There is a way for Swofford to pull a rabbit out of a hat and save ACC football

[Stech]

Long shot? Yes, but can it happen? Yes.

1) Need to vote highest ranked conference champions for the 4 team
play-off. Why? ND will have to join a conference to get to the
National Championship...if this doesn't happen the rest are most
likely mute points.

2) New York Times article needs to be right...ND must value playing in
the Northeast more than the mid-west.

3) NYT must be right again, ND must want to be with more Private
Schools or state Universities that are run more like private schools
than the B1G offers...like the ACC.

Click here to see the potential rabbit: http://floridastate.scout.com/2/1188815.html

[HokieNC]

Long shot? Yes, but can it happen? Yes.

1) Need to vote highest ranked conference champions for the 4 team
play-off. Why? ND will have to join a conference to get to the
National Championship...if this doesn't happen the rest are most
likely mute points.

2) New York Times article needs to be right...ND must value playing in
the Northeast more than the mid-west.

3) NYT must be right again, ND must want to be with more Private
Schools or state Universities that are run more like private schools
than the B1G offers...like the ACC.

Click here to see the potential rabbit: http://floridastate.scout.com/2/1188815.html

I agree, intact ACC + ND is strong. However, like anything else, timing is the issue. Should FSU and/or CU leave prior to getting any commitment from ND, then damage is done.

[HOKIERIT]

I agree, intact ACC + ND is strong. However, like anything else, timing is the issue. Should FSU and/or CU leave prior to getting any commitment from ND, then damage is done.

ANY of the decent (or even potentially decent) football schools leaves the ACC, and we are DONE as a football conference. It's VERY marginal as is........ The "Great Experiment" was a bust! You can't blame the Hokies. We may not be as good as WE want to be, but we ARE the football flagship for the ACC..no matter HOW hard it is for them to admit! If ANY of FSU, CU, UM, or GT leave the conference, football is irreparably harmed and we HAVE to run like hell!!!

[244oshag]

Am I the only one that doesn't get this ND fetish? I guess it's because NBC is willing to throw buckets of money at them but I don't get that either. When was the last time ND was relevant in the late season National Championship discussion? Based on recent results they don't seem to add much to the ACC in the way of football. Besides, I'd put the odds of VT joining the SEC higher then ND joining the ACC. I just don't see it happening, certainly not any time soon and if the conference does start to destabilize, not ever.

[corvt2000]

As espnu just said, there are 2 programs that stand above all others financially, Texas and nd.

[Vippie1]

Or he can just go play a round of golf and have a drink because there are numerous reasons why ACC football will survive and be at least as relevant as it is today (hopefuly more so).

1) It is highly unlikely that FSU Clemson and or Miami make a move to the Big12. Boise state and WVU and TCU do those type things (disperse geographically non-continguous conferences) because they have no other viable choices. At the end of the day the only conference those schools would possibly consider is the SEC- and so far they arent asking. Yeah there might be more money promised on the front end of a Big12 deal but it would filled with high risk and continued instability for decades to come.

2) Whatever playoff scenario takes hold it will include reasonable access to the ACC. The East Coast of the US cant be ignored, the schools are too prominent , and the politicians would challenge anything to the contrary that effected their welfare . Ultimately the solution has to be widely accepted as not to end up before the courts which could in effect kill the golden goose. That is why I feel at some point (maybe a few more years) we are loooking at an eight team playoff.

3) Even if the ACC lost FSU and Clemson- they would survive intact or by adding other schools- the ND card the most desirable. If Rutgers and UConn cant do the trick - they could bite the bulllet and pull WVU with Lousiville. Not ideal but surviveable and still relevant.

As to Swooford- I dont think there is much to do at this point but monitor events. I am sure of one thing- it will all end up good for VT. We will never be the bald headed step-child again.

Long shot? Yes, but can it happen? Yes.

1) Need to vote highest ranked conference champions for the 4 team
play-off. Why? ND will have to join a conference to get to the
National Championship...if this doesn't happen the rest are most
likely mute points.

2) New York Times article needs to be right...ND must value playing in
the Northeast more than the mid-west.

3) NYT must be right again, ND must want to be with more Private
Schools or state Universities that are run more like private schools
than the B1G offers...like the ACC.

Click here to see the potential rabbit: http://floridastate.scout.com/2/1188815.html

[Edgeman]

We will never be the bald headed step-child again.

Never say never. You don't know what might happen in 10 years...

[nova1111]

ND's no rabbit. ND's an 800 lb gorilla & 800 lb gorillas don't pull easy.

[ahokie4u]

First the ny times article was before a lot of recent events like the big12 sec game announcement.

Big12 is also courting the domers too so some of the same sequence is sequence they are looking for too with regard to the playoff format. The big12 sec was a move to push them that way.

I hope acc plus nd happen but it is looking less likely with bov at fsu and Clemson.

You know the acc is in bad shape when unc websites are suggesting villanova and nd to be added.

[ShockWaveVT]

Long shot? Yes, but can it happen? Yes.

1) Need to vote highest ranked conference champions for the 4 team
play-off. Why? ND will have to join a conference to get to the
National Championship...if this doesn't happen the rest are most
likely mute points.

2) New York Times article needs to be right...ND must value playing in
the Northeast more than the mid-west.

3) NYT must be right again, ND must want to be with more Private
Schools or state Universities that are run more like private schools
than the B1G offers...like the ACC.

Click here to see the potential rabbit: http://floridastate.scout.com/2/1188815.html

ND would be a good fit with the ACC in everything but geography. There's even a ready-made rival in Miami.

Oh, and it's moot point, not mute point.