That's a wildly romanticized view that ignores the actual competitive reality. The ACC's "sustainable model" has produced exactly one national champion in the last decade, and that program, Clemson, absolutely leveraged elite recruiting and the portal when necessary lmao. Look at the league's 6-17 record in New Year's Six/CFP games since 2016. That's not "always in the mix," that's consistent underperformance on the biggest stage. NC State has built a solid culture under Dave Doeren, but our 9-win seasons haven't translated to ACC titles because we're consistently out-talented by the Clemsons and Florida States of the world, who absolutely recruit and use the portal at a "mercenary" level. The idea that the ACC doesn't participate in the modern roster chaos is false. Look at Florida State's entire 2023 roster construction or Louisville's portal-heavy approach last year. The conference's middle class is stable, but that stability has a ceiling, and the data shows it. The league's overall 33.3% winning percentage against Power 5 non-conference opponents last season suggests this "built" identity isn't yielding superior results. History books remember champions, and the ACC's legacy lately is one of watching other leagues win them.