good year where we win the ACC and pat ourselves on the back. It would do wonders to win the ACC, get a CFP-4 birth and win a game. But even that won't make us a lock. If we have just one good year, people with the power to make these decisions will think they can do without us. But if it's over the course of several years and GameDay is at out joint once a year, hey! ya never know. Problem is, I don't think we are anywhere near the level to win the ACC, let alone win a national semifinal. Part of this is they meteoric rise of certain teams like Bama, OSU, Clemson etc., and the other part is that we haven't been doing what it takes to be great for about 15 years now--and yes, that goes back before Fuente. I don't think just being OK is going to cut it. The new game is that the P2 skim off the top and leave the rest to fend for themselves in an increasingly rigged game. The fact that Washington is being hung out to try should be a massive wakeup call to any program that thought they'd be good enough to get in. Like I said before, UNC is the only lock to get in. Look, Maybe 6-8 ACC teams get invited. And maybe, eventually, the P2 come for some PAC and even B12 schools. But no one is safe. ** Edited by Maroon Baboon at 7/23/2022, 7:28:06 PM

The other conferences already know if they want VT or not (same for other schools). If they want us, they will find an excuse to justify the addition. If they don’t want us, they will find an excuse to justify it, no matter how good we do on the field. But it doesn’t hurt to have good teams, lots of fans, and good tv ratings.

VT needs to maximize the partnership with Amazon. Bezos could be our Knight/Walton/Pickens.

Our recruiting is mediocre and it will not get better as more and more players are diverted to NIL payments from the P2. Without players you cannot win, Our alumni base and SW VA businesses are not going to raise their NIL game for many reasons. We are a middle tier school now. The only chance to get the big bucks is if the SEC or BIG conduct a territorial war in VA and NC, which certainly possible. But they will want us only for the TV sets, not because of our programs. Frankly, I just don't get the obsession with Bigger/Better at this stage. Our athletic program is solid now and not at risk. A future in the middle tier will not impact that negatively. Do we really want to join the semi-pro P2 and everything that would mean to our culture?

If our revenue increases significantly via a new conference affiliation or deal, then NIL and other opportunities will allow VT to compete at the highest level. The product would change, but the likelihood of VT success at the highest level would remain roughly the same. If our revenue does not increase significantly, then we will likely be one of the better teams that are not part of the "highest level", whatever that means. It would probably be more like VT in the 70's and 80's.

Whenever this falls out, VT won't be in the upper level of college football. I think our peak will be like the 93-98 era where we can finish in the upper top 16-25, go to some mid level bowls, put a fun product on the field, and generally feel good about ourselves. And I'm good with that as long as we keep building on the success of our other sports like swimming, baseball, softball, wrestling, and soccer. L2 will be the leftovers that are in the P5 now but won't be in the new P2. There may be some G5s up there as well. Level three is the G5s more or less plus some teams that arise from lower conferences. L4 is the rest.

to where we are today. I personally, hate the looser mentality of some of our fans, supporters, leadership. Kind of reminds me when we lose out on a recruit - oh well, we really didn't want/need him anyway. Now that we are so far behind, the mantra from some is - we are fine being a "solid mid tier program", we dont want to be a part of the P2 anyway. I bet if we were in the P2 today, those fans would be singing a different tune - they would be saying, man isn't it great that dont have to be worrying about being left out of the P2 like xyz school is. ** Edited by 133193Hokie at 7/23/2022, 3:50:52 PM

Many folks outside of Blacksburg knew that VT likely wouldn't maintain its same success once other teams started to copy Beamer's philosophies, or when Beamer retired. I don't think it's a loser mentality, other than the reality that sustained success is very hard except for a select 5 to 15 schools. VT has some amazing assets which should keep us competitive (beautiful campus, large alumni base, fertile recruiting areas, historical success, successful NFL alumni), but we also have some pretty big liabilities (not a traditional power-house, small town with less NIL opportunity, mediocre opponents due to small privates in ACC, surrounded by UT, UNC, NCSU, UVA, PSU, GA, MD which can pluck too many local recruits). If I wasn't a VT alumni, and if I didn't step on campus, there is nothing truly unique about VT that gives it an advantage that we should be able to perennially be a top 10 team.

At this point, I honestly have completely lost interest in football and follow the sports more closely. I'd honestly rather see us have top 10 teams in swimming, baseball, softball, wrestling, and T&F and consistently make NCAAs in men's and women's hoops and play mid tier football because going to the P2 is only going to cause more misery because we are not going to be able to compete at that level consistently. The ACC is a great conference for Olympic sports, and I'd love to see it stay that way. IMO I'd like to see football completely break off and form football-only super conferences and let the rest be.

We will never compete with the tier 1 football programs. But we can still field a decent team that makes a bowl game 90% of the time and pulls off a big upset every few years. We cannot sink all our resources into football. We need to invest in all the other sports you mention.

The money spent on ridiculous amenities like waterfalls to compete in the recruiting arms race is absurd and wasteful. We are never going to be at the upper tier SEC/Ohio State level.

below the majority of P2. As such it isn't going to require an equivalent level of NIL money to sustain.

I feel for VT fans, Arkansas can actually play this game better than bagmen arriving with cash which was the old method of cheating buying recruits. I think that bagman approach was rampant in the SEC. Laquon Threadwell of Ole Miss comes to mind pictured with his arms around a blond & brunette waving hundred dollar bills after signing with Ole Miss. It still took a former Ole Miss player confessing to the NCAA that he was paid by Ole Miss to finally get an NCAA investigation started. Ole Miss also had beaten Alabama several times, that is a no no while cheating. One of my nephews called the SEC front office several times belly aching about Ole Miss obvious recruiting violations. No foul language or threats, they told him to stop calling, they would file harassment charges. Finally Freeze was fired after the NCAA investigation began, but Ole Miss just got a hand slap for doing infractions comparable to SMU in the old days. That was the SEC before the NIL. I think it just levels the playing field in the SEC. I saw Sankey appearing to frown on the NIL in questions at the recent SEC media days. A sure sign that a more level playing field displeases Alabama.

Cheating. And don’t forget about the good old cam newton scandal. The only thing now is it’s all above board. Nick Savin is literally bragging about how much money his players can make at SEC media day. Ln just sent of all people is the only person who seems to be pointing out that and I L was never supposed to be Used as a recruiting tool. Like you I think this thing is going to go off the cliff soon. ESPN will kill the Golden goose, that being a nation of college football fans who it one time or another had hoped that their school could have a season like 1999. Those days are over and people will tune out slowly but surely once they realize they’re watching the equivalent of the NIT for college football. Ratings are going to drop, bowl games will disappear, and eventually the money will dry up.

You mentioning Cam Newton does ring a bell. Newton's father had peddled his son's services to three or four members of the Mississippi State coaching staff. They gave Mr.Newton a high bid of $200,000.00 if I remember right. However Mississippi State was outbid by Auburn. Being sore losers, all those Mississippi State assistant coaches contacted the NCAA offering themselves as witnesses and detailing the actions perpetrated by Mr. Newton on behalf of his son. The NCAA then suspended Cam Newton during the football season but then the NCAA immediately rescinded that suspension before Cam Newton missed a single Auburn game. Slive came on the TV during the pregame of that next Auburn game congratulating the NCAA on a correct decision by allowing Cam Newton to play. Cam Newton went on to lead Auburn to a Natty and Cam Newton was never brought before the NCAA again in any way. I use to debate Barrett Sallee who was an Auburn graduate on Bleacher Report about Cam Newton in all the grim details. Sallee would have defended Auburn & Cam Newton to the death. The SEC takes care of no SEC member like those Alabama teams.

Open border, economic crushing lockdowns and getting woke. Is it all tied together along with the inept directions being taken in college sports? The B1G is very woke and the Pac is more woke. Just ask Newsom and the mayors of Portland & Seattle. LA and those cities are sewers. Is college football headed the same way? I guess I have upset the libtards here again as below. They think all this is great.

@ HokieAI You want to publicly get in fights. Outside of criticizing somebody's mother, talking politics is the best route to go. I will respect your wishes. This is the only board I know dedicated precisely to conference realignment. I will stick to that topic and college sports. Easy enough. ** Edited by WarHog38 at 7/23/2022, 4:45:49 PM

This board is great because we can bring together fans from many different schools to talk about college athletics and be civil about it. There are many other places to discuss views on politics. We are happy to have anyone from any conference here. But we don’t want it becoming just another place where people argue.