ACC & confusion when it comes to 'producers'....

The ACC has REAL confusion as to who contributes and who doesn't.  For example, if your football program is #48 but you are a top 10 Directors Cup school, you should be proud, but you aren't a revenue producer.  Now basketball conflates that a bit, but not nearly as much as Tobacco Road believes.

So part of the ACC's revenue struggle is, they don't have their eye on the revenue prize (football).  Like it or not, that is a reality the ACC refuses to accept, despite clear results.

Great summary from ACC Football RX on the topic.


https://accfootballrx.blogspot.com/2018/06/random-thoughts-6118.html

On Director's Cup Championships vs. Focusing on Football:
First, this is my take on it:

Winning FOOTBALL championships requires FOCUS.

FOOTBALL is 80% of revenue. Other sports are nice, but if you haven't won a FOOTBALL title in almost 40 years then maybe you aren't focused enough. Winning a director's cup is like selling the most air fresheners and floor mats at the Mercedes dealership... great, but how many CARS did you sell?

I know VT hasn't won any NATIONAL titles in FOOTBALL, but (a) it HAS won ACC football championships (fairly recently), and (b) it hasn't been playing at the "P5" level (or equivalent) for nearly as long as some other ACC schools (winning its first bowl game in 1986 and having joined a BCS league in 1991 - 27 years ago).

Comments from JRSEC (Auburn fan whom we've quoted here before):

A few points if I may Hokie Mark

1. "The Focus" part as related to football should be considered to be the contribution to the conference. If the ACC improves across the board in football nothing will generate more revenue for the conference.

2. The focus on the Capital One Cup and Director's cup stuff in minor non revenue sports misses the obligation to the conference. Most non revenues "are" the choice of the school. Lacrosse is the "private" part of the Public Ivy image that the old core ACC schools and the Old Big East Private schools like to push... it is not a conference accomplishment that enhances the conference's pocketbook. It does however benefit the individual school's pocket book in oblique ways.

So I'm not dismissing lacrosse, just saying your criticism [of schools which seem to focus on winning non-revenue sports like lacrosse]... is spot on. They focus on those things which they care about. Not necessarily the things that make the conference money...