Been a lot of chatter as of late surrounding the Miami Hurricanes and the “will they or won’t they” discussion in regards to saying in the ACC or leaping for the Big XII. To date, there’s been no formal invite rolled out to any ACC program, despite fans of Florida State and Clemson claiming otherwise.
Miami has gone on the offensive, with both director of athletics Shawn Eichorst and head football coach Al Golden praising the relationship with the ACC and stating that UM is happy where it’s at.
Golden’s release merely echoed Eichorst and the toeing of the company line, while also reading as if he owns stock in ESPN, or at minimum, is on the payroll:
“The new ACC-ESPN television deal achieves many things that are essential to us as a conference, institution and program. The ACC is ESPN’s only all-in conference partner and this provides marquee Thursday and Saturday coverage with the multi-platform promotional power that only the World-Wide Leader in Sports can provide. There is no doubt that national sports fans tuning in to normal ESPN programming will be exposed to more of the ACC brand over the next decade than any other league in the country.
The ACC’s footprint extends from Boston to Miami and, with the addition of Syracuse and Pittsburgh, it now encompasses nine of the top 25 media outlets in the nation. This increased TV exposure will help recruits identify with the University of Miami Hurricanes and showcase ACC football, not just to the eastern half of the United States, but to the rest of country as well.
The ACC-ESPN television pact is historic in nature and a strong indication of the future of the Atlantic Coast Conference.”
The debunking of the ACC defectors / Big XII newbies started when Texas Christian athletic director Chris Del Conte was quoted weeks back, discussing the possibility that Miami, Florida State and Clemson might be interested in switching conferences.
Whatever the case, rumors will always fly, the real story won’t come out anytime soon and Miami’s statement is about as credible as former president Bill Clinton claiming that he did not have sexual relations with that woman.
If there’s one message to be taken from modern day college football and universities, it’s this; money talks and everything else can walk.
All this pointless worry that UM is going to be “left behind” if there’s conference realignment and that president Donna Shalala “doesn’t care about athletics” – an absolutely clueless stance to take.
Football is a money maker, Shalala aims to be a winner in everything she takes on and the notion that UM, a program with a strong national brand and a school that people follow, a la Howard Stern, because they either love or hate the Canes, is not going to get lost in any shuffle.
The University of Miami is a private institution that needs to take money wherever it can get it. Remember that little thing weeks back about the medical school laying off upwards of 800 workers?
If the Big XII comes calling and can possible double that $17M that Miami will earn from the new ACC television deal, does anyone really believe UM will stay loyal to its current conference – even with that monster buyout? Please.
Furthermore, all the talk about academics in the ACC versus the Big XII is nonsense. Miami has taken over as the top university in the Sunshine State and can more than stand on its own. UM doesn’t need to lean on the ACC and would be a welcomed addition to the Big XII, academically, as well as football-wise.
All pointless chatter right now, but hoping that UM fans wrestling over this topic can employ some logic moving forward. It’s all about the dollar signs and Miami, even with a sub par record the past half decade, is still a huge television draw. The notion that loyalty to the ACC, over doing what’s best for the university — that’s simply preposterous.