Quote Originally Posted by hokiefan86 View Post
I hear ya, just boils down to one's perception. You think our schedule isn't measurably worse (although at the same time you state it gives us a favorable path to the ACCCG), I think it is. Part of it your implied assumption that we'll make the ACCCG and that will improve our schedule. I prefer to compare the schedule without the championship game as that is not automatic. With the way the ACC is these days we could just as easily be playing Wake Forest and while that would be the best South team, it doesn't give us any bounce. I just hear in my head the ESPN talking heads railing on our easy schedule today against a soft ACC. Hopefully we make it up in the few OOC games we have left.
we're not going to be in a division with Clemson or FSU whether we keep Atlantic/Coastal or go N/S. we would lose one of Miami/GT and replace them with UMD. THAT is the only downgrade in our schedule between the 2 situations. if Miami ends up in NCAA purgatory, and we can replace them with umd, i think the N/S split would actually be a win.

sure, the south might look harder on paper, but if FSU wants to play that schedule every year, great!

remember, there was a time when the Big12 North was dominant (Nebraska, Colorado, and K St were all top 10 teams around the same time at the beginning of the BCS era). The SEC East with Florida, Tennessee and uga was FAR superior to the SEC west in the late 90s.

in a N/S split, i think you would see teams with history like Pitt and 'Cuse, as well as teams with potential like uva and umd, all take turns stepping up to create a pretty balanced league. i don't think it's all the doom and gloom people make it out to be.