Report: ACC meeting over potentially adding Pac-12 schools, won't 'draw out' decision |
The ACC is reportedly meeting again on Tuesday over the possible addition of remaining Pac-12 schools.
Seen after Friday's expansion events as unlikely at first, ESPN's Pete Thamel reported Monday there was "smoke" over a team such as Stanford joining the league. He later reported that Stanford Bay Area-rival Cal was also in that mix, but he added that the idea was in the "embryonic stages." "It's complicated," an ACC source told ESPN. "There's a significant travel expense. I think it's going to be all over the board with both the ADs and the presidents in what they may want to do. [Cal and Stanford] would likely have to take a reduced share. Eventually, though, they're going to want to become a full share." The Associated Press didn't rule out the other two remaining Pac-12 teams in Oregon State and Washington State but confirmed that Cal and Stanford are the main potential targets. That report says that the conference will "dig into the merits of expansion again Tuesday and that the conference does not plan to draw out making a decision." CBS Sports reports that both Cal and Stanford "have shown interest in joining the ACC," per sources. Neither Stanford nor Cal has had success on the football field of late, but the Cardinal has been a power as an athletics program overall, winning the Directors' Cup in 26 of the 29 seasons of the award. By the time of its last victory (2022-23), Stanford had won a nation-leading 134 NCAA Championships. Neither addition is reported to bring a financial windfall for the league, but it could give the conference some more viewers from the West Coast. After Friday's Big Ten and Big 12 raids of the Pac-12, those conferences have 18 and 16 schools, respectively, come 2024, while the SEC will have 16 and the ACC is currently at 14. Florida State had a board meeting last week where multiple members said such an exit of their own was a matter of time, despite the school's entry into a Grant of Rights agreement with the ACC through 2036. FSU, Clemson, Miami, NC State, Virginia, Virginia Tech and North Carolina were a reported "Magnificent Seven" this spring that looked closely into that Grant of Rights. The GOR agreement, which was extended by nine years back in 2016 with the advent of the ACC Network, is said to hold both the TV revenue and the ability to air your team's games at all in the conference's hands (ACC), with no clear way to get out of said contract. Sources: ACC Presidents met this morning for exploratory call on Cal and Stanford. As expected, no vote was taken. The league is “still evaluating” the potential decision.
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