Though immediate expansion talk may have cooled with the start of the 2010 college football season, you can bet your mortgage the big picture discussion is far from over. Currently sitting at 12 teams, the ACC has enjoyed throwing its weight around with the big boys since Boston College made the move in ’05, however with expansion already underway in both the Big 10 and Pac 10, it is likely the ACC will need to take similar steps in order to stay relevant. Considering the lack of success the conference has seen on the national level in recent years, perhaps it’s time to bring in some new blood anyway. If the league decides to assert itself as a 16 team powerhouse, these should be the top names on the wish list.
- West Virginia The Mountaineers are consistently relevant on both the football and basketball front, not to mention they present a geographical match. With Virginia and Virginia Tech just across the state line, there is potential for a border rivalry with either school. The only drawback would be West Virginia’s academic profile, which doesn’t quite live up to the ACC standard, from a dollars and cents standpoint however, this is a no-brainer.
- UConn Connecticut’s upstart football program has surprised many with their early success, among the more consistent teams in the Big East since joining the conference in 2004, only 2 years after moving up to the Division I-A level. The basketball team needs no introduction, as the Huskies have been one of college hoops most successful programs for the past 20 years. Furthermore, UConn currently graduates its players at the highest rate in the Big East and well above ACC standards, giving the university the necessary academic qualifications as well. The only concern is the school’s northern location, but after adding BC, the state of Connecticut isn’t too much of a stretch.
- Pittsburgh If West Virginia makes the jump, it only makes sense to keep the Backyard Brawl a conference game. Though in the western half of Pennsylvania, Pitt still is more Atlantic than many other schools suggested such as Cincinnati. Like West Virginia, the Panthers are major players in both football and basketball to boot.