College football doesn’t have to be ALL about the money.
In case you haven’t noticed, the news feeds are full of suggestions on what the ACC should do to counteract the defection of Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC. Let me count 2some of the ways.
Jay Bilas says merging the two leagues would help keep the ACC in the game, a Super Conference of sorts from 30 to 40 teams, including adding a few schools from the Big 12 and Pac 12.
Another idea is to poach from the Big Ten. Penn State is never leaving for the ACC since the school is guaranteed an escalating $50 million-plus a year from various TV contracts. And the ACC won’t start giving out larger shares of conference revenues based on the strength of each program. Members that make bigger bowl games and have better NCAA tourney records get some of that.
The ACC can encourage and help schools increase their incomes as much as possible so past records and facilities are not the end-all and be-all of a recruit’s decision. UNC is already doing it.
No, Carolina football doesn’t have the Disney World facilities of Clemson, but continues to up its physical plant and pay assistant coaches enough that they don’t jump from job to job.
That makes it easier for Mack Brown to sell the intangibles, like what a UNC degree can do for players in the long run and what being part of a program for 40 years can do more than just on a team for four.
The Tar Heels practice in a high-end indoor facility and have enough technology in their locker and weight rooms that recruits can make decisions more on relationships than toys. Why Brown is again owning the state of North Carolina in recruiting like he did last time.
Sure, the ACC should figure out how to up its shared revenues, as the growth and advertising maturity of the ACC Network increases. Certainly, bringing in Notre Dame and its NBC home-game TV contract makes a lot of sense.
That is in line with the ACC always being about academics first and the total college experience. There are enough smart and talented athletes around to keep it very competitive.
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