Perception

We often wonder why Notre Dame is held in such high regard when they haven't been a powerhouse in football for at least 15 years.  Here lately everyone in ACC country has been bitten by this we are as good as the Southeastern Conference but why do they keep beating us.?

I looked at the official list of the all time winningest football programs and you know what I found?  Not one ACC school in the top twenty of all time wins.  Five southeastern schools including Tennessee in the top 20.  Yale is second on the all time list.  There is probably not a team in the ACC that doesn't think they would beat Yale.  Navy has won more college football games than North Carolina and the Tar Heels are the winningest North Carolina school on the list.  The top three winningest programs in the ACC are Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech and Boston College and all three are not original members but have been added to the league.

Since the Big Four North Carolina schools are considered basketball schools I looked at the all time list and of course found North Carolina at third and Duke fourth. State comes in 25th on the all time wins list in basketball.  The Southeastern Conference only has one team in top twenty in basketball.  That is Kentucky who is awful in football.  They are #1 on the list.

There are only two schools that make both list.  Notre Dame is fourth in football wins  and ninth in basketball.  Basketball surprises me being that high.  Notre Dame has won more games all time than Indiana.  That might just be the reason they are so well thought of for TV. The other team on the list of the top  twenty in both will probably surprise you  and that is Texas. The Longhorns are 3rd in football, that's no surprise. Yes they have been good rather good last twenty years in basketball but who would have thunk they be 17th in basketball.

Why is it so hard to be on both list?  My first guess would be it takes so much money to be on the football list that doesn't leave much to give to basketball.

Even though Syracuse is not top 20 in football they are 5th on the all time wins list in basketball.  Pittsburgh and Syracuse will be joining the ACC in the next couple of years and if the ACC has done one thing is strengthen basketball not football for the future.

I think the next announcement when ever it comes and Notre Dame joins the ACC will shock the college world.  I predict within five years ND is in the ACC?  Then ACC football will have a new member and football will have been upgraded  and basketball gets tougher to win with another top 20 school.