The press release from the ACC requires a so far unavailable definition of what a rivalry is. If its pr speak for keeping all of your in conference rivalries, then it means one thing. If its pr speak for creating the most interesting schedule possible, it means something else.
Does Maryland have any non ACC rivalries in football or basketball? Penn St in football? Anything in basketball? These graphs below could suggest that since Maryland v NC State and Maryland vs Carolina is more interesting than Maryland vs Michigan that you will see Maryland returning to an ACC centric schedule. Another read that I see is that the conferences will remain as they are and they will negotiate for tv rights as a group and create a few headline games. That would be my fear.
That said, Maryland vs Duke twice a year is a thing that doesnt go away and when you add UNC, NCST. and UVA to that I am not sure how the conferences and UMD dont want it to happen right away.
The football scheduling alliance will feature additional attractive matchups across the three conferences while continuing to honor historic rivalries and the best traditions of college football.
In women’s and men’s basketball, the three conferences will add early and mid-season games as well as annual events that feature premier matchups between the three leagues.
The three conferences will also explore opportunities for the vast and exceptional Olympic Sports programs to compete more frequently and forge additional attractive and meaningful rivalries.
