Saturday, January 31, 2015

Maybe a New ACC Hoops Schedule As Well?

Yesterday, I took a look at possibly realigning the ACC football schedule to make it a bit tighter and teams would face each other more frequently.  Today, let's look at the basketball schedule.

The two big differences between taking on the basketball and football schedules is (a) Notre Dame adds a 15th member to hoops that they aren't a full time member in football, (b) right now, every ACC hoops member faces each other and (c) it really isn't a dire issue.

But let's have some fun.

Right now, the ACC's schedule is 18 games long.  Each ACC member has two schools they face twice each and every year (for a reference, UNC's two yearly rivals are NC State and Duke), then they face two other schools twice (which rotates every six years) and then five at home and five away.

There really isn't anything wrong with that at all.  But why not just simplify it?  Instead of rotating those two home-and-home games to just two more natural rivals?  Therefore you play four teams twice each year and the other ten teams you just bounce home and away each year.  I like that better.

I like it since those long-time ACC schools (and those former Big East schools) get to face off a bit more and it makes it easier for fans to understand the schedule.

So who would be the rivals?   Below is my attempt to match them up.  The first two teams on everyone's line are their rivals right now and the italicized names are the ones I've added.

BOSTON COLLEGE:  Notre Dame, Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech
CLEMSON:  Florida State, Georgia Tech, Virginia, Miami
DUKE:  North Carolina, Wake Forest, NC State, Syracuse
FLORIDA STATE:  Clemson, Miami, Georgia Tech, NC State
GEORGIA TECH:  Clemson, Notre Dame, Miami, Florida State
LOUISVILLE:  Pittsburgh, Virginia, Notre Dame, Syracuse
MIAMI:  Florida State, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Clemson
NORTH CAROLINA:  Duke, NC State, Wake Forest, Virginia
NC STATE:  North Carolina, Wake Forest, Duke, Florida State
NOTRE DAME:  Boston College, Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh, Louisville
PITTSBURGH:  Louisville, Syracuse, Notre Dame, Boston College
SYRACUSE:  Boston College, Pittsburgh, Louisville, Duke
VIRGINIA:  Louisville, Virginia Tech, North Carolina, Clemson
VIRGINIA TECH:  Miami, Virginia, Wake Forest, Boston College
WAKE FOREST:  Duke, NC State, North Carolina, Virginia Tech

Okay, so if you are North Carolina, then this is your typical conference basketball schedule:

HOME
Duke
NC State
Wake Forest
Virginia
Florida State
Clemson
Boston College
Louisville
Virginia Tech

AWAY
Duke
NC State
Wake Forest
Virginia
Miami
Georgia Tech
Syracuse
Notre Dame
Pittsburgh

Again, not only do you get those four rivals home and away, but you can split the rest of the conference down the middle.  So every year, UNC will either get to play at Miami or at Florida State.  At Boston College or at Syracuse.  At Notre Dame or at Louisville.  Try to make that happen for each school where they get to go to every geographic area in the conference (midwest, Florida, northeast, North Carolina schools) at least once each season.

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