AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. — Each year in the middle of May, conference administrators and coaches of the Atlantic Coast Conference gather for meetings at the Ritz-Carlton on a marshy barrier island along the northeast Florida coast.
In some regards, the ACC is like this resort’s lavish façade itself: a projection of perfection, a shining example of a collegiate conference of old. It is a collection of mostly high-academic institutions with broad-based, successful athletic programs led by a commissioner who exudes confidence, a man carrying the banner of purity and decency in a money-hungry, dollar-chasing industry quickly evolving into a semi-professional business.