Now, ACC Expansion Committee: You decide on Boston College, and HOW to Expand, plus a bonus school

Okay, I have pleaded that Boston College is out of place in the ACC and I want them out, and I want them out NOW. Seriously. It's not because they're a bad school, or they're just so bad in sports. They're just a dot out there and we could have added another more qualified candidate to be the 12th ACC school instead of the Eagles.

We have a poll for you to decide on their fate. I am flexible to a 14 team ACC so more than one candidate can get in if we decide to expand the league. Sure, no major football conference has 12+ members, but there has to be a first, and this league shouldn't be too crowded at 14, unlike the Big East non football conference which as 16 members.

If you decide to leave BC in the ACC, AND expand, there is one school which must be considered, just so I can add drama. Here it is:









































University of Connecticut

The Academics
Location: Mansfield, CT
Type of School: Public
Total Student Population: 24,273
Undergrads: 16,765
Demographics: 8% Asian; 5% Black; 5% Hispanic; 80% White; 1% International
Sex Ratio: 50% male; 50% female
%age of Natives: 77% are from Connecticut
Ranking: 66th among Full Research Universities
AVG SAT of admitted kids: 1200
Endowment: $232,969,030

CURRENT CONFERENCES: Big East
Football stadium capacity: 40,000*
Men's Basketball capacity: 10,167**
Women's Basketball capacity: 10,167**
Most notable money sport: Women's Basketball

*Note
that there is serious talk about expanding the stadium to 50,000, maybe more. The largest stadium in Connecticut is actually the Yale Bowl with 60,000 seats or so.

**
Note that UConn's basketball teams play about half of their home games in the XL center, which holds 16,294

The University of Connecticut is a public research university in the state of Connecticut. In much of the upper Mid Atlantic and New England, the most academically prestigious schools and the "in" schools are all private. Look at Massachusetts and there are probably 10 schools better than UMass. In New York, same deal deal before Stony Brook or Binghamton. URI is crap after Brown and Providence College. Even in Connecticut, Yale is the flagship school. But UConn is in my opinion, the only state university in New England that is truly committed to improving their university and making it world class. Their graduate schools in Law, Medicine, and Education are all ranked in the top tier year in and year out. No other New England public university is like that. The University is quick to note they are the best public university in New England and act like it. Students from NH, RI, MA, VT, and ME all get reduced tuition to UConn though they pay more than the CT guys if they can't pursue a certain major in their own state's public university, and it is that case in a number of instances. Overall, UConn is a solid school and is getting better each year in a region where state universities are otherwise not highly regarded.

Why UConn Should Get in the ACC
Academically they are a good fit with the other members. This isn't an issue at all. If anything UConn may benefit more from this because this academic consortium would include public ivies that will help improve their academics even more.

Adding UConn gives Boston College a local rival finally. The ACC gets more legit coverage now that there are TWO schools in the Boston TV market, and adds legitimacy to any ACC tournaments held in Bahstun when the fans pahk theh cahs. Next, UConn also gives the ACC some exposure to the NYC TV market. It gets better. Adding UConn AND Rutgers gives the NYC area TWO schools and thus twice the exposure of one.

Athletically, UConn's flagship sport is their women's basketball program which has won six total championships all in the last 15 years. Adding them to play ANNUAL matches against Duke, UNC, and Maryland will be a huge treat, because the Big East women's basketball conference right now is them, Rutgers, and Notre Dame when they want to show up, though Louisville has made a rapid improvement and got in the Final game last year. Still, adding THE NUMBER ONE women's basketball superpower which dominates in college and the WNBA will benefit EVERY ACC school in women's basketball ticket sales if Duke and Carolina and Maryland don't cut it already. Again, having UConn AND Rutgers with the ACC big three make this league the undisputed power conference in women's basketball.

Men's Basketball at UConn is also an elite program too, though they aren't as significant, only because the women have been totally dominant in the 2000's. They produce more NBA players than anyone else right now, and won two championships in the last 11 years. Giving them annual games against Duke is something both fan bases want though their coaches haven't ever had a home and home and neither school has. This could be a great rivalry, along with UConn-UNC and a resumption of the UConn-BC rivalry which Jim Calhoun refuses to do because they bolted for the ACC.

I mentioned a lot about UConn football being the model on how to turn them from an FCS team (they sucked in the A-10 most years) to a contender in the Big East within 10 years winning one regular season title in that time. They will make noise in future years and seeing UConn-BC, is also important, another rivalry lost because of the 1st ACC expansion.

Why Not
Well UConn has invested a lot of time into the Big East, is the face of the Big East, especially for women's basketball and has clawed their way up to where they are today. It's not like they are gonna just come here so the ACC can run in nearly one continuous line from Miami to Boston. Second, in particular for men's basketball and most sports besides football, Syracuse is their #1 enemy. The home and homes for men's ball and even women's ball have been intense for the last 20 years and the ACC could make the Orange ban their rivalry with the Huskies like what Pat Summitt did to Geno Auriemma after he got Maya Moore to go to UConn, and showed her ESPN along the way since ESPN's HQ is in Connecticut (this I don't consider much of a benefit).

UConn Alumni
Franklin Chang-Diaz (1973) - Former NASA Astronaut; one of the first Asian Americans and Hispanic Americans to go to Space; has been in more space shuttle missions than any other astronaut

Rebecca Lobo (1995) - Basketball All American and 1995 National POY; won '95 NCAA title; retired WNBA player; now an ESPN NBA and WNBA reporter analyst

Bobby Moynihan (1999) - Comedian and Sketch Cast Member on Saturday Night Live

Suzanne Bird (2002) - Basketball All American and 2002 National POY; won 2000 and 2002 NCAA titles; 2x Olympic Gold Medalist; PG/SG for the Seattle Storm and won a WNBA championship. She is pictured in the center

Diana Taurasi (2004) - Basketball All American and 2003 and 2004 Co National POY or better; won 2002, 2003, and 2004 NCAA titles; 2x Olympic Gold Medalist; PG/SG for the Phoenix Mercury; Won 2007 and 2009 WNBA Championships; 2009 WNBA MVP and the first Hispanic woman to win the award

Emeka Okafor (2004) - Academic All American of the Year in 2004; Basketball All American; 2x National College Defensive MVP; won the 2004 NCAA title; Olympic Bronze Medalist; NBA rookie of the year in 2005; now center of the New Orleans Hornets - He is on the right.

Darius Butler (2008) - All Conference CB and returner; now CB for the New England Patriots


Your Take
To me UConn is a good fit for the ACC, if we keep BC AND add Rutgers. Otherwise, it's not like UConn is gonna add much to what we have except women's basketball.

Do you want them in the ACC?

***

Next poll is on what schools to add, IF most of you want to ADD schools in for the newer, more ideal ACC... Then we'll head to the Big Ten or Big East from the fallout. I love this alternate reality!

My idea was taken.... from UConn's beat writer. come on guys. only one other person votes?!

http://blogs.courant.com/uconn_football/2009/08/think-this-will-work.html

I vote keep BC and bring in 2 more

and I like having UConn in the ACC as well, and think it helps

I guess we've now decided:

The New ACC - Bold schools are new members, hypothetically:

Boston College
Clemson University
Duke University
Florida State University
Georgia Institute of Technology
North Carolina State University
RUTGERS UNIVERSITY - NEW BRUNSWICK
UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT
University of Maryland- College Park
University of Miami
University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
University of Virginia
Virginia Polytechnic Institute
Wake Forest University

I am now heading out west to make a Pac 10 a Pac 12 which is what these guys are planning on doing

Not bad choices I like it.

Rutgers in the ACC would be great and UConn in the ACC would as well.

ACC Basketball with Duke, UConn,and North Carolina would be something special.

Rutgers can now compete in Football