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No, it's not. The hoop-centric ACC expanded for football. It expanded for football because the financial rewards reaped by Big 12 and SEC -- two other 12-team leagues.
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While the money has been good, the football hasn't been great. Which means the brand is diminished. Madison Ave. and the rights holder want to see Miami and Florida State in the ACC championship game. Each year, if possible. They're also tired of waiting. A Florida State-Miami Labor Day night season opener the past three seasons has been scrapped in favor of Florida State-Clemson this year.
The last ACC team to win a national championship was Florida State in 1999. No ACC champion has finished undefeated in the league since that year. Also since then, the Big 12 and SEC have each won national championships.
With a chance to showcase its league here, ACC coaches brought a grand total of one quarterback (Boston College's Matt Ryan) to the media days.
Only Virginia Tech is a consensus Top 25 pick. As good as the favored Hokies are, they might be knocked out of the national title chase in Week 2 at LSU.
Mike Krzyzewski once said the league had sold out for football. Certainly not at your school, Mike.
"Last year was bad for us, we won only seven games and I almost feel embarrassed," Morse told the Fort Worth Star Telegram. "If I didn't care about winning, I'd go to Duke."
You want to talk branding? For a few horrific minutes, Miami was still Miami. Let's not forget its brawl with Florida International that disgraced the school and the league.
As good a story as Wake Forest was, the ACC didn't expand so that its league championship game wouldn't sell out and the Gator Bowl Association would reportedly lose $300,000 on the game at Jacksonville's Alltel Stadium.
It didn't form so that a slump by glam programs Miami and Florida State would coincide with/be caused by a new level of "competitiveness," in the league.
"How can you put pressure on me?" said 77-year-old Bobby Bowden. "I could walk out tomorrow and have a darn good time (but) I don't want to ... Miami will be back and we will too."
That's part of the problem: The assumption that Miami and Florida State will be back anytime soon.
It's not so much Bowden's age but his method for rebuilding that's the problem. Five new coaches aren't going to mean diddly if the new assistants don't find better players. It used to be a Seminole quarterback wouldn't start until his junior season. In recent years, flameouts and freak outs have forced Bowden having to start inexperienced quarterbacks too soon.
Randy Shannon wasn't the first choice at Miami, but might be the best choice in the long run. He is a disciplinarian whose rules would make both Larry Coker and Bowden blush.
What we don't know is if the career assistant can coach a lick.
"Miami football is still Miami football," Shannon said. "Will the numbers come back next season? It depends."
Madison Ave. isn't the only one watching.
