Realignment continues to be a major headline. What is next for the conference?
Why UNC?
With the ACC looking more and more like it will be disbanded day by day, what is best for North Carolina? The Tar Heels are one of the biggest brands of any University in the country. It has been reported for some time now that North Carolina will be one of the most sought-after schools should they decide to leave. The reason for that is simple: It is one of the top academic Universities in the country, and the athletics have long been considered in the upper echelon. The basketball team is one of the biggest brands in college sports, and the football program has begun to gain traction and is seen by many as a sleeping giant. Baseball is almost always in the mix for ACC titles, and of course, women’s soccer is the best the NCAA has ever seen. Non-revenue sports such as tennis, lacrosse, and field hockey are consistently playing for titles.
Which Conference?
The question becomes, would it be better for North Carolina to play in the Big 10 or SEC? Both have their perks, but each is very different.
The SEC is and always has been a football giant. That is where most of the money in college sports is. With that said, basketball teams in the SEC are on the rise. Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn and others are getting better and better. On top of that, Kentucky is a blue-blood program that is usually a top team.
The Big 10, on the other hand, has good football and very good basketball. Ohio State, Michigan, and Michigan State are very good basketball programs. In football, you take the three mentioned before and add the likes of Penn State and now both UCLA and USC starting in 2024. It is a complete conference whose academics align more with North Carolina.
Personally, the fit with the Big 10 is more appealing. There is more basketball history, enough parity to compete at times for conference titles, and great academic schools such as USC, UCLA, Michigan, and Northwestern.
Where do you think the Tar Heels should go once the ACC is inevitably disbanded?
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