Of course, the prize of defending one of the yours, even when you should have just left handled to the police. that's lifeBut when the Sandusky scandal breaks he becomes hated just like OTL
Of course, the prize of defending one of the yours, even when you should have just left handled to the police. that's lifeBut when the Sandusky scandal breaks he becomes hated just like OTL
Cincinnati is also good at hoops, so they would be the 14th school if ND decides to remain independent. Although UConn is almost nonexistent in football you have to get them in because of Jim Calhoun's national powerhouse hoops program. Even though football is king in terms of $$, college basketball is a strong #2. Plus if you get UConn in this "East Coast Conference," they have the best women's hoops team on an almost yearly basis.Cincinnati is an Independent football school until they join Conference USA in 1995 and they should be a natural fit for the ECC as they would be automatic rivals to Pittsburgh and West Virginia, Louisville is stretching it a bit but just by over the Ohio River is another rival to Cincinnati.
But IRL, Miami and Florida State are in the ACC, and they play games in northern areas in November. Before that, Miami played football in the Big East, and traveled to places like Virginia Tech and Boston College, where it could be cold in November. I see the rest of your point, but avoiding cold weather isn't part of the argument. Those schools are struggling for internal reasons (lack of $$ for the football program + no Orange Bowl in Miami's case, sheer incompetence in FSU's case).INHO you are missing some things about college football. The reason college football is a religion in the south and much of the west is because for many, many years it had no competition from the NFL. Miami was the only team in Florida until the Bucs in 1976. The Big 10 has always placed the Rose Bowl above all else. People in the NE just don’t watch or care about college like the NFL. I’ve lived in Chicago and Syracuse. They basically didn’t know college football existed, even in Syracuse. I’m not sure that FSU would have joined your league either. Bowden turned down the SEC in 1990 because he didn’t want that tough of a schedule. They picked the ACC because it sucked in football and was good in basketball. Just don’t see FSU wanting to play in the North late in the season. Same thing for Miami. The SEC also picked all of the expansion teams in 1990. South Carolina had voted before even asked to join the SEC if asked. By cherry-picking FSU and Miami you get 4 titles in the years you noted. Without them that league is not very good. The SEC still had 3 titles in that timeframe. Notre Dame hasn’t joined a conference in OTL. Why would they in any ATL? They have NBC and like their independence. From 2003-current the SEC has 12 titles from 4 different teams. That conference would have one, if FSU had joined. It’s interesting but I just don’t see a NE conference beating the SEC or Big 10 with tv money or ratings.
I was planning on Temple being expelled from the conference much like they were in OTL and replaced by Louisville and the conference staying at 12 teams until 2005Hypothetical end of year Associated Press college football rankings per year with "East Coast Conference" schools, assuming no changes due to improved recruiting due to this being a stronger conference:
1990: #3 Miami, #4 Florida State, #11 Penn State
1991: #1 Miami, #3 Penn State, #4 Florida State, #11 Syracuse
1992: #2 Florida State, #3 Miami, #6 Syracuse, #21 Boston College
In 1993, Virginia Tech and Louisville get added as the 11th and 12th teams.
1993: #1 Florida State, #7 West Virginia, #8 Penn State, #13 Boston College, #15 Miami, #22 Virginia Tech
1994: #2 Penn State, #4 Florida State, #5 Miami, #23 Boston College (note: Penn State would have played #1 Nebraska for the national championship that year if they weren't in the Big 10 IRL, because the Big 10 champion had the mandatory Rose Bowl bid at the time).
1995: #4 Florida State, #10 Virginia Tech, #13 Penn State, #19 Syracuse, #20 Miami
In 1996, Notre Dame and UConn are added as the 13th and 14th teams, and NBC buys the rights to telecast all the football and regular season basketball games.
1996: #3 Florida State, #7 Penn State, #13 Virginia Tech, #14 Miami, #19 Notre Dame, #21 Syracuse
1997: #3 Florida State, #16 Penn State, #21 Syracuse
BCS era begins in 1998
1998: #3 Florida State, #17 Penn State, #20 Miami, #22 Notre Dame, #23 Virginia Tech, #25 Syracuse
1999: #1 Florida State, #2 Virginia Tech, #11 Penn State, #15 Miami
2000: #2 Miami, #5 Florida State, #6 Virginia Tech, #15 Notre Dame
2001: #1 Miami, #15 Florida State, #17 Louisville, #18 Virginia Tech, #21 Boston College
2002: #2 Miami, #16 Penn State, #17 Notre Dame, #18 Virginia Tech, #19 Pittsburgh, #21 Florida State, #25 West Virginia.
For the first decade of its existence, this theoretical conference would be the unquestioned best in the country in football. After that, you need a lot of butterflies to occur to keep it that way:
--Miami doesn't fall apart post 2005
--Florida State doesn't fall apart at the end of Bowden's tenure
--Penn State doesn't have the Sandusky scandal
I think all those things are unavoidable. Miami decided to commit less $ to its football program after about 2005. Bowden is irreplaceable at FSU, and the Sandusky scandal would have broken at some point
Plus if you get UConn in this "East Coast Conference," they have the best women's hoops team on an almost yearly basis.
Very nice ExposureFox will be airing the championship game in prime time
OTL FOX have been a massive boom for college football, if anything a second contract is done deal but the third one would be interesting, spreading games or maybe fox would push the equivalent of an early college RSN for them, like BIG TEN NETWORK or the Longhorn oneThe main test of the conference is going to be when the second tv broadcast rights contract comes up and depending on how the ratings are and more importantly the demographics of the viewership a significant boost in the right fees may cause other schools in the Northeast to inquire if there is any room to expand.
Boston University dropped football IOTL in 1997 and more money coming in from tv may make them decide to upgrade their program.
Also I think that conferences are going to raid other conferences much more frequently with South Carolina being targeted by the ACC and SEC as South Carolina has more fans wanting to see schools like Alabama, Florida, and Georgia from the SEC and Clemson from the ACC instead of BC and Temple.
So we're in 1994 already? plus that means the ITTL Orange BOWL is a proto BCS in all but name because thisThe inaugural ECC Championship game pitting Miami against Penn State was a huge ratings success. One of the highest TV ratings ever recorded for a college football game. 14 million people tuned in to the game.
In a thriller, Penn State won on a last minute Hail Mary from Kerry Collins to Joe Jurevicius, 26-24.
Penn State would later accept an Orange Bowl berth to play Nebraska for the National Championship
The ECC directly competes against the SEC for the top recruits in the country, with Penn State, Florida State and Miami leading the way.(Others: Mention this game and the effect on college football)
Well yeah, I figured everyone else would mention it but fine here are the Conference Champions in football from 1990-1994So we're in 1994 already? plus that means the ITTL Orange BOWL is a proto BCS in all but name because this
Actually Pro Player Stadium in MiamiThe ECC directly competes against the SEC for the top recruits in the country, with Penn State, Florida State and Miami leading the way.
The ECC alternates championship game sites between Giants Stadium, RFK Stadium, and the Citrus Bowl in Orlando
Penn State most likely beats Nebraska in 1994 for the national championship