ACC to Explore Adding Cal, Stanford Per Report

In the latest conference realignment news, the ACC could look to add some of the remaining Pac-12 schools.

Mike McAllister | Aug 7, 2023

ACC to Explore Adding Cal, Stanford Per Report /

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The ACC will have exploratory discussions surrounding adding California and Stanford to the conference, according to a report from ESPN's Pete Thamel.

"ACC leaders are set to begin exploratory discussions on the potential additions of Cal and Stanford to the conference, sources told ESPN on Monday," Thamel said in his report. "Sources cautioned that the two scheduled discussions are in the embryonic stages -- one call slated with the ACC athletic directors and a separate call with the league's presidents that will play out on Monday and Tuesday."

The report quoted an ACC source indicating the additions would be complicated due to the travel that would be involved for current member schools.

Outside of location, the profile of the programs would make some sense. Both strong academic schools with some traditional success in football. Recently both have struggled, but it would also open a whole new market to the ACC. In the modern era of collegiate athletics, that is the primary driver of all decisions as it means more money in television contracts. The addition of those schools would give the ACC 16 full time football members.

Cal and Stanford are two of only four remaining Pac-12 schools along with Washington State and Oregon State in the wake of the latest school movement in conference realignment. Washington and Oregon bolted for the Big-10, while Utah, Arizona and Arizona State left for the Big-12.

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Published Aug 7, 2023

MIKE MCALLISTER

Title: Publisher All Syracuse Education: Roberts Wesleyan College Location: Syracuse, New York Expertise: Syracuse basketball, football and recruiting. EXPERIENCE Mike McAllister has been covering Syracuse basketball, football and recruiting for more than a decade. Mike's career started with his own free blog as a way to vent following sporting events. Shortly thereafter, a network of basketball sites called Coast 2 Coast Hoops asked him to run their Syracuse site. That site was called Nation of Orange, and Mike quickly established it as a go-to for Syracuse fans. After running Nation of Orange for several months, a position with the Syracuse site on the Scout network became available. After one year as the recruiting expert with Cuse Nation, he was named the publisher. Mike oversaw the transition from Scout to 247Sports, and ran the site on that network for years. Presented with the opportunity to join one of the biggest names in the sports journalism industry, Sports Illustrated, Mike jumped at the chance. All Syracuse was started from scratch by Mike and the Fan Nation team. It has now become a staple for Orange fans of various sports. Mike has broken news on recruiting, Syracuse basketball and football team information and has established himself as the top recruiting inside in the market. He has appeared on local radio shows, television broadcasts, national radio shows and much more. Mr. McAllister has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting and Information Management from Roberts Wesleyan College.