The conference realignment chatter is heating up again, and Virginia could wind up in the middle of it. On3’s Brett McMurphy reported that Virginia and North Carolina are “at the top of the SEC’s wishlist,” while the Big Ten is also looking closely at the ACC’s premier programs.
That report lands only weeks after Clemson, North Carolina, Florida State and Miami publicly pushed back against the proposed Protect College Sports Act, which includes language that would make it much tougher for Power Four schools to change conferences. It also comes in the wake of Clemson and Florida State suing the ACC over media rights roughly three years ago, another sign that the league could be heading toward major upheaval.
If the ACC really is drifting toward a breakup, Virginia and North Carolina stand out as the most valuable names in the mix. They bring elite academics and, with a few exceptions, programs that can contend across the board. Duke gets an honorable mention there, but the Cavaliers and Tar Heels are the schools that would draw the most attention from both the Big Ten and SEC.
For Virginia, though, the cleaner fit is the Big Ten.
The geography works. UVA sits a short drive from Maryland, which used to be one of its biggest rivals before the Terrapins left for the Big Ten in 2014.
Virginia also borders Tennessee and Kentucky, so the Cavaliers are already in territory that can connect them to either league. North Carolina, meanwhile, is less than 400 miles from three SEC schools.
A move to the Big Ten would bring back the Maryland rivalry and, based on the Northern Virginia market, could also create a natural one with Penn State. Long trips out West would be part of the deal, but Virginia is already making those kinds of flights to Cal and Stanford, so trips to UCLA or Oregon would not be as far-fetched as they once looked.
If North Carolina ends up in the Big Ten too, Virginia would be tied to both of its historic rivals. North Carolina and Maryland have been the top rivals for a century, even if some early rivalries sit in SEC territory. That makes the Big Ten path feel especially tidy for the Cavaliers.
Football, though, is not the reason Virginia would make this move. A Big Ten landing spot would cost the Cavaliers their recent football progress in exchange for a major financial bump and what would likely be a long stay near the bottom of the standings. Virginia would not be ready to line up with Indiana, Ohio State and the rest of the Big Ten football powers for several years, at least.
The appeal comes in the other sports. The Big Ten would be a monster for basketball, lacrosse and field hockey, and it would become the clear top lacrosse conference if Virginia and North Carolina joined Maryland and Johns Hopkins there. In basketball, the league would jump back ahead of the Big 12 with a core that includes North Carolina, Virginia, Michigan, Michigan State, Purdue, Illinois, UCLA, Wisconsin and Iowa.
Other sports would fit, too - field hockey, swimming, soccer and tennis among them. The one real downside would be baseball.
Virginia would effectively be stuck in a four-team race with UCLA, USC and Oregon while most of the league would struggle against that group. Even so, that tradeoff would be worth it for what the Big Ten offers everywhere else.
Academics matter here, and Virginia clearly lines up better with the Big Ten’s profile. The SEC’s biggest priorities are football, and that doesn’t match the Cavaliers as cleanly, even though the league has grown stronger in basketball and remains the premier baseball conference. The Big Ten’s broader national footprint also fits the way Virginia has tried to build its brand under Carla Williams, including playing more far-flung opponents in faraway places.
There is also the football reality Virginia would face in the SEC: catching up could take decades, if it ever happens at all, against powers like Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Tennessee, Texas, Oklahoma and the rest of that loaded group. In the Big Ten, the path is at least less rigid, with more chaos and more chances to catch a contender on the right year.
The ACC is not falling apart tomorrow. But if it does crack, Virginia should be ready.
The top schools will find a landing spot. The ones at the bottom could be pushed all the way down to Group of 6 status.
In Other News...
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SMU brings enough quality to make this a legitimate test, but the Mustangs also give Virginia a clear path to keep itself in the hunt if it can turn pressure into points. For the Cavaliers, the bigger question is whether they can deliver the kind of complete performance that contenders usually need in November, because this one has the feel of a game where a single swing could carry a lot of weight in the ACC standings. [Read more 🡒]
Virginia Tech Drops Another Rival Match Fans Hate Losing
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Becca Wright gave Virginia the lift it wanted, finishing with 11 kills as the Cavaliers took the match in four sets. Virginia kept its edge through a tight finish, closing out the contest after Tech pushed back in the third and made the final frame far more competitive than the first two. [Read more 🡒]