Ranking the schools: What ACC programs could be conference expansion targets of the Big Ten?

Looking at the Big Ten’s options from the ACC.

Could the ACC be set to see some of their members join the Big Ten? ESPN analyst Greg McElroy believes so.

A former NFL quarterback who won a national championship with Alabama football, McElroy believes that the Big Ten is the most likely of any conference to start expanding. In addition, he thinks the conference will go East Coast next and not be fixated on the Pac-12.

So how do the ACC programs stack up in terms of their appeal to the Big Ten? Which ACC programs are the best fit for the Big Ten.

Now let’s outline some of the criteria first:

  1. Preference is given to AAU member organizations. This is important since all Big Ten members that have entered the conference have done so as AAU members. Only Nebraska isn’t a member but they were at the time of being added to the Big Ten in 2011.
  2. Television markets matter, they really do.
  3. Football, not basketball, drives the bus. Although basketball and the Olympic sports do factor in significantly to the Big Ten Network’s programming and overall bottom line. There is one caveat to this statement and it is addressed in the list.
  4. For purposes of this exercise, Notre Dame is considered an independent and not an ACC member.

With the Big Ten set to add UCLA and USC and rumors of Oregon and Washington next, it looks like the Big Ten might make a push for 20 programs overall.

So what ACC programs could the Big Ten be looking to poach? And who makes the most sense for the Big Ten, were interest to be mutual.