Okay. I think it is safe to say the dust of expansion has finally settled--for now at least. The ACC officially expanded to eleven members with the addition of the Hurricanes and Turkeys to the conference.
To recap, only one of the original three targeted schools (Miami) actually jumped ship for the ACC. One school (Virginia Tech) went from plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the ACC to plunging head first into the Atlantic Coast Conference at the first glimpse of an invite being tossed their way. Conversely, one school (Boston College)--also sued by the Big East in the lawsuit--was snubbed by its fellow co-defendant the ACC and now leads the charge of the conference (Big East) it once eagerly hoped to leave.
Furthermore, at any given time it looked equally possible that by the end of June the ACC would be composed of anywhere from nine to thirteen members. Did you follow all that? Yeah, neither did I.
The decisions regarding expansion were as much governed by governors as university presidents and athletic directors. At no point during the discussion was the student-athlete mentioned as a priority party--let alone a party at all. Of course, if this was about a college football playoff, then everyone would be lamenting: "What about the kids?" But when it comes to expansion, did anyone even think about what would be best for the college athletes involved? Not that I know of, that's for sure.
So what do we come away with from all this expansion mess? Well, for starters I think it's safe to say that if the end result was the original goal, it never would have gotten off the ground in the first place. No one would have expected Miami to come along without Boston College or Syracuse. The Virginia Tech addition came out of a political left field, and I still have not heard an explanation why a third school to give the conference its desired twelfth member was not extended an invitation as well. Why was there no Virginia Tech-for-Boston College compromise? Why turkey over golden eagle? Why was VCU not thrown into the mix to further appease Virginia?
Lastly, how are we supposed to take the Big East's most likely next move of expansion? Should they continue their suit against the ACC for an act they are now looking to commit themselves? Seems a little disingenuous, doesn't it? I guess it's true: if you can't beat them, join them.
For now, it seems like the ACC will not go to a two division system for basketball purposes; however, pending a ruling from the NCAA, if the ACC is allowed to hold a football conference championship game (that was one of the main reasons for expansion wasn't it?) then it seems safe to assume that the ACC will be divided into two divisions.
Who will be paired with Miami? Virginia Tech? Florida State? Will the ACC base its new alignment on geography or maximized BCS bid potential?
How about on respective literacy rates? You could have Clemson, Florida State, Miami, N.C. State, and Virginia Tech in the illiterate division; Duke, UNC, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, UVA, and Maryland (just barely) in the literate division.
What about a legal dividing line? FSU, Miami, and two former Virginia basketball guards could compose the criminal division.
However the ACC decides to select its divisions, I hope they do it with more foresight, planning, compromise, selflessness, and skill than it displayed for the last month. That can't be asking too much, can it?
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