In reply to: ACC wants to scrap divisions posted by Tex Francisco
Compelling if FSU and scUM get their act together.
I think ND will continue to be an OOC opponent for ACC teams.
My take on three protected opponents, by school:
BC: Pitt, Syracuse, Va Tech
Clemson: Florida State, Georgia Tech, Miami
Duke: North Carolina, NC State, Wake
Florida State: Clemson, Georgia Tech, Miami
Georgia Tech: Clemson, Florida State, Miami
Louisville: Pitt, Syracuse, Virginia
Miami: Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech
North Carolina: Duke, NC State, Virginia
NC State: Duke, North Carolina, Wake
Pitt: BC, Louisville, Syracuse
Syracuse: BC, Louisville, Pitt
Virginia: Louisville, North Carolina, Va Tech
Va Tech: BC, Virginia, Wake
Wake: Duke, NC State, Va Tech
Sorting out the 5 and 5 for each school is admittedly a bit tougher.
counting ND games as conference games?
I agree, there may be a movement to lump ND in that last group as part of ND's scheduling arrangement. ND should obviously insist on being with the strongest teams if they need ND's buy-in. But Jack will bend over and do whatever they want to preserve good graces that the other ADs will not reciprocate. And there's a major competitive balance issue in determining champions if Clemson-Miami-FSU are regularly together. Unless they go to a four-team conference championship of pod winners.
Ga. Tech can go anywhere, though. They have as much in common with Va. and Va. Tech as anyone else. I'd guess they go there. Louisville can also go anywhere, including with the former Big East teams.
Only the North Carolina schools would really be a pod. Everyone else would have some mixing and matching.
You would have to go with pods or each school would have more than 3 annual opponents, right?
If you go with pods with 14 members, some schools would have more than three annual opponents, or alternatively, some schools would have less than three annual opponents.