ACC Football: Top 5 expansion candidates for the conference
By Zach Bigalke
West Virginia has always been the outlier geographically in the Big 12. Its transition to that conference back in 2012 was less about the perfect fit and more about finding a power-conference home outside of the dying Big East. The Mountaineers have performed admirably enough in the Big 12, but the ACC would provide a far more logical geographic fit.
It would also allow the Mountaineers to stage a reunion with some of its former Big East foes. Teams like Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh, and Miami would be back on the schedule at least semi-annually, depending on how the divisions were configured after realignment. With Louisville already providing a western flank, West Virginia falls right within the geographic footprint.
West Virginia isn’t exactly the biggest television market. But providing the highest-quality football is paramount in television negotiations, something critical to consider in a realignment situation. The Mountaineers under Dana Holgorsen have continued to evolve with the passing years and conference shifts and remain relevant offensively.
The ACC has absorbed much of the former Big East, and it only makes sense that it would continue to chase the last of its former members. Among the names still out there looking for a more logical fit, West Virginia is the best program of the bunch.