ACC expands, Yow can't envision State being anywhere else

North Carolina State University

ACC expands, Yow can't envision State being anywhere else

By Tim Hall

Sep 19, 2011

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The mega conferences are here. As universities and conferences all over the country have been forming committees and researching options, the ACC took the first big step by adding Syracuse and Pitt.

N.C. State athletics director Debbie Yow joined The Insiders on 620 The Buzz on Monday and shared her thoughts on the conference's major news.

"The concept of super conferences appears to be inevitable and the ACC decided that being proactive in the sense of responding to people's interest. I think the interest was initiated on the other side but we were very responsive to that."

Yow was not part of the "4-4-4 Committee" formed by commissioner John Swofford. That committee consists of four university presidents, four ADs and four faculty representatives. There's one representative from each university.

Sam Pardue, N.C. State's faculty athletics representative, is representing the school on that committee.

As it's now official that the ACC will be adding two more members, conference expansion on a national level is sure to continue to heat up. If such schools like Florida State and Virginia Tech were interested in the SEC, the ACC's now $20 million exit fee should keep the league from losing schools.

N.C. State however never had a shot at the SEC according to Yow.

"We're not a part of that conversation. As a founding member of the ACC I can't envision being anything else. Our focus needs to be doing our part as one athletic program to strengthen overall, the ACC."

Yow then put it bluntly. State hasn't won an ACC football championship since 1979. Why in the world would it want to go to the SEC for football?

The smart answer to that question would be money, or financial stability. While Swofford said the ACC will be able to renegotiate its 12-year $1.86 billion TV deal and produce a positive impact, Yow wants to be sure her school is taken care of before falling in line with another expansion to 16 teams.

"I have no interest in State losing money by sharing with more people or losing more from what we ultimately will gain by adding these two," she told Mark and Mike. "We're not a wealthy program and we're trying very hard to find new revenue sources and enhance the ones that we have so we can provide for our 23 varsity sports. I would be very vocal in any initiative that would harm us in our ability to do that."

Travel concerns for N.C. State are not as great as they would be if the ACC decided to expand to the mid-west. Still, Yow is on board with the concept of having a North and South division to help minimize some of those costs.

"Not just in the Olympic sports but in the revenue sports as well. It makes all the sense in the world and as far as I'm concerned N.C. State belongs in the South division, obviously."

One concern that will be on the thoughts of fans more than anyone else is the schedules in a mega-conference. Those fans will want to continue to see the same rivalry games they've been seeing for decades. And it's a fact that ACC expansion has already eliminated N.C. State and Duke from playing in football every year and sometimes eliminates a game in the basketball season. But Yow says she isn't worried about that aspect of it.

"I think the conference is very smart, very in tune with the games that are considered marquee games and have been for 50 years," Yow said. "We've had our ups and down and we're going to be headed back up the mountain. I think they want to protect us. That's all about protecting your brand and the value of that conference on the national level. You want to protect games like State versus UNC."

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RE: ACC expands, Yow can't envision State being anywhere else

Here we come, ACC basketball might as well be called Cuse ball. I cannot wait to smoke your beloved tobacco road. Here we go Syracuse Here we go. Bunch of southern girls, here comes the North baby. ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh
- Posted by jmustard8008

Even lowly NC State almost beat Cuse in the dome last year with our bad team.

You think you're going to hang with Carolina and Duke? LOL
- Posted by TruthBKnown Left The Building

Duke is the most overrated team in the country. Yes they are consistently very good but they are still very overrated. No, we will not hang with Duke and Carolina, we will hang Duke and Carolina. You are in for a rude awakening when our boys come and silence your house.
- Posted by jmustard8008

I don't know how you can take away Duke's National Championships. Yes. They get over-rated at times. They haven't the solid guns lately. But, this year they will be solid, I think. We all know how Coach K can rule officials.

I see UNC as having one of the best teams...barring injuries in the Country this year. I do see UNC in the Final Four again.

RE: ACC expands, Yow can't envision State being anywhere else

Also, to be blunt, the SEC does not want NCSU. They want Clemson and FSU and possibly VT. I suspect that they will be leaving in the near future.
- Posted by BigUNCFan

Well. VT isn't going anywhere. I don't know about the rest. All of these scenarios are just about worn out now. VT had a huge Governmental Official to seal the deal. Why would we give up winning 4 ACC Conference Championships to go to the SEC? We aren't poor at VT. Our basketball team is now in 4th place in the ACC in Wins. We have built one of the best practice facilities anywhere. The Hokies love it.

As far as State...they aren't going anywhere either. One of the first founding fathers in the ACC. They can't go to another conference. There's no purpose for another conference to select State.

Cuse has one heckeva bb team. State went to their first bowl game in a few last year in football. I certainly give State the advantage over them in football.

RE: ACC expands, Yow can't envision State being anywhere else

Here we come, ACC basketball might as well be called Cuse ball. I cannot wait to smoke your beloved tobacco road. Here we go Syracuse Here we go. Bunch of southern girls, here comes the North baby. ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh
- Posted by jmustard8008

Even lowly NC State almost beat Cuse in the dome last year with our bad team.

You think you're going to hang with Carolina and Duke? LOL
- Posted by TruthBKnown Left The Building

Duke is the most overrated team in the country. Yes they are consistently very good but they are still very overrated. No, we will not hang with Duke and Carolina, we will hang Duke and Carolina. You are in for a rude awakening when our boys come and silence your house.
- Posted by jmustard8008

LOL

I've seen Cuse struggle with NC State on a couple of occasions over the years.

YOU are in for the rude awakening.

RE: ACC expands, Yow can't envision State being anywhere else

Further proof that colleges prime mission is to make money, not to educate your child.
- Posted by patrick85ed

True at UNC-CHeat but don't lump everybody in with them. Maybe Miami.

Virginia, Wake, Duke, State....run CLEAN programs.
- Posted by MarcoPolo

Jimmy V was a CHEAT. You believe that he had class b/c you are a delusional Kool Aid drinker. If he were around today he would be in the same league as Kelvin Sampson, Bruce Pearl and the other "saints" that have tainted college basketball.
- Posted by BBWAFRICANWOMAN

Ah so denismcal = tarprint1. See first post on page 3 of the article "UNC to respond to NCAA football investigation." Well I take it back. They're either the same person, or denismcal plagarizes posts as bad as the UNC football team.
- Posted by fzero

And someone is off their paranoid schizophrenic meds.

Not everyone on here are the same person, ZERO!

RE: ACC expands, Yow can't envision State being anywhere else

Here we come, ACC basketball might as well be called Cuse ball. I cannot wait to smoke your beloved tobacco road. Here we go Syracuse Here we go. Bunch of southern girls, here comes the North baby. ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh
- Posted by jmustard8008

Even lowly NC State almost beat Cuse in the dome last year with our bad team.

You think you're going to hang with Carolina and Duke? LOL
- Posted by TruthBKnown Left The Building

Duke is the most overrated team in the country. Yes they are consistently very good but they are still very overrated. No, we will not hang with Duke and Carolina, we will hang Duke and Carolina. You are in for a rude awakening when our boys come and silence your house.

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