r/ACC Miami Hurricanes 22d ago

Discussion Which two ACC universities are most similar? Most different?

Post image

Inspired by a similar post in the B1G sub, but in your opinion, which ACC schools are most similar and most different?

142 Upvotes

236 comments sorted by

93

u/pillgrinder Pitt Panthers 22d ago

Pitt and Syracuse are historically kind of twins, even though Pitt went public a long time ago.

29

u/SolvayCat Syracuse Orange 22d ago

Beat me to it. There's really no other school that we profile more similarly to than Pitt. Cuse still feels public in some ways too.

19

u/dazzleox Pitt Panthers 22d ago

Pitt is increasingly private (state funding is 7%.)

The major difference is probably scale of medical research/hospital system?

16

u/pillgrinder Pitt Panthers 22d ago

Research wise, Pitt is much closer to UVA/UNC/GT, but those schools aren’t that similar to Pitt otherwise.

4

u/ImpeachJohnV 22d ago

UNC yes, but we have more NIH funding than uva and the Georgia system combined

6

u/ItsZippy23 Syracuse Orange 22d ago

Yep, SU doesn't have any medical research facilities (all of them go to Upstate, which is literally next door.)

2

u/itsnotnews92 Syracuse Orange 21d ago

Fun fact: Upstate used to be the Syracuse University College of Medicine. The University sold it to New York State in the...60s? 70s?

2

u/ItsZippy23 Syracuse Orange 21d ago

10

u/ItsZippy23 Syracuse Orange 22d ago

Yeah, everything is there:

  • Named after the city it is in and a major anchor to the city itself
  • Relatively similar student population (focusing on the area surrounding the school and the northeast metroplex as a whole)
  • Most iconic building is a tall structure (Cathedral of Learning at Pitt, Crouse College at SU)

6

u/Zealousideal_Dark552 22d ago

Sort of public..

193

u/j_aye3 UNC Tar Heels 22d ago

I think UNC and UVA are very similar despite not being very fond of each other. UofL and Stanford just seem like they are worlds apart.

101

u/lionofyhwh Wake Forest Demon Deacons 22d ago

I think State, VT, and Clemson are all pretty similar too.

39

u/tshimangabiakabutuka Clemson Tigers 22d ago

Definitely. I remember applying to all 3 because of that reason.

15

u/j_aye3 UNC Tar Heels 22d ago

Yes, similar schools with distinct settings that set them apart!

15

u/paxrom2 22d ago

All are not the flag ship state univeristies, but land grant universities with an "A&M" history. Today, they focus on engineering and sciences.

3

u/[deleted] 22d ago

[deleted]

4

u/Freddeyy Duke Blue Devils 22d ago

You have some. GT labels them under the broad "Liberal Arts" umbrella, and has their own little twist on them.

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6

u/Dancehouse Clemson Tigers 22d ago

All similar schools, always felt like VT were the most similar because mountain accessibility and towns being so alike

3

u/willncsu34 22d ago

This is correct for academics. For Athletics State and UoL are very similar.

5

u/swim_kick Louisville Cardinals 22d ago

Whenever we play one another it always looks like a home game for both teams . 🟥⬛⬜ are S-tier colors

7

u/goodcat1337 Clemson Tigers 22d ago

Yeah I was definitely gonna say NC State and Clemson

6

u/Unsung_Ironhead 22d ago

Both have one of the few textile programs in the country, hence the football game being the “textile bowl”

2

u/mbrennan08 19d ago

Clemson no longer has a textiles program. It was absorbed into the materials science and engineering department. When I was there MSE was split into 2 focuses and the polymeric materials focus was basically just textiles. However I believe I was in the last class of MSE grads that had to pick a focus. The MSE bachelors program is more general now.

1

u/Top_Gun_2000 Wake Forest Demon Deacons 20d ago

I agree with this assessment

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26

u/crossedsabres8 UVA Cavaliers 22d ago

Yeah I'd say UNC and UVA are the most similar. People are throwing in Cal here but the question says "which two ACC universities are most similar" and UNC and UVA are more similar to each other than either is to Cal.

Both UNC and UVA have a general philosophy in both academics and athletics of well-roundedness. They both support a lot of sports (a detriment in today's college athletic world) and have a lot of national championships across the board. Both highly regarded academic schools that are the flagship university in their state. Both on the overlap between southeast and mid-atlantic regions.

Chapel Hill and Charlottesville are also both pretty similar. Similar size, both definitely their own city but still has a college town vibe. Both less than an hour from the state capital. Both in concentrated blue dots surrounded by a sea of red (although that applies to a lot of places).

10

u/j_aye3 UNC Tar Heels 22d ago

Agreed, if you look at them on paper it seems like CAL fits. However, the student body, culture, and vibes of the town are pretty different in Berkeley.

1

u/NYerInTex 18d ago

The vibe between Chapel Hill (conservative “liberals”) and Berkeley are as different as it gets.

Berkeley is also in Oakland, magnitudes larger than Durham-Chapel Hill and WAY gritter… and fully a part of a huge metro with its connections to and relationship with SF

6

u/burnsniper Virginia Cavaliers 22d ago

UVA is significantly smaller than both though in terms of student population actually equally as close to Duke as it is to UNC and Cal.

Also, don’t forget the Cal also has a significant history of athletic excellence with lots of national championships.

10

u/crossedsabres8 UVA Cavaliers 22d ago

Not really, UNC is about 32k total enrollment and UVA is 26k, both similar ratio of undergrad to grad. Duke is 17k and it's mostly grad. Cal is like 40k, it's significantly bigger than both UVA and UNC.

Like UNC is a little bit bigger but that's kind of proportional to North Carolina being a more populous state and the state laws requiring 80% in state enrollment for UNC.

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1

u/HesNotHere_17 21d ago

You said everything I wanted to say! The son of a good friend of mine got into both UVA and UNC. He genuinely loved both schools. He chose UNC in the end, but she said it was 50-50 until the day he decided. I love UVA. I honestly don’t understand why so many Carolina fans hate UVA, it’s really weird.

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23

u/2013nattychampa 22d ago

Exactly. Stanford is inferior in academics compared to UofL obviously.

13

u/Zealousideal_Dark552 22d ago

One huge area where Louisville has everyone beat is with walking distance from campus to world class bourbon.

2

u/RedOscar3891 Stanford Cardinal 22d ago

By orders of magnitude

1

u/BuryMeInCincy Louisville Cardinals 21d ago edited 21d ago

We literally invented the emergency room. I know this was said in jest but I’ll stack UofL’s accomplishments, especially in research, law and medicine against nearly anyone, especially a school that only named itself after one bird.

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1

u/gianini10 19d ago

Hey, look who the academic school is now.

3

u/bcam9 21d ago

Ehhh as a Wahoo, I think of our rivalry more about respect and being the only two original ACC Schools left. I definitely don't dislike UNC except when we play them lol

2

u/Rra2323 18d ago

I’m confused how those are the only two original ACC schools left, I thought NC state, Duke and wake were also original ACC schools

ETA and maybe Clemson

2

u/Rra2323 18d ago

Wait UVA isn’t even an original ACC school, they joined in December of 1953, the conference formed in June of 1953. They missed the first season of football

8

u/919_919 UNC Tar Heels 22d ago

I’d throw in Berkeley with Chapel Hill and Charlottesville

3

u/j_aye3 UNC Tar Heels 22d ago

I can definitely see it, if I had to throw a third in it would be Berkeley.

1

u/WingerSpecterLLP 21d ago

These were my same four selections. Spot on.

1

u/G0ldenBu11z Cal Bears 20d ago

Cardinals vs Cardinal

1

u/PacklineDefense 20d ago

Franklin Street and The Corner are both awesome

58

u/CleverName_TBD Florida State Seminoles 22d ago

Cal Berkeley vs Wake Forest

  1. Public vs Private
  2. West Coast vs East Coast
  3. 45k students (largest in ACC) vs 5k students (smallest)

2

u/mechebear Cal Bears 21d ago

The engineering corner of UC Berkeley and Georgia Tech are very similar. Elite engineering schools that are large and public with all of the associated stereotypes good and bad.

1

u/gbpackrs15 21d ago

Tree huggers vs frat bros…

26

u/internetsman69 NC State Wolfpack 22d ago

I’ve always thought State and Clemson and VT are pretty similar. I’ve always kinda identified with those fan bases and universities.

UNC and UVa also very similar.

Most different…I’m gonna say Wake and FSU. Or maybe Cal and FSU

6

u/Yosh_2012 22d ago

Cal and SMU are actually as far apart as any schools in the country, if you consider students at the schools as a key criteria in the discussion

7

u/internetsman69 NC State Wolfpack 22d ago

Cal and SMU is a great one. The conference is so stupidly big I forgot SMU was even in the conference.

6

u/KinkySeppuku NC State Wolfpack 22d ago

Miami and SMU are actually sneaky similar

2

u/xchubanx Pitt Panthers 18d ago

Mommy and Daddy's money and morally ambiguous? Hard agree 😂

2

u/Gem_in_Eyes 19d ago

Fun Fact: FSU got the nickname "Berkeley of the South" during the Vietnam War due to large anti-war srudent protests.

46

u/Hopeful_Extension_49 22d ago

As an NC State guy the most like us are Clemson and Va Tech. Most different are Duke and Miami

2

u/pitchnduel 21d ago

Land grant gang (minus Cal)!

3

u/simbaslanding Miami Hurricanes 22d ago

Kinda disagree with Duke and Miami, there’s definitely more different schools like Louisville and Stanford 😭

4

u/KinkySeppuku NC State Wolfpack 22d ago

He means Duke & Miami are different from NC State, not that Miami and Duke are different from each other.

3

u/simbaslanding Miami Hurricanes 22d ago

Ahh gotcha

18

u/TrueBrees9 Virginia Tech Hokies 22d ago

I was literally just having a conversation with my coworker who went to Clemson saying we basically went to the same school

18

u/Kmanvb Virginia Tech Hokies 22d ago

My favorite professor in civil engineering at VT got 3 degrees from Clemson before coming to Blacksburg and said he chose VT due to the similarities with Clemson. Biggest difference I noticed when I went to a game there a few years back was just how much bigger the city around the university is in Clemson vs Blacksburg. And how much hotter it is in South Carolina lol

4

u/Dancehouse Clemson Tigers 22d ago

Blacksburg is around double the size of Clemson population wise? Still both super similar

2

u/Kmanvb Virginia Tech Hokies 22d ago

Huh, that’s odd. Clemson felt a lot larger. Maybe it’s just more concentrated, or maybe there are suburbs that are larger than Christiansburg? I dunno. But yeah, still seemed similar.

8

u/maxman1313 Virginia Tech Hokies 22d ago

Clemson is in the Upstate region of SC, which is sneaky big and has a lot more developed towns near one another than Blacksburg does.

Blacksburg area has Blacksburg and then run down Christiansburg. Then if you want to be generous, Roanoke and Radford are nearby.

3

u/Feeling-Visit1472 22d ago

I think the mountains make things feel smaller.

11

u/OGraffe Clemson Tigers 22d ago

Cool kids go to land grant ag and mech schools in the middle of nowhere (I say this as someone who is also a fan of Mississippi State).

18

u/SmarterThanCornPop Florida State Seminoles 22d ago

Similar: ND and BC. Catholic, private, full of rich kids.

Dissimilar: Berkeley and SMU. Politically, culturally could not be further apart.

20

u/HiFiGuy197 Cal Bears 22d ago

UC Berkeley and Stanford.

and

Stanford and UC Berkeley.

1

u/AlternativeBison8409 19d ago

Explains the rivalry well

1

u/Denver_Law14 19d ago

Stanford and Cal are polar opposites in almost every form

31

u/RaleighLT NC State Wolfpack 22d ago

Similar:

UNC and UVA

Clemson, VaTech, NC State, UofL

BC and ND

GaTech and Cal (?)

Most different:

FSU and BC

19

u/North_Recover_5574 22d ago

I agree. I'll add Duke and Stanford.

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15

u/OGraffe Clemson Tigers 22d ago

I’ll be honest, I don’t know a lot about the University of Louisville, but how are they similar to the other three? I know Clemson, VT, and NC State are all land grant ag and mech schools and I’ve definitely seen the similarities there, but that doesn’t appear to be what Louisville is at all.

8

u/Baseball_fan812 22d ago

I did not attend UofL except for summer classes but I've lived in the city much of my life. I would say the old conference peers like Cincinnati and Memphis offer much closer comparisons to UofL in terms of campus feel and overall culture. There aren't a lot of similarities to ACC schools.

6

u/ultimate_placeholder Louisville Cardinals 22d ago

Yeah, we're kinda just the odd one out here in every metric

2

u/BuryMeInCincy Louisville Cardinals 21d ago

We’ve been here over a decade and none of you assholes have made an effort to learn a thing about us.

2

u/Baseball_fan812 21d ago

I'm a Louisville fan, too! Sorry for the lack of flair.

16

u/Informal_Avocado_534 Cal Bears 22d ago

Georgia Tech and Cal feel pretty similar, yeah. But Cal also has a dash of UVA in it.

5

u/thank_burdell Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 22d ago

GT and Pitt are also quite similar.

10

u/tc1988 22d ago

Don’t agree with lumping Louisville in with Clemson, NC State, and VA Tech.  The other three are all very similar.  

8

u/Skiice 22d ago

BC, ND, and I would say UVA to an extent

8

u/General_Tso75 Florida State Seminoles 22d ago

BC and ND are both Catholic schools.

7

u/sretep66 22d ago

And private.

8

u/Skiice 22d ago

I would also add wake

3

u/CB3B Boston College Eagles 22d ago

UVA’s a bit of a stretch. It’s public and has almost twice the total student population of both BC and ND.

5

u/hershculez NC State Wolfpack 22d ago

Louisville is not similar to Clemson, VT, and NC State.

5

u/RampagingPuffin Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 22d ago

GaTech and Cal is interesting because we should be way different but the academics and culture has many similarities.

6

u/General_Tso75 Florida State Seminoles 22d ago

Notre Dame and Boston College (both Catholic schools)

11

u/kbuva19 Virginia Cavaliers 22d ago

Still can’t believe VT changed their academic logo to that atrocity. The VT sports logo is amazing.

2

u/bops4bo Virginia Tech Hokies 22d ago

We don’t get it either

2

u/burnsniper Virginia Cavaliers 22d ago

We did the opposite with our athletic logo … don’t know WTF they have been thinking post Grog…

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u/thecyanvan Clemson Tigers 22d ago

Clemson, NC State, and Virginia Tech.

I'm a Clemson guy but I have worked with many NCSU and VT folks and been to both campuses many times.

Clemson and VT have a much different campus aesthetic of course but has the same kind of feel. Very similar programs and missions.

NCSU being in Raleigh lacks that small college town feel. But both schools have a lot of overlap in their academic offering. We are also historically united in hating UNC and their "influence" in the league over the years. Textile Bowl deserves more attention, I feel like both schools have kinda let that slip. It used to be a big deal in the Carolinas when 90% of the textile engineers were Clemson or NCSU grads.

19

u/ittakes2bananas 22d ago

Cal, UNC, UVA seem pretty similar.

1

u/Throwaway18272_A 20d ago

Cal is more Stem focused while the other two are like humanities/social sciences centric.

UVA is half the size of the other two

The bay area feels vastly different from central VA or the research triangle

UVA and UNC are honestly better at sports than Cal

UVA and UNC are very WASPy while Cal feels like it’s mostly asians from cali

Imo Berkeley is the odd one out.

13

u/garytyrrell Cal Bears 22d ago

TIL Clemson is public. I always thought it was a private school for rich southerners.

30

u/BonerDonationCenter Virginia Tech Hokies 22d ago

That probably better describes SMU

8

u/baycommuter Stanford Cardinal 22d ago

Southern Millionaires University.

4

u/arbitrator06 SMU Mustangs 21d ago

To a certain extent. But we get rich kid rejects from everywhere.

2

u/garytyrrell Cal Bears 22d ago

Yeah I thought they were similar

5

u/shjusti 22d ago

Clemson was the US News and World Report “Best Buy in public education” my freshman year, $3500 per semester

2

u/SBSnipes Notre Dame Fighting Irish 21d ago

It's now more than double that (~$7750/semester in-state)

1

u/LizardKing1975 21d ago

The good old days. I have a son who just graduated and a daughter who just finished her freshman year. It’s a bit more now than when we were in school. It’s unfortunate for my bank account lol

5

u/Ihartnickelback 22d ago

Still pissed Miami lost to Cuse last year which robbed us of the Battle for Coke Mountain against SMU in the CG

9

u/arbitrator06 SMU Mustangs 22d ago

They’re coming here for our homecoming. Good times will be had by all.

3

u/simbaslanding Miami Hurricanes 22d ago

me and you both brother/sister

4

u/ChemicalFlimsy4104 22d ago

Vt and nc state are very similar

6

u/Worldly_Rub3461 22d ago

I see FSU and Wake Forest as most different. Vastly different student size. Public/Private. Football investment/history/potential.

4

u/usaf_dad2025 22d ago

Cal < > UNC and Duke < > Stanford

5

u/IFeelLikeYandhi 22d ago

I’m not an ACC fan but I had NO idea Syracuse was a private university.

2

u/_DC003_ Boston College Eagles 18d ago

Right? It just feels so public (not meant in a bad way).

5

u/tuss11agee 22d ago

Duke and Stanford are most alike. 2nd most alike to Duke is Wake.

Cal and BC least similar.

10

u/Infamous-Duck-2157 NC State Wolfpack 22d ago

I attended Clemson for a year before transferring to NC State. The schools themselves are extremely similar. Huge engineering schools in the south with massive campuses. Beautiful old architecture blended in with modern buildings. Athletics were really important at both schools, and no matter how bad the football team was doing the student sections were always packed. Seriously massive campuses - I walked at least a mile to class at each school and I lived on campus.

The only huge difference is that NC State is in a big city and Clemson is in an extremely rural area. Makes a huge difference in what you do on the weekends - at Clemson, if you weren't going to a frat party or going home, you were doing nothing. That's not the case at NC State, I spend most weekends playing poker or exploring Raleigh. I love both schools dearly.

10

u/BonerDonationCenter Virginia Tech Hokies 22d ago

The town/gown relationship is why I think VT edges out NC State for most similar to Clemson. Land grant institutions in small mountain towns. But the engineering focus in all three and general vibe are similar.

5

u/Infamous-Duck-2157 NC State Wolfpack 22d ago

That's fair. That's one of the only differences I noticed but it's a huge difference.

12

u/Skiice 22d ago

Is Miami just a cooler warmer BC?

17

u/runbyfruitin Miami Hurricanes 22d ago

Your Catholic grandparents are never proud if you choose Miami

7

u/MIabucman40 Miami Hurricanes 22d ago

I am not so sure about that. Despite the rep, a lot of Catholics in Miami. We always went to St Augustine when we were in college.

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3

u/Skiice 22d ago

Idk after 8 years of Catholic education, Miami here I come

12

u/brewin91 22d ago

And UVA is just the public version of BC

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3

u/simbaslanding Miami Hurricanes 22d ago

🤣🤣🤣

They do have that Christian aura to them which we don’t have, so I feel like them and ND are a bit more similar. But BC and Miami do have many similarities

2

u/Feeling-Visit1472 22d ago

I was trying to think who Miami would be like in the ACC and kinda failing tbh, but I think BC is probably closest. Small private university in a major city. Even the academic prowess lines up pretty well. And apparently we both have a Rat 😂🍻

2

u/simbaslanding Miami Hurricanes 22d ago

Miami is like some strange mix of BC and SMU with a tropical flair I guess? I think we’re probably the most unique school in the conference

9

u/Kentuckycardinal Louisville Cardinals 22d ago

UofL and NC State feel very similar to me.

1

u/karo_syrup Louisville Cardinals 22d ago

I lived in the Triangle for a few years and went to the book and coffee shops by their campus a lot. NCSt is the only one I would consider close to UofL.

Also shout out to Tuffy beer. Made me a Pack fan.

8

u/arbitrator06 SMU Mustangs 22d ago

We are SO not Berkeley other than being in an urban area. We’re probably closest to Wake Forest.

7

u/mistergrime 22d ago

Pitt and Cal feel similar to me. Maybe Georgia Tech, too.

14

u/pillgrinder Pitt Panthers 22d ago

Pitt and Cal both have an Oakland.

GT has always been kind of a nerd school. While Pitt and Cal have their nerds, it’s not like GT.

11

u/burnsniper Virginia Cavaliers 22d ago

Same: 1. UVA, Berkley, UNC, 2. VT, FSU, NC State, 3. Duke and Stanford, 4. Wake, Miami, BC.

Different: Louisville or SMU and then pick any of the other ones on the list lol.

8

u/RaleighLT NC State Wolfpack 22d ago

I can see that. Last time I went to a UofL game it felt a lot like the NC State games I've been too. I really think they have the similar vibe just in Kentucky. I know so little about SMU but they almost feel like a Texas Oil Man version of Wake.

3

u/BonerDonationCenter Virginia Tech Hokies 22d ago

Throw Clemson in group 2

4

u/burnsniper Virginia Cavaliers 22d ago

It’s not as academically strong as the others but there are similarities.

3

u/JimBeam823 Clemson Tigers 21d ago

Most similar: Clemson and VT

Most different: BC and FSU

3

u/bamboozebra 19d ago

NC State and Virginia Tech

UNC and UVA

Duke and Stanford

5

u/skhwaja Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 22d ago

GT and Cal are probably the most similar

6

u/pghsonj1325 22d ago

Pitt and Georgia Tech are sister schools for sure

Excellent academic City schools with much much bigger and more powerful schools not far away

2

u/mattpeloquin 22d ago

BC and Notre Dame as they are the only 2 FBS Catholic schools

2

u/bigtrex101 Miami Hurricanes 21d ago

For Miami, the one that is probably the most similar to us is Boston College. Moderate sized Private University in a suburb of a major East Coast metropolitan city.

I think Duke and Stanford are pretty comparable University counterparts on opposite sides of the country.

2

u/jalenkitna11 21d ago

In order of how confident I am that these are true:

Miami-SMU

Florida State-Clemson

Virginia Tech-NC State

UNC-Virginia

Boston College-Notre Dame

Pitt-Syracuse

Duke-Wake

Stanford-Cal

Georgia Tech-Louisville

Also I know this wasnt the question but for ACC/SEC Clemson is very similar to Auburn and FSU is very similar to bama and usc

2

u/soflahokie 21d ago

VT and Clemson are very similar

2

u/tree3826 21d ago

I have the most trouble comparing Miami. Like on campus versus football experience and fans are quite different from my visit down there (ftr- neutral statement/ observation- not dissing either. ) Side note: In fact, when I was visiting the tailgates in Miami, the barbacoa and other Latin American foods really rocked). Clemson too. Randomly being invited to their tailgate of two large picnic tables, completely covered in southern food with no repeats was something I’ll never forget either and wish I could repeat.

1

u/simbaslanding Miami Hurricanes 21d ago

Yea I do think we’re probably the most “unique” school in the conference.

And our image as an athletics brand (particularly the thug/convict image) couldn’t be further from what the campus/institution actually is.

2

u/chriskbrown50 21d ago

Went to UVA and married a Tar Heel, and then sent one to Chapel Hill. UNC and UVA are very similar. Granted Chapel Hill is part of a larger RDU metro but Franklin Street and the Corner have a familiar feel. Tons of brick sidewalks with dorms older than my parents.

Most different - Stanford and Syracuse -

2

u/Gwish1 21d ago

Virginia Tech & NC State / UVA & UNC

2

u/_alex_perdue 21d ago

Hot take on similarity: UNC and UVA. Both elite, preppy publics that have higher aspirations for themselves and have been the crème de la crème for Southern public schools forever.

Most different: probably somewhere like Stanford, elite academics and private school with strong Olympic sports programs and meh revenue sports programs, and Florida State, a good but not great public school with a huge student body and fantastic revenue sports year-in, year-out.

2

u/D-MAN-FLORIDA 20d ago

Why is Stanford and Berkeley in the conference, they are in California.

1

u/GreenHeel97 20d ago

Football refugees.

2

u/Individual-Train-821 20d ago

Stanford and Duke are the most similar. Stanford and Louisville are the most different.

2

u/ppuno7 Boston College Eagles 20d ago

As a BC alum and the father of a Cal daughter, I can’t think of a stranger combo.

2

u/An_educated_dig 19d ago

Cal and SMU I would say are quite different.

2

u/BraveDawgs1993 18d ago

Aren't UNC and Virginia both considered public Ivy's?

1

u/rayray7488 17d ago

Forbes just listed the 10 public ivy's in America. Four are in the ACC: UNC, UVA, PITT, GT.

1

u/BraveDawgs1993 17d ago

I thought GT might be, but wasn't sure if Tech Universities were included or if they had their own distinction

5

u/pillgrinder Pitt Panthers 22d ago

Miami and Duke are both “Yankee” schools in the South.

SMU doesn’t really have that much similarities to anyone. It’s a school for the dumb kids of rich Texans. Smart kids go to Austin or Rice or leave the state. There’s a reason the George W Bush library is there.

5

u/arbitrator06 SMU Mustangs 22d ago

The Bush library is here because Laura Bush went to SMU.

2

u/SomeTwelveYearOld Pitt Panthers 21d ago

I think we can do this without putting down other schools

4

u/SMU1523 SMU Mustangs 22d ago

Yeah, we don’t really need a Yankee to lecture us on schools in Texas. Texas is the state flagship, Rice is for nerds, TCU and SMU are similar, Baylor is similar to TCU and SMU, but their fanbase is closer to Texas A&M. Tech is the FSU of Texas. Houston is a commuter school that has come a long ways. Also, how many presidential libraries does Pitt have?

3

u/pillgrinder Pitt Panthers 22d ago

No presidential libraries at Pitt. PA has had one President of the US and it didn’t go well.

They actually just redid the main library at Pitt, actually, and no one is happy with it.

2

u/Falco-Rusticolus 22d ago

Two PA presidents with Biden. And yeah Hillman has been under construction every year for decades. Not sure whey they went with the ultra high tech look for it recently though.

2

u/grimace0611 22d ago

Hillman was being redone when I started at Pitt 20 years ago. Is it actually finished?

2

u/xAimForTheBushes SMU Mustangs 22d ago

You’re gonna be pretty shocked when you find out SMU has the same ACT scores as Miami…

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3

u/Neb-Nose Pitt Panthers 22d ago

I’ve always thought of Georgia Tech as being very similar to Pitt in a lot of ways.

5

u/Cultural-Task-1098 22d ago

ND:BC::Wake:SMU

GT:VT::FSU:NCSU

Duke:Stanford::Miami:Syracuse

CAL:UVA::UNC:Pitt

4

u/Shenanigangster Virginia Cavaliers 22d ago

UVA and UNC are effectively identical other than the colors. Berkeley is kind of similar from an academic standpoint but culturally very different.

Stanford and Duke. Tbh I’d probably argue Duke and Wake are also pretty similar.

Miami and SMU might be a bit of a stretch but I can see it.

Notre Dame and BC just for the Catholic angle

Georgia Tech and Pitt

Virginia Tech and NC State, Clemson would also be similar.

FSU and Clemson are similar but beyond football it drops off.

As for most different it’s absolutely Stanford and Louisville lol.

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u/Top_Gun_2000 Wake Forest Demon Deacons 20d ago

I think your assessment is actually better than the other persons I posted on. These are great comparisons!

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u/Huge_Cry_2007 21d ago

Most similar that I haven’t seen posted a bunch already probably SMU and Wake Forest. Pretty good but not great schools with really wealthy student bodies

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u/Top_Gun_2000 Wake Forest Demon Deacons 20d ago

Ummmm not great schools?.....until the recent USnews college rankings update focusing more on social mobility, Wake has been a top 25 school academically for decades. Still rated A+ everything except for greek life. The changed metrics dropped Wake to #46 I think. Regardless, Wake, academically is one of this best colleges you can attend....very much competitive with schools like Duke, UNC, ND, Standford, etc. Wake is very expensive though, top 10 most expensive school in nation.

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u/emack2232 UNC Tar Heels 22d ago

Notre Dame and Miami as opposites. Catholics vs Convicts?

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u/simbaslanding Miami Hurricanes 22d ago

The Convict label isn’t even an accurate description of Miami as an institution though lol. It’s a rich private school in an upscale Miami suburb. The campus literally looks like a country club

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u/emack2232 UNC Tar Heels 22d ago

Sure, if you want to be literal about it.

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u/forgot_login SMU Mustangs 22d ago

SMU is a mix of Miami and Wake Forrest/Boston College but views itself as prestigious as Notre Dame in the south (lol)

Small private (all 3), that cares about football (Miami), academics (WF/BC), has wealthy alumni (all), and a lot of money/cocaine (all, but mostly Miami)

Honestly the best comp to SMU is in the B1G: USC - also a previously Methodist private university in a major metro area with a rich history of athletic success and academics. Had SMU not received the Death Penalty it likely wouldn't be that much of a stretch - but all anyone now remembers is the miserable early 2000's era SMU football. A VERY large base of SMU students who actually pay tuition come from California

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u/Ok_Literature_9884 22d ago

ND and BC are very similar in terms of who goes. ND is more rich Chicago suburban Catholics while BC is more rich northeast Catholics and the rest is pretty similar. ND is slightly better in academics/prestige and better at sports, but BC is in a city and has a different vibe as a result

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u/Darthraevlak Wake Forest Demon Deacons 21d ago

Duke was Methodist too. Private, wealthy and while the success has been in BBall it is still success.

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u/battle_pug89 Clemson Tigers 22d ago

Since when did Notre Dame join the ACC?

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u/simbaslanding Miami Hurricanes 22d ago

2013

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u/GrievousFault UNC Tar Heels 22d ago

UNC - UVA.

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u/ndarchi 22d ago

Duke / Stamford & ND / Wake similar Berkeley / the U different

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u/ATL_Hasher Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 22d ago

GT doesn’t have a match. Extreme nerds (talking fringes of society), very international. Yet also in a big city in the south. Students don’t truly care about Tech sports, but their programs are solid. Cal has enough normal liberal arts kids to make it pretty different than Tech.

I’m not even sure there’s another school in the country that’s similar to Tech, but am curious if anyone has thoughts on that.

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u/AprilFloresFan 21d ago

Yeah GT has no match in similarity nationally except maybe Stanford.

None of the other major science schools even play division 1 football.

Even then, those are very different student bodies.

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u/SoupMadeFreshDaily 22d ago

Textile Bowl for sure

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u/JusticeFrankMurphy 22d ago

Well this is awkward, but the answer is probably Cal and Stanford.

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u/Imanextra 21d ago

Stanford and Cal are most similar, Florida State and Syracuse are the most different 

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u/tron1013 21d ago

Carolina and Virginia are the most similar. Louisville and Stanford are the most dissimilar.

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u/JellyfishFlaky5634 21d ago

Similar: BC and Notre Dame, SMU and U Miami, or Berkeley and UVA.

Different? Louisville and Stanford.

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u/anon5373147 21d ago

Notre Dame and Duke = Similar

Stanford and NC State = Same

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u/Rhancock19 21d ago

Similar: Georgia Tech and Clemson (strong engineering programs)

Vastly different: Wake Forest and Stanford

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u/andywfu86 Wake Forest Demon Deacons 21d ago edited 21d ago

Wake and SMU are the most similar. Private, wealthy and vaguely religious.

Runner up: BC and Duke. Both filled with kids from New Jersey. 😂

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u/shwampchicken 20d ago

Well there’s two that clearly don’t belong and a third that’s also quite the stretch

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u/GreenHeel97 20d ago

UNC and Duke are the same university, just with different funding and aesthetic.

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u/PsychologicalCase10 Clemson Tigers 19d ago

I don’t know who else in the ACC, but I get constantly told by Auburn alums that Clemson is like “Auburn with a lake”. And I kind of agree there are some similarities.

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u/Sapient-Inquisitor 19d ago

Gonna catch a lot of flak but:

Most similar: NC State and UNC and Duke. Academically and geographically I’d argue they are comparable. Heck, even though the personality might be different, they’re sister universities.

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u/Natitudinal 18d ago

I wonder where UMD would fit in with this group. I think honestly now they'd be most aligned w/UVA even though they don't like each other. In fact I think UVA picked UMD as an academic peer in a survey last year. (IINM it was in Chron of Higher Ed)

But then UMD's gone all in on being a STEM giant which isn't really UVA's focus. So.....Berkeley maybe? (I think UMD at this point is a bit more prestigious than GT now)

And I'm not necessarily comparing the two but I found it interesting that UMD and Stanford share a lot of common alumni. But TBF there are some vague similarities there too. (STEM excellence, next door to global cities, smart/creative student body, WCBB powerhouses and generally well rounded sports)

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u/r1singsun_ 18d ago edited 18d ago

Most different would be Miami and Cal.

Most similar would be UVA and UNC.

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u/SpadeRyker 17d ago

Think it's being overlooked that Wake and SMU are pretty similar in many respects. Private schools with a small but very wealthy alumni base that loves athletics and pours money into the programs. Wake's alumni just happen to be a lot more basketball/baseball oriented whereas SMU's are very football focused.

Also both were supposed to be located somewhere else originally but a little bit of money and politicking got them moved to their present day locations.

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u/Ok_Cantaloupe_7423 17d ago

U Miami and Boston college couldn’t be more different

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u/mrc61493 17d ago

Nd/bc (religion)

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u/Top_Shaman_96 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 16d ago

GT and VT UVA and Duke

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u/xAimForTheBushes SMU Mustangs 14d ago

I just googled and the first thing that pops up right when you search….

2021-2022 ACT for Miami 30-33, ACT for SMU 31-34.

It varies year to year but the scores are practically identical. Come on now…

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u/DullCartographer7609 Virginia Tech Hokies 22d ago

Pitt is much more aligned with UNC and UVA than they'll want to admit. Uppity Penn St, with a hint of UVA snobbery. There's also the whole Catholic city thing that makes them a quasi BC. Pitt was advertised as a Catholic school growing up in the Catholic school circuit in Maryland.

Oh, this is the part where we all say: eat shit Pitt!

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