Ranking which ACC schools are most viable to join a “super conference”
By John Scimeca
6. Virginia
The Cavaliers might not be the cream of the ACC crop in terms of the next super conference, but they’re close. The academics are great and the Thomas Jefferson-centric university in Charlottesville, Va. is nationally renowned. The men’s basketball program is powerful, having recently won a national title.
The football team isn’t at that elite level, however. The Cavaliers have won 8-9 games in their best years, and there’s only been one NFL Draft pick higher than the third round from the school in the past decade (defensive back Juan Thornhill to the Chiefs in 2018). There’s not a ton of buzz around Virginia football right now.
5. Virginia Tech
The Hokies haven’t regained prominence since the departure of longtime head coach Frank Beamer after the 2015 season.
Virginia Tech was one of the powers in the last days of the Big East and during its early years with the ACC: during an eight-year stretch from 2004 to 2011, the Hokies won at least 10 games each season and reached the Sugar Bowl and the Orange Bowl. That was after the 1999 Michael Vick-led squad went 11-1 and lost the de facto national title game to Florida State.
The Hokies have finished with three losing seasons in the past four years and are on to a new head coach in Brent Pry. The recent downturn may cost Virginia Tech a spot at the table in the next super conference.
4. North Carolina
The Tar Heels were last a truly “great” football team under head coach Mack Brown… during his first stint with the team back in the 1990s. They’ve been solid since Brown’s return and within the last decade, like the 2015 squad that went 11-3 and lost in the ACC title game to Clemson under Larry Fedora.
They’re certainly not a safe pick to move on from the ACC, however. The Tar Heels were everyone’s hyped preseason pick in 2021, and they failed to deliver even with star Sam Howell at quarterback, going 6-7 after a bowl loss.
The prestigious and highly regarded academic reputation throughout the South and the nation gives UNC the edge, in addition to being one of the most elite men’s basketball programs ever (and not just historically — last year’s squad reached the national title game). These two factors make UNC a better realignment candidate than Virginia Tech or Duke.