How bad is ACC football?

[WoadBlue]

It is a given that SEC football towers over ACC football. The difference is like the NFL compared to the AFL in 1960. ACC football should be recognized as weaker in terms of top to bottom league quality than the Big Ten, Big 12, and Pac. That makes the ACC worst among the P5, and not even a close #5.

But is the ACC weaker than the AAC? I think that is a toss up. I lean to the ACC, but that means seeing, and touting, that Dook and Wake are among the very best coached teams in the ACC and actually could beat most AAC teams 3 of 4 times because of coaching.

So the top third of the ACC sucks terribly compared to the top third of the SEC. But the bottom third of the ACC is, I think, actually competent compared even to the bottom third of the SEC.

The scariest part is that there may be no way whatsoever for ACC football quality to improve much and remain at that level. Why? Wake and Dook have no fans, and the fewer fans a league has, especially the fewer fans of winning teams, the less likely the league can sustain top level success. Top players want to play in front of large, passionate crowds and no that large numbers of fans watch on TV. Top coaches want to play before the same large number of fans.

That fan issue is not restricted to Wake, Dook, and BC. Pitt is going to average more than 45,000 per game (which would be next to last in the SEC every year) only when it can win 10 games. UNC's football fan base easily gives up, expecting mediocrity all the time. GT not only has little hope of sell outs but draws fewer TV viewers in the Atlanta market than UGA, Auburn, Bama, and Clemson.

It truly does mean MUCH MORE in the SEC. That's the reason that no SEC school but Vandy would hire an over the hill coach like Mack Brown whose only coaching strength is a silver tongue that makes him a top recruiter. It's the reason that every SEC fan base but Vandy's would have already made certain a Dre Bly was fired for being a totally incompetent assistant coach.

For ACC football to catch up so that it regularly is better than all other P5s but the SEC, UNC football must become a determined program with an SEC attitude of No Tolerance for Mediocrity. That plus Clemson and FSU doing the same is required, or else the ACC is going to be battling with the AAC for 5th best conference.

Perhaps it would be best for UNC if the ACC were to be destroyed economically, forcing UNC to go SEC or at least Big Ten. Perhaps only that will force UNC boosters and administrators to reject football mediocrity and mean it.

 

[Xlance]

Carolina would be eaten alive in the SEC with no administrative backbone to attempt to bring Carolina football up to SEC standards.

 

[Archer2]

Carolina would be eaten alive in the SEC with no administrative backbone to attempt to bring Carolina football up down to SEC standards.

FIFY

 

[Xlance]

FIFY

Either way you want to describe that situation, Carolina football in the SEC would be on par with Vanderbilt at best.

 

[Archer2]

Either way you want to describe that situation, Carolina football in the SEC would be on par with Vanderbilt at best.

I’m fine with that , I’m tired of the tail wagging the dog. Each ACC school made over $30 mil off of sports this year. But that’s not enough for the schools, they want even more like SEC/B1G teams are getting. Meanwhile, tuition is ridiculously high and going up every year. I’d prefer we just do away with athletic scholarships.

 

[JPack71]

It is a given that SEC football towers over ACC football. The difference is like the NFL compared to the AFL in 1960. ACC football should be recognized as weaker in terms of top to bottom league quality than the Big Ten, Big 12, and Pac. That makes the ACC worst among the P5, and not even a close #5.

I think you are over exaggerating the demise of the ACC. Yes the SEC is hands down the best and deepest conference in Amerca. There really is no debating that. But then you take a look at the other conferences, and when you break them down, you realize that there isn't a ton of difference in the quality of those other leagues compared to the ACC. The Big 10 gets a lot of love by the national media, but outside of Ohio State, who is consistently another team that would be dominant in the ACC? Michigan has a good team this year, but in most of the other past 10 years of Michigan football, they are not what Clemson has been and are more of what some of the other ACC teams have taken turns being in given years. Same for Penn State. Beyond that, it's just a hodge podge of teams hoping to get to 8 wins in most years. The Big 12, nothing there is impressive either outside of what Oklahoma was under Stoops and to a lesser extent, under Riley. Texas has the money but they haven't been a factor in college football in over 10 years. K'State has had a year here and there but again, not much to this conference the last 10 years that puts it any higher in the pecking order than the ACC. Then you have the PAC12 which has several name programs but none of which have been anywhere near what Clemson has been the last 10 years and every time those teams matchup with any phyical team, they get beaten. Utah is the only team in that conference that plays with any type of physicality.

All this to say that the separation between the ACC, PAC12 and Big 12 is virtually nil except that the ACC has Clemson and those conferences don't even have that.

 

[WoadBlue]

I’m fine with that , I’m tired of the tail wagging the dog. Each ACC school made over $30 mil off of sports this year. But that’s not enough for the schools, they want even more like SEC/B1G teams are getting. Meanwhile, tuition is ridiculously high and going up every year. I’d prefer we just do away with athletic scholarships.

There is a reason that the lukewarm is noted as being neither hot nor cold and so fit only to spewed out. Either UNC should compete, really compete, to be top level in 1A/FBS football or else go Ivy. Stop lukewarming it. UNC does not play lukewarm in basketball. UNC intends to win big, as BIG as possible, in basketball.

William&Mary is already 1AA FCS. UNC, Dook, Wake, and UVA could all drop to 1AA. That 5 also could add Tulane and Rice. Furman too. Davidson is now 1AA in football. That new Southern Ivy would be top level in D1 basketball and among the very best 1AA football leagues.

It could even move north, adding Villanova and Georgetown.

And then we could feel really good about being superior to the classless SEC. There is very little more satisfying to a person who has accepted mediocrity than to feel socially superior.

 

[Archer2]

There is a reason that the lukewarm is noted as being neither hot nor cold and so fit only to spewed out. Either UNC should compete, really compete, to be top level in 1A/FBS football or else go Ivy. Stop lukewarming it. UNC does not play lukewarm in basketball. UNC intends to win big, as BIG as possible, in basketball.

William&Mary is already 1AA FCS. UNC, Dook, Wake, and UVA could all drop to 1AA. That 5 also could add Tulane and Rice. Furman too. Davidson is now 1AA in football. That new Southern Ivy would be top level in D1 basketball and among the very best 1AA football leagues.

It could even move north, adding Villanova and Georgetown.

And then we could feel really good about being superior to the classless SEC. There is very little more satisfying to a person who has accepted mediocrity than to feel socially superior.

You are one screwed up person who I believe would sell his mother to win a title in football.

 

[sammyk]

Each conference goes through this from time to time. The PAC was not a good league for years then this year they just exploded back onto the scene. Now it's the ACC turn. What may help the ACC is to drop the We are a basketball league and realize that football pays the bills. Also there are quality coaches and teams in the ACC and maybe we should recognize that for what it is. Time to let football be the main engine in the ACC like the BIG, SEC, Big 12 and now the PAC has done.

 

[midline]

ACC is pretty bed. Clemson is still the best, but they have slipped from their national pedestal of the elite. Then I suppose FSU is the best team at this point, but nothing special. NCSU is always the same. Ditto Wake. Good, but not good enough to really impress anyone. UNC? Talented, but just can't put it together totally. Everybody says that UNC is a sleeping football giant just waiting to happen. I'm waiting, but don't think it can get done under this walk down memory lane we have going on with Mack. Duke impressed a bit this year, but they should never compete really. Much of the rest of the league is pure trash. The sad part is that the ACC has never really been a football power, but now we don't have the basketball we all used to fall back on.

 

[Archer2]

Each conference goes through this from time to time. The PAC was not a good league for years then this year they just exploded back onto the scene. Now it's the ACC turn. What may help the ACC is to drop the We are a basketball league and realize that football pays the bills. Also there are quality coaches and teams in the ACC and maybe we should recognize that for what it is. Time to let football be the main engine in the ACC like the BIG, SEC, Big 12 and now the PAC has done.

Yeah, because we know money’s the only thing that matters. Right?

 

[uncboy10]

You are one screwed up person who I believe would sell his mother to win a title in football.

That would be a great deal for UNC football