ACC Should Consider Merging With The Big East

With conference realignment drastically changing the college sports landscapes, conferences across the country are scrambling in order to survive. Just last week we saw a conference that has been around for over a century in the PAC-12, essentially die due to schools leaving for other conferences. Another conference trying to escape the same fate is the ACC. It’s been rumored that Florida State and Clemson want out. Florida State has even gone as far as to hire JP Morgan in order to fund them leaving the conference. If these teams leave, it would be a major blow to the way the conference is viewed around the nation. It’s their two biggest brands and it will be very hard to replace them.

However, if these schools leave there is one major move that the ACC can do in order to keep them as one of the best conferences in the country. That would be merging with the other big-time conference on the east coast, The Big East. There would be many benefits to these two conferences merging, and it would be the smartest thing for them to do.

Makes the ACC the Dominant Basketball Conference

Yes, these conference realignments have been about football, and trying to get the most TV money possible. However, in all of this, college basketball has been ignored. Now sure the ACC can go down the same path, as the SEC, Big 10, and Big 12. However, this plan has been done over and over again. If the ACC wants to make a real impact, they need to shake things up. Go down a road nobody has traveled. This is where prioritizing basketball comes into play. While the SEC, Big 10, and Big 12 fight over which conference is the superior football conference. The ACC can essentially have a monopoly on college basketball. There won’t be a question about which conference would have the best basketball program.

The Schools That Would Be Joining

Just look at the schools that would be in this brand-new ACC. You have blue bloods like North Carolina, Duke, UConn, and Villanova. These four schools are going to add a lot of prestige to the conference when it comes to basketball. It will dramatically increase the amount of respect people have for it. Add to the fact that schools like Syracuse, Boston College, Georgetown, Seton Hall, and St. John will be coming as well. All schools with a rich history of successful basketball play.

Rivalries

Not only will the schools make the ACC the best basketball conference, but all the rivalries will make for extremely exciting play. Of course, you have the best rivalry in the sport with Duke and North Carolina. But you will also be gaining all the rivalries of the old Big East. This will make the conference schedule must watch. All these matchups will generate lots of interest in the conference. This interest will allow the ACC to get a better TV contract. Not as good as a football TV contract, but definitely the best in college basketball.

Dominates the East Coast

Another thing the Big 10, SEC, and Big 12 have in common is, the lack of representation on the east coast. The Big 12 has Flordia, the SEC’s only representation is in South Carolina and Florida, and the Big 10 only has Pennsylvania, Maryland, and New Jersey. In total, there are only six east coast schools. However, in a merger with the Big East, the majority of the schools would be on the East Coast. Or at the very least in the eastern part of the country. This geographical position would give them a major advantage when it comes to recruiting.

A major factor in determining where recruits chose to play is whether or not their family can watch them. They want their families to be able to be in the area where their school is. Where the schools play matter so they can go to both home and away games. This is something that is going to be hard for the other conferences to capitalize on because they are across the country. Someone that lives in Oregon can’t go to every Oregon game, because they’ll have to travel 3,000 miles in order to get to Rutgers. However, if you lived on the east coast, you’ll be able to see your kids in almost every single school they play at. This will be very attractive to big-time east coast recruits and will cause a lot of them to pass up on the big conference for the ability to be close to home.

Is This Going to Happen?

Now what is the likelihood that something like this is going to happen? At this moment it’s low, only because Florida State and Clemson’s future is up in the air. Once a decision is made, the ACC will be looking for options. That’s when a potential merger might come. Now there is also the issue, that not all the schools in the Big East have a football team. It wouldn’t do much in terms of increasing their football prestige. However, if the ACC wants to survive and be considered a major power in college sports, it’s time for them to change the game plan and try something new. Merging with the Big East would be a brand new idea that would keep the ACC in discussion for one of the best conferences in the nation.

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