Wacky Idea for BIG to Piss Off ACC: ECU & UConn | Page 3 | The Boneyard

Wacky Idea for BIG to Piss Off ACC: ECU & UConn

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Jan 31, 2014
Messages
265
Reaction Score
626
As a Maryland fan, I thank you for seeing things the right way. I don't disagree with any of your other suggestions either.

I agree as well, except I would add VT and UConn to Calamitous's east side list.
 
Joined
Aug 26, 2011
Messages
19,228
Reaction Score
14,061
When someone mentions Old Dominion as an expansion target for the P5, get a large red Sharpie and draw a line through that person's name because they're deranged.
You do know that area tried to get pro teams before? Stop sniffing the damn Sharpie.
 

Fishy

Elite Premium Poster
Joined
Aug 24, 2011
Messages
17,958
Reaction Score
129,185
You do know that area tried to get pro teams before? Stop sniffing the damn Sharpie.

Stop. Stop. Stop.

This place will become a village of idiots if we start humoring posts pitching Old Dominion to the P5.
 
Joined
Apr 27, 2013
Messages
319
Reaction Score
806
Stop. Stop. Stop.

This place will become a village of idiots if we start humoring posts pitching Old Dominion to the P5.

Well I'm an idiot then, though I'm not arguing ODU to a P5 conference. But FBS next year they are - Conference USA.

It's pretty simple Fishy, football drives the damn bus, call it a double decker. ODU is right smack center in Va's best prep football region (Tidewater) - a growing metro, a growing state, and no official NFL team.

Va may just be the next great prep football state & on a very consistent basis.

The two ACC schools are pretty established, esp UVa as academic powerhouses - neither have really been perennial powers. Someone wants to take the cake, VT has flirted, but Beamer is past his prime.
 

Fishy

Elite Premium Poster
Joined
Aug 24, 2011
Messages
17,958
Reaction Score
129,185
It is very simple - Old Dominion is going nowhere.

Please, please, please, stop 'n insanity.
 
Joined
Aug 26, 2011
Messages
19,228
Reaction Score
14,061
It is very simple - Old Dominion is going nowhere.

Please, please, please, stop 'n insanity.
How come USF and UCF are getting somewhere?!

The way things are looking, the ACC and the Big 12 will be able to use more schools down the road.
 
Joined
Aug 26, 2011
Messages
19,228
Reaction Score
14,061
Well I'm an idiot then, though I'm not arguing ODU to a P5 conference. But FBS next year they are - Conference USA.

It's pretty simple Fishy, football drives the damn bus, call it a double decker. ODU is right smack center in Va's best prep football region (Tidewater) - a growing metro, a growing state, and no official NFL team.
Dude, ODU is already playing FBS level football. This year.
 

pj

Joined
Mar 30, 2012
Messages
8,597
Reaction Score
24,930
It is very simple - Old Dominion is going nowhere.

Please, please, please, stop 'n insanity.

Fishy is the Cassandra of conference realignment - always prophesying that no one is going anywhere; and never believed.
 
Joined
Dec 28, 2013
Messages
144
Reaction Score
218
ECU might not be going anywhere but they have a good sense of humor.

do5c1e.jpg
 
Joined
Jun 8, 2014
Messages
265
Reaction Score
216
ECU might not be going anywhere but they have a good sense of humor.

They could have laid 52 points on Tech too if they hadn't played not to lose. 28-21 should have been 52-21. And USC-e was very lucky to escape with a win over them. ECU wins the ACC Coastal this year and should play FSU in the ACCCG. :D Actually, that might be a pretty good game.
 
Joined
Aug 28, 2011
Messages
3,121
Reaction Score
2,837
I think we have a better chance of winning the national championship in football in the AAC than ECU in th B1G.
 
Joined
Mar 28, 2012
Messages
405
Reaction Score
458
Virginia Tech to a major conference would have seemed just as outlandish 15 years ago as ECU today. Just as VPI's profile was raised in the Big East and ACC, ECU's would get raised if it joined a major conference. It's already shown it can field an excellent football team.

But, there are only two possible bidders for it, B1G and SEC, and both have a very high hurdle to get over in terms of ability to deliver dollars. It would be hard for ECU to justify itself in dollar terms, as a #5 school in its own state, and far from population centers.

Really, only a large alumni base and the cable subscriber model, plus a dearth of alternatives if the ACC holds, gives ECU a chance.

Neither the Big Ten nor the SEC want to get into North Carolina for the sake of getting into North Carolina. UNC is who they want, and to varying degrees Duke (more B1G) and NC State (more SEC). ECU isn't of any value to either of those conferences. Virginia Tech is also far far far ahead of ECU academically - it's an AAU worthy school that is simply a victim of the AAU looking to consolidate (instead of expand), sort of like Miami and UConn. There's a reason why ECU was still the very last school added to the now-AAC and was initially just a football-only invite. They have an excellent football fan base, but they just have little to no TV value in a state that's already the most over-saturated with power conference schools. (In essence, they're the opposite of Miami, which is a school with poor attendance but incredible national TV value. TV is what drives the expansion bus.)

The only "directional schools" that I see getting much interest from the P5 (and specifically the Big 12) are UCF and USF because they are in a region where location in and of itself *is* compelling. Central Florida is arguably the best pound-for-pound football recruiting area in the country (even more than Texas) and it's a state (with "only" 3 P5 schools) that is large enough to absorb more top tier competition. We saw the same "UCF is hot! When will a P5 league pick them up?" threads last year when they were playing well, and those honestly at least had a bit of more of a chance (albeit still very small). ECU simply isn't attractive to the P5 league based on off-the-field metrics that drive expansion (which isn't to take anything away from their fan base or on-the-field performance, which are both solid).
 
Joined
Aug 13, 2013
Messages
8,406
Reaction Score
7,935
If ECU was in the B1G this year...they might be making a run to be #2 behind Michigan State in the east...from what I have seen of the Big Ten.
 
Joined
Mar 28, 2012
Messages
405
Reaction Score
458
If ECU was in the B1G this year...they might be making a run to be #2 behind Michigan State in the east...from what I have seen of the Big Ten.

That might very well be true, but it's pretty much irrelevant when it comes to conference realignment. If you want to argue that the Big Ten would be willing to take an academic flier on a legit football superpower, such as Oklahoma or Florida State, then that's a viable discussion. Those elite football programs plus massive potential TV money could conceivably override academic shortcomings. ECU isn't anywhere close to that level either on or off-the-field. There's nothing worse in realignment than focusing on the hot team on the field today.

The true value of a school is actually shown when they *aren't* good on the field. Are they still bringing in a large TV market? Are they situated in a key recruiting area? Are they bringing up the academic prestige of the conference? Is their fan base fairweather or do they still sell out regardless of record? Leagues with legit selectivity power like the Big Ten and SEC are going to be as focused on what value a school brings when they're 0-12 as they are when they're 12-0.
 
Joined
Jul 11, 2013
Messages
129
Reaction Score
24
Threads like these are why I love perusing over here. The level of delusion caused by constant discussion of conference realignment is on another level (even above Dude of WV level). Its really clear that none of you know anything about ECU, Greenville or where they sit in NC. Here are some facts

ECU is behind UNC, Duke, NC State, and Wake Forest in NC. Not a little behind, far behind. They have a base of fans in Eastern NC (rural) and that is it. The major population centers in NC go to the big 4.

It is a directional school. The joke in NC is that ECU students favorite team is UNC/NC State first and ECU second. They make Louisville look like AAU material. This actually helps them in Football. They manage to get several UNC/NC State FB players each year who can't make grades there and end up at ECU.

Greenville is a small town (about 87k people) It is not a major TV market and the nearest (Raleigh-Durham) is dominated by UNC/NCSU/Duke.

All of this factors into why they were one of the last chosen by the AAC. They have a very limited ability to control any meaningful share of NC media or fans. The big 4 are always going to dominate (unless WF gives it up, then it will be the big 3). ECU loves their FB and they have a passionate but small core of fans who support them, but it is still a small group and limited to 1 region in NC For these reasons, they will never EVER be considered for the Big 10 or SEC. They would only be considered for the ACC if UNC,NC State, and Duke left.

Their current record in FB has nothing to do with their attractiveness to another conference. They get good for a couple of years every now and then but dont have the resources to keep up. They are having a good run this year but it will end. Ruffin probably wont leave but their coordinators will for more money and the current players will graduate.
 
Joined
Aug 26, 2011
Messages
1,789
Reaction Score
4,105
Larry, thank you.

Thank you for sharing the secret.

The secret to keeping you off of this board in the future.
 
Joined
Jun 14, 2012
Messages
1,228
Reaction Score
368
Correction on thread title: "Wacky" please drop "Sorty of" - "Sorty" is some made up word that came out of my toddler imagination. Mods can you change? I can't seem to figure it out.

Yes, yes, I know ECU is way down the totem pole in terms of academics, especially in relation to all of the overstated BIG requirements. But on a personal level, pragmatism aside, not a fan of academic metrics and elitism.

Greenville has been booming for decades & ECU is a decent-sized public school, far enough out of the Tobacco Road shadow.

UConn, as you all know is a no-brainer for me in the BIG. Basketball and other sports do matter and UConn is clearly climbing the world of research.

Even back in the early 90s when I lived just an hour south of Greenville, ECU was the best football program in NC no one outside of this state heard of - it's a great atmosphere & widely successful in terms of culture-fanbase. It's an excellent climate for football, literally - gorgeous weather, even late fall.

I think ECU and UConn would be a huge slap in the face to the ACC. I'm willing to bet the SEC has at least considered ECU - not to sure on the BIG.

If the BIG did, big if here, add ECU - Delany won't be as much a villain to UNC faithful as a UNC to BIG move.

The ECU faithful would also welcome a BIG move, and by overwhelming majority.

Loud and clear on the academics arguments - no need to explain the obvious. But anyone slighting their basketball mediocrity, I'd argue a BIG membership is exactly what the doctor ordered to bring elevate this program. It could essentially be advertised as Carolina's blue-collar program, much like football. Moreover, we don't know where the UNC mess stands.

One thing for certain, ECU to the BIG would overshadow Wake Forest and NC State in short time, Duke football as well. But hard to break the stranglehold of Duke-UNC basketball, and once upon a time: NC State.

Hypothetically speaking, if ECU and UConn were in the BIG in the near future - who would be the next two?

I would think one of the Virginia schools would suddenly think, more so than this past expansion cycle: "hmmmmmmm on the BIG", especially VT. ECU and VT have a nice lithely football rivalry, albeit the latter has dominated, don't let last week's score fool you. But most of the games have been close.

VT would have 6 schools within 7 hours or less driving distance: IU, OSU, PSU, Rutgers, MD, & ECU.

ECU, well road trips outside of VT, Maryland, PSU a Rutgers would exceed 8 hours, including UConn. But hey, they are your current conference mates, you'll gauge this membership soon enough.

The Big Ten isn't going to invite a Directional School or any formal Normal School/Teachers College. With all the good qualities that ECU has, and I have friends that went there and personally did several fun road trips there to Greenville in college, it's not a Big Ten fit. It's a fun party, but not a Big Ten fit. The ACC already has 4 schools in North Carolina. If we were to double up on more schools in one state, it would be Florida probably.

In a different time and place, the drivability access to ECU for much of the ACC is attractive. We should play ECU more. VT and UNC just did. The Big Ten shouldn't. They have the entire MAC right there in their region to accomplish the same thing. ECU has a good football team this year. So do several MAC schools.
 
Joined
Mar 4, 2014
Messages
16,568
Reaction Score
19,337
I was optimistic but I have accepted the fact that UCONN is not going to the B1G, at least not anytime soon. CT is a small state over-saturated with pro sports.
I am prepared for more kicks in the crotch, such as Temple getting an invite to the ACC. Could it happen?
 
Joined
Aug 26, 2011
Messages
8,967
Reaction Score
31,562
I think a lot of us fans are ready to take the gas pipe right now. Keep in mind, if Diaco hits his stride and our basketball teams keep winning big, you'll feel a lot more positive. Everyone was feeling pretty good up until Stoney Brook almost beat us.

We have a time line to follow that hasn't changed. Losing football games now isn't as relevant as people think. We need to start winning football games within 1-3 years and we need to keep winning in basketball and advancing the the university's profile. We are not collapsing because the Diaco era has been slow to impress. If we aren't looking a lot more impressive in 24-36 months, I'll start getting very nervous. Right now, there are several ways to reason that we'll find our way to a better conference.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Online statistics

Members online
156
Guests online
3,111
Total visitors
3,267

Forum statistics

Threads
155,799
Messages
4,032,027
Members
9,865
Latest member
Sad Tiger


Top Bottom