Quote:
Originally Posted by E.J.
I don't know how ND will factor in, as they are not a member of the ACC and will keep their deal with NBC....  |
The Irish will be a full member of the ACC in hoops, but will retain semi-independence in football. They will play 5 games a season against ACC foes, and schedule whom they please to in the remainder of the season. Frankly, I'm not sure how this benefits them all that much. As a full ACC member, they become eligible for an automatic BCS bid for the conference, while as an independent they will have to EARN any shot at big bowl games on the field. Furthermore, they could still be free to schedule big-ticket games against the Michigans, Ohio States, and USCs of the world, if they so chose.
As for Maryland, if they want to abandon the ACC, thus leaving it with only 6 founding members from its 1953 creation (UVA, Clemson, and the four NC teams), that's their affair. I'm not sure how large an economic boon this will be to them, once you factor out a) what they already get from the ACC contracts, b) the $50M buyout they'll need to pony up, and c) the additional expenses incurred from longer road trips to places like Wisconsin and Minnesota. As for their ability to compete in the . . . "Big Fourteen"? . . . that remains to be seen. However, as they only occasionally compete in basketball, and rarely in football or other sports, in the ACC, and as I can't see this move helping their recruiting all that much (and maybe even hurting is some, at least in the short-term), I cannot see how they plan on competing in a different conference.
But as I said, it is their business, and more power to them. Goodbye, and good riddance. As a Tar Heel, I've hated the Terps since Lefty stole Tom McMillen from Dean Smith back in 1970. So, screw 'em.
