College football expansion: ACC votes on 2 schools, per reports

ACC members have voted on the proposal to add Stanford and Cal to the conference. Where do things stand in this latest phase of realignment?

James Parks | Aug 13, 2023

College football expansion: ACC votes on 2 schools, per reports /

What looked to be the next phase in college football conference realignment appears to have hit a major roadblock after ACC members voted against the idea to add both Stanford and Cal, and without the support of the schools that voted against them, the issue may be over and done with for good.

What happened? In order to approve adding new members, the ACC needs 12 of 15 current teams to be in favor in a formal vote, or a 75 percent margin, but the league looks to be one vote shy, as four schools went against in the motion. Those schools were Clemson, Florida State, North Carolina, and NC State, according to insiders.

Why it matters: Those four schools represent some of the ACC's more powerful names and their opposition to adding new members indicates that they are reticent to share any more of what they already consider to be an inadequate amount of money with any other schools. Florida State has gone as far as to say publicly that it may consider leaving the ACC over its share of the revenue. There are also concerns about traveling back and forth from the West Coast.

Who else could come in: Insiders point to the Big Ten as the last best hope for Cal and Stanford should the ACC fall out of consideration completely. Insiders have connected the B1G to the two schools back even before it added Oregon and Washington. Both are highly-ranked academic institutions and reside in the valuable San Francisco media market, and each would further ease the burden of travel for that league's coastal teams.

What else to watch: There has been credible interest in SMU from the ACC in recent days, with some pointing to the school's placement in a major media market, Dallas, and in a recruiting-rich state, Texas. But there has not been any movement on this front and it's not believed the ACC will offer an invitation.

What's next? The date to watch is Aug. 15, when a team must give notice to the ACC if it intends to leave the conference in time for the 2024 season. The matter may not be completely settled after that date, but it's expected there should be more clarity then.

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