The ACC needs to hit 16. When I say they need WVU it is because WVU is the least ugly of the choices out there in the eyes of some. WVU does bring in a lot of things the ACC values as I covered in the other posting. Of all of the choices the ACC could WVU actually ADDS value. WVU has a 15 million dollar tier 3 rights on its own merit. That is half what the ACC pay is it at present. Surely WVU is worth 15 million as a member is schools like BYU are pulling in 10. So in this case, WVU adds to the value of the ACC as a conference, no one else we have discussed can do this save Notre Dame. Louisville cannot do this.

I agree the roots of WVU and many of the current ACC go way, way back. But we have seen tradition trampled in the last twenty years. Who out there really places much value it any more besides the fans. Of course fans have no say in this, this is a bean counter president level process and most of those position are held by people who five years were in another institution and five years before still another. Long histories is not something these people generally seem to hold dear. They move about in their lives why can't schools? I may be simplifying their attitude, but you have to admit, college football has lost of its history with these shake ups over the last 30 years.

ESPN wants a lot of thing but it all centers around money and conversely power, which is another for of currency. Mega conferences are too unwieldly to function properly. Once you have 9 or more school in a single division, you have your own conference. If there are 9 teams in your division, you will play 8 of them and have room for maybe 1 or at most 2 more from the other conference. It is possible to never see most of the other schools in the opposing division ever again in 50 years. Why would that have any benefit?

A lot people harp on pods but so far no one has ever used one. Fans, not those like us here, but those that a bit removed from all of this would never understand the pod concept. They can follow a division lineup because it never changes but rotating pods would be something they would never get a handle on. I do not think anyone will use pods. As a result 16 because the ceiling. Even then it is a hard ceiling. I personally like 6 team divisions, you play your 5 and 3 from the other on a rotating basis. But those days are gone I think.

But I digress.

Mega conferences create two alien divisions from each other that reach beyond the football field into Olympic sports and academics. In the end presidents are seldom focused on sports unless it is to snatch a check, garner some enrollment marketing or something that works for them. Being tied up in a conference of members they do not interact often with might be too much for them. I think it would be any way.

As for being Blue Bloods. Who really is? Alabama was a dog not so many years ago. They will be again.

WVU hung 70 on Clemson not that long ago. Can't do it right now, but in a few years or knows. Taking the pulse of who is a Blue Blood and who isn't depends more on whan you ask the question rather than who you ask it of.

I use charts like the one this link:

https://medium.com/run-it-back-with-zach/which-college-football-programs-bring-in-the-most-tv-viewers-efc03c689e50

If you start paring down to 64 teams, WVU and VT will do fine. I am not worried, we have earned our spots over the decades.