UC / U of L / UConn to ACC?

[JDBEARCAT]

Dear Santa, please give my UC Bearcats entry into the ACC.
That would be the best Christmas gift ever!!!

[bobestes]

Let us NOT assume Clemson and FSU are going to the SEC. I think it depends on the UMd case vs the ACC. A conference with 16 football teams and 18 basketball teams (adding Georgetown), would make more sense for the next few years.

(Everyone says "the ACC will choose UConn if it wants academics, and Louisville if it wants strong sports," UC is a much greater academic school than UofL and a much better all round sports product than UConn. While I do not think that any conference will only take one team, if they did we are the balanced choice)

UConn is not much academically.

I have to imagine the UNC/Duke blue bloods are holding their noses right now about us and the ville, but conference affiliation stopped being about academics about 5 years ago.

[BearcatRob33]

Even if VaTech and FSU etc go, it's basically the Big East we signed up for way back when, just named ACC. I can live with that.

Been saying all along: decent football is great, but I just want a good home for basketball that doesn't cause recruiting to implode.

Agreed...and I'd look forward to this conference schedule. Good to keep UC in the best basketball conference in the country

['nati streets]

For the sake of discussion, let's assume that Clemson and Florida State are going to the SEC. And let's assume that UC, U of L and UConn are ACC bound. Here is what the ACC would look like:

Let us NOT assume Clemson and FSU are going to the SEC. I think it depends on the UMd case vs the ACC. A conference with 16 football teams and 18 basketball teams (adding Georgetown), would make more sense for the next few years.

(Everyone says "the ACC will choose UConn if it wants academics, and Louisville if it wants strong sports," UC is a much greater academic school than UofL and a much better all round sports product than UConn. While I do not think that any conference will only take one team, if they did we are the balanced choice)

[bobestes]

Even if VaTech and FSU etc go, it's basically the Big East we signed up for way back when, just named ACC. I can live with that.

Been saying all along: decent football is great, but I just want a good home for basketball that doesn't cause recruiting to implode.

[dbernie41]

Someone earlier had said that it was FSU that was strongly pushing the expansion to 16 and therefore us and Louisville.

[Thegreatone]

Ryan Pence of Bearcatlair tweeted:

@pencerm
I'm hearing the #Bearcats to the ACC is a done deal. Maybe even to the point of a signed agreement. Working to confirm.

@pencerm
I should clarify, nothing is confirmed. But I have enough information to post what I have. Where there's smoke, there's fire. #Bearcats


Either this is really happening, or this kid is putting his job on the line ...

It's bcl. They never let facts get in the way of a juicy story.

[jkwuc89]

I forgot to list VaTech. My bad. What's interesting to note is the large amount of former Big East football members that would make up the ACC. I count 8.

[DMoney1080]

For the sake of discussion, let's assume that Clemson and Florida State are going to the SEC. And let's assume that UC, U of L and UConn are ACC bound. Here is what the ACC would look like:

No way that SEC schools will allow FSU and Clemson to join. It makes sense, but you have to remember FSU voted to go the SEC last year and decided against it. Clemson will never go because USC. What I have been hearing is that SEC goes after NC and VT for those markets and to make a footprint right in the heart of ACC country. The play for FSU is to move to the B12, but I'm not sure Texas wants to share. IMHO, the first conference to act will either end this conf realignment (ACC expands to 16), or if another conference starts, we will see the emergence of the super conferences. The worst case scenario is that the we end up in the MWC/CUSA continental conference, which is still not the worst place to be especially if Boise and the MWC are still there. Not ideal, but it beats being an independent.

[cafemerald]

For the sake of discussion, let's assume that Clemson and Florida State are going to the SEC. And let's assume that UC, U of L and UConn are ACC bound. Here is what the ACC would look like:

Notre Dame (all but football)
Duke
North Carolina
Virginia
Boston College
Georgia Tech
Miami
NC State
Wake Forest
UC
Louisville
UConn
Syracuse
Pitt

That's 13 all sports teams and 14 basketball teams. In football, ND has committed to playing so many games against ACC teams. That opens the distinct possibility of a UC / ND game.

The team line up above blows away whatever is left of the Big East. And I think this ACC lineup could not only survive but thrive.

What about Virginia Tech? Are they moving... and how did I not hear about it?

[jkwuc89]

For the sake of discussion, let's assume that Clemson and Florida State are going to the SEC. And let's assume that UC, U of L and UConn are ACC bound. Here is what the ACC would look like:

Notre Dame (all but football)
Duke
North Carolina
Virginia
Boston College
Georgia Tech
Miami
NC State
Wake Forest
UC
Louisville
UConn
Syracuse
Pitt

That's 13 all sports teams and 14 basketball teams. In football, ND has committed to playing so many games against ACC teams. That opens the distinct possibility of a UC / ND game.

The team line up above blows away whatever is left of the Big East. And I think this ACC lineup could not only survive but thrive.

[Binturong05]

ACC would be awesome for UC. Great hoops and a football conference that we can compete in. This is best case scenario. Will have to hope that there will not be additional significant defections. This would be great news though. So much better than where the BE is headed.

I agree completely. From day one when the conference realignment die were cast my hope was always UC to the ACC rather than the Big 12 or any other conference. The ACC is a terrific basketball conference and that is historically what UC is known for making the fit in men's bball logical. Furthermore, the football programs are much more balanced/egalitarian with significantly less disparity in athletic budgets from top to bottom. The Big 12 is dominated by Oklahoma and especially Texas neither of which would UC ever be able to compete with from a revenue standpoint. And the Big 10 grants Michigan and Ohio State outsized representation and influence in conference affairs and decision making which is why Notre Dame has been bucking joining the Big 10 for twenty years. They refuse to kow tow to these two programs.

In addition the ACC seems like the better travel situation as well especially if L'Ville moves too. Being lumped in a division with Pitt, Notre Dame, and L'ville will help to minimize travel costs as on average trips to North Carolina, Virginia, and Georgia, Mass, New York (and occassionally Florida) are easier to digest than regular trips to Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Iowa.

[longtimefan]

With Rutgers going to the BIG, I am forced to cheer for UL to win the Big East. Too bad that tosu would block UC to the BIG because geographically, it makes sense. The ACC is the best for UC football though. However, remember our fb teams and recruiting prior to joining the BEast. Maybe a step up gets us to another level of facilities, recruits, exposure, money.

Same here, cheering for Louisville, unless they land a better deal than us in conf alignment.

[swilsonsp4]

Hopefully, we're not grasping at straws & this turns out to be true. On the football side, this would solve problems (& stop all of the MAC-talk nonsense). On the basketball side, this would be bigger than the move UC made to the BE. Not only would UofL, Cuse and Pitt remain in the picture, but the Blue Devils and Tar Heels would be coming to the Shoe. Rockin'!

[bearcatbret]

With Rutgers going to the BIG, I am forced to cheer for UL to win the Big East. Too bad that tosu would block UC to the BIG because geographically, it makes sense. The ACC is the best for UC football though. However, remember our fb teams and recruiting prior to joining the BEast. Maybe a step up gets us to another level of facilities, recruits, exposure, money.