I. Pitt and Cuse's successes came from decades ago. I'll take flag ship state universities over city centric commuter schools all day. And we're just not so sure how much ESPN wanted Pitt and Cuse. It was said that UCONN was under consideration back then too, but BC balked. If I were Swofford and Co, I would have told BC reps to kick rocks back then. Pitt and WVU were the better options. I would have given the ACC a better grade for those. Instead, they added Pitt and Cuse. A+ additions would have been WVU and ND. Perhaps, better negotiating could have made it happen. Perhaps adding ND's 5 games would have made it unnecessary to add more than one additional school?

II. What the ACC could have done to help Maryland's financial circumstances was to provide them more money. Pretty cut and dry if you ask me. And yes, the ACC should have been tuned into what was happening at Maryland more. Their sole job is to run this conference. They deserve a poor grade for losing a charter member of the league. PERIOD.
Thinking more critically, is there any inherent reason the B1G schools should be making a bizzilion dollars more than ACC schools from sports? ACC schools are in growing states with more prestigious Us. The ACC has nearly as much football and basketball success as the B1G too. Sorry, Maryland's leaving the league for a bizzilion more dollars falls on ACC leadership.

III. West By God.

IV. Beating the Big12 for ND is no great coup. And yes, the ACC was strongarmed into beating the Big12 to the punch.

V. There's a precedence of conferences penalizing programs, including the ACC. But we all knew UNC would face none of that. And we all know why.