How does the future look for SMU after ACC failed to flip member votes in the latest board meeting?
The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) has been looking to get some expansion in hopes of keeping their media rights revenue where it is. The trio of teams they are looking to add are the California Golden Bears, Stanford Cardinal and SMU Mustangs.
The ACC has been trying to get votes flipped so they can officially announce the expansion but that has failed to happen as of this writing. College football Insider Greg Swaim posted about how the Mustangs particularly do not seem to be a legitimate program for this level and can create a murky future.
"#SMU has absolutely no argument to get into a P4, when they werent even good in a G6. To let them buy their way in would be a very bad precedent."
This is something that can be true, but the fact of the matter is the ACC is trying to stay above the 15-member number. That way ESPN does not have a clause in the contract to renegotiate the media rights deal. At the moment, the conference is making $39.4 million per team per season from the deal and if teams leave, the number will significantly decrease.
However, Clemson and Florida State specifically have been vocal about wanting more money as the Atlantic Coast Conference is the lowest-paid in the Power Four (excluding Pac-12 for obvious reasons). Adding numbers in the conference that are willing to take less than a full distribution share for a handful of years helps the conference add revenue.
Can the ACC survive doing this type of expansion?
All four major conferences would have made expansion moves if this trio of teams found its way to the ACC. However, the Atlantic Coast Conference would clearly be the weakest of the four with the level of teams they are expanding to. SMU is a Group of Five team while Stanford and Cal are not known as powerhouses. The only reason they are being valued is the little to no conference money they want to join.
The expansion would net the conference around $55 million but what stops the likes of Florida State and Clemson from leaving? Once those two programs walk out, the conference loses a lot of prestige and other programs look towards an exit plan. It's risky but potentially merging with a conference like the American to bolster numbers and create a superconference could be the best option.
The American already believes itself to be a Power Five conference and with the Southeastern Conference right there in the region, strength in numbers is the way to go.