Conference Realignment: Could a decision by the ACC on Cal and Stanford be coming soon?

Could the ACC add Stanford and Cal, or just Stanford?

Author:
Jackson Caudell
Publish date:
Aug 17, 2023 11:24 PM EDT

In this story:

Could things be changing on the conference realignment front?

Last week, it was reported that Cal and Stanford were just one vote short of getting accepted to the ACC. Both West Coast schools had votes in their corners, but Clemson, Florida State, North Carolina, and NC State stood in the way and opposed both schools being let in the conference. Cal and Stanford would need one of those schools to flip their vote.

Things could be changing.

Scheer is a reporter for 247Sports covering Arizona and has done a great job of covering conference realignment, so it is worth monitoring to see if things could be decided one way or the other tomorrow.

A report from Ralph Russo at the Associated Press, Stanford is trying hard to receive an invite from the ACC and might be willing to do so at a reduced revenue-sharing cost:

"Leaders from Stanford, California, Oregon State and Washington State spoke Thursday, and Stanford told its colleagues it had informed the ACC that it would be open to joining the conference at greatly reduced or even no media rights payout for several years, a person familiar with the discussions told The Associated Press."

"Whether getting Stanford — and Northern California rival Cal — at a cut rate will be enough to convince the necessary 12 of 15 ACC schools to vote to expand remains unknown."

Will the ACC add Cal and Stanford?
Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

It will also be interesting to see how things could shift with SMU.

According to a report that came out yesterday from Ross Dellenger at Yahoo Sports, former President of the United States George W. Bush, and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice are "on a campaign to encourage ACC leaders to rethink their position on acquiring both Stanford and SMU, as well as Cal". Dellenger also reports that both Rice and Bush have communicated with ACC officials in pursuit of a membership invitation for the schools in which they are vested.

If SMU is also included with Cal and Stanford, a fourth school could be needed to make things even. Who could that fourth team be if it comes to that?

Could this mean that Notre Dame could be interested in joining the conference full-time in football? I doubt it, but Notre Dame has been pushing hard for the conference to add both schools.

Here is what ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips had to say at ACC Media Days when asked if Notre Dame becoming a full member in football was a possibility:

"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.

Here is what AllYellowJackets writer Matthew Kistner wrote last week when discussing Georgia Tech's options in the midst of conference realignment and who the ACC could add through expansion:

"With the primary members threatening to leave on the basis of poor revenue deals, the conference could strive for adding new teams to bolster better commercial interest and thus generate more revenue. Teams such as Notre Dame, West Virginia, Tulane, South Florida, East Carolina, Liberty, Ohio, Marshall, Appalachian State, Troy, or Memphis could make good additions in a geographical sense. Perhaps the ACC could even reach out to the remaining teams of the Pac-12 (or should I say Pac-4) to establish a western presence: California, Washington State, Oregon State, and Stanford.

The western move or poaching West Virginia from the Big 12 would garner the most revenue in my opinion as it would activate a new audience in the West for ACC football that could bring companies calling for television rights. West Virginia also brings its passionate fan base and rivalry with Pittsburgh that would spark interest of all fans. Unfortunately, all of these situations are a stretch for the ACC and more likely than not will not happen. Facing reality, the ACC is in a difficult bind and I am not too optimistic on the future of the conference."

Stay tuned for some potential news tomorrow about the ACC adding or not adding Cal or Stanford. Things could be getting crazier in the world of conference realignment.

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