Miami President Teases Exit from ACC With Multiple Opportunities at Play
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The Miami Hurricanes return to the national spotlight for one year and instantly have more money-making ideas.
It's clear the Hurricanes like being a flagship name in college football, but things are in play that can't be controlled. One is the Protect College Sports Act, which the University and all of its representatives have openly opposed.
Moreover, with the College Football Playoff expansion on the horizon, the Hurricanes and their president see new opportunities outside the conference if changes occur, according to Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger.
"You cannot lock us into a conference," President Joe Echevarria told Yahoo Sports. "The fact is that we won about every game you could win last year and maxed out in revenue in our current [ACC] sharing model. And we made the same amount of money as other institutions [in the Big Ten and SEC] whose football programs operate at different levels of investment and performance."
President Echevarria and UM have been operating without an athletic director for several months. Furthermore, without one, the Canes have still been able to do things as usual. However, the biggest issue and the main reason for a potential exit is that the Hurricanes are considered a "second-tier" conference.
Miami is all for being a part of the decision-making, and the ACC doesn't give them that option.
"We are proud members of the ACC. If the economics were even, we wouldn't be having any of these conversations," Echevarria said. "Thing is, we sit in the second tier. It's a reason we don't get a vote on the 24-team playoff, and the Big Ten and SEC do."
If Miami Left What Would Be Best Options?
Big 10, SEC, or join Notre Dame and be an indepent? Those are the options that Echevarria layed out but he hinted at the one that would fit the university on all levels.
"As an AAU research institution, we line up with the Big Ten's profile," Echevarria said. "We have an exceptionally strong profile that compares favorably with leading research institutions across the country. On the geography idea, we line up better with the SEC."
However, there is also the idea of being independent but the challenges with other sports starts to come into question. Outside of football, Notre Dame is an ACC school.
"If we have to go independent, I like our chances because we are a national brand," Echevarria said.
With college sports always shifting, being ahead is what Echevarria and the Hurricanes want to be. Moving out and fitting in with one of the options would be the best and ideal move.
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Justice Sandle is a graduate of Mississippi State University earning a Bachelor of Arts and Science in Communications with a concentration in Print and Digital Journalism. During his time in Starkville, he spent a year as an intern working for Mississippi State On SI primarily covering basketball, football, baseball, and soccer while writing, recording, and creating multimedia stories during his tenor. Since graduating, he has assumed the role of lead staff writer for Miami Hurricanes On SI covering football, basketball, baseball, and all things Hurricanes related.
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