and not a football team. UNC, the name, the baby blue has immediate national recognition. The casual fan living in some other region sees that name and the name alone is enough for them to watch long enough to see an add or place a bet. Football has nothing to do with that name but that name is big.

Now..there was intrigue with VT. Keep in mind, this was around the 2009 ( freshman year) through my college days…. VT WAS more relevant back then, then they are now…. Although, in most of my circles they make fun of most ACC hype teams. UNC and Miami being the biggest two. They do make fun of VT sometimes and label us as “ The Chokies”. …. Hate to say it, but we have choked in big games over the years. With that being said, I do think the general consensus is VT is much more of a culture fit than UVA, UNC….. Trust me - I’ve been to plenty of SEC towns, stadiums, etc…. Lane is comparable to Death Valley ( the real Death Valley in Louisiana )

acc programs(excl fsu & clemson)....Just don't feel uva/unc match in football, but they do offer brand & non-fb value (if that's part of the equation). Hopefully VT fb will return to it's destiny spot!

on field football success is not the driver of value in college athletics, or any other athletics. The value is based on how much revenue the entity can generate for it's media partners. Yes, success on the field will drive viewership to an extent, but location, national brand interest and now gambling attractiveness are what really matters. the Holes are a national brands because of their basketball program. Go to a sporting goods store anywhere in the US and you will find Hole merch. Duke is the same and neither of them is driven by any success or interest in the football program. No idea why the hoos are discussed, but as others have pointed out, the vast majority of what is "reported" on this topic is utter BS, click bait. I imagine there is some interest in them from media companies as they have an above average income demographic for the graduates, but I've never seen any national interest in them (or us for that matter). The only other consideration is how a school fits into the culture and rivalries of a conference. That matters for the SEC much more than the BIG. That's why I believe Clemson is SEC or ACC as they have regional interest that fits the SECs rivalry model much more than the BIGs national media model.

Though here in NC I’ve never seen any FSU merchandise. I largely agree with the rest. I do think in 99 we gained national attention but since we failed to capitalize, we fell by the wayside. I do wonder about VT in the SEC and if expanding it into Virginia would help or hurt us, I.e. if we can’t play at that level and end up mid to low in conference?

into the Big ten. They have both had great success in football, more so than most ACC teams. But how many people care to tune into their games? It's about selling commercials, not winning football games. Winning football games can bring larger viewership, but not necessarily. You must have fans that care to tune in whether you win or lose.

and I don’t know of any non-VT alum who is a fan / watches their games. We have a lot of alums and wear/display VT but that has nothing to do with capturing the area beyond the alums. It is not a college area - period. Just alums from VT, UVA, PSU, JMU, and others sprinkled in who watch their schools play. I think VT captures Roanoke. Probably has a bigger overall influence in Richmond/Beach than NOVA.

Who are both a hell of alot closer to DC. That should tell you alk you need to know.

More than others, including Maryland. Granted pro sports were always primary, but it seemed VT did the best of college. Just my opinion no facts behind it

Not as much as they seem to think they are, but they are relevant on a national stage more than anyone else in the ACC other than UNC / Duke. I believe that in the SEC we would be a mid to upper tier, along the lines of an Auburn or ol MIss, with the resources and exposure that comes with being in that conference. Right now we'd be mid pack, but having that exposure and resources would add instant credibility and expand our recruiting and coaching pool significantly. I don't believe that is true in the BIG, again, their media market focus along with us not being part of the geography would make us an outlier with money, like MD is now. If the P2 comes to be and the ACC goes the way of the B12, the best position for us would be if the SEC added Clem, NC/NCState, VT/Hoos (could add others, but just looking at what is relevant to us, not the SEC). That would create a nice regional and cultural rivalry set (which is what the SEC is built on) that would fit well in the overall SEC. Those 5 plus uSCe, TN and KY would be a nice rivalry division (which is how the way a 20+ team conference is going to have to be organized to maximize it's value).

would be bottom tier when it comes to athletic revenue. Probably 4th or 5th from the bottom. That's a lot to overcome in order to be middle to upper tier. I'm not saying we couldn't do it, but it would be hard. We would still be behind almost everybody else in the SEC when it comes to resources. And there is a long list of big name programs we would be competing against, and competing with less resources. Of course, if we stay in the ACC we're behind everybody in the SEC and Big 10 when it comes to resources, so that's not good. I just think so many people's assumptions that VT would become a top half of the SEC, or even top third or top fourth, is potentially unrealistic. It will be a challenge just to be an average SEC team. And it's very possible that we would spend our time as a below average team.

tough sledding. They would be an Arkansas with less resources. A step above MSU, maybe on par with Kentucky or USCe in football (a big maybe). Does anyone on earth think of any of those schools as top 25 football programs? I don't think so, and that is where I would like to see VT again one day. I think they would have better success in the B1G but believe me I don't want to see them in the B1G. So what's left? If the ACC manages to hold on to their big state schools (without FSU of course) and can improve and be more competitive somehow with the revenue gap, that would be ideal for VT, but that is a pipe dream.

their new conference. Missouri competed off the bat, and A&M has been a solid 8-4 team year in and year out.

I would still probably say add FSU but not Miami (who can fade to oblivion for all I care). I tend to agree with your assessment of VT, but definitely think they have to work hard to be relevant within the first couple of years or it won’t go good for the long term. BIG shouldn’t even be an option unless it’s desperation

And, yes, I do think in the P2 model FSU ends up in the SEC. The FL rivalry, geography, lack of large media market to interest the BIG.

Respect is not a priority or consideration for either. ** Edited by ombandit at 7/16/2024, 6:20:00 AM

UVA is Thomas Jefferson University.