The realignment wheels are churning once again in the NCAA, as a growing number of schools in the ACC are considering breaking their Grant of Rights (GOR) and leaving the conference.
It was reported on Monday that seven schools (being referred to as “The Magnificent 7”) had been meeting over the past several months and had their lawyers examining the GOR to determine how unbreakable it is.
Clemson, FSU, Miami, UNC, NC State, Virginia & Virginia Tech are “The Magnificent 7” ACC schools, sources told @ActionNetworkHQ. These schools, @RossDellenger reported, have met in past several months, w/lawyers examining grant-of-rights to determine just how unbreakable it is.…
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) May 15, 2023
The initial group of seven included Florida State, Virginia, NC State, North Carolina, Clemson, Miami (FL) and Virginia Tech. On Tuesday, it was revealed that Louisville had joined the list.
BREAKING: Just verified this with a colleague who will also be reporting soon that #CardNation just became the eighth team to put the #ACC‘s existence into serious jeopardy. Of course that means the #Big12 has made the offer. Conference Realignment is going down…and soon!!
— SWAIM SHOW (@GSwaim) May 16, 2023
The news comes amid the ACC’s annual spring meetings, which are currently underway in Florida and are expected to wrap up on Wednesday. It’s the conference’s first meeting since FSU athletic director Michael Alford blasted the ACC’s equal revenue sharing model in February.
Alford spoke about the massive difference in projecting revenue distributions between the ACC and the Big Ten and SEC, both of whom recently signed massive new media rights deals.
Alford said that “something has to change” because FSU could not compete nationally if it were to fall $30 million behind SEC and Big Ten schools annually. Big Ten members are reportedly set to make $75 million in revenue from the league’s new media rights deal as of July 1, while the SEC’s deal with ESPN is set to distribute upwards of $70 million per member beginning in 2024.
The ACC is locked into a media rights deal with ESPN through 2036—withan exit fee of $120 million. Breaking the GOR is an entirely separate hurdle.
Last July, rumors swirled with Virginia, UNC, FSU and Clemson reported to be in talks to join the SEC, and the prospect of a seismic shift in the ACC has resurfaced once again with things seemingly coming to a head.
If this comes to fruition, it would obviously result in a massive shift in swimming & diving, as NC State has long been a dominant force on both the men’s and women’s sides, while the Virginia women have become a modern dynasty. Louisville is also a perennial top 10-15 program in the NCAA.
The reports over the last 24 hours have resulted in several predictions about where these schools might end up, with the general sentiment being that the SEC wants FSU and Clemson (primarily for the football rivalry), while UVA and UNC would fit best in the Big Ten.
Magnificent 7 Power Rankings based on what matters (which is TV ratings):
1. Clemson
2. Florida State
3. Miami
4. Virginia Tech
5. NC State
6. North Carolina
7. Virginia https://t.co/rAloW7Ai8a— Treadmill Horse (@treadmillhorse) May 16, 2023
One major shift in the NCAA is already scheduled to happen in 2025, when swimming & diving powerhouse Texas joins the SEC.
For the discussion:
ACC charter members (1953):
Clemson
Duke
Maryland
North Carolina
NC State
South Carolina
Wake Forest
Virginia joined in December 1953
South Carolina left in 1971
Georgia Tech joined in 1979
Florida State joined in 1991
As I predicted over 40 years ago TV money, greed and power would decide the future of collegiate athletics.
As Robert J. H. Kiphuth ,Yale swim coach, many years prior to my prediction, during the dark days of the power struggle between the NCAA and the Collegiate World stated One of the greatest sins that an institution could commit was to allow itself to be caught up in the “football objective (nor basketball men and women). Details in my book pp67- 71.
I live in Pittsburgh and wife is a prof at Pitt. We are known for being “prudent.” So, if I’m talking to the AD, let’s do the math.
If 8 teams bolt the ACC, that’s $120M each, for $960M.
Then there are 7 that remain, divide the pie. $137M for a good-bye kiss.
If the difference is $30M a year, as per the tears from FSU, well then, let’s talk again in 5 years.
UNC and NC State would never do anything without Duke and Wake
They said the same thing about Oklahoma and Oklahoma State…
Oklahoma and OSU (then Oklahoma A&M) were in different conferences from 1920-1960.
“Tobacco Road,” on the other hand, have all been together continuously since 1936. They were also loosely affiliated in the 19th century. And before Wake moved to Winston-Salem in the 1950s, all four schools were based in the Triangle Area of North Carolina.
Money does indeed speak, but I really think alumni of these four schools would push back against a move like this.
I would love to see Syracuse back in the big east. That was quality basketball.
Kinda gross Wake Forest & Georgia Tech, two of the original eight, are unceremoniously dropped from this cabal. Just bad all around.
You left out an original member who is not part of this alleged group.
Duke. Yes, on impulse I missed that. Same point; each of the remaining Original 8 deserve recognition + respect. The world is not flat because Clemson got good in football again over the recent 8 years after sucking for 3+ decades. This has Clemson & FSU football *me first, me only* written all over it. It’s a tired old argument & the ACC has always been + always will be a basketball conference.
it is football decision, not investing enough, getting dropped as other schools are subventing them.
Ga Tech was not an original 8. They joined in the 1980s. USC was a member up to about 1969. USC and UMD are the two original 8 schools who previously departed.
Notre Dame’s apparel deal is up soon. Perhaps they and their chosen partner (Stanford) may take another look at the Big-10.
Notre Dame with one foot in the door for basketball & all non revenue sports, one foot out the door to keep football independent has been a lousy gig for the ACC & I’d argue hasn’t been great for Notre Dame football either.
I think this makes a ton of sense.
Miami, Washington, and Maine need to join the B1G so it can just change its name to just Big.
Add Hawaii to the mix, and they’ll be REALLY Big…