On the âtying ourselves to UNCâ idea we all hope plays outâŠ. Whatâs in it for UNC? I know we have a long historic relationship and are very similar institutions, and we want to attach to them because they have a much better brand and bigger fanbase that makes them a clear target for the super conferences. But what do we offer them?
I guess I just canât imagine a scenario where the BIG is like âWe want you UNC, but you aloneâ and theyâre like âNaw, take your hundreds of millions and leave. Weâre sticking with Virginia to the end!â
Well the old thought was the Big Ten followed their contiguous state rule and thus UNC needed UVA. But with that rule out of the window the only thing I can think is UNC would want to bring a rival with them and the Big Ten might not want Duke because itâs so small.
Itâs not a good idea at all. More Hooâs coming with their hat in their hand and leaning on the past relationship and goodwill. From a straight numbers standpoint UNC has the stronger brand.
I could deal with relevant hoops and irrelevant football. Heck, isnât that pretty much what we are dealing with and have been dealing with? (yes, Iâm hopeful Tony E bumps us a bit, but those are just hopes).
We are their 3rd biggest rival! (ish) Isnât that worth something?
Yeah, Iâm cool with being irrelevant football. The only reason I desperately want into the super conferences is the knock on effects on basketball. Itâll make it harder to recruit if we arenât in the big leagues, and weâll have an absurdly smaller amount of money to invest in facilities and bells and whistles for players and coaches relative to the schools getting $130 million in media payouts every year.
I think weâd remain competitive, but as you compound that money differential over years and decades, it adds up massively. We could basically end up as a solid mid major who hopes a great coach can give us success before heâs plucked for the big leagues. I donât really want that path, so Iâd rather we slip into a super conference and just get paid to be routinely destroyed in football while our basketball team potentially flourishes.
I agree; I also worry about the knock-on effects to hoops and I think at some point whatever super-structure shakes out will probably wind up having more power than the NCAA and may even wind up putting on their own hoops tourney. Iâd rather UVa be in that group, all things considered.
Though as Iâve seen people point out, just because one group of schools puts on the tourney doesnât necessarily mean they couldnât invite the low and mid majors. Theyâd just be doing it on their terms.
This is my line of thinking as well⊠Weâve already seen a massive improvement in SEC basketball, from top to bottom. Even if things stay as is, the Big10 and SEC will be leaving other conferences in the dust, across all sports, with the increased payouts.
I think the pitch to UNC is a combo of âyouâre no lock without us, but a combo is more compelling than you soloâ which I think could be made. Then you toss on tradition and having a few local teams in the conference to keep non revenue costs down
I think itâs no accident that both UCLA and USC got invited, and that there are discussions for both Washington and Oregon. I think the Big wants some sort of congruency/continuity
The thought of the super leagues also looking into putting on their own March Silliness tournament is a bit scary at first but has itâs own potential upside. I could see something like that starting a LIV/PGA style stare down minus the Saudi thing. In that instance itâs pretty clear the PGA is taking the L. and I think the NC2A would as well against he Super Conferences.
Short term Virginia could survive and even thrive outside of the Super Conferences but eventual the money would be too big to overcome. UVa. simply does not fundraise enough to sustain on their own and you have to imagine that who ever is left on the outside of the super conference is fighting for the scraps at the Television rights table.
Ideally for me Virginia folds in with a few of the ACC originals and makes their way to a super conference flexing their muscle as a basketball contender. If that fails, then Iâd love to see them pioneer a basketball super conference that could work and generate enough rights revenue to offset the lost ACC contract.
Also would like to remain competitive in our Olympic sports. Will probably be a slower trickle down there but eventually weâll be way behind if we arenât in the SEC or B1G.
I proposed it as the ACC originals absorbing the Big East, but same thing. I donât care who joins who if the 2 came together I see that as a massive win. And likely could leverage Fox against ESPN for higher rev
I donât understand the Duke love. Duke is synonymous with K and heâs retired. Sure, they are currently a national brand, but national brands are cyclical except for a handful of schools that have remained staples for decades⊠UNC/UVA pairing makes the most sense, they have more in common than any other two schools in the ACC. Although UNC doesnât need a pairing to be attractive. They probably have the best brand outside of ND in the ACC.
Until proven otherwise the Duke brand is strong. Could it crash without K? Sure has it crashed currently? No. Duke has been a national brand for over 20 years that counts for something. Even if they go the way of Michigan post Fab 5 or Post Lloyd Carr they are still relevant and prominent. If the move needs to be made now then leverage Duke for what itâs worth.
Agreed, but just in basketball and that just for the moment. Kansas brand is strong, with way more history, but nobody wants them. I just donât see what Duke offers anywhere else, and I fully expect them to fade. A big mistake ACC made was having 4 NC schools, I see maybe 1 getting into Big 10, and 1 into SEC. I donât see Duke in either.