ACC adds two league games; go to 18-game slate

By Jeff Goodman

The ACC has opted to go to an 18-game league slate next year, regardless of when Pittsburgh or Syracuse enter the conference.

"Our member institutions have been talking about this increase for awhile and knowing our league will be expanding to 14 in the future, we've decided to move to an 18-game conference schedule next year, regardless of our membership number," ACC commissioner John Swofford said in a statement. "The additional conference games create a more equitable schedule and we've received significant feedback from our fans for more conference games."

The current format is a 16-game league schedule - which meant that each team played five teams twice.

On one hand, the increase in league contests looks like a good move.

But I'm not sure I love it.

What it ultimately means is that ACC teams will go soft on their non-conference schedule, pull back with the addition of two more games and also the addition (whether it's next season or in 2013-14) of two big-time programs in Syracuse and Pittsburgh.

It could mean the end of the North Carolina-Kentucky series. It could mean that Duke scales back on its non-league slate.

Let's just hope it doesn't mean that Jim Boeheim and the Orange don't go even "softer" once he enters the league.

hooterville2 Since: Mar 15, 2008	Posted on: December 16, 2011 4:15 pm ACC adds two league games; go to 18-game slate GO CUSE! GO down on it CUSE would be much more acurate [ Reply to Comment ]
WaynesWorld22 Since: Jan 22, 2009	Posted on: December 16, 2011 1:54 pm ACC adds two league games; go to 18-game slate Enough with bashing Goodman for saying Syracuse's non-conference and is generally weak most seasons. He's not saying look at their strength of schedule rank according to a computer and see that its soft. He's saying the actual teams they have played (and where) mean their schedule in non-conference is soft. The RPI formula's don't have enough data yet to be very accurate so that measure shouldn't be used. Stanford, Marshall, and Va Tech aren't better than Florida, and its likely none of them will be in the tournament this season so why would those 3 teams consitute a tough schedule? A team's schedule is much tougher if they play a few teams ranked in the top 25 and then some in the 150+ than it is to play all teams in the 50 - 250 range. Show me all the teams Syracuse has played so far excluding Florida, and I'll show you every other team in the top 15 with an undefeated schedule too. Don't get me wrong, Syracuse is good, and is probably smart not playing a tough non-conference schedule because of all of the competition in the Big East, but its weak. I truely believe in years past the BE has gotten such strong credit for conference wins because a few teams go undefeated into conference play and then once they do finally lose it looked like only another BE team could win against such a powerhouse. [ Reply to Comment ]
setmetheball Since: Aug 17, 2006	Posted on: December 16, 2011 12:42 pm ACC adds two league games; go to 18-game slate I think they could down on the "soft" teams on the schedule from the small conferences. The NCAA Tournament likes tough schedules, although Gary Williams did say it right "The NCAA wants wins first, then tough wins". [ Reply to Comment ]
Phila-cuse Since: Oct 29, 2009	Posted on: December 16, 2011 12:09 pm Soft Orange Schedules Syracuse could scheulde softer!? Would the NCAA even allow them to do that? I mean they ONLY have the 11TH STRONGEST STRENGHT OF SCHEDULE IN THE COUNTRY. What a weak schedule. Hopefully having 18 league games when they get to the ACC won't make Boeheim schedule any weaker, after all the Big East only has something like 18 league games so having 18 games in the ACC will be a HUGE adjustment. Lets hope their weak strength of schedule doesn't drop rediculously low to 12th toughest or dare I say 13th? Honestly, I get that everyone likes to hate on Cuse, but look at the facts and/or standings everyone in awhile. I know it's asking alot but, you know, it is YOUR JOB. What. A. Hack. [ Reply to Comment ]
OrangeFan Since: Oct 26, 2006	Posted on: December 16, 2011 12:01 pm ACC adds two league games; go to 18-game slate Syracuse has 3 National Titles in Basketball [ Reply to Comment ]
OrangeFan Since: Oct 26, 2006	Posted on: December 16, 2011 12:00 pm ACC adds two league games; go to 18-game slate Ummm, they played at Memphis last year, where do you get your facts? [ Reply to Comment ]
CarolinaRam Since: Mar 9, 2009	Posted on: December 16, 2011 8:42 am ACC adds two league games; go to 18-game slate Just keep your Asst Coaches away from the other team please. [ Reply to Comment ]
Beachlife Since: Dec 16, 2011	Posted on: December 16, 2011 7:37 am ACC adds two league games; go to 18-game slate The South shall rise again! And this time they will be wearing ORANGE! Wait till the ACC is in the LOUDHOUSE! GO CUSE! [ Reply to Comment ]
sodbusterkennyj Since: Dec 6, 2011	Posted on: December 16, 2011 4:03 am ACC adds two league games; go to 18-game slate that double negative in that last sentence is downright embarrassing. how does a guy get a job like this with those (lack of) grammatical skills? also, by definition, when the orange go from the big east to the acc, the schedule will become softer. GO ORANGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! [ Reply to Comment ]
cusefan44 Since: Feb 14, 2009	Posted on: December 15, 2011 10:37 pm ACC adds two league games; go to 18-game slate Whatever hillbilly, go smoke a cig and play with your sister [ Reply to Comment ]

Enough with bashing Goodman for saying Syracuse's non-conference and is generally weak most seasons. He's not saying look at their strength of schedule rank according to a computer and see that its soft. He's saying the actual teams they have played (and where) mean their schedule in non-conference is soft. The RPI formula's don't have enough data yet to be very accurate so that measure shouldn't be used. Stanford, Marshall, and Va Tech aren't better than Florida, and its likely none of them will be in the tournament this season so why would those 3 teams consitute a tough schedule?

A team's schedule is much tougher if they play a few teams ranked in the top 25 and then some in the 150+ than it is to play all teams in the 50 - 250 range. Show me all the teams Syracuse has played so far excluding Florida, and I'll show you every other team in the top 15 with an undefeated schedule too. Don't get me wrong, Syracuse is good, and is probably smart not playing a tough non-conference schedule because of all of the competition in the Big East, but its weak. I truely believe in years past the BE has gotten such strong credit for conference wins because a few teams go undefeated into conference play and then once they do finally lose it looked like only another BE team could win against such a powerhouse.

Soft Orange Schedules

Syracuse could scheulde softer!? Would the NCAA even allow them to do that? I mean they ONLY have the 11TH STRONGEST STRENGHT OF SCHEDULE IN THE COUNTRY. What a weak schedule. Hopefully having 18 league games when they get to the ACC won't make Boeheim schedule any weaker, after all the Big East only has something like 18 league games so having 18 games in the ACC will be a HUGE adjustment. Lets hope their weak strength of schedule doesn't drop rediculously low to 12th toughest or dare I say 13th?

Honestly, I get that everyone likes to hate on Cuse, but look at the facts and/or standings everyone in awhile. I know it's asking alot but, you know, it is YOUR JOB.

What. A. Hack.

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