The acc will be no doubt the #1 conference if they aquire they will have miami who is usually #1 in the nation, Va. Tech who is usually in the top 5, florida state and nc state who are usually in the top 10 and maryland, georgia tech, and clemson usually flirt with the top 25. i think this will make for a great conference and some great football. and the fact that i am a clemson fan. it will also help clemson in the schedule rank in the bcs. but we have to win first. The ACC is the conference to beat.

LAF

Even if both schools accept the invitation and leave the Big East for the ACC, it will not make the ACC the conference to beat. FSU is going to be on the downslope... especially after they get put on probation which will happen sometime soon. VaTech will now have to compete with Virginia for recruits which will lessen their swagger. Miami has never been able to hold onto a year out good team so they will lose some swagger. NCSt is a team on the rise but not a Top10 consistant team, and the rest will never be that good of football schools.

I hate to admitt it, but the Big 10 and Big 12 will always be better football conferences and the Pac-10 is right behind them. This expansion would only move the ACC ahead of the Big East... whoopdy doo!

the reason the acc is not one of the top conferences is because until the last couple of years the answer to who was going to win the acc was a reflex and everyone said florida st. now that miami, va. tech and florida st. are (if they are) will generate some tremedous games and revenue. thats not all the acc is planning to do i gaurantee that in a year or 2 the acc will also inveit syracuse and boston college creating the superforce of the NCAA.

LAF

Keep dreaming buddy. Like I said, it's no guarantee Miami and VaTech are even going to the ACC. No 12th team means no Conference Championship Game. No Conference Championship Game means no big revenue jump like they promised Miami. Miami as of now would be better off financially to stay in the Big East because they wouldn't have to worry about the milti-million Big East buyout fee and the lawsuit which they will definitely lose and owe big bucks for.

Also after this fiasco, the ACC won't try and invade the Big East again so forget about ever seeing Syracuse and BC in the ACC.

The acc isnt stupid they wouldnt just ask miami and va tech unless they showed some kind of remote interest in going to the acc. and i see your a panther well im a tiger (clemson). i live less that 5 miles from the stadium and to have va. tech or miami play a game there with the max capacity being just over 106,000 im sure i could hear the roar from my house even though i would probably be there. The aver ticket to a clemson football game is about 25 dollars not including the hill which are $5 a ticket so some fast math in that one game not including consessions and souveniers. they made 2,650,000 in one game that looks like revenue to me. and i am 1000% sure that i would be sold out its usaully sold out when florida st. comes over for a spanking. so hows that for revenue

1 game? You think that increasing revenue for 1 game is enough to bring in 2 more schools? You're just flat out nuts. Look at the whole picture... instead of total revenue from the conference being split 9 ways, it'll now be split 11 ways. So, lets just say for the sake of this discussion that the conference generates 50 million a year (which it's a lot more than that). Splitting that 9 ways would be like 5.5 million each. For Miami and VaTech to join and the same amount to be shared, the ACC needs to come up with 11 million more in revenue. That's like a 18% jump up in revenue... that just doesn't come out of no where. If it were that easy, the Big 10 would add a 12th team and the Pac-10 would add 2 more teams. That's not adding in the buyout fees and the lawsuit that the ACC is going to have to put up with still no Championship Game.

As a die-hard ACC fan for the last 20+ years, I have to agree with Iggy that the ACC will not be the conference to beat. The SEC is consistently more dominant year in and year out than the ACC in football. The ACC is on the rise, but hasn't made it to the upper echelon quite yet. I love the fact Amato has turned NCSU into a better program and one that is willing to play the big boys (Though they need to quit scheduling D1-AA and D2 opponents). Fridgen has done very well in his short time in Maryland. Clemson will return eventually. But if Miami and Va. Tech joins, it will increase revenue in football, but kill it in basketball. Neither school is known for its court teams and that's where the money truly is in the ACC. Other than the rash of NBA defections in recent years, the ACC has been probably the best conference year in and year out in college bastketball. Yes, they have been down the last couple of years...but 6 National Championships are hard to dispute in the last 20+ years.

As to the claim of the spanking FSU receives when coming to Death Valley, I wouldn't make that claim until Clemson has actually beaten FSU in the ACC. At least NCSU can claim to be the giant killer as they have beaten FSU three times in the last five years, including a victory in Tallahassee in 2001 and two straight victories.

I like Clemson, but they still have a way to go to be back in the ACC hunt. If Miami joins, then the likely South Division will be Miami, FSU, Clemson, Ga. Tech, and Wake Forest. That spells trouble for the Tigers...

But all of this is moot until the official decisions are announced...

in basketball, they will be adding 2 mediocre teams, it will drag down the ACC in basketball, this assuming they will join in bball too?

Both teams will be joining in all sports.....

Originally posted by RedMania
in basketball, they will be adding 2 mediocre teams

Mediocre isn't even the word... combined they had 22 wins and a WHOPPING 8 combined wins in the Big East.

That's why BC and Syracuse were important to the equation....now the ACC is trying to save face, but that won't save them from this lawsuit.....

well that said then, i almost dont agree with this move. the ACC in basketball is the premier league, original teams and the longest running conference chanpionship. adding va tech who is usually very weak in bball and miami who is somewhat decent, tarnishes this. i dont think the football gain is enough, its gotta be the $$$$$$$$$.

It's always been the money, but Swofford is smart enough not to admit it....even though everything revolves around a conference championship game in football...rumors have it that the ACC may try to talk to Notre Dame about becoming the 12th team down the road....which I can't figure out....ND will never leave independent status in football, so what's the point....

well, could they swing a deal to keep the NBC contract with ND for home games and join the ACC as the 12th team too. the away games will be handled by conference or national TV. its works for both teams, accept ND wouldnt have its BCS clause anymore. with FSU, miami, va tech at least, they probably wouldnt go for that in football. i see a better possibility as them going to the big east in football, with the 2 premier teams gone, if ND is all they cracked up to be, they should be BCS each year.

ND will never leave the independent status because:
1. They lose the NBC deal. It is drawn up to televised the home games because of number 2.
2. ND would have to give up playing one of the toughest schedules in the country and schedule teams like Rutgers from the Big E or Duke from the ACC.
3. The guaranteed BCS spot possiblity if they have a 10 win season.
4. Revenue sharing that they will have to undertake by joining a league. ND is one of the most profitable college football teams in the country solely because they do not have to share revenue with anyone.

ND loses majorly by giving up indeppendent status, so it will never happen...

the basketball part i agree with it will bring the best basketball conference with duke and maryland down. but as far as football goes i will be willing to bet anything that the average revenue for each team and the acc +miami +va. tech will increase by at least 5% and when you making about 5.5 mil ,as you say which is off big time especially if clemson can make 2.65 mill in one game, thats alot
SO TELL MIAMI AND VA TECH TO COME ON OVER

It's all about conference revenue... not per school revenue. The conference makes money also and that revenue is split evenly between all the schools in the conference like the money they get from their TV deal. It makes no difference how much each shool pulls in per home game... and sure a school might sellout because Miami is coming in, but for everyone of those sellouts, there's also going to be a drop off where a team doesn't play FSU so everything in the long run stays equal.

well if everything is going to stay the same then you have everyone getting what they usually get or maybe even more since the big 12 was larger and now the big east teams are making more money because theres less teams. plus you have one very strong conference prepared to reak havoc on all other teams i gaurantee that an if miami and va. tech comes to the acc we will have 4 teams in the top 10 to start the year.

Who? FSU is not a Top10 team and won't be able to lose 4 games and make a BCS bowl ever again. VaTech isn't a Top10 program as they play a weak schedule losing to both Pitt and Miami the last 2 years. NCSt is going to be a good team but saying right now Top10 is a stretch. Miami lost a ton of players again this past year so although they probably will be good again this year, there's no guarantee especially with a new field general.

As far as finances go, they won't get what they usually get. Your adding 2 more teams into the mix to split revenue but you're not adding revenue into the conference. Do you know even though the ACC pulled in one of the most money for conferences last year, only FSU, Duke, and UNC made a profit or broke even? What's going to happen to the smaller schools who lost money this year and are going to lose even more next year because Miami and VaTech are going to get a share of their loot? The ACC's banking big time on a big new TV contract and Conference Championship... 2 things that won't happen for another 3+ years!

Iggy's right...the economics suffers hard...The ACC's money maker right now is basketball and they about to dilute the product. Every year, FSU away games sell out...and that benefits FSU as well as the ACC because everyone gets a piece of the pie. It's all contained in profit sharing...That's the only game Duke sells out every two years if they are lucky. With Duke's pathetic team year in and year out, it drags the profit margin down. The Dookies won't pay to see Va. Tech or Miami so that's more money lost because the "profits" go to 11 teams instead of the current 9. The Big 12 always has quality teams, usually 6 to 7 and that's why they do so well, plus they have the Conference Championship game.

As far as for top 10 teams, the ACC will be lucky to have 4 in the top 20...If both joined, Miami would probably just make the top 10...then it would be NCSU, Maryland, and possibly FSU in the top 20.

In order for this to work for the ACC, they have got to get that 12th team and they need to quit looking in South Bend, because it ain't gonna happen...The ACC will probably have to settle for ECU, which is really gonna hurt the basketball product because they would be put in the South Division with Wake, Clemson, GA Tech, Miami, FSU. The power would be up in the North Division which would have Maryland, VA Tech, UVA, Duke, UNC, and NCSU. Unfortunately, that means those teams will beat on one another and the ACC won't see the five or six NCAA bids they are used to for a while...

Well, VaTech officially yesterday accepted the ACC's offer but Miami has said they will wait for Monday to give their answer.