"Where do I have the easiest path to become top dog" vs. "where do I have the best chance to prove that I'm at the top of my profession".

IMHO, most coaches at Buzz's level would choose the latter. And the ACC represents the latter. The SEC will never be perceived as the premier league of college hoops, in most years they will be 4th in the pecking order at best. Not to mention the fact that as much as Duke/UNC have dominated the ACC, that is nothing compared to Kentucky's dominance of the SEC. You could install the ghost of John Wooden as TAMU's next coach and they still will never catch up to the Wildcats.

I feel that if there is any one non-monetary factor that would cause Buzz to leave, it's not that he is unhappy with having to compete in the ACC. I think it would be that he's unhappy that the VT fanbase has never fully embraced hoops in the same way they support football. That being said, if that would be his reason for leaving, why go to another school with the same problem?