that much? The "real" playoff would feature the ACC / Big XII / Pac-12 + G5 and at larges. The games would likely feature new matchups (rather than an all-SEC final), likely be competitive and the winner would be declared National Champion. The B1G/SEC playoff champion can declare themselves Champions too... and we are back to the 1970s with an AP poll and UPI poll Champ that didn't play each other.