Re: TNET: Reports: ESPN to pick up ACC contract through 2036, ACC plan proposed for Clemson 'brand'

Just_Sayin

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Jan 30, 2025, 10:28 AM

I sorta see it this way. The best solution is probably to fix the ACC (if at all possible). The grass is not necessarily greener in the SEC of Big10 where little ole Clemson might find itself as an annual also ran. The postitive of the ACC (even in terms of money) is that Clemson is unquestionably the top football school. This gives Clemson alot of leverage. I am not convinced that Clemson would fare better in a conference that houses a multitude of big money schools with much larger fan bases to aid their clout. Blindly jumping in with visions of more money will not make a bigger better program a reality.

My question is this. Would we as fans be happy as fans if Clemson makes alot more money, but only makes a CFP appearance once every ten years? I am not saying that would happen, but it certainly could. We get wound up about the SEC and can rattle on about them (or the BIG) being overrated and ESPN/AP voters favoring them above everybody. However, there is no denying that they have alot of really good football schools that could make the playoff nearly every year if they were not in the BIG or the SEC. They all might make more money than us, but there is also the component that all those schools know their fans want to see playoff appearances and championships.

Look at LSU...great football school. There's no denying that. They have made the CFP in just one season. Auburn has a great tradition and has no appearances. PennState has made one appearance. You can look at a number of schools with great histories of being great places for football that have not made it often or at all.
Clemson as the top ACC school has made it 7 times and only two other ACC schools (FSU and SMU) have ever made it in at all. I guess I am saying that if the AP, Coaches polls, and the CFP are as biased as many of us think then the best way to combat that is to snag the guaranteed CFP berth through winning the ACC. Then let winning out from there do the talking and money making for us.

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I do not disagree. I am saying the solution is not as simple as just jumping to a new conference.

Let's take the coots for example. They might have done better this last year than we did with NIL and transfers, but what has the program ever accomplished? It is no secret that Clemson has struggled with adjusting to NIL and I think our staff was a bit naive when it came to protecting recruits. Not that I have an inside track, but I kinda think that after a player was signed our guys thought it was in the bag and did not give it much more thought. The new model means that even after a commit you have to keep recruiting that kid until they walk on the field. I suspect we did not do that, but I think after last year they learned their lesson.

In regard to SC they never get the recruits that Alabama, Georgia, LSU, and others get in the SEC. they hug the bottom of the SC most years. Success to them is not losing more than 50% and the occasional year they manage to beat us. Why would that be? Could it be that SC never gets to the playoffs? Could it be that their success is truncated every year by the lack of any sort of sustained performance? Maiking the CFP has a big impact in terms of both publicity and desirability to recruits.

I just happen to think that if the ACC suceeds we suceed. Jumping into another conference puts us in the back seat unless it is a lateral move. That would have been much different if we were able to move before the big realignment that just happened. Let's say we jumped at the height of our success until waiting for the fall of starting with the last year of Lawrence's tenior. Strategically I think letting the ACC playout with a better profit sharing model is likely the best option at this point.

My last prediction about this is the the CFP will iron out talent. The also ran conferences are going to get better because now they can recruit based on CFP berths...

TNET: Reports: ESPN to pick up ACC contract through 2036, ACC plan proposed for Clemson 'brand'