ACC Basketball: Why adding West Virginia Mountaineers would be a good idea

2. Lack of TV market doesn’t matter as much these days

In the last realignment go-around, the TV market played a fairly big factor when it came to adding programs. For example, Rutgers and Maryland were respectively added to the Big Ten primarily because of their markets, located in New York and Washington D.C.

That worked for West Virginia to the Big 12 because their unique location actually added something of value to a league that was mainly just Midwest and the state of Texas and Oklahoma. However, it wouldn’t matter much for the ACC, as the main market for the Mountaineers is Pittsburgh, which of course, is already covered by the Panthers.

But things have changed a fair amount when it comes to analyzing the impact of television. On one hand, the desire for live TV rights has made sports even more valuable in future contract negotiations with entities such as ESPN, CBS, NBC, and others. However, cable ratings and viewership have changed how alluring teams are looked at in terms of what they bring to the table.

What West Virginia does have going for them is that they’re the biggest team in the state, with no pro sports team to compete with. They have a fan base that consistently supports their athletics well, particularly their men’s basketball and football teams. When the Mountaineers are ranked and in the national spotlight, it’s a sold-out event locally.

And while they share the same market with Pittsburgh, these two being back in the same conference will excite the entire area of Southwest Pittsburgh/West Virginia, giving the ACC another set of marquee games to hype on a yearly basis.