At ACC Tipoff, commissioner Jim Phillips eyes harmony among the league's 18 hoop teams

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The ACC is staging the 56th version of its annual Tipoff media event this week in Uptown Charlotte, with Tuesday serving as the cross-over day between the conference's women's and men's programs.

Head coach Felica Legette-Jack and the Orange women's team appeared at their press conference midday Tuesday, while Gerry McNamara and players Gavin Doty and Aiden Tobiason are set to hit the press conference stage on Wednesday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. ET (ACC Network Extra).

Also on Tuesday, commissioner Jim Phillips delivered his annual state-of-the-conference speech and took questions from the media, which centered on the much-debated Protect College Sports Act of 2026, a bill in which four of the league's 18 school presidents do not agree,

Despite some apparent internal strife, Phillips says there's room to work out differences

Phillips took over running the league after John Swofford retired in 2021, and the last five years have marked nothing but a basic fundamental change in how college sports is administered, from NIL, to paying players directly, increases in TV revenue, and strains on fund raising between the major powers and the teams in the middle of FBS football and Div. I basketball.

Now four his school presidents at Clemson, Florida State, Miami, and North Carolina, schools that have certainly been in the spoken mix for the last four years about possibly bolting the ACC for supposed greener pastures, want specific revisions in the 'Save' bill, specifically tied into the language of the bill that addresses future realignment and expansion.

Simply put, those schools want more lenient terms in a revised bill that would make it easier to move out of the ACC if another conference comes calling.

Addressing the question, Phillips conceded the differences of opinion among the school leaders he is responsible for appeasing, but sees room to work out those disagreements.

"It's rare to have unanimity on anything as it relates to a Bill in particular, and this one is 171 pages long," Phillips said.

"We have 14 schools that feel really good about it that want to sign it, and we have four schools that have an issue with a portion of it," Phillips added. "So that's what I'm going to continue to push towards the decision makers and those that have written the Bill to date."

A rise in TV game ratings and success in all sports paints a positive picture

Despite the negativity surrounding a lack of consensus on how to proceed with federally regulating college sports, on the fields and on TV/streaming of games, the ACC is in a very strong spot. TV ratings of hoop games on the ESPN networks (ACCN included) and the CW are up 44% year over year, and football is up some 57%.

"Our investment in football and basketball has never been greater," Phillips said. "I think the product has never been better. I think we've done a really good job of being thoughtful and strategic to get to this point."

Financially, while the ACC will always lag behind the Big Ten and SEC in total rights payouts due to the base contracts each league has with its primary TV partners, the payouts for Syracuse and the other non-land grant, state institutions, have enabled those programs to share the league's wealth.

"We're as healthy as we've ever been," Phillips preached Tuesday. "If you look at the metrics of revenue generation and what we're going to give out to membership next year, it will border $1billion for the first time."

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