College Football: ACC Raid Was Good for the Big East

It's not that I don't still hold some ill feeling toward the ACC, particularly Va. Tech, Miami, and BC.

But after five years, I think it's safe to say that the Big East has done very well, thank you.  I think the best thing about it is that the Big East has had great success on the field, while the ACC hasn't quite lived up to expectations.

"And in one of the most critical and unforeseen byproducts of the realignment, the rival Big East Conference—forced to expand in response to the flight of three of its schools to the ACC—has strengthened its standing as a big-time football conference and fortified the depth of its basketball programs to an extent the ACC has yet to realize.

"Traditional football powers Florida State and Miami have suffered through disappointing seasons the past two years, leaving Virginia Tech and a slew of middling programs to maintain the ACC's clout among Bowl Championship Series conferences."

Granted, the financial boost has been great for the ACC.  In the long run you can't deny that the ACC boosted its standing among BCS conferences. Eventually they'll break through with a BCS bowl win.  But for now, it's nice to point to the greater success the Big East has had.

And that's just talking about football.  The 16-team basketball conference is a little heavy, but there isn't a conference in America that can claim the top to bottom strength of the Big East.

Back to football—the ACC's woes on the football field have allowed Big East schools to shine—most importantly, in the eyes of recruits.  West Virginia, Rutgers, and Pittsburgh all seem to be doing great with recruiting.

Rich who?  People can make fun of Bill Stewart all they want—he's got a staff full of top-notch recruiters.

Greg Schiano has turned down two top-tier programs in the last two years, and that has to play big into his recent success on the recruiting trail.

Dave Wannstedt has always done well, but the win over West Virginia has people looking at Pitt as a contender this year, surely something that will be big if they can continue the success on the field.

We're still playing on Thursdays, but that's not such a bad thing.