It's not my goal to create any actual change by posting about things here. Just mainly to take my thoughts and put them out in writing. The ACC is in a deal that by the year increasingly favors ESPN at the detriment of ACC members. The Big XII is said to be forcing ESPN's hand by holding a new contract negotiation over ESPN's head to allow Texas and Oklahoma to leave for the SEC one year early. Granted, just a year or two early before their contract expires, but the Big XII is trying to create more revenue for the lesser teams remaining in their conference by allowing ESPN to realize more value elsewhere. The Big XII's motto should literally be "We Aren't That Important" By adding WVU, the ACC could at least lock up the only real regional rivalries that exist in the Eastern Time Zone outside the SEC. (Remember, the B1G is no longer signed to a media rights contract with ESPN). The WVU-Pitt TV ratings just gave the ACC a huge bargaining chip in these negotiations were the ACC to expand. Cincinnati as a partner is a lesser WVU (rivalry is there with Louisville, but that's about it), but Cincinnati does bring a larger TV market and entry into a larger state for the ACC Network. That does matter to ESPN. Along with the whole locking down regional eastern time zone competition thing. Whereas the Big XII is trying to create value for their existing members by giving another conference early access to their own major brands (Texas and OU to the SEC), the ACC could simply create value by adding regional rivals to enhance its content virtually across the board. I figure the only opponents that wouldn't see a real boost in ratings vs WVU would be GT, Duke, Wake and Syracuse. There's no way the ACC adds WVU and Cincinnati and other ACC teams lose money. There should be a bump because it makes ACC content more valuable and the ACC Network more profitable. Again, just posting my thoughts. Not trying to sway the ACC office in any way.