ACC expansion may be down to Miami .... for now

[jjray]

I'm sure you guys have seen this article:

http://espn.go.com/ncaa/news/2003/0616/1569045.html

Best guess, looking from the outside, is that the ACC expands to Miami for now. However, once they weather the lawsuit and the press coverage dies down, I would expect expansion to 12 teams to be back on the ACC agenda in 2004. Hopefully, our Bills have been given another year to raise the profile of the athletic program. The soccer team has some great recruits coming in (even though they lost top scorer Coles to graduation and a number of other important starters). My wish: the soccer team makes a run in the NCAAs this year, the Biondi Dome construction begins, and Brad's boys make the NCAA.

[3star_recruit]

"I would expect expansion to 12 teams to be back on the ACC agenda in 2004."

I wouldn't. I expect the ACC to sign a new football contract long before next summer since the current one expires after next season. The TV execs aren't going to renegotiate a deal 6 months after one has already been struck.

If the ACC doesn't expand to twelve now, expansion will probably have to wait until the next football contract expires.

[jjray]

But who is to say that the new TV contract will not take into account potential expansion by the ACC and, if they have a 12 team conference (with two divisions), a conference football playoff game (which is really what the ACC wants). We are talking large dollars and people will go to extended lengths when such sums are involved.

[cheeseman]

Agreed