What the College World Series says about realignment
1. 4 ACC teams vs. 4 SEC teams. All 4 ACC teams have been rumored some some source (some more credible than others) as joining the SEC in the future. Still early but SEC won both games vs. ACC teams so far. Lower ranked Florida upset Clemson in the supers. In the regionals the higher ranked ACC/SEC team beat their lower ranked counterpart. ACC baseball is probably dead when FSU, Clemson and UNC leave. SEC baseball will likely monopolize the CWS.
2. VT deserves a P2 spot over UVA. A Omaha bar sells jello shots with most profits going to charity during the College World Series every year and keeps tabs on how many each school sells. Made a few headlines nationwide. UVA is dead last again for the second straight year. The 7th place school has almost double the sales. Last year they finished dead last behind teams with tiny fanbases like Stanford, Wake, TCU and Oral Roberts. Shows you how little their fans care or travel to support them.
We all know the Hokies will be at or near the top when we make Omaha. SEC and BIG also know this and guaranteed neither conference will take UVA over VT. You can even argue that Wake would bring more money and fans than them.
10 Replies
O
ombandit
2y
(In response to this post by Athens)
R
RJHokie
2y
during the process.
(In response to this post by ombandit)
V
VPI_1998
2y
zero sense to me no matter which way the argument is framed. If the SEC decides to expand (and honestly I don't really see why they even need to), all the reasons we all hear for SEC selecting a school (fanbase, expanding TV market, culture, etc), picking UVA over VT would make no sense. There is something else going on if that happens.
Not that I want VT in the SEC - quite the contrary for me. I want a regional, east coast conference stretching from PA down to Florida. I want rivalries that make sense - developed organically rather than forced (Missouri vs anybody in the SEC and Nebraska vs anybody in the B1G) I would rather not have VT absorbed by the P2 blob, but the way things are going, if they don't participate in the P2 blob, then they could possibly end up in college football hinterland. It's making me - and hopefully many others - enjoy this less and less, and I hope the blob ends up bloated and unsustainable.
(In response to this post by Athens)
2y
My ideal scenario would be the Mag7, keep GT / Pitt, add WVU (yes), and get PSU and Maryland back in the fold. Done dreaming now.
(In response to this post by VPI_1998)
V
VTCALS72
2y
But in the end of the day, it will only be the schools the SEC probably has already decided for whatever reason and it won't be as football centric as we hope. Every team in the B12 and ACC including FSU, Miami, Clemson and UNC could dry up and blow away and college football would not miss a beat. UNC would be missed for Mbb but that is about it. That is not to say that those 4 and VT and NCSU could not be a valuable asset to the P2, just that their strength may not be the "salt and pepper" that the P2 wants to top off their meal.
(In response to this post by Athens)
2y
And then they dropped and eventually disappeared. It can happen to anyone no matter how big or successful they might be right now.
No school or conference should ever get comfortable. Always be prepared for opportunities and for challenges if you want to survive and stay at the top.
(In response to this post by VTCALS72)
2y
Why can’t schools do the same? If Virginia (the state) is at risk of getting left out of major college athletics then merge the major brands. The combined force couldn’t be ignored. With today’s technology the concept of multiple schools spread all around the state makes less sense than it did in the past.
(In response to this post by HokieAl)
2y
Sure, they hem and haw about things, but the General Assembly cares more about power, and having many schools spread out over the state keeps the school administration/boards weaker politically than if there was just one board governing the merged schools.
(In response to this post by hokieball)
V
VTCALS72
2y
Taking the ACC and VT, there is absolutely no needle moving action for them. Who goes and who does not get a P2 invite is way beyond anything any school can do.
(In response to this post by HokieAl)