From the Athletic in 2022 (median viewers for college football games):
UVA: 1.4M median viewers in 24 rated games
UNC: 1.2M median in 24 rated games
NC Stage: 1.1M median in 26 rated games
VT: 968K in 41 rated games
Clemson: 2.6M
FSU: 1.9M
Miami: 1.4M
Oregon: 1.9M
Washington: 1.6M
Surprisingly: Louisville 1.6M
ND for comparison: 2.9M
Games on ACC, Pac-12 or SEC networks arenāt rated.
Thereās no reason we canāt schedule them in every sport every season. Louisville-Kentucky/Clemson-South Carolina/Florida State-Florida/Iowa-Iowa State/Colorado-Colorado State/New Mexico-New Mexico State/Georgia-Georgia Tech/Utah-BYU/Penn State-Pitt.
These schools either make it work or choose to not play.
Even if there are no reasons we canāt (and there might be, I donāt know), there will probably be various reasons we wonāt.
WVU and Pitt didnāt maintain their rivalries after they split conferences.
UVA and Maryland never stood up regular games after UMD left.
Same goes for Texas and Texas A&M after the Aggies left for the SEC.
Itās rarer and rarer to see rivalries maintained when those teams are in different conferences, whether bad blood or just scheduling logistics.
Louisville seems like they would fit well in the SEC, recent struggles aside. I know it isnāt the marquee brand overall that would cause SEC to reachā¦my brain is also still stuck on the geographic fit of schools, rivalries, so I do not compute most of the recent happenings
For the same reasons FSU/Clemson/GT are potentially blocked by UF/USC/UGA, wanting to compete for brand dominance in their respective state, I do wonder if UK wants UL excluded.
Believe it or not, the SEC also wants to improve its academic reputation. They arenāt touching Louisville with a 10 foot pole
Wow. Opened the poll this morning and after 60 votes (so far), itās 31-29 Big 10. Guess we are pretty divided over preference, if we do end up leaving.
Donāt care if we play them regularly. Happy to see them fall back and compete with JMU and Liberty.
Would be completely fine going to SEC and then going to Big 12. Would tilt the scales in our favor for recruiting and in the arms race.
And Iād pop a big old bowl of popcorn to sit back and watch the meltdown if that came to fruition.
I still want to play VT every year in all sports if we end up in different conferences. However Iād love to be in a conference thatās paying out significantly more money than theirs. Thatās the scenario Iām hoping for.
To your point, there is a real possibility that we wonāt play them annually if we split, which would suck.
Honestly, Iād be ok if we donāt play them regularlyā¦especially if weāre in the SEC or Big 10, and they get shutout. They already make our game(s) with them their biggest game of the yearā¦it would be 10x worse in that situation.
Toss in Oklahoma OSU as rivalries lost to expansion
Itās all petty bad blood reasons. Thereās no good reason why any of those teams canāt continue playing, but thereās lots of reasons why they wonāt or donāt voluntarily play.
āExpect menās basketball.ā Expect it to do what?
I think B1G is a better fit, SEC would be more fun.
Moved back to VA last year, but spent a good chunk of my adult life in SEC country. SEC tailgates definitely hit a little different.
Hereās the way I look at it:
We stuck our necks out to get VPI into the ACC, at our own expense. The ACC treated us like red-headed stepchildren for the next five or so years. VPI and its fanbase have showed no gratitude ā and, indeed, during our Gator Bowl, and in response to our bending over backward in Cville to show unity after Cho murdered 30 people in Blacksburg, some of their fans rented a banner plane with the message, āYou have VA Pride, we have ACC championship & Orange Bowl.ā
Sorry, but fuck them to hell.
I want us to land in a P2 and watch that lousy-ass fanbase twist in the fucking wind for eternity.
Sounds like the game āF***, Marry, Killā
Weād marry the B1G and f*** the SEC. I guess weāre killing the ACC.
PREACH!!!
This is EASILY the best explanation, lol. With that being said, as long as weāre in either Iāll be very happy.