Well can we at least sue John Swofford or something? Something has to happen to even out the darkness in our hearts caused by the injustice of what he left in his wake. Some of us just can't stomach serving the sentence he imposed on us without a full accounting to balance the ledger. It would matter not whether it would materially improve the lot of the ACC schools. It is needed for justice - for revenge, to set things right. Until something happens, a grave disturbance will hover over the ACC universe like a dark rain cloud.
Hokiealways
To make a long story short......Notre Dame is clearly the "linchpin" to become a full-time member in the ACC, and allow the Conference to revise its media package with ESPN much sooner. Hopefully, ND sees that times have changed in intercollegiate activities, and they would be better off in the ACC full-time, and save a quality P5 Conference.
dmspartans54
Notre Dame will go to the B1G if anywhere. They have their own network
Hokiealways
I doubt that. ND had the opportunity to go to the BIG10, and turned down the opportunity several years ago.
GOML
Strikes me that Whit has acquitted himself well - see VA and national press - which is appreciated.
AGRN69
Much do about nothing.......there ie NOTHING that we can say to influence the results. Go Hokies
Wowo
Andy great write up.
I feel like you that it will be a while before any major change occurs. All of this doesn’t change my opinion that the ACC as we know it is a dead man walking.
I hope that wherever Tech lands it can be competitive in football and athletics in general.
Al Czervik
Thanks Andy, always in the know, appreciate it!
Walkin` Willie
When I was reading this article, I kept thinking that the only thing VT can do is be the best athletic program it can be when 2036 gets near - and then you said exactly that at the end of the article.
I still say that reducing football scholarships to 70 would make college football way more competitive and also help with Title IX compliance. Such a scholarship reduction is also in line with the fact that less kids are playing football - i.e. less than a million kids are playing 11 player football in high schools in 2021-2022 which is the first time that has happened since the turn of the century. According to Forbes, youth football - ages 6-12 - has declined 30% since the peak was reached in 2008. Might as well get ahead of the curve.
HokieLightning
Keep in mind that in the Magnificent 7 only 3 of the gunslingers survived the battle.
RonSwansonsAlterEgo
And 1 was afraid to pull his gun and engage the fight.
Hokie Witch
Seinfeld and Goodfella’s - not bad, but could you have done more?
HokieJ
It is Swofford’s fault for continuing to add to the ACC Achilles heel of private schools by adding bc and syr. They add nothing other than more mouths to feed with the limited revenues. Big market teams, right? That’s the dumbest myth of the last 20 years of expansion.
atlhokie1
Think the ACC's best bet is to jettison them and split the money with the rest (if that's possible).
HoustonHokie
Very clear and concise examination of the ACC’s situation. Well written too. Thanks.
vtfaninnc
Tech was an SEC target in 2011--2013. Seems like eons ago but the SEC can still see the upside of getting into Virginia with the DC market and recruits. The SEC has marched with Alabama and Tennessee when they were wandering in the desert and getting beat by Tech in bowl games. They know these things are cyclical.
lazarus1
Andy:
To the best of your knowledge has there been any discussion of any kind between the ACC or individual ACC schools and the 'new' Big 12 about an alignment of any kind?
OtisHoakie
"We have this ($30 million per year, per team) gap, and the gap is just not about the money," Radakovich said. "It's about schools being able to take those dollars and translate it into potentially NIL opportunities for student athletes. So forget about the fact that you might go and steal a coach if you have more money. Now it's going to get better players. That's where the rubber hits the road."
In the coming years, the ACC will simply not be able to compete with the SEC and B1G. ESPN's constricting ACC TV contract will slowly destroy its own product, leaving it worthless.
ANDYISGOLD
Andy,
Excellent content and well written.
GO_HOKIES_GO
If Phil Knight’s massive level of support can’t get Oregon in the B1G what possible hope does VT have of getting an invite to either of the Power 2 conferences? I suggest that the leadership figure out how to position the Hokies to be a player in the second tier (which is where almost everyone is going to end up anyway) and I suspect the ACC is the best option for an east coast school which still has some desire to be perceived as an academic institution.
vtfaninnc
Tech was an SEC target in 2011--2013. Seems like eons ago but the SEC can still see the upside of getting into Virginia with the DC market and recruits. The SEC has marched with Alabama and Tennessee when they were wandering in the desert and getting beat by Tech in bowl games. They know these things are cyclical.
vtbball80
"Miami ain't what it use to be" - beautifully understated.
NC Hoke
I wouldn’t concede one extra of my nickels to the greed movement within the ACC. As you say the greedy will grab anyway when they can. Paying them more does nothing for those left behind. The ACC’s greatest leverage might be achieved in it’s members staying together. Why not start talking about the 2036 contract now and begin talks using that discussion to leverage up the current payout for everyone? Take a “pay us now or pay us later” approach with ESPN, noting that the landscape has changed. Tell ESPN they won’t even be invited to the table post 2036 if they don’t start to freshen up their current package to more competitive levels. It’s in ESPN’s interest for the ACC to be competitive and that’s not possible with such a gulf between our package and B1G and SEC packages.
wwhokie1
ESPN we'll have no interest in what happens in 2036. Too many unknowns between now and then. They're focused on budgets for the next two or three years.
reconhokie
Frozen Turkey. Uh-uh. No good.
meltolbert
Like the old saying "all dressed up but nowhere to go"
IB4TECH
I appreciate everything that you said...except. Wasn't Swofford responsible for adding private schools UM, BC and SU to the already private schools DU and WF?
Andy Bitter
People would have moved heaven and earth to add Miami back then.
The other two, yeah, that was him.
wwhokie1
Yep, Miami had won four national championships in the previous two decades. Seems like an awesome pickup for the ACC. Unfortunately that's not the program the ACC ended up with. They ended up with a different Miami.
Hokieville
Miami’s athletic programs were a money drain on the University & president Shalala just wanted to stop the bleeding. Once UM was added to ACC, they felt they were in a safe harbor and did not need to spend any more than necessary to have athletic programs. At the time there were only 3 real FB programs in Florida, and a private UM with junky facilities was attractive. But suddenly UCF, FIU, USF & FAU became viable Florida options for good FB players and UM will never have a monopoly on the best available players unless they can simply find ways to outbid everyone else.
Arch72Hokie
What does Miami bring to the table, 5 - NC's, none since 2001? Their fans don't travel. The only reason is in the ACC is because when they became the 12th school, the ACC qualified to hold a conference championship game. BC, Pitt and SU do not fit w/the ACC culture. SU basketball draws more fans than their football program. Both BC and Pitt are overshadowed by pro football teams. GT has a small stadium and cannot compete at the top level of the ACC. As a former TEch players told me, "it's a tough sell for recruits." In point of fact, GT which once belonged to the SEC, left the conference because they knew the price of competition was to lower their academic standards. Vanderbilt has remained but they are bottom-feeders and don't even have an independent athletic department. When you think about it, Vandy, GT, Duke, BC, WF and others of that ilk, ought to form a conference. Btw, anybody who thinks UCLA brings any value to the b10 doesn't know much about UCLA. (I do as I lived in Westwood for 3 years.Bill Roth know ssomething about it too.) The antiquated Rose Bowl is 25 miles from campus. The Bruins can't even draw 35k for home games and they sure as heck are not going to travel to the midwest. UCLA hasn't mattered in football for decades. For that matter, the novelty of the b10 won't last long w/USC fans either:road games in Madison, Lincoln, Iowa City, Ann Arbor, East Lansing, West Lafayette, Bloomington, Columbus, College Park, State College or East Rutherford in November? Forget it. Fifty degrees in LA is cold. There are too many other things to do in LA. . .
`lag
Fantastic with the right incredulous tone and explaining "just the facts ma'am" A-Z the GOR ain't going to be broken and even if it were, VT ain't guaranteed a warm, cozy landing spot. Honestly, the GOR is doing its job. I do however disagree with the magnificent seven moniker, How could you not love that music with seven outfitted guys on their horses representing their schools? Which one would be Yul Brynner? And you're right, Florida State, what a laugh. Thanks for nothin' You've sucked and I'm glad your bowl streak was broken and VT helped.
Broken Hawk
???????...
reestuart
Great stuff. Thanks.
VTVOICE
Andy,
One option you did not talk about is if revenue distribution changes are altered slightly what do those who stand to lose get in return? We know FSU, Clemson and Miami would jump ship whenever possible thus greatly devaluing the ACC assuming this could be done without GOR restrictions. This is a bad assumption, but as you alluded the closer the GOR period nears its end, the less it costs members to go elsewhere. For those that can't and the ACC remains a good option they should have an interest in extending the GOR as it is now written to preserve the gooses that are laying the golden eggs from leaving. So why not agree to these revenue distribution changes as currently speculated, but insist in turn the ACC GOR term be extended another 5, 10 or 15 years for present members, but not the ESPN TV contract expiration which you would want to renegotiate ASAP? How do you think VT should think about this?
Andy Bitter
Considering seven schools have at least checked on options about how to get OUT of the grant of rights as it stands, I doubt there’s much support for extending it by any length.
RJHokie
Yep. That pretty much tells the tale on getting out of the GOR and votes for getting it extended.
VTVOICE
A lot of that is due diligence, a better understanding of the competitive environment, and the future for planning purposes. Maybe VT will discover the ACC is its best option available and want its preservation with the marquee programs that now exist in football.
astrohokie
Gaawwdddd, that chopchant pic is damn nauseating , negative acid flashbacks from 'Nawlins 2000 ??
133406Hokie
Good article, Andy, Loved the Carl Sandburg quote!
`lag
Years ago, and we're talking 30 or 40, you'd read a newspaper and realize that even the sports and entertainment guys were all frustrated novelists, or at least well read. You could tell this because they'd every once in a while work in some quote somewhere eg "jeez, it's not only not over, it's not even the past"!!! just to keep themselves entertained I suspect. Not so sure recently, one article in the WaPo the writer referred to the tv show Downton Abbey as "Downtown Abbey"
Saw that Sandburg quote and I'm thinking wow, Andy's one of those guys!. Deep respect for that.
TomTurkey
Correct, as usual, King Friday.
Stork
Good stuff. Thanks Andy.
JDods123
What a refreshingly level-headed perspective. I didn't know what to think, and now I do. In the law (and I'd imagine in medicine), so many people who don't like their options waste so much time and energy and money trying to reshuffle the deck, rather than come to terms with their actual situation so they can focus on making the right decisions and doing right everything within their control.
VT Rockie
Good article and I think you are correct. Kick and scream to see if you can get some discussion or moves toward getting more "inside money." A move that is not good for the league regardless of where your allegiance lies. I hope VT will come through this all right but by the time their fate is determined I'll be six feet under.
Vippie1
I guess this why you get paid to write and I don't. I've tried, and somewhat failed, to convey pretty much the exact, albeit fragmented, sentiments in a a number of posts over the past 2-3 days. Thank you for putting the logical thoughts circling in my head into a manner that others can better understand.
I don't think this is at all the look that six of those seven schools really wanted to give to the outside world. But bluster has been the primary MO of FSU since they joined the ACC. Why stop now?
2hhoop3
I agree. Excellent article and a very fair, good and thorough summation. The Goodfellas and facts and law references were great as well.
8hokie5
You nailed it Andy. Virginia Tech needs more time to right the ship and become relevant again. Only then will VT become attractive to the big 2 conferences.
Tailgate Guru
Well done. Spot on.
saret
Andy, Good article!
2hhoop3
I agree. Excellent article and a very fair, good and thorough summation. The Goodfellas and facts and law references were great as well.
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