Conspiracy theorists unite--the ACC's diabolical plan to ravage the Big East is now complete. First Miami, then Virginia Tech and now Boston College.
Sunday, Boston College accepted the ACC's invitation to become the conference's 12th and final school, and effectively crippled the Big East. In turn, the Big East filed a lawsuit against Boston College and four ACC officers, alleging that the two conspired to weaken the already beleaguered conference and steal the lucrative Boston television market. While the Big East has been left in an unpleasant situation, and the addition of Boston's fanbase was surely a selling point, business is business, and there's no conspiracy afoot. Those who don't look to the future get left behind, and the ACC did what it needed to do.
When the ACC first stated its intention to expand this spring, its intentions were clear. It was already at the top of the pack in basketball, but to ensure its future both in terms of reputation and finances, and compete with the Big 12 and SEC super-conferences, it needed to become a football powerhouse, and get access to the revenues created by conference championship football games. The ACC's offers to Miami and Virginia Tech were not suprises--they were in the ACC's geographical region, and wanted to join the ACC as much as the conference wanted them. However, after the addition of Miami and Virginia Tech, the ACC was still one short of the required 12 schools needed to hold a championship football game. The ACC appealed to the NCAA to hold the game with 11 members, but indications are that no exception will be granted.
In light of the NCAA's rules, staying with 11 teams is a ridiculous business move. Looking for a 12th member only makes sense. The first choice was Notre Dame, but the Irish were never a realistic goal.
Enter Boston College. It's highly rated academically, has competitive revenue sports--basketball, football, baseball--and adds some pleasant bonuses to the non-revenue arena as well. Football and basketball will probably never consistently crack the top three, but they will never crack the bottom three, either. Boston College also has women's lacrosse and field hockey teams, the addition of which will make the ACC eligible for automatic bids to the NCAA tournament in both sports--a benefit long sought after by Duke coaches. The Eagles' also have a rabid fanbase, which should fit right in with the likes of the Cameron Crazies and Tarheel faithful.
The current state of the Big East is lamentable. However, that conference recently announced its intentions to court several Conference USA teams. Gee, doesn't that sound familiar? It's dog-eat-dog out there, and the ACC was the bigger, more appealing K-9.
The only significant drawback to the situation will be the distance athletes will have to travel to compete. This consideration was one of President Keohane's main reasons for being leery of expansion early on. However, the benefits of a 12th school outweighs the stress and costs of travel.
Expansion wasn't a conspiracy, it was a sound business move. And as a result, the ACC will be smiling for years to come.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.