-editorial-
by TexCane
College athletics has undergone massive realignments over the last decade. Chaos and change are the order of the day.
We have seen the collapse of the PAC-12 conference, leaving two schools (Washington State and Oregon State) behind to attempt a rebuild. Can the PAC rebuild to the minimum eight schools needed to remain a conference? They have until 2026 to accomplish the feat. Recently, the PAC-12 announced five new member schools joining in 2026. They still need one more school to maintain their status as a conference. Even if they do, will the PAC-12 be considered a major conference?
That’s to be seen.
In 2023, we have seen two ACC schools (FSU & Clemson) go to court to get out of their contractual obligations. If successful, it is predicted both will leave the ACC.
Making it even harder for the ACC to remain a viable conference in the future, an undefeated FSU football team was snubbed by the College Football Playoff committee and omitted from last season’s playoff. Has the ACC lost its relevance as as major conference? The answer is NO for the moment. However, if the conference loses both major brands, it could spell the demise of another storied conference.
Where would Miami stand in that worst case scenario?
Let’s look at real worse case scenarios that Miami must be prepared for in the next few years.
Scenario A:
Miami goes to the ACC football championship game this season, but is snubbed by the CFP playoff committee. That would make it two straight years the ACC is snubbed. Is there any value to staying in the ACC moving forward?
Scenario B:
FSU and Clemson win their court cases and elect to leave the ACC. The conference would likely implode at that point.
Assuming the worse, there appears to be four options for the Miami.
Big10 Conference:
Membership in this conference is the best cultural fit but not a very good geographic situation. However, it is rumored the B1G wants a strong presence in the southeast. The B1G currently has 18 member schools. Miami also holds an ace here with their AACU membership. Add Notre Dame and Miami
SEC Conference:
Membership in this conference is the best geographic fit but not a very good cultural fit. There also may be resistance from the University of Florida for competitive reasons. The SEC currently has 16 member schools, with 15 large public institutions. Add FSU and Clemson.
Big12 Conference:
Membership in this conference is the best strategic fit but not a very good geographic fit. The Big12 is the most aggressive, optioning for a true national footprint strategy. They are already in Florida with Central Florida (UCF). The Big12 currently has 16 member schools, with a mix of public and private institutions. Add Stanford, Cal, Oregon State and Washington State.
Form New Conference: new Big East?
Another option is to form a new conference from the remains of the ACC. This new conference would be a good cultural, geographic and competitive fit. It would include 20 member schools, headlined by Notre Dame and Miami in football and Duke, UConn, UNC in basketball. It would also have an international marquee game with the Army-Navy game. Raid SEC for Vanderbilt and Big-12 for West Virginia.
Likely? Probably the least likely.
North Division: Notre Dame, Louisville, Virginia, Pitt, West Virginia, Navy, Army, Syracuse, UConn, Boston College
South Division: Miami, Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt, Tulane, SMU, UNC, NC State, Duke, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest.
BOTTOM LINE:
With the bedlam and chaos of today’s world of college athletics, you must prepare and position your school for every possible scenario.
GO CANES!
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