The news came down today that the ACC voted to add Cal, Stanford, and SMU to the Conference – starting in 2024. This after the PAC 12 started falling apart last month, with the departures of over half the conference – further driving the nail in the PAC 12’s coffin.
In order to approve the additions, the ACC needed 12 of 15 schools to vote it in. They didn’t have the votes two weeks ago as North Carolina, NC State, Florida State, and Clemson all rejected the idea. However, something happened for NC State to change their minds. Additionally, Notre Dame was a big champion of adding Cal and Stanford, mostly for their academic standards. The Irish are only a part time member of the conference for football, but lend a lot of weight and consideration in these decisions. Could this move help sway Notre Dame to join the ACC full time? Unlikely, but they continue to create great good will with the Irish.
Dissention among the ranks
The ACC needed to do this to avoid becoming the PAC 12 in 10 years. Their Grant of Rights deal pays roughly $35M/year, per school, through the 2036-37 season. For comparison purposes, the Big Ten and SEC Schools are making nearly double that figure – if not more. And will certainly try to snag some of the ACC schools on or before the end of their Grant of Rights.
For those reasons, there have been some disgruntled schools within the ACC. There was talk of the Magnificent 7, which hasn’t really gone anywhere. Grant of Rights have historically been a very difficult contract to break. With that said, Florida State remains the most vocally upset about the Grant of Rights deal. The rumor mill has been swirling around this school and their displeasure with the ACC. There were rumors of them leaving for the Big Ten last month.
Where does this leave the PAC 12?
In peril. To put it nicely. There are only two schools left in the conference and no television deal in place. With that said, there is something to be said about branding. If Oregon State and Washington State were to join the Mountain West, why not rebrand it as the PAC 14? Or The PAC? I’m not sure I see that happening but it is the last hope to keep the conference name alive. In reality, Oregon State and Washington State will need to join the Mountain West next season. They should be able to dominate as both schools are running pretty solid football programs.
Why’d they get it right?
For starters, the ACC is taking lessons from the Big 12 to stay alive by adding bodies to the conference. It is inevitable that schools like Florida State, Clemson, and North Carolina will be gone from the conference someday. However, they just added 3 schools from 2 major markets (Texas and California) to lessen that burden. They will have increased exposure nationally for viewership, as well as recruiting. So even when these schools leave for greener pastures, the ACC will be able to rely on the schools to carry the torch.
In the end, this move is about survival and learning from past mistakes. Maximize your leverage now, add schools in big markets like the Big 12, and stay alive when the raid comes.
Stuart Otto is a Writer for Back Sport Page.
