Top SEC and Big Ten Expansion target revealed amid ACC chaos

College football realignment appears to be coming sooner rather than later

Stop me if you've heard this before, but there is pure and utter chaos going on around college football and there hasn't been a game played in a couple of months.

Each of the past couple of offseasons has been flooded with programs around the country switching conferences and more of that may be on the horizon. We have already seen the collapse of a Power 5 conference in the Pac-12, and we may be headed toward another doing the same in the ACC as two of its biggest brands are adamantly attempting to get the hell out of dodge and join the SEC or Big Ten.

Both Florida State and Clemson are in the midst of legal battles with the conference and are hoping to find a way out of the grant of rights which extends through 2036, while also not having to pay lucrative exit fees which are reported to be north of $570 million.

However, while the ACC appears to be confident that no one is going anywhere from the conference, there is one program that Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger was told has caught the eyes of both the SEC and Big Ten more so than the two others.

Dec 5, 2020; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; A view of the field with the ACC logo in the second quarter at Kenan Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports / Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

"However, there is one current ACC program that many within the industry believe is the most attractive expansion target for the Power Two. And it’s not FSU or Clemson," wrote Dellenger.

"North Carolina," an industry source told Dellenger, "is the lynchpin." 

He explained that the SEC already has ties to Florida and South Carolina, but doesn't have a program in North Carolina. They also happen to be one of the stronger all-around athletic departments. So, if Florida State and Clemson do all of this work to find a way out, they may be helping North Carolina get in position for their future.

What happens to the rest of the ACC will be quite a domino effect as well, especially for programs like Stanford who will be joining in 2024. Programs may flee to the Big 12 or may even go the independent route.