Interactive College FB Fandom Map

[SAMCRO]

If Swofford was truly thinking about markets to the depths that FTT gives him the credit for, he would have taken Rutgers, Syracuse, UConn, and Pitt with his 2nd move in one big swoop to go to 16. It would have locked up NYC, the entire NE, and essentially the eastern seaboard. He still would still have gotten ND for all non FB sports as #17. It possibly keeps UMd in the league too and turns the B10 back to looking at (UL, WVU, Mizzou, etc..). Instead he passed over owning the biggest market out there.

Oh well.

 

[CL82]

To be fair (and I say this as a Big Ten guy), the only truly reactionary move that Swofford made was adding Louisville (and that inherently was a reaction to Maryland defecting). Everything else was *extremely* calculated. He saw back in 2003 (before it become common knowledge that football and TV markets truly ruled everything in college athletics revenue-wise) that the ACC needed to become both less basketball-focused and less-Southern and addressed both fronts in the first Big East raid.

By inviting Miami along with Syracuse and Boston College? Remember that VTech was an after thought imposed by the Virginia legislature in order to get Virginia's vote for expansion. Syracuse was playing some of the worse football in the country at that time (which means there is hope for us...I guess) and BC is hardly a football power. Miami was a no brainer as football power, in the ACC's natural territory and was plaing some of the best basketball in it's history. Nah, the initial raid was a reactionary move to the Big East's emergence as a basketball power. I still give props to Swofford regardless since the ACC survived the Big East didn't but I think your post is revisionist history.

 

[UConn Dan]

To be fair (and I say this as a Big Ten guy), the only truly reactionary move that Swofford made was adding Louisville (and that inherently was a reaction to Maryland defecting). Everything else was *extremely* calculated. He saw back in 2003 (before it become common knowledge that football and TV markets truly ruled everything in college athletics revenue-wise) that the ACC needed to become both less basketball-focused and less-Southern and addressed both fronts in the first Big East raid. I'll give immense credit to Swofford for that vision - it's easy to forget that the other old line conferences (even the Big Ten) were still looking at the college sports world as regional fiefdoms instead of national entities at that point. The ACC's moves in 2003 completely changed the thinking at the Big Ten (who in turn changed the thinking of the SEC) - the fact that TV markets became more critical and the acknowledgment of arguably the most tradition-rich basketball league that football ruled the roost completely tightened the focus of conference realignment that began in 2010. It might comfort the schools left in AAC to tell themselves that Swofford doesn't know what he's doing, but I absolutely believe that he's as savvy as any other conference commissioner. I'd honestly put him ahead of Mike Slive (who was given a lot more to work with in the SEC) and only behind Jim Delany in terms of power conference commissioners that understand the big picture and are forward-thinking.

Dude. Swoffords first raid of the big east in 2003 had zero to do with markets - 11 years and counting and no ACC network to make use of whatever markets you think he was actually calculating *extremely*.

It had to do with getting to 12 teams to host a championship game. Swofford saw the SEC making real TV money for the title game and wanted a piece. That is all.

 

[The Funster]

Dude. Swoffords first raid of the big east in 2003 had zero to do with markets - 11 years and counting and no ACC network to make use of whatever markets you think he was actually calculating *extremely*.

It had to do with getting to 12 teams to host a championship game. Swofford saw the SEC making real TV money for the title game and wanted a piece. That is all.

If Swofford thought getting BC gave him any kind of a market then that only shows how out of touch he was.

 

[Sea Goat]

If Swofford thought getting BC gave him any kind of a market then that only shows how out of touch he was.

"Dead balls on" - the only thing related to BC that resonates in Boston is its hockey team.