Do Virginia Tech and University of Miami need to step up for the ACC to gain more respect among the power 5 conference? Many college football analysts seem to think so.
http://espn.go.com/blog/acc/post/_/id/73455/acc-needs-miami-virginia-tec...
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I think so. As much as I dislike Miami, they are a big name and them being down isn't good for the conference perception. The same used to be true for FSU but they have (obviously) bounced back. If the conference could rely on VT, FSU, Miami, Clemson all perennially ranked and add in a smattering of Louisville, Pitt, UNC to the rankings it would go a long way to change the perception in "analysts" minds.
If it's ESPN, pretty much the only thing that will make the ACC gain more respect is if they change their conference name to "SEC".
Its funny... when we were dominating the ACC, the analysts were all "Virginia Tech just isn't the team you need dominating your conference. they need FSU or Miami to really step up".
Now that FSU is dominating its all "The ACC really needs Virginia Tech or Miami to step up, and then we'll respect you"
Dear ESPN, go screw yourself
Or it might be that as much as they skew coverage one team really isnt enough to carry a conference. Even two teams isnt enough when they are same division. You need quality depth in anything to have sustainable success...
They absolutely loved USC and Ohio State during the early part of last decade though.
Along with Alabama recently, and Texas. You can have a conference with a flagship program (FSU) but without enough teams to make it competitive, (Michigan, Wisconsin, Penn State, Oklahoma, TAMU, LSU, UF, Oregon,...) you wont get the respect/ benefit of the doubt in rankings for everyone.
Yes
^
I'm sorry, which conference has the defending national champion and defending Heisman Trophy winner? also who went 2-0 in BCS games last year?
On top of all of this... Draft picks by conference last year
SEC - 49
ACC - 42
Pac 12 - 34
Big 10 - 30
The rest are all under 20...
This holds true for most years from what I remember. Our players our elite, I think a lot of hype from the polls comes from the Perennial Powers doing well... In this case VT and Miami need to do better. That is the only logic I can see coming from them for their reason.
Also Source Dat Source
And yet for the other 9 bowl games, only 3-6. Last year, the ACC was top heavy. There's nothing to respect about the ACC as a whole, but there's a lot of potential. Teams are starting to show signs of improvement that could lead to a more balanced league. At the moment, the ACC is only the 4th best league IMO.
The SEC was top heavy for years. The year they were more evenly balanced, FSU broke the MNC streak.
The difference was the SEC had 3 or 4 top heavy teams whereas the ACC currently has 2.
Pro-Tip:
Don't google "Topheavy" at work.
I assume that's how you found your avatar?
That's just offensive that you'd think I was so lowbrow I'd pick an avatar that way.
The search term was "beer jugs"!
(Actually, since I joined right around Oktoberfest, that's what I searched on.)
Virginia Tech simply needs to step up on Miami's neck. The way we have done to LOLUVA.
They see us as Hokie-toothed mad men with stares that pound their brains.
Our cleats reach out to stomp them.
All the time we are chanting.
Chanting truth.
Cold truth to them,....decades of truth - like a blanket that leaves their feet cold.
They push it, stretch it, it'll never be enough. They kick at it, beat it, it'll never cover any of them. From the moment they enter Charlottesville crying, to the moment they leave dying/losing, it'll just cover their face as they wail and cry and scream, and call time out.
I would love for VT to step up and win a championship. Not because of ESPN analysts but because Frank Beamer deserves one before he retires and passes the banner to Bud Foster. Miami can keep hitting rock bottom.
I just don't see it happening from Miami. Golden is a nice coach, but he's not Gus Malzahn. Their facilities are soooooo bbbbaaaaaddddd..... and they have that terrible off-campus stadium. And they act like wildlings. And as much as we talk about how hard it is to tie geography and recruiting together, they are struggling with the same thing....not so easy to keep that South FLA crew together anymore.
I think what we have seen from them the last five years is their new ceiling. I think NCSU, UNC and Louisville have higher ceilings over next five years. Yeah, NCSU.
You can't be mediocre and compete with FSU and the SEC for recruits.
But apparently you can be hilariously awful and still compete for the #1 player in your state...
Are you talking about UVA? Dont make them buy another HUGE CLOCK AND STARTING COUNTING THE DAY THEY MEET YOU.
I think Miami just finished upgrading a lot of their training facilities with the bag man's money. Ponzi scheme for facilities!
Plus Miami is in....well Miami. Who wants to watch a football game on saturday in an half to 2/3's empty NFL stadium when you can go to south beach and watch the ladies walk on the beach.....especially when you are as mediocre as they have been since joining the ACC. At least watching them might actually payoff for you in the end.
Leg for the wildlings reference.
I have to stop reading this stuff. It is like arguing with a 3 year old with all of the circular logic.*
Just toooo annoying.
I did love one comment, though:
"Yeah because Alabama has such a tough schedule! Smdh...Alabama enjoy your cake while the NCAA feeds it to you. Look! Here comes the airplane! Open Wiiiiide!"
And continuing with the child theme, maybe ESPN needs to go back to the old adage: "children should be seen, not heard".
*Circular reasoning (Latin: circulus in probando, "circle in proving"; also known as paradoxical thinking[1] or circular logic) is a logical fallacy in which the reasoner begins with what they are trying to end with.[
First of all, the perception of the ACC is already improving with a national championship and orange bowl win.
IMHO, in order to perpetuate the conference's current perception, the ACC needs two teams in each division to be top 25 teams each year and at least 2 of these 4 teams need to win bowl games. I don't think it matters which teams (long run), but I think the image will improve fastest if those four teams are VT, Miami, Clemson and FSU.
I love that Miami has struggled. However, it is true that the ACC will get more respect when several of their historic programs are playing well at the same time. If FSU, Clemson, Miami, and VT all are ranked and win at least 50% of their bowl games then the conference will continue it's rise in respectiblilty.
We're going to be waiting awhile because Da U still ain't back and won't be for years to come.
I'm all for every team that we play being ranked until we play them.
but the sad this is if a #11 VT team beat a #8 Clemson team.. Clemson would drop all the way to lets say #20+.. all because ohh its the ACC they're mediocre. However if those were SEC teams they would probably just trade rankings and call it a day.
Biggest issue I have with rankings is conference perception. if a #11 ranked team beats a #8 ranked team you better believe #8 should move up to #15 or wherever the next team lost. This conference SEC 2 loss team bs being in top 15 is hot garbage
Let's apply this to what we all hope and believe will occur in week 2 this year. Let's assume that both OSU and VT win their week 1 matchups, and set the stage for what will likely be a #5 vs. unranked game in the shoe. VT uses a swarming D and gets just enough O to win. Let's say it's a 17-14 VT win. What happens in the rankings?
Here's my guess. The buckeyes fall to the 17-20 range in the rankings. If we're lucky, we enter the rankings somewhere in the 20-25 range. OSU is still ranked above the Hokies, regardless of our win in their house. Both teams could win out the remainder of their games, and OSU would still be ranked higher that we are. They could make the playoff and we could miss with a 5-7 final ranking. The insanity is endless.
If we beat a top-10 Clemson or FSU team in the ACC championsip, I can't imagine we wouldn't pass OSU on paper and in the minds of the selection committee.
But honestly, I don't see us going undefeated at this point.
Get back to me in November.
I would say until the top tier (of 3-4 teams) in the ACC just completely dominate the lower ones in the conference, they won't be in the same light as the $EC. Granted, the ACC won the daggum thing last year. But until Miami rolls into BC/Pitt,UNC EVERY year and beats them by 30, there's not a comparison to what Auburn/Bama/Florida-past have done. They were like Tiger Woods. The opponents were playing for second that day, and everyone knew it.
Tech cannot say that they have had this fear struck into their opponents like the elite $EC schools have done. F$U did that last year, and might again this year. But for the ACC to "move up" to the big-boy table, we need several teams like that.
The Pac12 never got there because they had one team in U$C, but Oregon would always show up and play Sybil; not knowing if they would put up 85 or fall flat. Beyond them, they couldn't quite get there. Stanford had a few years, they are always trying to pump up UCLA, but the middle is the middle in the Pac12.
The B1G always has a few up at the top, but with the routine close games and typical upsets, they never got to the top. But because of tOSU and Meeechigan, they get bumped up. Let's face it, when you have over 50k students on campus, there are ton of grads all over the country meaning more fans in more places.
And outside of Oklahoma, the Big-not-quite-12 have put a few candidates up with good seasons, but not sustained winning traditions. K State, Texas Tech, OKSt come to mind. But in a few seasons, they are back to an 8-5 team.
So yes, the ACC needs predominate powers, F$U, Miami, Tech to step up and win 10 games a piece for several years in order to be "at the table." Otherwise, it's just a one-off season, here and there. (With that being said, I wouldn't mind having a one-off season in which we hoist a trophy!!!!!!)
Have to win the out of conference games and bowl games. That will shut the critics up.
Yes.
Here's the thing...
Should VT and Miami start playing to the level of FSU, ESPN will just go and move the goalposts to say "well, yes, the ACC has some really good teams, but FSU, Clemson, VT, and Miami, they just keep beating each other up in their conference play... what they REALLY need is one team to set itself apart from the pack".
This is gold because I just heard ESPN say this about the PAC 12 today. I might have been Reece Davis or David Pollack, but he said something along the lines of: There are 5 really good teams that will beat up on each other and no school from the PAC 12 will make the College Football Playoff.
Yep, and meanwhile, those same guys will be trying to justify why some 2 loss LSU is deserving of a Playoff spot in December, because their 2 losses were only to SEC teams.
Yeah, but in spate conferences, you could finish with an undefeated and 2 loss teams and maybe a 2 loss team all in the top 10.
Miami being "back" would help the ACC. They have 5 MNCs and would give the ACC much more coverage.
1) Miami probably should have won ONE ACC DIVISIONAL title at least by now
2) I hope they never do, so I hope they just win all their OOC games
obvious is obvious. ALL ACC teams need to win their OOC games.
Miami isn't going to look great if they're beating up on a 1-win UVA team (who does, really?) or a 3-win NCSt. We all look better when OOC games are won. That goes for Miami, VT, and everyone but UVA.
Yes, this. All it will take is our strong teams to step up in OOC games and our weak teams to win a few OOC games against weaker opponents
I understand everyone's frustration. Both my father and brother belong to $EC schools, LSU and TAMU respectively ( try sitting at that dinner table.) I am tired of constantly being seen as a mediocre team in an average conference that will only go to a good bowl game due to a weak schedule and a strong traveling fan base.
That being said, I have grown increasingly tired of this conversation. We are not going to become a perennial power overnight, and while I feel like no one here honestly believes that we will, we all tend to get caught up in the conversation (myself included) and talk as if it is that easy. I think as a fan base we need to focus on the year ahead and keep our heads up with positivity and quit giving so much credit to E$PN's biased viewpoints. We may not have the decorated history of other schools but we have a bright future if the athletic program makes good decisions and a great group of young men ready to run onto the field, so let's focus on that.
Let's make this year statement about what we are capable of!
I do believe we can become a perennial power overnight if the offense plays to the level of the defense. A top 5 VT defense & a top 5 offense would win a national title almost every year.
Is that true for all conferences then? the BIG isn't very good, I would say its worse than the ACC. The Big 12, not so great either. The SEC has is the only conference with 4 good teams and they're not all great at the same time.