The greatest rivalry in college football is about to get even better.
Better for just about every entity involved. Every entity, that is, except the two football programs themselves.
Miami now is a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, which means the annual mega-game with Florida State on Monday becomes 10 times more captivating and consequential.
It’s great for the ACC because it gets instant football credibility. And it’s enthralling for fans who get to step foot on the bedrock college football was built on: Conference rivalry and revelry.
But the new alignment is not good for the actual football teams–two dyna-mic, dynastic programs built on playing in BCS bowls and competing for national championships on an almost annual basis.
Those days are as dead as Billy Idol’s career.
Why do you think Miami coach Larry Coker has been lukewarm about the ACC move? The Big East was good to Coker, who in three years as coach has gone to three BCS bowls, won one national title and played for another.
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“I don’t know if it’s great for Miami or Larry Coker, but it’s great for college football,” Coker said of joining the ACC.
What he really meant to say was this: Bye-bye, BCS. Hello, Gator Bowl.
Yes, Gator Bowl. That’s where Miami or FSU will end up in most years that they lose the ACC title to the other. When you’re used to going to the Sugar, Orange or Fiesta bowls, the Gator is like the American basketball team winning the bronze.