Four to Five ACC Programs Against Stanford, Cal, SMU Expansion Plan, per Report

Conference leaders reportedly met Wednesday night to discuss adding three programs.

During a meeting Wednesday night, it became clear that programs within the ACC are not on the same page regarding a possible expansion that could include Stanford, Cal and SMU, according to Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports. 

Last week, the conference was considering an expansion plan that included Arizona, Arizona State, Utah, Stanford and Cal. Arizona, ASU and Utah joined the Big 12 last week after Oregon and Washington committed to the Big Ten, leaving the Pac-12 in ruin. SMU, meanwhile, is a member of the American Athletic Conference. 

The majority of the ACC is in favor of this expansion, but four to five of the 15 members are pushing back against the move, per the report. In order for the expansion to go through, the conference needs a three-fourths majority—12 votes of the 15 members—to approve any move. Notre Dame receives a vote because it is a partial conference member in football and a full member in all other sports. The Fighting Irish are in favor of the move. 

Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick told ESPN’s Heather Dinich the reason they advocated for Cal and Stanford was because, “The notion that two of the very best academic institutions in the world who also play D1 sports could be abandoned in this latest chapter of realignment is an indictment of college athletics.”