ACC media days 2024: 5 conference realignment questions fans can expect Jim Phillips to address
As ACC Media Days approach, the league has added three teams and has become a coast-to-coast leviathan, stretching from California to Boston College. Commissioner Jim Phillips will face the media at ACC Media Days in Charlotte from July 22-25. Here are a few of the questions he'll probably be discussing at some point in the week.
5 conference realignment questions to hear at ACC Media Days
1.How will the league protect itself?
The dangerous lurking sensation within the ACC is that the league could fall into the shadows of the SEC and Big Ten. Clemson and Florida State are two league members often rumored to have interest in an SEC move. While the SEC already has 16 teams, the Big Ten will have 18 teams this fall.
The ACC has to have a plan if those two schools try to leave the league. Not having a plan to deal with losing the top schools is what caused the Pac-12 to end up divided out peacemeal, with Cal and Stanford joining the ACC.
2. Will the ACC look to join the SEC and Big Ten in "advisory group"?
A big announcement of the winter was that the two largest leagues banded together to form an "advisory group" regarding issues surrounding college athletes. This "advisory group" could be the first step in a path to autonomy from the NCAA for power conference schools.
The ACC needs to decide if it will try to get into the boat with the SEC and Big Ten, or plot some alternative course. If the two power leagues figure out an NIL plan, the ACC has to either agree to it or perhaps shoot for the most audacious move of undercutting/overshooting the power leagues' plan to make its own mark. It's a big deal and one worth listening for at ACC Media Days.
3. What about potential additional members?
To say that a 17-team league is not ideal is probably an understatement. Constructing schedule models was probably an unending headache. So while the ACC must protect its most valuable members, it must also try to figure out at least one more member to balance the league. ACC Media Days could provide some useful hints.
Landing Notre Dame is probably an eternal pipe dream, but it might be one worth pursuing So, too, might be one of the last two Pac-12 teams remaining. Oregon State or Washington State could balance the schedule, although neither is exactly a super-desirable possibility.
4. Can on-the-field product save the ACC?
With Clemson and Florida State reportedly looking to leave the ACC, and the SEC and Big Ten revenue stats soaring higher by the day, can a great season actually save the ACC? If Clemson or FSU or even one of the league's other top teams, say, Miami, for instance, could win the College Football Playoff, might it give the league a shot of relevance? The games themselves might give the ACC its best shot to survive.
5. How will the new members fit?
The ACC's grab of Cal, Stanford and SMU was odd geographically and culturally. How might they impact the future of the league? Stanford is an academically elite school, one that fits the mold of Duke and UNC. SMU is a strange fit, being hours from any other school in the league.
In order to better understand the future of the ACC, the current status of the league's odd sprawl is a big clue. Watch the culture of ACC Media Days, because the future of the ACC-- and maybe conferences themselves-- could be on the line.
Which ACC Media Days stories will you be watching? Weigh in with your thoughts in our comments section!