Report: ACC is considering adding SMU to the conference

The ACC is considering expanding and SMU could be a target

Jackson Caudell | Aug 8, 2023

Report: ACC is considering adding SMU to the conference /

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After reports had surfaced in the past two days of the ACC looking to expand, Cal and Stanford had been the reported main targets. Today, Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports reports that there is a third team that the ACC is looking at and it is SMU. Dellenger says that scenarios where all three schools join the conference or just SMU are being considered.

The expansion conversation in the ACC goes beyond Stanford & Cal. A third school, SMU, is in consideration, sources tell @YahooSports.

Administrators are expected to review financial models of all scenarios: adding all three or only the Pac-12 two.https://t.co/MuCOc0wbmt
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) August 8, 2023

While adding SMU alone would not move the conference as far west as Cal or Stanford, SMU would get the conference a program in the state of Texas and a valuable TV market.

Dellneger also reported that SMU is willing to go several years without distribution to join the ACC.

For a year, SMU has held various degrees of dialogue with several leagues in pursuit to join a power conference, including the Big 12, Pac-12 & ACC.

Mustangs are open to foregoing several years of distribution to enter the ACC, sources tell @YahooSports.https://t.co/MuCOc0wbmt
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) August 8, 2023

Today, ESPN's Pete Thamel reported that "The ACC presidents met this morning for an exploratory call on Cal and Stanford. As expected, no vote was taken and the league is "still evaluating" the potential decision.

I would assume that if those three schools are added, a fourth would be to make it an even number of programs. Who that could be is anyone's guess but names could start to surface soon. I doubt it would be Notre Dame, as ACC commissioner Jim Phillips talked about adding the Fighting Irish to the conference in football at the ACC Media Days and he did not sound optimistic about that being a scenario:

"We've had a lot of conversations, let me put it bluntly, with Notre Dame, and they've been very clear. They value their independence, and I think they feel strongly that that will continue well into the future. If they ever have the desire of joining the conference, they know that we would welcome them with open arms, but I think -- I can't speak for Jack right now and Pete in the future or Father John, but I think it's been a healthy relationship both ways for the ACC and for Notre Dame. Their sports, other than football, I think have thrived in the ACC. I think they really enjoy the academic prowess that the ACC brings as well, but they've been pretty clear about their desire to stay independent. So I don't see that changing any time soon.

The question is if adding any of these schools would make programs like Florida State, Clemson, Miami, and North Carolina stay or is this a measure to have programs in place in case they leave?

Could the ACC add SMU? / Scott Taetsch-USA TODAY Sports

Florida State held a board of trustees meeting last week and openly discussed their unhappiness with their current situation in the ACC.

Florida State President Richard McCullough made it seem like Florida State is looking for a way out of the ACC:

"FSU helps to drive value and will drive value for any partner, but we have spent a year trying to understand how we might fix the issue. There are no easy fixes to this challenge, but a group of us have spent literally a year. We've explored every possible option that you can imagine. The issue at hand is what can we do to allow ourselves to be competitive in football and get what I think is the revenue we deserve?"

"This continues to be a very difficult issue. There's a lot going on in the world of conference realignment. My current assessment of the situation after very deep analysis is I believe FSU will have to at some point consider very seriously leaving the ACC unless there were a radical change to the revenue distribution."

As of today, no ACC coaches have commented on the talks of potentially adding both schools specifically, but Georgia Tech head coach Brent Key did give his thoughts on realignment yesterday after practice:

"To be honest, Mike told me at lunch, seriously. He said you might get a question about conference realignment and I said, what is going on? I had no clue. I was as shocked as anybody when he told me at lunch today. I don't know, ask me on Saturday, I might have time to think about it by then. I have not thought about it one bit. I am worried about Georgia Tech, Georgia Tech, and the ACC and that is really all I care about right now."

Conference realignment is the talk of college athletics right now and it will likely remaining that way.

Georgia Tech kicks off its 2023 season against Louisville on Sept. 1st at 7:30 on ESPN.

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