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Hokies were 'strongest candidate' for SEC expansion in 2012

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I meant among casual fans watching on television, would an ECU alum living in Raleigh-Durham or Charlotte or Greensboro be more likely to root for UNC or ECU? I.e. is UNC considered the state team and default rooting interest?
UNC is by far the most followed, you don't have close to 100 radio affiliates including some in Virginia without a large amount of fans.
 
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According to some media here, bothe ECU and NCSU want to grow their student bodies even more. State wants to be at 50,000 students within five years, and, ECU wants 30,000. ECU is almost there, as they sit at 27,000 now. State is at roughly 38,000, if the most recent enrollment reports are accurate. Carolina wants to stop at about 23,000 or so, which I believe is a mistake. But, they say that they want quality, not quantity. Pfft...
Charlotte is a campus to keep a eye on as well. They have plenty of space to grow & with companies like Duke Energy among others only helps. ECU will always be hurt somewhat by it's location. I think UNC has plans to grow to 25,000 undergrad & 15,000 graduate.
 
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I give ECU a lot of upside along with the other AAC teams. Soon you'll have kids coming up saying, "Dean Smith? I don't care who the dean was!"
 
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Except that USC-e shared/shares flagship status with Clemson and had/has as much presence in South Carolina as the Tigers on a media and living alumni perspective. ECU has a decent sized enrollment, but like SouthronCross says, ECU is 3rd in the North Carolina pecking order. Therefore it's a more difficult uphill climb for ECU than it was for USC-e to get to the SEC. ECU is a great football prospect, but a lot of work has to be done to change the image of "the 3rd team" in North Carolina to be an equal of UNC and NCSU. The problem is every P5 conference, excluding the ACC, wants large flagship or land grant schools that draw the state's interests. Not that ECU can't do it... it just will be very difficult. And unfortunately, ECU will probably never get an ACC invite.

As for Cincinnati, they have to scale an unstable cliff to get into the SEC with OSU in Ohio.
If Virginia Tech was able to pull it off, so can ECU.
 
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ECU and VPI are completely different cases. V.Tech is the top tech school & number 2 in VA. ECU is currently number 3 but it's not out of the question that Charlotte could pass them in the next 20 years from a academic & economic importance perspective
 

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Seems like a lot more competition for athletic eyeballs in Virginia, with 4 ACC schools already plus ECU and UNCC as contenders ... moreover there's no way all of those schools are going to be able to expand like that.
 
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If Virginia Tech was able to pull it off, so can ECU.

ECU has much more competition within their own borders and it hampers their efforts. ECU is neither the flagship or land grant for North Carolina and that probably hurts them. Not that those things should matter so much, but it does to some like the B1G, SEC and PAC. If the ACC weren't already saturated with 4 NC schools, ECU would be an attractive property.

As for Tech, they have been a respectable sized land grant school since the early 60s and should have been in the mix back in the 50s when the ACC started. UConn, like Tech, should have had a home years and years ago. Had UConn decided to stay in 1-A football in the late 70s, they would have been in the initial Big East football conference in the early 90s (Tech probably wouldn't have). Makes me wonder what things would look like today if UConn kept football 1-A in the late 70s.
 
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ECU and VPI are completely different cases. V.Tech is the top tech school & number 2 in VA. ECU is currently number 3 but it's not out of the question that Charlotte could pass them in the next 20 years from a academic & economic importance perspective

Well, probably #1 in terms of popularity within the state's borders (larger school, higher admittance rate, less restrictive, slightly cheaper, etc). Outside of the state lines, UVa is #1 and Tech #2 in terms of recognition and popularity. We are behind UVa, W&M, UofR and a few other small private schools academically.
 
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Well, probably #1 in terms of popularity within the state's borders (larger school, higher admittance rate, less restrictive, slightly cheaper, etc). Outside of the state lines, UVa is #1 and Tech #2 in terms of recognition and popularity. We are behind UVa, W&M, UofR and a few other small private schools academically.
I was speaking more so about Tech being the second when you add the total package. Some seem to view ECU as a potential juggernaut but keep in mind that they only have a 1,000 students more than UNCC currently & having FBS football will make Charlotte more desirable to students in the future.
 
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What I meant to say is that OSU's presence in Ohio would prevent the SEC from considering Cincinnati, as UC draws from a very localized city population versus the entire state of Ohio. In other words, UC doesn't really bring anything to the SEC table in terms of fanbase. ECU has a bit of a stronger case for the SEC than UC IMO.

I think Cincinnati has a much stronger case than ECU. Cincinnati has >43k enrollment (largest in it's history), resides in a very fertile recruiting ground (usually ranked #3 behind Texas and California), has much better academics (#63 top public schools - tied with LSU and UK according to US News - ECU is unranked), has much better brand recognition (non-directional school - BCS history - very good basketball history), and sits in a state with the 7th most population but just one Power 5 team (NC has 4.) And as important as football is to the SEC, the commissioner has repeatedly expressed disappointment in the basketball side of the conference, something Cincinnati can help in (2 national titles, 6 final fours, 28 tournament appearances including 4 straight.)
 

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I think Cincinnati has a much stronger case than ECU. Cincinnati has >43k enrollment (largest in it's history), resides in a very fertile recruiting ground (usually ranked #3 behind Texas and California), has much better academics (#63 top public schools - tied with LSU and UK according to US News - ECU is unranked), has much better brand recognition (non-directional school - BCS history - very good basketball history), and sits in a state with the 7th most population but just one Power 5 team (NC has 4.) And as important as football is to the SEC, the commissioner has repeatedly expressed disappointment in the basketball side of the conference, something Cincinnati can help in (2 national titles, 6 final fours, 28 tournament appearances including 4 straight.)

Except that Ohio is not "Southeast". If they want to maintain their Southeastern identity, then North Carolina and Virginia are the states they lack and need. If they want to grow outside the southeast, then they might as well go for UConn (much larger population base than Cincy, better basketball) over Cincy.
 
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Except that Ohio is not "Southeast". If they want to maintain their Southeastern identity, then North Carolina and Virginia are the states they lack and need. If they want to grow outside the southeast, then they might as well go for UConn (much larger population base than Cincy, better basketball) over Cincy.

Cincinnati is 80 miles north of UK, can't really see that being an issue.

EDIT: UConn isn't in a contiguous state, and actually the population difference isn't as big as you'd think. The Cincy metro area is 2.1M people, and the entire state of Connecticut is 3.59M people.
 
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Except that Ohio is not "Southeast". If they want to maintain their Southeastern identity, then North Carolina and Virginia are the states they lack and need. If they want to grow outside the southeast, then they might as well go for UConn (much larger population base than Cincy, better basketball) over Cincy.

Much of the Cincinnati metro area is in Kentucky. (It would be UK who would raise the strongest objections)

I hardly call Missouri "Southeast." And while Virginia folks probably aren't fond of Louisville folks, I hardly think they seek to be conference mates with schools in Arkansas and Mississippi.

Everybody knows the SEC "lacks" North Carolina and Virginia in the "Southeast". If the ACC goes unstable, those schools are available; if the ACC remains stable, those schools are not available.

Everyone agrees the B1G, SEC, and Pac are "above" the ACC and Big XII. Everyone agrees that, for better and worse, the Pac is geographically unique and isolated. My main point in "suggesting" Cincinnati to the SEC (or Vandy to B1G) is that is/are the best avenues toward cross-pollination and head-to-head competition between the behemoths, and yes, I think Cincy to SEC is more likely than Vandy to B1G.
 

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UConn brings Connecticut plus significant share in NYC and Boston. Cincy brings only a fraction of the Cincinnati market given that, as clmssun says, the SEC already has Kentucky.

Kentucky like Missouri has a part-southern feel whereas Ohio is all north. If you are going north, there's more to be said for showcasing SEC teams in NY/New England than for extending their Kentucky franchise a few miles north.

I agree with clmssun that the SEC won't reach for the likes of ECU but will wait to see if an ACC team will give them entry into Virginia or North Carolina. But, if they find one team to expand and are looking for a partner, I think UConn would be better than Cincy, odd as that may seem to most SEC fans.
 
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Much of the Cincinnati metro area is in Kentucky. (It would be UK who would raise the strongest objections)

I hardly call Missouri "Southeast." And while Virginia folks probably aren't fond of Louisville folks, I hardly think they seek to be conference mates with schools in Arkansas and Mississippi.

Everybody knows the SEC "lacks" North Carolina and Virginia in the "Southeast". If the ACC goes unstable, those schools are available; if the ACC remains stable, those schools are not available.

Everyone agrees the B1G, SEC, and Pac are "above" the ACC and Big XII. Everyone agrees that, for better and worse, the Pac is geographically unique and isolated. My main point in "suggesting" Cincinnati to the SEC (or Vandy to B1G) is that is/are the best avenues toward cross-pollination and head-to-head competition between the behemoths, and yes, I think Cincy to SEC is more likely than Vandy to B1G.

I've been talking a lot about ECU and some others Cincinnati; but the reality is that neither will make it into the SEC or B1G without something spectacular happening for each school (i.e. ECU wins 2 NCs in the next 5 years in football). Even then, the SEC still may not be receptive. The B1G and SEC want a wholesale school that can lay claim to their entire state. That's why you only see 1 private school in each of their conferences while the others are flagship, land grant or both.

In a way, FSU is just like ECU. FSU is not the flagship school nor is it the land grant school for Florida. They are tucked away in the panhandle away from the bulk of the state's population, but at least in the state's capital. If FSU were in Pensacola and called Western Florida instead of Florida State, the perception of them may have been different. Maybe Cincinnati ought to rename themselves Taft University and ECU should rename themselves Carolina University (although UNC and USC-e would go nuts if they even tried). And along the same lines, I think if UConn were in Hartford or Stamford instead of Storrs and Virginia Tech in Fairfax County or Virginia Beach instead of Blacksburg, their perception would be very different.
 
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Yes, FSU was much later to the "big school" party than UF (due to its roots as a women's school, which is older than UF), but, my, has it gained ground. More and more with each passing day, FSU to UF is like Texas A&M to UT-Austin.

Given the chess being played by the conference commissioners, I would not rule out Delany pursuing Vandy nor Slive pursuing Cincy for the express purpose of planting a flagpole up the other's a s s in the other's "territory." The SEC routinely embarrasses the B1G on the football field; what better way to assert superiority?
 
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Yes, FSU was much later to the "big school" party than UF (due to its roots as a women's school, which is older than UF), but, my, has it gained ground. More and more with each passing day, FSU to UF is like Texas A&M to UT-Austin.

aTm is very comparable to Texas. Both have > 50,000 students. aTm = $8.7 bil endowment compared to Texas $6.0 bil. Big time money. Texas is ranked 15 spots ahead of aTm in USNWR (both are top 70).

FSU is catching up to Florida in student population (41K to UF's 49K). UF has a $1.4 bil endowment while FSU is just over $500 million. FSU may be near the bottom of the ACC in terms of endowments, as I know my school is close to the bottom at $750 million. UF is ranked 44 spots ahead of FSU in USNWR (48 vs 95). Not saying FSU is a bad school, but they still have a lot of work to do to catch up to UF IMO.
 

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FSU is not the flagship school nor is it the land grant school for Florida. They are tucked away in the panhandle away from the bulk of the state's population, but at least in the state's capital. If FSU were in Pensacola and called Western Florida instead of Florida State, the perception of them may have been different. ... And along the same lines, I think if UConn were in Hartford or Stamford instead of Storrs and Virginia Tech in Fairfax County or Virginia Beach instead of Blacksburg, their perception would be very different.

Storrs is a lot closer to Hartford (28 miles), or for that matter NYC (141 miles) and Boston (86 miles), than Tallahassee is to Tampa (275 mi), Orlando (257 mi), or Jacksonville (165 mi), or than Blacksburg is to DC (269 mi) or Richmond (217 miles).
 
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Would a WVU/UConn combo work for the SEC? Both state flagships schools and would give that conference access to key Eastern markets, not to mention the basketball for the SECN.
 
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Storrs is a lot closer to Hartford (28 miles), or for that matter NYC (141 miles) and Boston (86 miles), than Tallahassee is to Tampa (275 mi), Orlando (257 mi), or Jacksonville (165 mi), or than Blacksburg is to DC (269 mi) or Richmond (217 miles).

Storrs is technically a part of the Hartford MSA as well. But a lot of people still view Storrs as being in the sticks (no offense intended). Not like Tech though... you really have to go out of your way to get to Blacksburg. Even Penn State has less travel miles to big cities. They are 193 miles to Philadelphia and 136 miles to Pittsburgh, some of which are hard mountain miles. My school is probably one of the more difficult big universities to get to east of the Mississippi, barring maybe Mississippi State in Starkville. Orono Maine is almost as close to Boston as Tech is to Richmond. Jim Boeheim, Jim Calhoun and Geno Auriemma have all taken stabs at us "hicks" from Blacksburg... surprised that we have electricity :D
 
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aTm is very comparable to Texas. Both have > 50,000 students. aTm = $8.7 bil endowment compared to Texas $6.0 bil. Big time money. Texas is ranked 15 spots ahead of aTm in USNWR (both are top 70).

FSU is catching up to Florida in student population (41K to UF's 49K). UF has a $1.4 bil endowment while FSU is just over $500 million. FSU may be near the bottom of the ACC in terms of endowments, as I know my school is close to the bottom at $750 million. UF is ranked 44 spots ahead of FSU in USNWR (48 vs 95). Not saying FSU is a bad school, but they still have a lot of work to do to catch up to UF IMO.


Being a Land Grant Uni is overblown....USC, UCLA, Oregon, and Texas...for example, are not land grant Universities...while in Texas, A&M and Prairie View are...in Oregon, Oregon State is, not Oregon...Virginia is not while VT is....

Oklahoma is not while Oklahoma State is a landgrant.

Michigan is not a land grant uni, nor is North Carolina...Iowa is not, Iowa State is...etc.

Alabama is not...Auburn is...

And, FSU is one of the two Flagship universities designated as such by the Florida legislature.
 
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Storrs is technically a part of the Hartford MSA as well. But a lot of people still view Storrs as being in the sticks (no offense intended). Not like Tech though... you really have to go out of your way to get to Blacksburg. Even Penn State has less travel miles to big cities. They are 193 miles to Philadelphia and 136 miles to Pittsburgh, some of which are hard mountain miles. My school is probably one of the more difficult big universities to get to east of the Mississippi, barring maybe Mississippi State in Starkville. Orono Maine is almost as close to Boston as Tech is to Richmond.

The problem in Connecticut is underinvestment in freeways. 60 miles in Connecticut is like 120 miles in other parts of the country.
 
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The problem in Connecticut is underinvestment in freeways. 60 miles in Connecticut is like 120 miles in other parts of the country.

I always feel like CT is a deceiving long state. You look on a map and the reality feel like 2 different things.
 
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Being a Land Grant Uni is overblown....USC, UCLA, Oregon, and Texas...for example, are not land grant Universities...while in Texas, A&M and Prairie View are...in Oregon, Oregon State is, not Oregon...Virginia is not while VT is....

Oklahoma is not while Oklahoma State is a landgrant.

Michigan is not a land grant uni, nor is North Carolina...Iowa is not, Iowa State is...etc.

And, FSU is one of the two Flagship universities designated as such by the Florida legislature.

But the ones you mention are all Flagship schools except for USC-w and UCLA. UCLA is part of a very prestigious state university system that places several UC-insert name universities in the top 100 academically. USC is a private university. Oregon, UVa and Texas are the flagships. The big conferences, barring the ACC, want flagships or land grants. The proof is in their membership. B1G has one school that doesn't qualify (NW), same with the SEC (Vandy). The PAC has all flagship or land grant universities except for Stanford and USC-w. UCLA technically has flagship status. The Big XII has all flagship or land grant universities except for Baylor, TCU and Texas Tech (TT is akin to FSU and are at least a large state school). Before the departure of Nebraska, aTm, Colorado and Mizzou, Baylor was the Big XII's only private school. The ACC has a total of 3 land grant schools (Clemson, NCSU & VT), 2 flagship schools (UVa & UNC), 3 state schools (FSU, GT & Pitt), 1 state-city-commuter school (UL) and 5.5 private schools (Miami, Duke, Wake, SU, BC and a partial ND).
 
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