Louisville joins ACC
Update, 11 a.m. The ACC announced that Louisville has been voted in as a member.
“With its aggressive approach to excellence in every respect, the University of Louisville will enhance our league’s culture and commitment to the cornerstones we were founded on 60 years ago,” ACC Commissioner John Swofford said in a statement. “The University of Louisville is an outstanding addition to the Atlantic Coast Conference and I commend the Council of Presidents for continuing to position our league for the long-term future. If you look at what has been done over the last 15 months, the ACC has only gotten stronger with the additions of Louisville, Notre Dame, Pitt and Syracuse.”
Louisville replaces Maryland as the 14th member of the ACC as the conference realignment version of musical chairs continues. Maryland left the conference it helped found for the Big Ten last week.
Louisville will add a successful and tradition-bound basketball program and a football team that has improved in recent years. The Cardinals won the 2008 Orange Bowl with then-coach Bobby Petrino and will make its third consecutive bowl trip following this season. The Cardinals shared the Big East title last year and would go to a BCS bowl this season if they beat Rutgers Thursday.
The team averaged 49,991 in attendance in this season, 40th in the country and better than seven ACC schools, including Tech.
The addition will again boost what could be considered the top basketball conference in the country. With coach Rick Pitino, the Cardinals reached the Final Four last season and have also qualified for the NCAA tournament nine of the past 10 years.
Louisville has been a member of the Big East, joining in 2005 from Conference USA. It was a part of that league 1995-2005. Prior to that, it was in the Metro Conference (of which Georgia Tech was also a member) 1975-95.
Louisville is the seventh school that the ACC has poached from the Big East, following Boston College, Miami, Notre Dame (joined the ACC as a full member except for football), Pittsburgh, Syracuse and Virginia Tech. With the impending departure of Maryland and the addition of Louisville, the ACC will have more former Big East members than charter members (five – Clemson, Duke, North Carolina, N.C. State, Wake Forest).
The school won a spot in the league over Connecticut and Cincinnati, which were also trying to leave the Big East. Louisville does not have the academic standards that the conference has prided itself on; it is ranked 160th by U.S. News and World Report magazine among national universities, 54 spots below the lowest-ranking member (N.C. State) and lower also than Connecticut (63) and Cincinnati (139).
U.S. News ranking
Duke 8
UVA 24
Wake 27
UNC 30
Boston College 31
Tech 36
Miami 44
Syracuse, Pittsburgh 58
Clemson 68
Virginia Tech 72
Florida State 97
N.C. State 106
Louisville 160
Ken Sugiura, Georgia Tech blog
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69 comments Add your comment
BigTimeTECHFan
November 28th, 2012
1:59 pm
Wish the ACC would have got Navy.
juvenal
November 28th, 2012
2:02 pm
at least our USN&WR average is #1………especially if we add the Irish…….
gtlinz
November 28th, 2012
2:04 pm
The ACC is trying to survive and the big12 is dysfunctional because of Texas – but the others big12 members would love out.
Texas needs to play nicely with conf members or could get left behind. Don’t be surprised if you eventually see a combination of the big 12 (with or without Texas) and the Southern ACC teams (including Lousville). If Texas plays nicely, you add 4-6 southern ACC schools. If not, you form a new conference without Texas.
The southern and midwest divisions would reduce travel woes. The southern setup would go directly against the SEC. It would work nicely, and there have been rumors. I think the reason it has not happened is Texas. Just like ND, they need to wake up and smell the coffee.
wreckbone
November 28th, 2012
2:11 pm
I never thought I’d say it, but I guess bailing to the Big 10 would work if the ACC crumbles. Glad I live in Atlanta, because the TV market is what will get us to anoter conference if needed. Actually if the schools added get busy and paly some football, we could be better as a conference in the future. Not as high as SEC but hey would be nice to move out of 5th.. and honestly I like adding syracuse and Louisville instead of Maryland. Now we got a reason to go do some horse betting and playing an ACC game!!
And for the SEC poacher guy, if the SEC wanted anyone in the carolinas it would definitely be UNC not NC State. UNC sells out 22-24
K for home basketball games. NC state gets as many fans in the seats as Tech. Carolina can fill the house and their football stadium gets bigger as fast as the trees let them! UNC is the UGA of NC so they have the fans. NC State is that “state” school that has 20 K fans at football games when their teams suck.
Heel4Life
November 28th, 2012
2:34 pm
UNC is overall a greater nat’l brand than UGa. UNC’s BB program trumps Uga FB program, and it’s academic rating is significantly higher than UGa’s.
The New ACC
November 28th, 2012
2:53 pm
I just don’t think an ACC team would ever leave for the SEC. Why? First there is the $50 million buy out. Second, the SEC team dividend just is not significantly more than the ACC.
Rick James
November 28th, 2012
3:00 pm
@The New ACC
I just don’t think an ACC team would ever leave for the SEC. Why? First there is the $50 million buy out. Second, the SEC team dividend just is not significantly more than the ACC.
————————————————————————————————————————–
Virginia Tech,Florida St and Clemson would jump to the SEC in a heartbeat.If you truly believe that the dividend in not much more then why cant the ACC lure SEC teams to join them?
JM
November 28th, 2012
3:00 pm
Has the Big XII settled it’s newest TV contract?
GTBob
November 28th, 2012
3:22 pm
>i>Has the Big XII settled it’s newest TV contract?
Yes, it pays each school about 20 million per year. 2.6 billion total.
GTRay
November 28th, 2012
5:37 pm
My ex-wife is from Louisville and a HUGE U of L fan, so I would have preferred that the ACC had added UCONN. Just kidding, that’s all true, but not the real reason why I wish the ACC had added UCONN. I guess the rationale that UCONN will be available in the future makes some sense.
As long as we’re doing so much speculating here, let me throw out a thought: Penn State moving to the ACC? I know, I know, call me crazy — and there are a lot of reasons why it wouldn’t happen — but if it was ever going to be possible, while they are on probation would be the time (change of venue during a bad time, getting a new start?).
And Mr. Sugiura, re: that ACC school in Virginia that is not UVA: they will always be VPI to me.
John Bowman
November 28th, 2012
6:02 pm
Just a note about the University of Louisville’s relative academic standing: Years ago, the university adopted an “urban mission.” In layman’s terms, that means it chooses to facilitate the very American idea(l) that every person – not just country clubbers and their legacies – deserves an opportunity to get a quality college education. Not only does the university not apologize for this mission, it celebrates it.
Jacket
November 28th, 2012
6:35 pm
Ken, could you post the US News Rankings for SEC schools? Might be interesting. Not sure if we’ll want to see it or not…
Delbert D.
November 28th, 2012
7:04 pm
Snippet from ESPN:
“The ACC felt Louisville was the best choice because of its “aggressive approach” to success, including a commitment to “marquee athletics programs,” a source told ESPN.”
The difficulty of a degree from Louisville is on the same level as Clemson, but without the academic ranking. I compiled this from the Louisville web site earlier today:
Louisville depth chart 2012 – upperclassmen majors
6 Sports Administration
5 Communications
4 Marketing
3 [undecided]
2 Health and Human Performance
2 Justice Administration
1 Exercise Science and Sports Medicine
1 Biology
1 Pre-business
1 Engineering
1 Computer Science
1 [none listed]
Reality
November 28th, 2012
7:54 pm
@Rick James,
LOL! Then, why cannot the SEC lure any ACC teams to join them? It seems that the SEC must go out to west of the Mississippi – multiple times. LOL!
Not So Happy
November 28th, 2012
9:41 pm
So Louisville once again joins a basketball first conference dominated by Notre Dame & having difficulty hanging on to its major football teams. Sound famiiair?
The Cards just joined the old Big East again.
Nottyenham
November 29th, 2012
1:15 am
How will Louisville’s joining of the ACC help The University of Louisville raise up their rankings to be within the company of it’s ACC brethren? Our first goal should be to surpass the lowest acting members’ ranking, NC State’s 106.
Will the proceeds and spoils of the sporting events that should seemingly increase just through tourism alone; will these funds go to the efforts in which UofL should be attempting through the assistance of this new ACC familiar union.
UGA OWNS gtu
November 29th, 2012
11:20 am
The acc and gtu are EMBARRASSING and PATHETIC. gtu and the whole acc should drop down to FCS. And their fans are especially PATHETIC… no support whatsoever. Of course, when you SUCK that bad, it’s to be expected.
Tide/Dawg
November 29th, 2012
1:07 pm
Notre Dame joining the ACC in football!!! It’s not going to happen, ever. They are not going to share their money with anyone.Let’s see, their deal with the ACC means that they have to play 5 ACC teams each year. That means that they have 5 guaranteed wins each season, and they get to share in the basketball revenues and other sports and don’t share their football revenue. Somebody tell me that I have this all wrong.
Vandy is not going to leave their cash cow. The SEC revenues pay for all of their sports. Yes, they are an institute of higher learning and you don’t kick the cash cow.
The ACC is a scholar conference that turns out graduates that become Presidents, CEOs, etc, who start earning a million dollars a year in 5-10 years(Well,..they would have before the election). On the other hand, the SEC turns out football graduates who start earning 5 million a year immediately, without working, just playing a game. That doesn’t seem very equitable to me. Maybe football should be a major.o)) I believe in getting a good education, but someone has to pay for that, it’s not free.The enormous revenues that football brings to a school pays for many of the facilities that are used by the students enrolled there for an education. However, the students who are not athletes(the wannabe, never was an athlete type) and enjoy having a winning football team even if they are the scholarly type. Bragging rights, that’s important to them.
What’s this blog all about….hell, I don’t know. It seemed like a good idea at the time. Somebody fill me in on that Notre Dame arrangement with the ACC. I’m not sure I have that right.
Toadster
November 29th, 2012
4:50 pm
Read the 100 yard lie and it’ll clear things up for you.