Beginning in 2004, the Atlantic Coast Conference will be home to two new teams: the Miami Hurricanes and the Virginia Tech Hokies. The ACC president's council voted to add the two schools this summer. In doing so, it raised the bar in football competition and ended a two-month roller coaster of negotiations.
The first serious talk of expansion appeared in early May, after Big East Commisioner Mike Tranghese bashed ACC officials for trying to secretly coax Miami into jumping ship. Tranghese's comments took the expansion discussion public, seemingly doing more harm than good for the Big East. In mid-May the ACC presidents voted 7-2 to expand by three schools. Duke and North Carolina cast the dissenting votes, citing fears of travel costs and missed class time.
After deciding to expand, the ACC presidents then faced the decision of which teams to invite. The eight-school majority settled on juggernaut Miami with Boston College and Syracuse to bring in the media markets of Boston and New York.
Virginia President John T. Casteen III, cast the lone dissenting vote, opposing any form of expansion that did not include Virginia Tech. The Hokies did not receive the necessary seven votes needed to begin talks.
With a lightning-quick pace, conference representatives visited each of the three targets, touring facilities and studying financial statements. All signs pointed to a unanimous vote to invite the three schools by mid-June. However, the tide of expansion quickly turned in the opposite direction. The remaining Big East schools filed a lawsuit against the ACC, Miami, and Boston College for secretly trying to destroy their conference. At the same time, the presidents from Duke and North Carolina reversed their stances, promising to vote against extending any official invitations. Casteen, backed by political pressure from Virginia Gov. Mark R. Warner, similarly held firm against expansion without Virginia Tech.
After a series of conference calls ended in deadlock, Casteen recommended a compromise: reconsidering Virginia Tech. His suggestion clouded the expansion decision even further, forcing ACC presidents to consider a 13-team conference with Tech, Miami, BC and Syracuse, and a 10-team conference, with Miami only. On June 24, the Presidents finally voted, choosing to invite Tech and Miami. The council left Syracuse out in the cold, and fell one vote short of adding Boston College.
Coaches from around the conference displayed a variety of reactions toward the expansion process and outcome. For the most part, they expressed approval of the addition of Miami and Tech.
"I felt like, if Miami and anybody got in, we were better off," Florida State coach Bobby Bowden said. "So as soon as I saw Miami was in there I didn't care what else happened after that. But I think Virginia Tech is a pretty doggone good steal."
Yet, the coaches also lamented the exclusion of Boston College and Syracuse.
"I loved Boston College," Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe said. "I thought they'd be super. I thought they'd be a great addition to the ACC."
Bowden discussed his desire to include the northern schools in order to gain media exposure in the heavily-populated Northeast.
"I kind of secretly wanted Syracuse and Boston College, and the reason is strictly because of the media," Bowden said. "I could just see a whole eastern seaboard of media, you know, that's where everybody lives ... Everybody lives on that daggum seaboard."
Meanwhile, Virginia coach Al Groh poked fun at the Virginia government for getting involved in the expansion process. During one teleconference, he asked reporters what they thought of Arnold Schwarzenegger's entry into the California gubernatorial race.
"I wonder if he'll be concerned with the make-up of the Pac-10," Groh said.
With 11 teams, the ACC does not meet the required dozen to hold a lucrative conference championship game, though it currently petitioned the NCAA to be an exception to the rule.
Many believe the conference will add a 12th team in the near future -- rumors have circulated around Notre Dame, South Carolina, Boston College and Louisville.
All in all, year 52 in the ACC will carry a much different look.
This article was written for The Cavalier Daily's 2003 football supplement, GRIDIRON, which will hit stands this Tuesday.
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