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The ACC as is isn’t working: An idea for getting it back to its roots

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(© razihusin
– stock.adobe.com)

If one is going to offer up this op-ed, there is no place more fitting to do so than on the campus of Appalachian State University. As I watch the Mountaineers host a Wednesday night football game against a Top 20 opponent in Coastal Carolina, I can’t help but feel the energy from the packed Kidd Brewer Stadium.

One of the most famous tag lines of all time is the one that goes something like this – “This isn’t your father’s Oldsmobile.” Another great one is “Toto, we aren’t in Kansas anymore.”

Take your pick, because either one will suffice in describing the current state of affairs for today’s Atlantic Coast Conference.

There was a time inside of my life that the ACC stood for two things – academics and the absolute best of college basketball. There was the ACC Tournament on the top of the mountain followed by a large group of “who else matters.”

Everything was fine in the world of the ACC, and then someone in Greensboro blinked. The rest of the country knew they weren’t going to catch up with us, so they did the only logical thing that the competition could do – change the conversation to football and television money.

We were happy that Danny Ford captured a natty down in Clemson, and we were even clever enough to reach out to the class act down in Tallahassee. Coach Bowden and his Seminoles were a welcome addition to our family.

Remember those words – a welcomed addition because it will be the last time you read them in this column. We had eight and added Florida State, then we should have closed the gate.

Boston College, Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Miami and Louisville were needed by the powers that be. If that wasn’t enough, we entered into a TV-driven relationship with Notre Dame.

Let’s stop for a minute and count the number of nattys that group has brought to the table since they snuck in the door. Actually, I think the number of coaching changes and scandals the group that was going to “save us” would be a more fun count.

Remember the good ol’ days when we could all get together and agree to pull against Maryland if for no other reason they resided on the wrong side of the Mason-Dixon line? They gave us Lefty, Gary Williams, a powerful women’s basketball team and a more often than not beatable football squad. Boy, those were the days!

The so-called Olympic sports are burdened with longer than needed travel to away games that puts an incredible financial cost on the family and friends that want to be in the stands for their loved ones.

The once-untouchable ACC Tournament that always promised three amazing nights of intense action has been watered down to a five-day event that features small crowds for the opening sessions. The ACC prays for the North Carolina Tar Heels to be relevant for as long as possible so their fan base can carry the early stages.

The women’s side of the ledger that is the current ACC might be the sole winner in the current format as Louisville gives the premier league another highly-ranked team and Norte Dame captured a natty along the way.

Let us get back to football, because football is king and pays the bills. The job that Dabo Swinney has done down in Death Valley rivals any program this side of Nick Saban. What does that earn the coach? He runs the program that everyone loves to hate inside of the league. Now he has something in common with Coach K over in Durham. Don’t worry up there in ‘Hooville, because when K is retired then Tony Bennett takes over as that “guy” that everyone not a ‘Hoos fan will vent about.

Just going to squeeze in a quick update to explain the noise in the background. Appy has just tied the score at 14-14 in front of the same number of fans that attended the Carrier Dome last Saturday for Clemson at Syracuse. Yes, that Clemson.

The reason it’s important to mention the Appy State group is the fact that throughout my career I trained managers to never present a problem without presenting a solution. I am ready to admit that whoever thought this was the “answer” should be facing criminal charges for their efforts.

It’s time to offer up a free pass to the savior schools so that they can all join the next conference. Assuming that they will find suitable new homes, I then would like to extend offers to the following schools – Appalachian State, Liberty, Old Dominion and Charlotte, if they will switch their football games to the Panthers stadium. We regain our regional feel and our new guests will immediately begin to raise their games to our desired level.

For everyone out there who will immediately dismiss the idea as silly, I offer just one response. If you want to keep acting that bigger schools are better schools, I will accept that but you need to stop bellyaching about the unfulfilled results this current ACC produces.

I almost forgot about the number one reason for hating on the current format – having one less Duke vs UVA basketball game so that Virginia can play Miami and Duke can play Pitt.

That reason alone should get a few folks fired up.

There is no shame for trying to make this work, but there might be in not admitting that we didn’t reach our desired goals.

Story by Jerry Carter

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