for those advocating UVa over Virginia Tech ... I'd be curious the logic behind that preference.
I hope to close my end of the discussion on Virginia Tech. I could see the value in adding NC State and Virginia Tech. However, as the final two additions? The last salvo in the arms race against the Big 10? I think that would be a mistake. The Big 10 with four slots, and North Carolina, Virginia, and Notre Dame just hanging in the wind? It can't be about who we think would join what conference. The SEC is not in desperate need of a date. It's more like, is this the woman you want to leave your wife for? The more I look at it, the more clear it becomes to me that the SEC should only be talking to North Carolina and Notre Dame, and if they don't listen, then there's really no one else worth talking to. If the SEC is going to get the leftovers, they might as well wait. May be they can force the Big 10 into taking both Duke and North Carolina, or Virginia and Virginia Tech, at least that would limit the states they can move into.
My use of flagship was a little off. I amended it at one point. How about main university, or namesake? North Carolina and Virginia, the state or the university? That's the identity I'm talking about and what makes up 10 of the 14 SEC programs (two of the other four are a detriment to the conference). There is no prestige in football, with these four. North Carolina has prestige in basketball so that's a plus for them...
Virginia: Ranked 25 academically. 4.76 billion endowment.
Virginia Tech: Ranked 71 academically. Less than one billion endowment.
North Carolina: Ranked 29 academically. 2.26 billion endowment.
NC State: Ranked 101 academically. Around half a billion endowment.
Those numbers make it clear where the money and power in those states are. Academics don't matter/program X won't join because of academics is also an odd sort of logic. If you need to better your academics to gain respect, then academics hold value.
The more I look at it the more I don't like either college in Virginia. I get the value to the network, but beyond that? Not a whole lot.
Virginia Tech had to litigate their way into the ACC! Why should a program that had a great run under Beamer be in that position? Beamer ball is the only meaningful thing Virginia Tech has done,
ever!
They won one bowl game prior to Beamer showing up. ONE! On what basis would VT keep a Beamer like run up after he leaves? What does the Beamer coaching tree look like? Will VT will bring in the Vick brothers? There is simply nothing there aside from Beamer. The notion that they'll just run out and find another Beamer is laughable.
They had something like 34 coaches before Beamer. 34 who won a grand total of one bowl game! But, they'll just go into that deep well and find the next one. I find this claim highly dubious and the main reason is they don't have anything to draw on. If you go with just the numbers, they have a 1 in 35 chance of finding another Beamer. I'll give them better odds than that, but not good odds.
There's a reason that VT has a streak unmatched by Big 10 and SEC teams.
It's because they haven't been playing in the Big 10 or SEC! Virginia Tech's football resume looks more like Boise St., than it looks like one of the prestigious Big 10 or SEC programs. Even if they have a Beamer, even if they keep playing at this level, they'll do it against a much higher level of competition. They could luck into a Saban, who could take them to the next level, but look at Florida and UT. Both of those prestigious programs are struggling and there is a lot of doubt as to whether or not they have the right coaches. If they don't, they'll have another setback, take another shot and what if that coach isn't the right guy? These are top 20 programs, but it's just not easy to do. There is absolutely nothing that says VT, without that level of resources, without the deep well of football expertise to draw on can manage that, especially facing the rigors of the SEC.
With VT have you two scenarios in the SEC. One is that they fall flat on their face. This is possible, and we don't know how far they'd fall in that scenario. They're not far removed from 40K a game, their bottom is closer to the bottom of the SEC than the inverse. They don't have much to fall back on. Their basketball program has done little, they are a football school with a very limited resume. They have historically been the #2 college in the state,
if anything their true rival is Virginia Military Institute. If they become irrelevant in football again (it's happened to even multiple national championship football programs), the fate of other non-namesake programs, Vanderbilt and Miss. St. could become very realistic. They are in a large state, but it's more of a pro sports town, they could easily forget VT.
We're talking about a single generation of fans here really. My father was a lifelong Alabama fan, I'm a lifelong Alabama fan. It goes for generation
s, it spans over a hundred years. VT? They'd be easily made irrelevant because all that requires for interest to die down in a few years of struggles. The single generation of fans won't pass that legacy on to their kids and that will be that. VT would be another Miss. St., except not as good at other sports.
There is also the scenario that VT comes in and remains a football power. Why do I harp on prestige? It was already alluded to here.
VT is not really a national draw. CBS is not going to throw money at the SEC because they have VT. I've looked over ratings and VT doesn't come up in any of the huge games. They're not a
national player. My dad, if he was still around wouldn't care one bit about VT. I barely care about VT. They haven't gotten over the hump. They have a nice list of ten win seasons, but what else? In the SEC, we measure accomplishments in national championships. To quote Wikipedia:
Although Virginia Tech is still seeking its first national title in a varsity sport, it has won a national championship in bass fishing. Let that sink in! These guys haven't won anything (
Virginia has won 18 NCAA national championships by the way)! Nothing, ever! Yet, athletically they have merit? They have no history, they have no real tradition. So, what if they don't struggle? What if, the admittedly tough VT home field takes down the likes of UT, Florida, and Georgia?
When Tennessee is doing well they fill a 102,455 person stadium.
When Georgia is doing well they fill a 92,746 person stadium.
When Florida is doing well they fill a 88,548 person stadium.
When Virginia Tech is doing well they fill a 66,233 person stadium.
Virginia Tech, even as an SEC elite team would take decades to reach the financial earnings that these other programs merit. VT's athletic department earned
66 million (NC State earned
51 and NC earned
75) according to USA Today. Florida earned
123, UT earned
104, and Georgia
92.
These programs, if unseated by VT would present a net financial loss for the SEC! VT simply doesn't have the infrastructure, or the national following to take advantage of football success relative to other SEC programs. That's what I've been trying to get at. May be in a couple decades, but they right now have very limited merit as an athletic program, period! I do not care how many games they've won, that's irrelevant to what their earnings potential is! The fact is it might be worse for the SEC if they did well, than if they struggled and became another Miss. St. Their pathetic athletic department and lack of national appeal would pilfer their success, much as they appear to be doing now, and in doing so
they would waste revenue for the SEC as well.
So, why VT over Virginia? What's the actual logic behind it?
VT=0 NCAA Championships.
Virginia=18 NCAA Championships.
VT=71 Academically.
Virginia=25 Academically.
VT=66 million athletic revenue.
Virginia=78 million athletic revenue.
VT=60 rank historically in football.
Virginia=67 rank historically in football.
I'm not in love with Virginia, but, VT has a very, very long way to go. Almost all the pro VT arguments that have been made, could be made for Boise St. as well. The only thing they offer that's of true value to the SEC is the market they'd bring with them. In return for that, they would bring athletic and financial mediocrity, plus a sizable risk. Do we really want to risk another Miss. St.? Alabama won more NCAA championships
yesterday, than VT has ever won, ever. The ACC got it, but their hand was forced. I hope the SEC gets it to. Virginia and North Carolina's combined athletic programs generated
153 million. VT and NC State combined for
117. It's not even close...
Texas is too arrogant but you want Notre Dame in the SEC?
Texas destroys conferences. I didn't say anything about arrogance did I?
