The Biggest Mistake South Carolina Ever Made=Leaving The ACC?

[stonecutter357]

The biggest mistake the University of South Carolina ever made was leaving the Atlantic Coast Conference.

The Gamecocks' basketball program, once a top ACC competitor, has fallen on hard times. The football program struggled until Steve Spurrier arrived to make it competitive in the Southeastern Conference.

Leaving the ACC is a bad idea for any member.

Read More>>>> http://www2.timesdispatch.com/sports...bu-ar-1945633/

Thoughts?

[robgusc76]

I cant really say it was, because if we werent in the SEC, i dont think we get the recruits we get now. Esp. For football.

[airjeffdude]

It can be viewed as being negative during the 80's and 90's but we are finally starting to turn things around in the SEC. Had we stayed in the ACC till the 90's and then left for the SEC, things might have been different.

[jch81]

Originally Posted by robgusc76

I cant really say it was, because if we werent in the SEC, i dont think we get the recruits we get now. Esp. For football.

imo it only looked like a bad mistake at first because south carolina struggled when they first got in the sec. the tv contracts and overall coaching upgrades over the past 5-6 years have made the biggest differance in making leaving not look like a mistake.

[Spurticus]

Originally Posted by jch81

imo it only looked like a bad mistake at first because south carolina struggled when they first got in the sec. the tv contracts and overall coaching upgrades over the past 5-6 years have made the biggest differance in making leaving not look like a mistake.

We were independents for 20 years following the withdrawl. Had a few
good (8+ win seasons in football, some runs at the CWS with Bobby
Richardson and June Raines, joined the Metro Conf. for Basketball).

I was not keen on our joining the SEC originally, but I didn't have a say
so in it, and once we got there we realized what Colleges Sports was
all about. I think the magnitude of Tradition, National Title teams, and
just facilities in general of our opponents made the struggle to compete
much toughter. Had King Dixon and the BOT from those years put the
same emphasis on the Athletic program that the Current BOT and
both McGhee and now Eric Hyman did, I think the transition to being
competitive in this conference would not have taken almost 20 years.
The previous admin were too concerned with keeping fans happy by
keeping ticket prices low, and not overspending on facilities and we not
only were behind initially, but fell further behind with the same formula
while other SEC Teams continued to upgrade and expand. We finally came
to the conclusion that you have to spend a buck to make a buck, and the
only way to do that was to raise ticket prices and advertise and do it
at near the same levels of your competitors. Tough pill for a lot of fans
to swallow, but the past 4-5 years people are seeing that it was what was
needed to make this program more than a mid level SEC team or below.
I hope that what is taking place now is a long term committment form
our people to stay competitive and continue to upgrade and improve.

[GH]

we get the recruits (and the money) that we get now mostly because we are an SEC school

[TheMule]

The mistake was made by Clemson when their balls fell off after agreeing with us to leave the ACC at the same time.

[GarnetInChicago]

He's comparing South Carolina in 1971 to VT leaving today? Do I really need to bother explaining why this is a stupid analogy? He's a Clemson fan, isn't he? Nobody else lives in the past that badly and thinks it has any logical bearing on the present.

[stonecutter357]

I think it's the other way around. Leaving the ACC was the BEST thing South Carolina has ever done.

[AtlGAMECOCK]

biggest mistake USC made was not burning down that orange abortion tent in Pickens county on the way out.

[Acockolypse Now]

I think he's missing the bigger picture.

It would have been stupid for us to stay, Clemson agreed to go with us and then pussied out, and (like Madonna) we made it through the wilderness.

[Stillwearingmyjoehat]

This topic is like a mushroom: it always seems to pop up whenever it gets dark and there's a manure piling up.

Personally, I don't think leaving the ACC in 1971 was Carolina's biggest mistake.
Carolina's biggest mistake was not leaving the Southern Conference in 1933 and going with the SEC 79 years ago.

[b381l]

I get the TD every day. Paul Woody has some really stupid pieces sometimes. He wants Tech to stay because if they leave it will hurt Va. He just used SC as an example to make his point. He and I both know Tech isn't leaving because of the political problems it would cause in the state. If Tech did leave, he would not be able to write much about them because they wouldn't be part of Va football anymore.

[Ron Swanson]

Originally Posted by b381l

I get the TD every day. Paul Woody has some really stupid pieces sometimes. He wants Tech to stay because if they leave it will hurt Va. He just used SC as an example to make his point. He and I both know Tech isn't leaving because of the political problems it would cause in the state. If Tech did leave, he would not be able to write much about them because they wouldn't be part of Va football anymore.

That's terrible logic for him then. I didn't click to read the article because this guy sounds like a dumbass, but I assume he's speculating about Virginia Tech leaving for the SEC or Big 12. If that happens that opens up whole new fanbases in a whole new conference to read his articles. Right now, no one outside of the ACC and its fanbases has any reason to read his articles at all. If Virginia Tech does leave the ACC for the Big 12 or SEC, then they will be in more passionate conferences with fanbases that consume more college football material including (bad) articles. So basically, Virginia Tech leaving the ACC would be better for his business.

[CockTail]

This jackass is looking at it the wrong way. It is not what happened to USC when it left, look at what has happened to Clemson who stayed.

How many basketball championships have they won? How many baseball? How many football? (you can't count that one).

Clemson had the opportunity to leave as well, but they are no better off now than they were 35 years ago.

USC is much better now than 15 years ago.

VT and Boston College is the same thing. What have they gotten by joining the ACC? Nothing.

The SEC makes all programs better. Does anyone think Missouri or Texas A&M won't be better in all sports in a few years?

[75CarolinaFan]

I tend to look at where I'm at and where I can go from here. Can we really be in a better position? I don't think so. So however anyone wants to spin a decision from 40+ years ago, thank GOD it happened. We are reaping the benefits BIG TIME.

[JRob]

Originally Posted by Stillwearingmyjoehat

This topic is like a mushroom: it always seems to pop up whenever it gets dark and there's a manure piling up.

Personally, I don't think leaving the ACC in 1971 was Carolina's biggest mistake.
Carolina's biggest mistake was not leaving the Southern Conference in 1933 and going with the SEC 79 years ago.

ding ding ding...we have a winner

[heathbates]

Who wrote that article and why do they have credentials to get anything published?? I would rather challenge for a title in the most elite conference in college sports than have a paved road to a title in the AnybodyCanConference.

[Gamecock Rob]

Was it a bad move in 1971 to leave the conference, probably. Did the 30 years between the ACC and the SEC suck, yes. Has joining the SEC been the best thing to ever happen to the school as evidenced by the massive $$ that come into the program, the success we have had in football (the amazing facilities we can now afford, bowl wins and an East title), basketball (an SEC title, a 2 and 3 seed, yes i know we lost but we were good, and the CLA) and baseball (goes without saying).

[Stillwearingmyjoehat]

Originally Posted by Gamecock Rob

Did the 30 years between the ACC and the SEC suck, yes.

Really? You don't know your Carolina history. First of all, it was 20 years.

The 'Cocks enjoyed more success between 1972 and 1992 than the previous 19 in the ACC: Bowl appearances, better success against our old ACC opponents, George's Heisman, REAL consideration for the first time as a national contender (1980, 1984, 1987), doubling the size of the stadium, baseball success in the '70s and '80s.

Did basketball suffer? Possibly but we'll never know if the program declined because Carolina left the ACC or if McGuire lost some of his touch with Walsh, Jobe and others leaving his staff. Independence certainly didn't hurt Marquette, Notre Dame, DePaul and Louisville basketball and there's no reason to just assume it was the harbinger of all problems for Carolina's program.

Anyway, just saying the '70s and '80s sucked because we left the ACC is flat out wrong. We weren't world beaters then but we were head and shoulders over where our athletics were in the '50s and '60s.