Sadly, for the ACC, no leadership came from FSU or Clemson, no voices of reason clamoring to fire Swofford for what can only be described as sleeping at the switch. To make matters worse, both the Big 10 and the SEC moved quickly to secure conference networks worth tens of millions of dollars in annual payments to their member schools and restructured their TV deals to earn vastly more money each year. All while the ACC was left with an opportunity to get one years out and a big, one-time payment penalty if it the network were not created.
How could this happen? It is yet another example of a lack of vision and leadership – from a conference whose teams have done more than they should to carry their peers and the conference leadership. Like good Catholics have pictures of Jesus and the Pope by their bedsides, John Swofford should have Dabo and Jimbo gracing his nightstand for without them, he would be toast. Sadly, for Clemson and FSU – it is not their burden to carry the conference even though they have done so for two decades. The other schools need to get better. Miami is on the path, Louisville is making great progress, yet the conference is still viewed as weak, even when it beats the SEC.
