and compete with the much larger, wealthier universities. At least for a while. Its still nice to have a passionate fanbase, good stadium atmosphere, etc but that stuff is largely optional and not enough to get you over the top. Not even close. ** Edited by HokieNoVA at 3/9/2025, 6:34:46 PM

...athletic conference that participates in amateur athletics. I think VT will have success again then.

The stadium size alone is almost 40,000 less than it should be for true power football consideration. There are maybe 15-20 schools that could hang.

Techs best days are behind them . Zero out reach to the Alumni Zero marketing and promotion Zero strategy! All we have is Enter Sandman

I’ve never heard from the athletic department. Do we have one??

VT needs to build on our heritage and the uniqueness of our brand. We had the lunch pail defense and we were DBU for many years. We need to resurrect that as our identity nationally. People should tune in to see us deliver wicked hits and play lights out football. Otherwise, we’re just another state school with a program that had some star power and a great coach that fell back to earth.

Most metrics have FSU, Clemson and UNC above VT in getting a P2 slot with some having Miami above. There's a good argument why VT should be the #1 target for SEC or BIG. 1. FSU - BIG doesn't care because they're not AAU. SEC doesn't care because they add nothing that UGA and Florida don't already bring. Proven to be a cancer and brings baggage of not being a team player. Will FSU sue SEC/BIG when things don't go their way or that they deserve more money than Vandy or Rutgers? 2. Clemson - same as FSU but replace Florida with USC. 3. UNC - Huge MBB brand but realignment is all about football and UNC falls way short. People love to talk about their potential to be a top program, but their ceiling is no higher than VT's. If you look at overall athletics, UNC is nothing special outside MBB and some women's sports but no one cares about those in realignment. 4. Miami - Mind boggling how anyone finds them to be attractive. VT has a much stronger program, fan support and alumni base (so does almost half the ACC). Miami is only being carried by its legacy that died 20 years ago. VT - football is #1 priority and a makes lots of money, unparalleled and passionate fan support despite the program struggling for a while, huge and wealthy and influential alumni base up and down the entire east coast, shares same cultural values as SEC schools, natural rivalries with several existing SEC schools, top academics in STEM. Zero reason why VT shouldn't be the #1 target in realignment. Only thing holding VT back is state politics.

Purportedly, AAU isn't an official requirement for invitation to the Big Ten. But we know it means a lot. VT doesn't have AAU, but it probably should already. But I digress. Anyway, FSU fans think they are on the cusp of an invite. They make statements like "we will have it by 2029" as if it's something automatic that you just get if you check off some boxes. They act like they are applying for a fishing licence or something. BTW, it seems to me that VT and NC State, among ACC brethren, are more deserving of AAU invite than FSU. But what do I know. The AAU keeps moving the goal posts. I also think FSU fans are half chapped that Miami was just granted AAU status recently instead of them. Up till then, they were measuring for curtains in the Big Ten office. ** Edited by Maroon Baboon at 3/8/2025, 2:12:41 PM

Going by research $$$$$, only one school had more than VT, and that was ASU. At least one had

as it was described to me, the makeup of the faculty has not met the standards for AAU membership. I assume that means their individual accomplishments have not put them at the top in their field of study. It seems rather snobbish to me.

I realize that sounds snobbish as well, but they do have a 90% acceptance rate.

the strong (what you call) M2 schools in the ACC.