Who got the better end of the deal, the Atlantic Coast Conference or the Big East?It has been five years since the ACC began an expansion process that led Boston College, Miami and Virginia Tech to join the ACC and leave the Big East. The ACC's move put the Big East on the brink of extinction, but the superconference maneuver hasn't turned out as planned for the ACC.
Financially, the bold move has paid off for the ACC, but on the football field, the league's teams have floundered.
"I think the way you have to measure expansion is positioning for the long term," ACC Commissioner John Swofford (above left) said.
The Big East — despite questions about its long-term stability — has been a football success, with commissioner Mike Tranghese (middle) luring Louisville and South Florida to a league with emerging powers West Virginia and Rutgers.
The Big East's plundering of Conference USA also had an impact. Conference USA, which had a cumbersome 15-team league, became a streamlined 12-team all-sports conference that in "most respects," commissioner Britton Banowsky (right) said, is better than it once was.
But is a 16-team league better than eight, 12 or 14? With finances continuing to skyrocket, a 16-team league would appear to be the model of future conferences.
4 comments:
Tim Stephens has no idea what he's talking about.
"Financially, the bold move has paid off for the ACC"
Isn't that what matters? Wins don't keep conferences alive or businesses afloat....money does.
in any conference, theres going to be great teams and not so great teams.
the Big East is no different.
You know Rutgers success came on the heels of Tech, UM and BC leaving. they wouldnt have been this good if they hadnt.
WVa was better b/c of RRod's tricky offense. plain and simple. they'll come back to earth after another year.
Lousiville has already come back to earth.
SFla was blessed with a front loaded schedule of cakes and floundered down the stretch. you'll see that "success story" has run its course and they'll play even ball this year.
yes, the Big east has played better, but UNC/NCSU is getting better. Miami will be better. Wake is a team Rutgers only hopes it can be ... maintain their success. Clemson is Clemson ... lets just hope they dont lose that one game they always do. VT is loaded, again, on defense. we'll just have to see if a QB and RB step up. maybe GT, under Johnson, will become the new WVa?? i dunno cause you need more than a pulse to get into GT.
not to mention, didnt the ACC beat the Big Least head-to-head last season??? someone look that up!
ACC will and is getting better.
The Big East still has the problem of being a basketball conference. The Big East remains a football question mark. There is no school with any history of a national profile.
Post a Comment