Conference Realignment

[LeadingEdge]

What's unusual in the ACC is for an ACC home team's stadium to be nearly full. Y'all (Duke) are hit by this somewhat more than usual because you are a small private school with a national student body/alumni cohort. Yet, each of these schools also regularly have acres of bare aluminum for many games: BC, Cuse, Pitt, U.Va., UNC, GT, Miami, SMU, Cal, and Stanford. Add Duke and that's 11 of 17 ACC football members.

Even the remaining schools sometimes have bare patches depending on the opponent.

The reality is the ACC as a whole almost entirely lacks the football passion of the SEC, which passion fills stadiums. Also, the median SEC school has about 10,000 more undergrads than the median ACC school, and the median B10 school has about 10,000 more undergrads than the median SEC school. Those two factors move the attendance needle much more than anything most ACC attendance laggers can do by winning more.

 

[dlmzzz]

So, in this week's AP poll, 6 of the top 7 teams are SEC teams. Only one newbie (Texas) in that list. 3 of the remaining teams are in the B1G, with Oregon being their new team in the list. If I expand it to a cherry picked 16 team count, the SEC has two more teams to bring it up to 8 teams. Literally half. The B1G has another, meaning they have 4 of the 16.

Again, I don't see how adding any team outside Notre Dame does anything other than dilute their product, and their revenue.

 

[uh_no]

You think many folks are reading a clearly AI-written story on the Athlon Sports website?

I think the link to it here may have doubled the readership of that trash article (that appears to have been based on a pre-game photo/video).

this was my thought. When it was referred to as "national media" with no substance behind it.....It's not like anybody has actually picked up this story because it's click-bait nonsense.

 

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

this was my thought. When it was referred to as "national media" with no substance behind it.....It's not like anybody has actually picked up this story because it's click-bait nonsense.

Okay. Thanks. I've been sufficiently shamed for sharing something I thought had some significance for our conference.

Please mods delete my terrible link and all the subsequent replies so we can all get on with our lives.

 

[AustinDevil]

Just for fun, here's another pic of the almost-entirely-full stadium, which will be 100% full for SMU-TCU weekend after next. But the real reason I'm replying is to say that anyone associated with the ACC better get ready for an endless stream of hit job nonsense from Big XII trolls (which may or may not be a correct description of that Athlon writer, but almost certainly applies to the troll who uploaded/tagged that obviously far-before-kickoff "crowd" shot in the first place).

 

[budwom]

SMU is going to make an impact on the ACC. Maybe not initially in wins, but unlike some other programs I won't name, they're really happy to be in the league and are not going to be shy about spending impressive piles of money.
I'm looking forward to seeing what they bring to Derm in October...

 

[AGDukesky]

SMU is going to make an impact on the ACC. Maybe not initially in wins, but unlike some other programs I won't name, they're really happy to be in the league and are not going to be shy about spending impressive piles of money.
I'm looking forward to seeing what they bring to Derm in October...

Yeah, SMU will have plenty of money to make itself conpetitive in the ACC. It will be the Arkansas of our conference…

 

[brevity]

Wow, actual realignment news.

Sources: Pac-12 rebuilding conference, targeting Boise State, San Diego State, Fresno State, Colorado State

The Pac-12 is mobilizing its long-discussed plan to rebuild the league with additions from the Mountain West Conference.

sports.yahoo.com

The two-team conference of Washington State and Oregon State is targeting Boise State, San Diego State, Colorado State and Fresno State as new additions in a reimagined Pac-12. Those schools are expected to soon apply or have already applied for membership into the conference — the first step in the process to complete the deal. They would join the league starting with the 2026 school year.

This is expected to be the first phase in a multi-phase expansion endeavor to reach, at the very least, eight schools — the NCAA’s minimum required to qualify as an FBS conference. If the aforementioned four join, the league needs two more to complete the process. It must reach the minimum by July of 2026, the end of the NCAA’s two-year grace period.

Sources: Boise State among 4 set to join Pac-12

Boise State, Fresno State, Colorado State and San Diego State have applied for Pac-12 membership to begin in the 2026-27 academic year, sources told ESPN.

www.espn.com

The Pac-12 board of directors unanimously approved applications from Boise State, Colorado State, San Diego State and Fresno State for membership to begin in the 2026-27 academic year, sources said.

 

[arnie]

Wow, actual realignment news.

Sources: Pac-12 rebuilding conference, targeting Boise State, San Diego State, Fresno State, Colorado State

The Pac-12 is mobilizing its long-discussed plan to rebuild the league with additions from the Mountain West Conference.

sports.yahoo.com

Sources: Boise State among 4 set to join Pac-12

Boise State, Fresno State, Colorado State and San Diego State have applied for Pac-12 membership to begin in the 2026-27 academic year, sources told ESPN.

www.espn.com

And every school is a “State”. Hope they can find two more state schools.

 

[budwom]

So much for the conference of champions

 

[brevity]

And every school is a “State”. Hope they can find two more state schools.

I noticed that. I’d be okay with Florida State paying the ACC exit fee and becoming the second most popular FSU in the new Pac-X Conference.

Otherwise, the best option for the ACC is for the Pac-X to add San Jose State, which would give them a NorCal presence (Fresno seems more central CA) and make it less tempting for them to invite back Cal and Stanford. Then finish the pattern with Utah State.

 

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Wow, actual realignment news.

Sources: Pac-12 rebuilding conference, targeting Boise State, San Diego State, Fresno State, Colorado State

The Pac-12 is mobilizing its long-discussed plan to rebuild the league with additions from the Mountain West Conference.

sports.yahoo.com

Sources: Boise State among 4 set to join Pac-12

Boise State, Fresno State, Colorado State and San Diego State have applied for Pac-12 membership to begin in the 2026-27 academic year, sources told ESPN.

www.espn.com

Who exactly makes up the PAC 12 Board of Directors at this point?

 

[budwom]

Who exactly makes up the PAC 12 Board of Directors at this point?

i'm too lazy to look it up but suppose it has to be Oregon St. and Washy State, no one else left. Sad!

 

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

i'm too lazy to look it up but suppose it has to be Oregon St. and Washy State, no one else left. Sad!

That was sort of my point. Crazy town.

 

[lotusland]

That was sort of my point. Crazy town.

I feel like a board meeting of only 2 people would be so much more productive. Unless one of them is the guy who doesn’t prepare but shares his/her negative opinion on everything.

 

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

I feel like a board meeting of only 2 people would be so much more productive. Unless one of them is the guy who doesn’t prepare but shares his/her negative opinion on everything.

I guess you never have to question of there's a quorum.

 

[AustinDevil]

I guess you never have to question of there's a quorum.

Probably the only "board" in existence where a quorum has to be 100%. Lol.

They'll have to get to 8 for NCAA minimum rules. Would Gonzaga count? The pickings beyond who they have and that are in the region are pretty slim. It's basically everyone else in the Mountain West.

 

[Phredd3]

They'll have to get to 8 for NCAA minimum rules. Would Gonzaga count?

I think they're trying to make it an FBS-eligible conference, so, probably not.

 

[OldPhiKap]

Who exactly makes up the PAC 12 Board of Directors at this point?

i'm too lazy to look it up but suppose it has to be Oregon St. and Washy State, no one else left. Sad!

That was sort of my point. Crazy town.

I thought they were The Polular Front.

 

[brevity]

I guess you never have to question of there's a quorum.

Oregon State to Washington State: “We can keep a secret if one of us is dead.”