Katz

[Pony_Fan]

I wish we were playing Wake this year...


http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/columns/s ... id=1842382

[LA_Mustang]

Could you imagine playing in a conference where you had to play UNC, Duke, Wake, GT, and NCST twice??? Geez, you should automatically be placed in the final four just for winning that conference.

[RI Stang]

Any idea who the non-conference opponents are this year? I assume TCU is back on the schedule, but who else? Do we still have a contract with Tech (after Bobby's tirade last year, wouldn't be surprised if he decides to end that home-and-home).

What about Oklahoma - maybe Tubbs could persuade Sampson to play a two-for-one?

[SMULLET]

Any chance we play at the Ford Center in OKC again? Even though we got beat up, still a fun road trip.

[SMUFan]

Could you imagine playing in a conference where you had to play UNC, Duke, Wake, GT, and NCST twice??? Geez, you should automatically be placed in the final four just for winning that conference.

And Maryland might be as good as any of them. Imagine finishing fourth in the conference and the country....

[No Cal Pony]

As it now stands, and for the future, ACC teams do not face each other twice. Not always, and not like it was prior to the ACC adding miami, va. tech, and next year, boston college. This has some of the folks around here with their panties in a bunch, but that was part of the price they paid to form their superconference.

Note that unlike the old SWC, the ACC schools didn't go around [deleted] on each other when the splits began to occur. From what I understand, the issue got pretty heated, but unlike ut and a$m, the NC schools would not let their rivalries and traditions be torn asunder.

I loved watching little old cal state fullerton take it to the longhorns. Then I loved watching ut show what little class they really have.

Go Ponies!

[EastStang]

The difference was that in the ACC basketball was as much a money sport (if not more) than football, so Duke and Wake had bargaining power. So, when the football schools (Clemson and NCS) got whiny they added GT, FSU. Then they added Miami, VT and BC. I think they'll be happy in this alignment because they have several qualified patsies in football and in basketball so that the schedule isn't a total grind and yet has enough quality games to make for a decent ranking at year's end.

[No Cal Pony]

True, EastStang that bball WAS the money sport, but that has been chnaging around the ACC for some time. Yes, this gave duke and wake some leverage, but not too much for wake. For duke, that power has only really occured under the guidance of the bball program under coach k. All the recent money drive by the ACC has been centered on football. The new tv contracts for that sport have well eclipsed those for bball.

What still remained is that despite a rift between schools, the NC schools wouldn't let themselves to be broken up. It is the HISTORY and RIVALRY between these schools that have fueled the rise of the ACC. Combine that again with the area rivalries of Virginia, Maryland, and NC. Also as you probably know, NJ is a huge student/alumni/money base for duke.

As for there being "several qualified patsies," I am not so sure about that. Maybe duke football (but maybe not for too much longer), and virgina tech bball (again, maybe not too much longer). I see all these schools raising the bar across the board. Kinda scary in fact.

Go Ponies!