After reportedly falling one vote short of adding Stanford, Cal, and SMU last week (though no formal vote was taken), the ACC’s expansion talks have gained new life this week.
According to ESPN, a series of meetings are scheduled in the coming days with discussions centered around how to distribute the extra $70+ million in additional revenue from pro-rata increases in the conference’s media rights deal. Twelve of 15 votes are needed for official approval, meaning the ACC needs to flip one of Clemson, Florida State, North Carolina, and NC State to pull off the move.
SMU is reportedly willing to forego revenue distribution for up to seven years thanks to a generous donor base. Meanwhile, Stanford and Cal would enter earning as little as a quarter of their ACC counterparts, but that reduced rate would steadily rise over time. The funds being forfeited by the newcomers would be funneled into a pool for postseason incentives in revenue sports.
The ACC’s latest expansion effort might be more about keeping Clemson and Florida State than it is adding Stanford, Cal, and SMU. Clemson and Florida State’s complaints about the ACC’s revenue distribution model — which pays members the same amount, currently in the $35-40 million range, through 2036 — have become more vocal in recent months.
Earlier this month, the Pac-12 failed to get a Grant of Rights signed during a meeting with university presidents, leading to an exodus of eight schools leaving for the Big Ten and Big 12. The potential addition of Stanford, Cal, and SMU would give the ACC 17 members (including Notre Dame), making them one of four conferences with at least 16 members starting next season. Both the SEC and Big 12 will have 16 members while the Big Ten is ballooning to 18 members. Ironically, Thursday is the also the two-year anniversary of the so-called alliance between the Big Ten, ACC, and Pac-12.
No official vote has been scheduled yet by the ACC, but The Athletic said that a final decision could be made by the weekend.
From Wed evening: Stanford and Cal to the ACC has momentum. “It looks like it’s happening." Resolution, finally, should come before Week One camps uphttps://t.co/grQIXKUzaB
— Jon Wilner (@wilnerhotline) August 24, 2023
I just want to know why this is even necessary and why they want it to happen so bad..
They will not be joining for swimming. Only football and men’s and women’s basketball.
Stanford Athletic Director Bernard Muir has been a lousy leader. I hope he gets canned this year. Joining the ACC would be his final folly.
It’s simply an act of desperation.
Signed,
Long time Stanford sports supporter.
Joining the ACC is basically Stanford’s only chance left of being athletically relevant. Any other move essentially is relegation.
Stanford could survive as an Independent
Just like BYU
Yeah no
Not really, although they have excellent athletics, their revenue sports are mediocre at best. No broadcaster is going to spend big bucks on a deal with Stanford. Not eve remotely similar to Notre Dame football.
Stanford is desperate!
So I just looked at UVA’s meet schedule. They swim a total of 3 ACC schools, and one of them is a tri-meet. So basically conference alignment means nothing as far as in season travel for S&D. It just changes who swims and travel for Conf champ meets. Stanford n Cal aren’t adding a bunch of east coast travel for S&D meets.
Cut a few conference roster spots and does it really matter if you are traveling to Federal Way or Greensboro cost wise?
I wonder how quickly Cal’s and Stanford’s distributions would escalate. The reports are that the pro rata clause in the ACC’s contract with ESPN is only for 70% and Cal and Stanford would only get 30% of that (at least initially). That would put them at $7-$10 million distributions (the ACC distributed a little less than $40 million last year though some of that was non-media). The thing is, based on what UCLA and Washington are projecting based on their moves to the Big Ten, Cal and Stanford are likely looking an extra $8-$10 million in travel costs by joining the ACC compared to the MWC or a reconstituted PAC (assuming they would make about $5 million in the MWC… Read more »
Would certainly give the ACC serious academic and athletic heft if this comes off. And they get to add Cal and Stanford as well.
ACC Swimming would be absurdly fast, but cross-country travel not so great.
Boom!
Well done.