I remember reading that West Virginia approached Mike Slive and Slive refused them. Texas A&M had already announced for the SEC and the SEC was entertaining the idea of existing as a 13 member conference when a possible 14 member had not appeared on the horizon after many weeks. It was known that Missouri had recently requested membership in the B1G and was refused. Missouri was therefore discussed as a possible 14th member but nothing was heard from the SEC front office as weeks went by. I have since heard that Oklahoma was offered that 14th spot but would not go without OSU, so the SEC refused Oklahoma. I have heard Virginia Tech mentioned less as that 14th member. I think Finebaum has stated that in the past. However the administration at VT back then just were not interested in the jump. That may have been the best opportunity for Virginia Tech to enter the SEC. I was on this board at that time. Some fan support here but most here were ACC fans as was their VT administration. Fans on this board said that Virginia Tech would never leave the ACC until FSU exited. Anyhow the Hokie football program had national respect at that time and the ACC exit fees & GOR were much less than now. The SEC did eventually declare interest in Missouri as that 14th member. The rest is more solid history.

Sadly, they failed to see Swofford and Co for who they are. Even more sadly, the powers that be for VT failed to do so too. And here we are, already a hundred million dollars or so behind.

Swofford's legacy is holding a basketball conference together with legal threats of severe punitive damages, to the detriment of any ACC football fan.

We needed UVa and Virginia government help to get into the ACC. So is is a political nonstarter to leave a decade later and weaken UVa's existing conference. I've had my eye on the SEC since the ACC announced Miami, BC, and Syracuse to get invites. We were close to getting left out. That would have been the moment. 2003.

I do remember hearing exactly what you stated about owing Virginia. You may have been the one that told me that. I do remember some discussions with specific monikers still here but not much. Just been on too many boards. I do remember some here telling me. Virginia Tech was a football school as was FSU and that Virginia Tech would be in the ACC until FSU left. That may have been the opinion of just several people here just like you or I have our own opinions. My mistake to make appear I thought it was the overriding sentiment on this board.

So you clearly aren't wrong. But there was never a situation where all these schools (Miami, FSU, Clemson, VT and maybe NC State) had a collective invite anywhere. The BigXII was throwing out teasers, but no school in their right mind was taking it.

Big 12 bound. No question. And probably more schools.

those schools were to pulling the trigger on heading to the BigXII, but there was at least some smoke. Some from ACC schools and a good bit from the BigXII. I particularly remember an FSU board member or trustee or something or other being very vocal about wanting to leave for the BigXII. I think in the end, it wasn't much more than a lateral move anyway. So who knows how close they were to actually leaving vs. using the threat as leverage to get UL in over UConn.

I was a smallish donor at the time and had 2 season tickets. Back then, your current giving level was a huge part of where your season tickets would be. (Now it's more cumulative giving and a bit more convoluted.) I had already talked to my brother and brother in law and we were going to chip in about $3500 per year and get 4 season tickets when VT went to the SEC. Tennessee? Florida? Georgia? Alabama? LSU? Texas A&M? Sign me up..... VT really screwed the pooch there.

WVU and Mizzou had no in-state restraints. Same reason Maryland could just leave for the Big Ten. I'm not saying the WVU story is true, but it isn't far-fetched. BTW, I think the SEC would have preferred us over Mizzou, but it's a moot point.

the SEC might have been treating us like the B1G treated Mizzou. Show interest until Nebraska became available and then take them. I think if VT had tried to be #14, the ACC would have destabilized and UNC would have been #14. The only reason it wouldn't have been FSU, Miami, GT or Clemson is because the SEC needed 2 new states to re-open their bad TV deal with ESPN. The same reason the ACC took Pitt and Cuse.

UNC was too devout to the ACC. But in the end, maybe for different reasons, both were devout to the ACC.

SEC was looking for a partner for the Aggies. There was internet speculation that the SEC came to Morgantown to check things out. Apparently the football and basketball facilities were ok but there was a real issue with Olympic sports facilities especially baseball. Hawley Field was nothing more than a high school facility. Baseball has always been huge in the SEC. Anyway, Mizzou was the better choice because of market, AAU and facilities. Basically WVU took Mizzou's spot in the Big 12. Since then WVU and Monongalia County have invested in a state of the art college baseball facility that did host a regional a few years ago. Also, have always heard we finished runner up to South Carolina when SEC expanded in the early 90's. No idea if either of these are factual. Virginia Tech will be a good candidate for the SEC if future expansion occurs and UVa ends up in the B1G.