Va wants mediation

[Nacho]

<A HREF="http://www.timesdispatch.com/news/localupdates/MGB4Q5G5SGD.html" TARGET=_blank>http://www.timesdispatch.com/news/localupdates/MGB4Q5G5SGD.html</A>

[EastStang]

I'm sure NCAA President Brand would be really good a mediation. LOL. Look at his people skills when he was at UI and had to work with Bobby Knight. Mark Warner is looking for some way to get his name into a Virginia newspaper. He is pretty irrelevent these days.

[Nacho]

By this action I would assume that Va is not going to vote for expansion. With Duke and NC holding out, expansion is off for the time being. At least that's my interpretation of this event.

[EastStang]

Don't read too much into it. With Va. Tech suing the ACC and alleging in the lawsuit that they don't want to join the ACC, U. Va. won't change their vote.

[Hoop Fan]

Nacho, why would the Virginia governor start calling for mediation if he thought there was any way that UVa was leaning towards changing their vote? IF they do, there will be nothing to mediate.

[SHAQFU]

Not only is the Gov. lobbying for VA Tech, but Senator John Warner said that it would be awful for VA Tech to get left out.

From what I see up here in Washington, almost all the ACC fans (MD,VA, VA Tech and most of the Carolina schools) don't want the expansion.

I agree with Nacho, I don't think there will be any expansion in the near future.

------------------

[Nacho]

If this falls through then Miami will go to the SEC, which will go to 14 and you will never again hear of the ACC as a power in football.

[bhop]

Miami to the SEC? I've never heard that before. Why would the SEC want to split their financial pie any further? They already have a hugely profitable championship game, two divisions, and a BCS bearth. Plus, who would be the 14th team?

[Hoop Fan]

I dont know if I see Miami in the SEC or not, but I think its completely inconceivable for Miami to go back to the Big East with its tail between its legs and just accept the status quo now. With the lawsuit, I wonder if the finacial offer the Big East made to Miami is even still on the table? For this thing to get to a lawsuit, I dont see any turning back for Miami now. If the ACC deal falls through, you have to believe they will force some changes in the Big East at least.

[EastStang]

Sen. Warner and Sen. Allen both have called on UVa. to vote not to expand. But they did anyway. No way do they change their vote based on that. Although Allen did play QB for U Va. Of course DC doesn't favor expansion. Georgetown will get toasted in this. I disagree about Maryland and U Va, not favoring expansion. Debbie Yow the Maryland AD was one of the ones who orchestrated the whole thing, and Virginia wanted to waterdown the tobacco road block of the ACC.

[OldPony]

I would guess that there are many different scenarios for Miami. BCS as an independent or start their own conference by picking off some Conf USA teams (S Miss, Memphis, Cincy, TCU) plus a few like Marshall, SMU and Tulsa. BC and Syracuse can't be all happy with the deal if ACC turns them down either. I imagine a lot of phones are busy with AD's trying to figure out who can match with whom. All you need is 3-4 teams with the stature of BC, Syracuse and Miami to have a BCS conference. The rest can be just decent filler. Follow the money.

[Hoop Fan]

Hats off to OldPony for thinking big, really big. Miami probably cant do what Notre Dame has done, but they probably are strong enough to carry a southern conference. The dream goes the ACC tables expansion and Miami tells the Big East to go to hell. Miami puts together its own Southern league, starting with a Georgia Tech who gets fed up with Tobacco Roads power. Then you add Louisville, Cincinatti and you have the start of something. I could see a league of Miami, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Cincinnati, Memphis, East Carolina, Southern Miss and TCU. Then, it starts to get interesting on who might be invited to come along for the ride to get to 9 or 12 teams.

[MrMustang1965]

HoopFan wrote: "Miami puts together its own Southern league, starting with a Georgia Tech who gets fed up with Tobacco Roads power. Then you add Louisville, Cincinatti and you have the start of something."

Call it The Rebel Conference.

------------------
"Winning ain't everything...but it's a lot more fun than the alternative!" S.M.U. SPIRIT: IT STARTS NOW!

[This message has been edited by MrMustang1965 (edited 06-10-2003).]

[PK]

It's fun to speculate, but I don't see that plan generating the 9 million guaranteed payout for Miami that started all of this in the first place. Miami may get pissed off if the ACC expansion doesn't happen, but I don't see them wanting to commit finacial suicide.

[This message has been edited by PK (edited 06-10-2003).]

[Hoop Fan]

you're probably right, PK. But, the thing is that Miami is the commodity that drives that value. You might say that the basketball league's profitability contributes to the $9 million. True, but a bball league with Louisville, Cincinatti, Georgia Tech and Memphis could do alright for itself too. Hell, just to get BCS status the new league might give Miami $12 million a year, with Louisville and company getting $5 or 6 million, which would still be several million more than they get now in CUSA. Now, what if you throw Florida State in the mix? At that point, somebody in the south like Tulane is looking at winning the freakin lottery just because they would have to round out the league and Miami and FSU already want to create a championship game,play in two separate divisions that set up their rivalry.