With this weeks announcement of buyouts for current ACC schools expect the league to look measurably different over the next 4-5 years. Expansion will be likely not only to increase current numbers but to backfill another 5 or 6 departures.

Not out of the realm of possibility we could fill a slot. What do you think?

Pikapp79 wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 07, 2025 10:33 am

With this weeks announcement of buyouts for current ACC schools expect the league to look measurably different over the next 4-5 years. Expansion will be likely not only to increase current numbers but to backfill another 5 or 6 departures.

Not out of the realm of possibility we could fill a slot. What do you think?

I think a lot has to happen for that. At this point, I think it is more likely we end up in the AAC, Pac-12 (If they have an east division), or a new version of Sun Belt. Until the ACC sends officials to check us out in person I won't consider it a real chance.

If the ACC actually crumbles I think the crumbs get picked up by the AAC, Sunbelt etc...instead of us joining them.

It will all depend on how NC politicians step in to prevent or allow the UNC/NCSU combo from leaving. I'm not saying they are equal in athletics, but some seem to want to keep them together.

If fsu, clemson, and possibly louisville leave then I think the ACC holds with unc, ncsu, Duke, Virginia, etc and looks to add Memphis, south Florida, and Uconn to keep a decent athletic relevance in being the 4 in P4.

If the 3 you mention leave, I do not see UNC staying in ACC. The next TV contract will be drastically lower...I assume there are clauses in contract to reduce the contract if teams leave.
UNC cannot go "all in" on football like they are attempting to do without the revenue...or cut other sports. ..and based upon the recent changes in basketball hiring, it appears they have realized that "just selling the brand UNC" does not trump NIL ..or they would have secured a big man in the off-season. My sense is that UNC will be offering more nil money from the bball program than last year...
As such, the need revenue from all sources...

I don’t think our athletics program as a whole is ready for the ACC. Especially with our “marque” program going 5-6 last year.

The majority of our Olympic sports are in the bottom 1/3 of the conference. I won’t even get into the financials because that may be where we are the furthest away.

If the ACC wanted us as football only member, I could see that being more likely. However, I would assume they would want full members. Memphis, USF, UNLV, Tulane, and even ECU are closer to the P5 than we are.

The Sun Belt needs to step up to continue progressing in the next few years, but I also believe we are in the right spot for us currently.

The ACC at the conference level has done such a poor job the past few years...same goes for the majority of the schools in the sports where it matters. John Swofford gets the lionshare of the blame for not doing more in the early 2000's and 2010's not developing the ACC Network as a stand alone platform and for not pushing the schools to get better at football. He also is to blame for the Notre Dame fiasco. Greg Sankey & Michael Slive guided the SEC to success while Swofford failed. There will be a 30:30 about the once great ACC similar to the 30 for 30: Requiem for the Big East


I believe the ship has already struck the ice berg and the leaks can't be fixed...this ship is going down and when word gets out everyone is jumping ship.

It's hard to say not knowing how many ACC teams would bolt. I think we all expect four teams minimum, but it's reasonable to think as many as eight could move on. I'm hoping enough solid members stick around for them to be attractive to schools like Memphis, USF, Tulane, and potentially the Academies for football only. That would open the door for some top SBC teams to jump to the AAC. I only say we would have to move there due to the exit fees in the AAC. If it can workout for some of them to join the SBC then great. Ultimately I just want to see us in a conference with ECU, JMU, and Marshall no matter what the name of the conference is.

I think for the conferences and schools that realize they don’t have and never will have the funds to keep up with the big boys, a regional conference will be the way to go. App., UNCC, CCU, ECU, Marshal, JMU, G. Southern and G State should form the core of a new truly Atlantic Coast Conference. Find 4 more to get to twelve teams, Troy, ODU, and South Alabama come to mind and that would be awesome. I think the popularity of a conference like that would shock a bunch of folks.

I would love seeing the ACC survive with us in the conference.

I know it’s unlikely, but I’ve always felt the ACC is our best chance of P4.

A regional conference?
Those are going the way of the dinosaur.

JTApps1 wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 07, 2025 12:18 pm

It's hard to say not knowing how many ACC teams would bolt. I think we all expect four teams minimum, but it's reasonable to think as many as eight could move on. I'm hoping enough solid members stick around for them to be attractive to schools like Memphis, USF, Tulane, and potentially the Academies for football only. That would open the door for some top SBC teams to jump to the AAC. I only say we would have to move there due to the exit fees in the AAC. If it can workout for some of them to join the SBC then great. Ultimately I just want to see us in a conference with ECU, JMU, and Marshall no matter what the name of the conference is.

I would love for us to be in the AAC over SBC as well. The AAC is a better conference than the SBC, due to the leadership and media deal.

When I say “better conference”, I’m not referring to the teams within the conference being better. The conference itself is better.

The Sunbelt is not the “ Premier Group of Five” conference. There is no leadership. The TV deal is peanuts. When something better comes along ,not if.

Stonewall wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 07, 2025 2:40 pm

The Sunbelt is not the “ Premier Group of Five” conference. There is no leadership. The TV deal is peanuts. When something better comes along ,not if.

The leadership of the conference is the university CEOs. IMO Everts time as chair was very well done. Adding CCU was smart, as was the recent 4. Not 1 add the AAC made has mad a year like CCU 2020-2021 to bring attention to the conference. Not one add the AAC made has a win like 2022 Marshall over Notre Dame.

Gill is a paid spokesman and administrator of their wishes. I would agree that he has not been active in the media like some of his peers. The TV deal is peanuts, but frankly we have a lot of teams in our conference with little brand and tv appeal.

When the "when" comes along, App needs to read the tea leaves correctly. I'm not arguing that the next step up wouldn't make it sense, I'm just saying we have to make sure it makes sense for us.

just a reminder with the AAC came calling we didn't even meet the minimum level in athletic money to get in. I'm glad we didn't jump, all the good teams left.

However I do like the idea of regional conference with ECU, Marshall, etc. Would make for great rivalries. The question is, where do dook and Wake go?

Captain Morgan wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 07, 2025 3:47 pm

just a reminder with the AAC came calling we didn't even meet the minimum level in athletic money to get in. I'm glad we didn't jump, all the good teams left.

However I do like the idea of regional conference with ECU, Marshall, etc. Would make for great rivalries. The question is, where do dook and Wake go?

Duke and Wake should drop to G5 for football but they never will because of basketball.

Duke is the best football program in the state currently.

Not in the revenue generation department...and that plays in conference realignment

ASUFan4863 wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 07, 2025 5:10 pm

Duke is the best football program in the state currently.

How sad is this statement.

The AAC was picked apart by taking their biggest brands in Cincinati, UCF, Houston, and SMU. The thought by the AAC is that it would raid the Big 12, instead they were the ones that got raided. I just do not think that the AAC is a good fit for Appalachian. It just covers too large of an area to be sustainable. I also believe without those brands it is just covers too large of an area.

Without the original ACC teams it just does not make sense to join the ACC either. I feel some people want to join a conference because of what it used to be. Sort of like picking Georgetown to win the NCAA Men's Basketball tournament. Georgetown is not the Georgetown of the 80's.

I think Appalachian is in a great conference, because Appalachian, with the help of Georgia Southern, made it great. Enough so that Marshall, USM, ODU, and JMU wanted to be a part of the Sun Belt Conference too.

You need to realize that at one time Duke was the football school to beat in the SoCon when Walace Wade was the coach, I mean they even played in the Rose Bowl.

Wake not dropping to G5 because of basketball...? They haven't been good in basketball in 20 years or so.