ACC Ten-game proposal may meet resistance

The Big East might be reluctant to approve Atlantic Coast Conference-pushed legislation.
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
MIAMI -- As expected, the Atlantic Coast Conference on Tuesday submitted a proposal to reduce the minimum number of teams required for a football title game from 12 to 10.
The outcome will affect the ACC's decision about how quickly and aggressively it will pursue a 12th member. The ACC will expand to 11 teams with the addition of Miami and Virginia Tech for the 2004-05 academic year.
The proposal faces several hurdles, with a resolution not expected until April. ACC assistant commissioner Shane Lyons said he doesn't have any idea whether the effort will be successful.
Objective
"There appears to be some support out there," Lyons said in a telephone interview. "We're trying to create some kind of conference stability. With 12, it requires conferences to add more members."
The ACC's request initially will be sent to NCAA member schools by the end of September.
The NCAA's Management Council, a 49-member group with representatives from all Division I conferences, likely will decide next spring whether to recommend the change to the NCAA's board of directors.
A majority of the board's 18 members must support it for approval. Of the 18 members, 11 are from Division I. Of those 11, only six are from conferences with automatic bids to the Bowl Championship Series.
The SEC, Big 12 and Mid-American -- the three conferences that already have championship games -- would seem to have little incentive to approve a rule change. And while the Big East eventually could be helped by the move, it also might be reluctant to approve ACC-pushed legislation.
"We'll need some help getting this passed," Georgia Tech president Wayne Clough, a member of the NCAA's board of directors, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
If approved, the change would go into effect Aug. 1, 2004.
Charlotte, N.C., Baltimore, Jacksonville, Orlando and Tampa likely would be strong candidates to hold an ACC football title game, which could generate $10 million annually. Pro Player Stadium also has interest, but could be hurt by the fact it's farther away from most ACC schools than other bidders.
If the proposal fails, the ACC figures to intensify efforts to lure Notre Dame, which is a long shot. Other options for a 12th member could include SEC schools.