but it was too late? HOO86 isn’t it you that said that? ** Edited by Stech at 10/7/2023, 9:40:09 PM

PSU joined the Big Ten. The ACC did get FSU, and there’s no guarantee PSU goes to the ACC with an invitation, but you don’t know if you don’t ask.

At that time, PSU dominated the east, and they made amazing fan road trips/caravans to Cuse, Pit BC, WV MD. The fan base loved the road trips as much as playing home. After Big east slam the door, PSU felt they were blacklisted by their rivals and needed to go national and the Big 10 jumped. the ACC at that time, would have been perfect with road trips to MD, UVA UNC State and Clemson and they could schedule national games. ( I wonder if FSU would have been included??)

that story only exists as a figment of your imagination.

But I don't think that Joe Paterno, who was AD at the time, would have been interested in the ACC. The ACC wasn't a football league then. But I could be wrong. He should have at least considered it.

Paterno wanted to make sure that PSU got to one of the NYD games, Orange, Rose, Sugar, Cotton Bowls, and being in the ACC didn't guarantee that, the Big 10 did. In 1990, PSU ended the season ranked 7th in the polls and were rewarded with a trip to the Blockbuster Bowl, against FSU ranked #8 and left out of the NYD bowls. At that time, the ACC champion was contractually obligated to play in the Florida Citrus Bowl, so, that's where PSU would be going if they went to the ACC. That was not going to work for Paterno.

Then it changed to the Gator Bowl.

In 1990 it started as the Blockbuster Bowl at Joe Robbie Stadium (now Hard Rock) became the Carquest, then the MicronPC Bowl, then in 2001 it moved to Orlando and was called the Tangerine Bowl then the Champs Sports Bowl, then the Russell Athletic Bowl, then the Camping World Bowl, then the Cheez It's Bowl, and this year becomes the Pop Tarts Bowl. The Florida Citrus Bowl was originally theTangerine Bowl in 1947 in Orlando until 1983 when it became the Florida Citrus Bowl until 2003 when it became the Capital One Bowl, and in 2014 became the Citrus Bowl. Gator Bowl has pretty much been the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville since 1946 except for a period of a few years when it dropped the Gator Bowl moniker and was called the Taxslayer Bowl.

in that game.

The Citrus worked towards getting the SEC for the Citrus. The ACC had the Gator Bowl for a long time after that until they took over the ACC Championship Game site and subsequently bombed. Charlotte has worked out best for the ACC Championship.

** Edited by reestuart at 10/9/2023, 1:58:53 PM

for the reason you wrote. He had dreams of being in a football-first conference and the only one in the vicinity (if you can say Ohio State is in the vicinity) was the Big Ten. I have a friend who started OL at Penn State during the early 70's (his position coach was Jim Weaver, the future Tech AD). My friend was close to Penn State football and Paterno and Weaver after graduating. He said that Paterno didn't want to play ACC teams that could cost him to lose recruiting battles in Virginia, North Carolina or Florida. Maryland was the only ACC team he regularly played since it was a border rivalry (PSU won almost every game). Virginia Tech wanted to schedule Penn State but Paterno always said "No!" It wasn't until he was fired and passed away that Jim Weaver was finally able to get a home and home series. Unfortunately, Covid canceled the game in Blacksburg. Paterno was never interested in the ACC and saw it as a below the Mason-Dixon Line basketball league that didn't culturally fit his football program or his large state university. Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Purdue, Wisconsin... did.

2 with George Welsh, and 2 with Al Groh. But I think UVA was the only ACC school he played from what I remember. And it wasn't that often. But what you have discussed makes sense. That is what I would have thought. He would have seen the ACC as a southern basketball league. It's the same thing Jim Boeheim saw the ACC as.

when Paterno was an assistant and then head football coach. Paterno played UVA out of repsect for his close friend George Welsh. Penn State probably had their second home and home seires with UVA signed before Al Groh became head coach? Non-conference scheduling is usually done a decade before actually playing the game.

are greedy SOBs that had the power, while in the BE, to fix that conference. They chose poorly and now Syracuse is left to suffer the consequences.

then it could have used the same bylaw Roy Kramer used so the SEC could hold a conference championship game in football. Instead, of expanding to 12 members which is what the SEC did, the ACC have expanded to 14 members when it added FSU (and hypothetically Penn St) and opt to go with a 10 game conference schedule. A 14-team ACC could have looked like this with protected cross-division pairings. Atlantic/Coastal Pitt - Penn St WVU - UMD VT - UVA Wake - Duke NC State - UNC Clemson - GT FSU - Miami or Miami - FSU (take your pick) By going with a 10 conference game schedule using the formula below, the ACC could have played everyone home and away in the other division within a 4 year cycle. 6 division games 1 protected cross-division game 3 rotating cross-division games that rotate every 2 years and divides up the remaining 6 teams into 2 groups of 3 This ACC would have given Penn State its dominating eastern conference in football while allowing the ACC to continue its dominance in basketball. It is even possible that this version of the ACC would not have felt the need and pressure to get into bed with Notre Dame. If this ACC decided to reach an agreement with Notre Dame, then it should have been able to negotiate with a little (to a lot) more strength than how things really played out. Heck there is even the possibility that the ACCN could have launched around the same time (or before) the BTN because this version of the ACC would have had a lot more content to offer people. At the very least this ACC would have the right combination of public and private schools to give people hope on the ACC's potential particularly if it launches an initiative to increase every member's (particularly the public schools) enrollment.

in being a part of the ACC. Our program surely would have taken a better trajectory.

At that time, VT was just like East Carolina, with no national perspective at all. No one wanted VT.

anything about lack of infrastructure so maybe that is just on me. I do know that we were (are) right along the US 29 corridor which for bus travel back in the day was ideal.

I agree in 1950's. VT was against bowl games, and the acc left them behind to play in the Southern conference (VT didnt even have a clue that was going on).... When PSU, got the Big 10 invite, (it was also a HUGE Big east fiasco). PSU wanted to be in the Big East and (champion football)..... But not only the religious schools (ie. Georgetown St John/s etc was against), but also Syracuse AD did alot of shenanigans behind the scene against their rival, PSU... PSU was furious, boom... the Big 10 invite. (and ACC sat back didnt even make a overture ..GAWD..

PSU joined the BE. And of course VT had still come along. The BEFB members were better than ACCFB top to bottom back then.

control.