Teams who do less with more

[Deep Creek]

Keep in mind the SEC wasn't as strong when the ACC expanded. LSU had not won their titles yet. I cannot dig up the media articles because this was back in 2002-2003 when ACC undertook the 1st expansion. However, the league has unlimited resources to compete and should be at least #2 as a conference when you look at their media markets, recruiting grounds, etc. No reason the ACC should be as bad as it currently is. Only Clemson has lived up to (and in reality exceeded) hype.

BTW, Clemson was another team that they cited to in the article. Clemson was a ranked team at the time under Tommy Bowden. Granted, not near as good as they are now.

Ah come on VB. TheSEC may not have won nattys consecutively like more recent years but they were still the best conference...regardless of what B1G fans think. Since the BCS started, the SEC has 12 of the nattys spread among five different schools. Who was better?

 

[Volbound1700]

Ah come on VB. TheSEC may not have won nattys consecutively like more recent years but they were still the best conference...regardless of what B1G fans think. Since the BCS started, the SEC has 12 of the nattys spread among five different schools. Who was better?

At the time, the Big12. They had Oklahoma, Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas State, and Texas all very competitive from 2000-2003.

 

[Thiefery]

I mean here is the early BCS era.. how was the ACC better?

 

[Volbound1700]

I mean here is the early BCS era.. how was the ACC better?View attachment 7536

I never said they WERE better, I said they had the potential. Keep in mind the expansion was in 2004. Looking even at your list you see FSU in the title game in 1998-2000 winning it in 1999. Virginia Tech in the title game in 1999. Miami in it in 2001 & 2002.

 

[Thiefery]

At the time, the Big12. They had Oklahoma, Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas State, and Texas all very competitive from 2000-2003.

Yet you are saying the talk was the ACC being a threat.. it wasn't. Not sure how old you are but I remember reading all about the expansion on espn.com... No one was saying it was a threat, just that basketball lost because of the money football brought it.. end of an era for the BigEast

 

[amszete]

Another controversial pick is the entire ACC.

For a league that geographic stretches from Massachusetts to Florida, controls significant media markets, and has fertile recruiting ground, the ACC has been a disappointment. Alot of that falls on FSU and Miami. If they can get back to the level of their programs in the 1980s and 1990s, that would help. Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, and NC State all have potential and are falling short.

While I agree in terms of the past I would take note that two of the 4 are ranked this week and overall 5 teams in the AP Top 25. Also last week 3 ACC teams in the Top 5.

 

[Thiefery]

I never said they WERE better, I said they had the potential. Keep in mind the expansion was in 2004. Looking even at your list you see FSU in the title game in 1998-2000 winning it in 1999. Virginia Tech in the title game in 1999. Miami in it in 2001 & 2002.

VA Tech popped up once.. FSU was always good, Miami had a good run.. again that's solid but over taking the SEC? They weren't even better than the Big12 at that point

 

[Volbound1700]

Yet you are saying the talk was the ACC being a threat.. it wasn't. Not sure how old you are but I remember reading all about the expansion on espn.com... No one was saying it was a threat, just that basketball lost because of the money football brought it.. end of an era for the BigEast

There were articles about it. FSU and Miami had been perennial powers. Both were now going to be in the same league. The ACC had several teams trending up such as Clemson, Georgia Tech, Maryland, and NC State at the time. Also Boston College was decent and Virginia Tech was a top 10 program.

 

[Thiefery]

While I agree in terms of the past I would take note that two of the 4 are ranked this week and overall 5 teams in the AP Top 25. Also last week 3 ACC teams in the Top 5.

lol gotta hit you with the asterisk for ND ********

 

[Thiefery]

There were articles about it. FSU and Miami had been perennial powers. Both were now going to be in the same league. The ACC had several teams trending up such as Clemson, Georgia Tech, Maryland, and NC State at the time. Also Boston College was decent and Virginia Tech was a top 10 program.

link them articles.. not being petty, but I'd love a trip back down memory lane when Texas was actually improving

 

[Volbound1700]

Also that was very comparable to the SEC at the time. The SEC had two perennial powers: Florida and Tennessee with Alabama and Georgia rising up to finish in top 10 every once in a while. Alabama won the SEC in 1999 but was not very good from 1997-2004. Georgia did not hire Mark Richt until 2001 and was actually losing regularly to Georgia Tech. LSU was not good at the time. They had a couple of good seasons under Gerry Dinardo and hired a coach that wasn't well known at the time (Nick Saban) but would come to be the great CFB Coach probably ever. Auburn hadn't finished in the top 10 since the early 1990s.

 

[amszete]

lol gotta hit you with the asterisk for ND ********

Speaking of which I have sPitt beating ND this weekend. Won't be good for the ACC overall perhaps, but Pitt is a decent team and is overdue to take down a team like ND.

 

[Volbound1700]

ACC has the recruiting grounds of Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida all in their region.

They have TV markets that include Boston, New York City and State, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Baltimore, Atlanta, Raleigh, Charlotte, Jacksonville, Tampa, Miami, etc.

Think about that. Why isn't this league better?

 

[amszete]

ACC has the recruiting grounds of Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida all in their region.

They have TV markets that include Boston, New York City and State, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Baltimore, Atlanta, Raleigh, Charlotte, Jacksonville, Tampa, Miami, etc.

Think about that. Why isn't this league better?

I am late to the keg party - better than what? You don't think the ACC is better overall than last year or the previous year to that? To thiefery's point we can take out ND even though they are technically in the conference this year.

 

[Volbound1700]

I am late to the keg party - better than what? You don't think the ACC is better overall than last year or the previous year to that? To thiefery's point we can take out ND even though they are technically in the conference this year.

There really isn't enough OOC games to truly grasp conference strength but no one in the ACC seems to be near Clemson level.

The ACC also has been overall disappointing the last 20 years (kind of like my Vols ).

 

[Thiefery]

ACC has the recruiting grounds of Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida all in their region.

They have TV markets that include Boston, New York City and State, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Baltimore, Atlanta, Raleigh, Charlotte, Jacksonville, Tampa, Miami, etc.

Think about that. Why isn't this league better?

DMV area has always been dominated by schools outside the area. FSU, tosu, UM, psu, FL, ND have all recruited very well there.. ou has actually been pulling players from that area as well lately.
I been living off/on in VA since 1999.. While I was born and raised in Texas, I know the pride we all had being from TX. When I got here I didn't get the same feeling but I figured it was because I was in the service (which you can tell who's from TX apart from anyone else lol).

Raising my daughters here, it's just not the same. I remember studying Texas history from elementary school through middle and high school. Not the case here in VA until my oldest attended middle school.

I don't see VA flags or tattooes like you would see walking around Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, etc..

 

[Thiefery]

There really isn't enough OOC games to truly grasp conference strength but no one in the ACC seems to be near Clemson level.

The ACC also has been overall disappointing the last 20 years (kind of like my Vols ).

The others are like that too.. Big12 is OU and nobody else (not including this season), tosu is clearly above anyone else in the Big, PAC is a mess, and for the most part it's been BAMA, then a LSU/GA popping up every few seasons.

 

[Volbound1700]

The others are like that too.. Big12 is OU and nobody else (not including this season), tosu is clearly above anyone else in the Big, PAC is a mess, and for the most part it's been BAMA, then a LSU/GA popping up every few seasons.

Big12 only has one major recruiting ground (Texas) and very few markets. The struggles make sense. In fact, the Big12 should be worse than it is currently (by currently, I mean last 4-5 years. I know they are bad this year). Teams like Oklahoma State and Kansas State keep you guys relevant when these programs really shouldn't be that good. No way Oklahoma State should have a better program than Georgia Tech or Pittsburgh for example based off the resources at the disposal of those ACC schools as opposed to Oklahoma State.

Pac12 only has one major recruiting ground as well, California, and suffers from a populace that is disinterested and being in a different time zone that is 3 hours different from most media markets.

 

[amszete]

There really isn't enough OOC games to truly grasp conference strength but no one in the ACC seems to be near Clemson level.

The ACC also has been overall disappointing the last 20 years (kind of like my Vols ).

Agree but as we know in God's sport, things don't last forever. I do see the ACC getting stronger over time and eventually Clemson loosening their stranglehold on CFB. I think with the arrival of the Transfer Portal that has the chance to be a good equalizer.

 

[Volbound1700]

The others are like that too.. Big12 is OU and nobody else (not including this season), tosu is clearly above anyone else in the Big, PAC is a mess, and for the most part it's been BAMA, then a LSU/GA popping up every few seasons.

I can somewhat agree with you. College Football has gotten very centralized the last several years which isn't a good thing.