With the SEC and Big 10 picking apart the country one conference at a time ACC programs are wondering what could happen to them.
The ACC has options to consider and time, but in the event, the ACC falls apart down the road where could the ACC Teams end up between the Big 10, SEC, or outside the Mega 2.
We’ll start with the Atlantic Teams, and do the Coastal Teams next.
Clemson
SEC – 70%
Clemson is currently the ACC’s flagship football and the only school briefly to catch Alabama over a multi-year period. If a school in the ACC is going to find a SEC home it’s Clemson.
Big 10 – 29.9%
Forget the AAU status of schools, don’t think for a second the Big 10 wouldn’t take the football powerhouse, and recruiting base in the talent-rich south.
Outside – .1%
Anything is possible in realignment, even Clemson not finding a home. That just seems extremely unlikely.
Florida State
SEC – 65%
Realignment seems to happen in pairs, and Florida State and Clemson are frequently tied together and have been for over 10 years. One leaves the other is going too. Florida State football is more Nebraska than Alabama at the moment but we know under the right circumstances they can be a football power again.
Big 10 – 29.9%
See Clemson – The Big 10 would love to move South.
Outside – 4.1%
If FSU doesn’t find a final landing spot, they can blame their decline in football. I feel confident they aren’t getting left out.
NC State
SEC – 40%
Now it starts getting dicey for the ACC schools. If the SEC wants to move North it’s going to be through North Carolina and Virginia. There’s a lot to like about NC State to the SEC, but they probably won’t be one of the first teams taken. They probably need to use the next few years to turn into a viable football brand.
Big 10 – 25%
This is about the Big 10 going south, but is NC State even the top choice for the Big 10 in the state of North Carolina? Duke and North Carolina might be better fits for the Big 10.
Outside – 35%
It’s a very real possibility NC State gets left out. If Washington, Oregon, and Oklahoma State are currently sitting in 2nd Tier conferences, it could happen to NC State.
Louisville
SEC – 10%
If the SEC wants to gain bigger presence north, I guess Louisville has a shot. Honestly, the SEC is going to have expand at well into the 20s in terms of teams for Louisville to enter the picture.
Big 10 – 5%
Louisville is a geographic fit to a certain extent, but that’s about it.
Outside – 85%
Unfortunately being left out of the Mega 2 seems the most likely scenario for the Cardinals. They just don’t offer enough in terms of uniqueness to either conference.
Boston College
SEC – 0%
The SEC may want to move North, but there’s no discernable fit here with Boston. This is 100% a pro-sports town.
Big 10 – 10%
The Eagles may have slim shot if the Big 10 wishes to continue to move through the Northeast. Hey if Rutgers can end up in the Big 10, you never say never.
Outside – 90%
It’s hard to see BC being part of the Mega 2. There just aren’t a lot of arguments for it.
Syracuse
SEC – 0%
See Boston College…
Big 10 – 5%
See Boston College, but with even less of a chance because there’s already a school in the Big 10 from the NY/NJ area. How much does the Big 10 want to penetrate the North East?
Outside – 90%
Falling outside the Mega 2 seems the most likely scenario for Boston College.
Wake Forest
SEC – 0%
Wake Forest has built itself into a top 25 program, and has no shot at the SEC. It’s what’s wrong with the model we may be headed towards. Yeah, Wake Forest isn’t winning a national title, but despite all its inherent disadvantages has built itself into one of the 40 best football programs in the country. All because they have a small alumni base, they’ll be left out.
Big 10 – 0%
Same reason as above…
Outside – 100%
Hey, there’s a scenario where Wake Forest ends up with millions upon millions in ACC exit fees.
