Sunday, December 2, 2012

Georgia Tech? Seriously?

As I suffered through a few minutes of Gus Johnson commentary during the Big Ten title game,I heard one small nugget of rumor that made me scream-the biggest rumor is Georgia Tech leaving the ACC for the Big Ten?
Are you kidding me?
Georgia Tech?
The team that cannot even deliver the market that they play in?
That Georgia Tech?
Now,Georgia,I could see,but Georgia Tech?
Is the Big Ten that desperate to get to 16 teams?
First Maryland (arguable) and Rutgers (awful),but at least you can argue that the pair of them bring being the top team in their market to the conference,albeit the NYC market not caring anyway,but Georgia Tech does not even bring that.

Of course,I would not like any of the possibilities for the next two teams either.
There is no one in the leagues traditional "footprint" that makes sense.
Texas and Oklahoma would be additions that would be worthwhile,although disappointing,but the Big 12 has them seemingly locked up.
Florida State would make sense,but I am not sure they are an academic fit.
None of the SEC teams are going to leave that cash cow,so who does that leave that fits the academic needs,being a state school as well as expanding the league into new markets?
North Carolina?
Virginia?
Georgia Tech?
Do any of these thrill you?
Because I bet that two of these three are going to be the other two members of the Big Ten.

Think about that and the drop in Big Ten football quality.
The Big 12 has their contract signed to force teams that leave their conference for another one to pay them a percentage of their income from their new league back to the Big 12.
That will be a far higher cost to leave than the ACC's 50 million tag.
Texas,Oklahoma and maybe the prestige of Kansas basketball would all make sense,but unlikely.
Clemson and Florida State are not strong candidates from the academic side.
Miami would make sense to get into Florida.but their scandals might make that a tough sell.
Connecticut would not bring much to the table,although they would leap at the chance as would Cincinnati,but that market is covered with Ohio State.
Syracuse and Pittsburgh just wrote a check to leave the Big East,they aren't writing another one to leave the ACC this soon.
Boston College would bring a new market,but being a Catholic school,they aren't a fit unless Notre Dame comes with them,which isn't happening due to the Irish reluctance to join a real football conference.
If there are any other real candidates,I cannot think of any at this hour,so if I missed one-comment!

In any case,this is a looming disaster for a league that wants to improve as a football conference and nabbing the dregs of the ACC sure is not going to help matters.
I never favored Penn State or Nebraska,but you could argue that they brought tradition and strong programs to the table,which more than you can say for the two new additions and any of the likely two future schools.
In hindsight,Missouri might have made sense to grab with the St.Louis and Kansas City markets when they were interested instead of wasting time saying they were satisfied with 12 teams.
North Carolina would add the Charlotte market and the prestige of UNC hoops,but little otherwise,which is more than Virginia or Georgia Tech would.
Please enlighten on how Maryland.Rutgers,North Carolina and Georgia Tech helps the Big Ten?
Because I don't see it at all.

What I do see is the Big Ten fading my interest like the ACC did and that will be a sad day indeed.....

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