Maryland to the B1G

ACC & Other General49

It is being reported here.

Props to Swofford!

Sweaty Gary’s take (The Washington Post):

“Anybody that has been connected with the ACC will say there have been great moments,” said Williams, who led the Terps to the 2002 NCAA championship. “Up until they expanded in 2003, we were by far the best basketball coach in the country. That was a great thing to be part of. At the same time, once expansion started — and not just in ACC, but everywhere — things changed.

“A lot of it has to do with football. I think sometimes people don’t understand, or they forget a little bit, that your ability to run an athletic department is based on selling tickets and raising money and then, with your conference, the amount of money you can earn from the various contracts you have. When you look at the Big Ten, they have done a great job of putting every school in a great situation.”

…

“Kevin is really good because he doesn’t try to sway me into thinking any certain way, but we talk,” Williams said. “This is my view from where I’ve been as a coach, and being a longtime part of the ACC. That’s the important thing, that we as Maryland people — you certainly have your feelings about the ACC, but at the same time — [consider] what’s best for Maryland and the athletic department and the football program.

“I try to look at it from what is best for the athletic department and the University of Maryland.”

ACC & Other General

49 Responses to Maryland to the B1G

  1. Wulfpack 11/19/2012 at 10:03 AM #

    Hope we are next. The ACC is dead.

  2. Avid109 11/19/2012 at 10:04 AM #

    When will the next domino fall?

  3. Texpack 11/19/2012 at 10:19 AM #

    I hate to see UMd leave only because of their traditional ACC membership. This does very little to weaken the conference unless they are allowed to exit with a discounted buyout. The Big 12 has lost 4 significant members and managed to add WVU and TCU. Pitt, ND, and Syracuse are all superior to TCU in terms of what they bring to the conference overall. UMd will become the new Northwestern of the BIG. They are destined for a decade of absolute butt kickings at the hands of the rest of the BIG in virtually every sport.

    The real problems for the ACC only kick in if FSU, GT, Clemson, or VT bolt. Having said that, I can’t imagine Clemson and FSU appreciate the fact that they are ranked behind three 2 loss SEC teams at the moment.

  4. Wulfpack 11/19/2012 at 10:22 AM #

    I see it differently. MD made the very wise move. ACC knows schools want out. We will see who is next. Most likely FSU, Clemson or GT.

    I am very concerned about our position in this battle. We better have a plan. Come up with the 50 million, make some alliances, and get the F out before we get stuck in the new Big East. That would be a disaster for our future.

  5. theghost 11/19/2012 at 10:42 AM #

    pretty sure this is not good for us. The ACC is crumbling under the weight of the blues’ self-serving management (see Big 12, Texas) and Swofford’s incompetence. It can’t survive, and I just don’t see any way the BoG allows any scenario where the Pack comes out ahead.

    If Woodson and Yow can’t come up with something genius, and quick, I’m afraid this ends with the Pack left out in the cold… for good.

    Badly need a bball season that lives up to the hype to raise the prominence of the school while negotiations are underway.

  6. JasonP 11/19/2012 at 10:43 AM #

    I fully expect FSU and Clemson to follow suit and leave for the Big 12.

    GT might get the upper hand on Clemson simply because of geography though. One of the two is stuck with us b/c the SEC won’t grab any of them. FSU is as good as gone though.

    We’ll be stuck in blue-blood Yankee central with Cuse, Pitt, UNC, Duke and coming soon UConn. Hip hip hooray.

  7. LifeLongWolf 11/19/2012 at 10:44 AM #

    This about sums up my feelings right about now…

  8. Wulfpack 11/19/2012 at 10:55 AM #

    Right. I do not see this ending well for State. Good ole Yankee conference. Can’t wait to go play Seton Hall and Temple.

  9. sundropdrinker13 11/19/2012 at 10:58 AM #

    This may seem like a dumb question, but why does any college in NC need to get the state’s permission? It’s a school decision, and doesn’t affect the state a whole lot. Maybe gets it more exposed nationally, but that’s about it.

  10. JasonP 11/19/2012 at 11:06 AM #

    Sundropdrinker – it’s all about politics. The BOG won’t allow State to get benefits over what’s available for UNC. It’s not exactly written anywhere, but it’s reality. See what happened with VT when the Virginia legislature essentially forced the ACC to take VT during the first wave of expansion after FSU entered. It’ll be like that for us. If State gets invited to the Big 12 or SEC, UNC will make dang sure we’re tied to the hip as a package deal. This doesn’t go both ways either. If UNC gets the invite, they’re gone and will leave us in the dust. That’s the best we could hope for, but the ACC is so beneifical for them they won’t leave. Thus, we are where we are and it’ll stay that way.

  11. Lumpy 11/19/2012 at 11:08 AM #

    Swofford is partly to blame, because he runs a 14 team BCS Conference like its still the the old 8 team setup from the 80’s. It’s way too Carolina centric for what it is now. Maryland has been saying for years what a home field advantage UNC and Duke hold as far as conference business is concerned. Clemson and FSU say it too. Think he’ll listen now?
    But part of the blame has to be on the conference itself. It’s just really, really, sh!^^y at football. There was a time in the 90’s when FSU was on fire and UNC, UVA, GT, and Clemson seemed like they were poised to help the ACC take the next step. NC State gave it a good shot in the early part of the last decade. But none of the teams in the conference over the last ten years have lived up to the hype. Not one. Even our BCS representatives are looked down upon, as though they got there by default. Mostly because they did.
    Regardless of why, the ACC is where it is today. if John Swofford is any kind of commissioner he would be down at FSU and Clemson’s campuses finding out what it’s gonna take to keep them. Quit worrying about how UNC stands to benefit, and make those two schools, along with VT the centerpiece of the ACC package during football season. Just like you have for UNC and Duke during basketball season.

  12. Wulfpack 11/19/2012 at 11:09 AM #

    It is written in Chapter 116 of the NC General Assembly.

  13. Wulfpack 11/19/2012 at 11:15 AM #

    We can blame ourselves as we hired a middle of the road Big East coach to lead our football program during this critical time. We have no leverage in this arms race as it is about football.

  14. packof81 11/19/2012 at 11:24 AM #

    “The real problems for the ACC only kick in if FSU, GT, Clemson, or VT bolt.”

    FSU has already made noises about leaving. I figured they would be first. But Maryland is somewhat of a surprise.

    “Hope we are next. The ACC is dead.”

    If there’s anywhere for us to go, now would be a good time. The ACC is fixing to crater.

  15. On The Beach 11/19/2012 at 11:32 AM #

    Wulfpack—-With Fowl-up in charge, we are lucky we got what we have, as O’Brien fell into his lap.

  16. Wulfpack 11/19/2012 at 11:32 AM #

    The ACC made an implied admission when it raised the exit fee to 50 million with the (partial) addition of Notre Dame. The conference KNOWS member institutions want to leave. So for those of you that just said this is a bunch of noise, wake up. If indeed FSU, or Clemson, or GT go, then the conference will sink. It is going to happen. It is already sinking. Better to get off a sinking ship before it happens. So say whatever you want about MD, but it was a damn wise move that ensured their viability moving forward.

  17. MattN 11/19/2012 at 11:34 AM #

    I do hope this leads to a Big12-esque revolt that ends in the immediate removal of the pompous blowhard Swafford. Either that, or I hope Debbie has the SEC commisioner on speed-dial. Merryland has shown how to do it: Get the other conference to pay the exit fee, and deduct that amount from the new TV contract over time. Merryland is going to pay the Big10 back over 10 years and STILL MAKE MORE MONEY!

  18. haze 11/19/2012 at 12:03 PM #

    ND kicked this one off by closing out the best remaining option for B1G & committing them to an East Coast push (i.e. they had no intention of prostituting themselves to Texas OR of letting the eventual Texas dance dominate their agenda).

    Maryland just made sure that they are affiliated with a long-term survivor… and that’s not a bad move, no matter the $ between here & there.

    Locked Survivors = B1G, SEC, PAC

    Either the BIG12 or the ACC will be #4. There probably won’t be a #5.

    Personally, I think Texas bleeds the Big12 for as long as possible and then plays the other conferences against each other. Not bedding down with Texas is THE reason why FSU should stay with the ACC.

  19. Avid109 11/19/2012 at 12:17 PM #

    If geography is the issue, then it looks like the fight for being the final 4 super conferences is between the Pac-12, the Big 12, the Big 10, the SEC, and the ACC. One of those five will be eliminated. The best conferences based on this mindset will be those that are the most spread out among markets.

    The Pac-12 has the west coast to themselves, so they are probably one of the four winners. Of the remaining conferences, each has multi-school states in their footprints:

    SEC:
    Miss/Miss State
    Alabama/Auburn
    Tenn/Vandy

    Big 12:
    Kansas/Kansas State
    Oklahoma/Oklahoma State
    Texas/TCU/Texas Tech/Baylor

    Big 10:

    Michigan/Michigan State
    Indiana/Purdue
    Illinois/Northwestern

    ACC:

    FSU/Miami
    Virginia/Virginia Tech
    NC State/UNC-CHeat/Duke/Wake

    With 4 schools in NC, the ACC is limited, and with 4 schools in TX, the Big 12 is somewhat limited, but having fewer members, they’ve got room for error. The fight seems to be between the ACC and the Big 12.

    For simple survival, the ACC could afford to lose a couple of NC schools, one VA school and one FL school if (big “if”) they could add replacements to expand the conference footprint. Because the Big 12 has fewer schools to start with, they simply need to add some schools to expand their TV coverage.

    There are many possibilities here, but if the ACC survives, there will be some major changes.

  20. PackFan 11/19/2012 at 12:24 PM #

    Honest question: why does it have to be 4 supconferences? Why not 5? (Admittedly with one being pretty bad at football). How much more revenue does football generate than the rest of the sports? (Again, honest question). If we add UCONN we are back to 14, and in my mind the best basketball conference in the country.

  21. tobaccordshow 11/19/2012 at 12:28 PM #

    Basketball doesn’t matter. Basketball won’t get you TV contracts.

    My best case scenario is adding Notre Dame as a full time member and poaching Penn State (LOL, I know). If that happens, I think the ACC could compete with the big boys in contracts. If, in a few years, ours is better than the B1G, then I will laugh so hard at Maryland. Till then, we’ll be laughed at.

  22. MP 11/19/2012 at 12:28 PM #

    The following ACC schools – VT, UVA, NCSU, *NC, CU, GT, FSU – should align and offer to merge with the following Big <12 schools – KU, KSU, OU, OSU, TTU, BU, WVU.

    Tell Texas and Notre Dame to suck it and decide if they want to be independent or play ball on equal terms.

    If they don't want to play ball, hold interviews for numbers 15 & 16.

  23. Wulfpack 11/19/2012 at 12:41 PM #

    Ok, but if FSU and/or Clemson leaves, what chips does the ACC have to play? In that scenario, a crappy conference just became crappier. Adding Penn State does nothing as they are going to be horrible for many years with all of the sanctions. It is an arms race and some schools in our league see the writing on the wall. Better improve your position while you can.

  24. tobaccordshow 11/19/2012 at 12:54 PM #

    Check out PSU’s recruiting. Not sold they’ll be down and out for long. A lot of people seem to think about Penn State in terms of the scandal and applying that to future Penn State teams and assuming they’ll suck. They played great this year. Their recruiting hasn’t dropped off at all. You get past Year 2 and you can sell 2 years of bowls to recruits coming in. Big question is if they’re able to keep O’Brien.

    FSU ad Clemson leaves, we’re toast. I burn all my NC State stuff and pick a new team.

  25. Avid109 11/19/2012 at 1:09 PM #

    The more I think about it, the more I think Swofford WANTS State and Va Tech to leave the ACC. (He’d probably like to dump Wake too, but I don’t think that will happen.)

    If State and Va Tech left for the SEC, then Swofford would be free to bring in two more schools to expand the conference footprint and maybe even make FSU and/or Notre Dame happy in the process. What he really wants to do is to protect his beloved Heels and their status in the ACC.

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