is considered by many to be a visionary because he read the bylaws and saw the value of taking advantage of the bylaw that allows a conference to host a conference championship game in football. If the ACC had a commissioner like that than one who preferred to continue with the country club status quo, then imagine where the ACC could be as a football conference if it had decided to add Penn State, Pitt, WVU, and VT in the mid-80s after the Supreme Court ruled the NCAA was in violation of antitrust laws with how it control the broadcasting of collegiate football games. I picked the mid-80s because people still valued regional conferences and that version of the ACC would have still been a regional conference. Atlantic/Coastal (protected cross-division games) Pitt - Penn St WVU - UMD VT - UVA Wake - Duke NC State - UNC Clemson - GT Also, this version of the ACC would have done a pretty good job of protecting a good number of the rivalries that existed back then and it would have still left the door open for the ACC to expand into FL in the early 90s (if so desired) by adding FSU and Miami. Plus, the ACC could have been the first conference to hold a conference championship game in football instead of the SEC. Heck even if the SEC had still been the first conference, the ACC could have decided to be the next conference to host one instead of waiting until the early 2000s to pull the trigger. If the ACC had waited to the 90s to expand, then it is likely Penn State would have still joined the Big Ten in 1990. However, the ACC could have given Penn State's spot to Syracuse to pair up with Pitt. Depending on how many schools the ACC decided to add, it is possible the Big East may have decided to not create the Big East Football Conference. ** Edited by VTHokie2000 at 7/31/2023, 2:57:27 AM