Stanford and Cal to ACC seems inevitable as Pac-12 giants resume negotiations
With just four teams left in the Pac-12, we are witnessing the dying embers of one of the famed Power Five conferences. Multiple reports since yesterday suggest that two of the remaining members, Stanford and Cal, have resumed talking to the Atlantic Coast Conference, which could be the final nail in the Pac-12's coffin.
With Oregon and Washington announcing their departure from the storied Pac-12 earlier this month, Stanford and Cal were left gasping for air as the implosion of their conference seemed nothing but certain.
According to a report by Ralph D. Russo of The Associated Press, the ACC president chose not to vote on including the California schools earlier this month. However, the latest reports suggest that the stance could soon change.
Stanford and California were caught in a limbo regarding their uncertain futures, with both schools knowing they have to leave the Pac-12 if they are to save their athletic programs. Oregon State and Washington State, the other two remaining schools, would most likely follow suit if they do.
ACC expansion and the Pac-12 exodus
Stanford and Cal, two of the world's most renowned higher learning institutions, have so far pulled off the difficult task of balancing their academic and athletic needs, consistently scoring high in both departments.
If they don't leave the Pac-12's sinking boat, they could be relegated to athletic oblivion as former sports giants Harvard, Yale, Princeton or Columbia are now in the Ivy League.
Their departures would come on the heels of Arizona, Arizona State and Utah leaving the Pac-12 for the Big-12, which was announced earlier this year. USC and Southern California are also going for the Big Ten next season.
The exodus of these Pac-12 members coincided with the announcement that the University of Texas and the University of Oklahoma will join the Southeastern Conference in 2024.
Stanford has gone so far as to enlist the help of the most influential member of its academic staff, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, to help with negotiations.
Former Stanford HC and alumni David Shaw had this to say about the Pac-12's situation three days ago on "The Rich Eisen Show":
"You hate for the Conference to disappear. ... Money talks, schools walk."
There's a novel called "Chronicle of a Foretold Death" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and this could be the title for this season of the Pac-12 because it feels eerily fitting for what the future of the conference looks like.
ACC: The money side of things
The ACC looks like Stanford and Cal's best bet to find a new home, even though the irony of the two programs joining the Atlantic Coast Conference isn't lost on anyone.
The two California schools would be joined by SMU, which completes the ACC's expansion package. Yesterday, a group of ACC presidents met with the representatives of the three teams to discuss possible revenue models.
According to ESPN, Cal and Stanford would accept lesser shares in the conference revenue scheme, while SMU is willing to skip on the earnings entirely. SMU has long been touted for a move to a Power Five conference and has some strong financial backing from its alumni core.
College insider Jim Williams also had something to say about the meeting:
Per the same ESPN article, this proposition is highly attractive to the ACC because including three big schools could entitle the conference to bigger TV contracts.
With Cal and Stanford ready to take lesser cuts and SMU prepared and able to forgo dividends, the extra money could be split among the rest of the schools in the conference. ACC members have long been lobbying for additional revenue, which could be an avenue for it.
Some pundits, like Colin Cowherd, are putting Cal's athletic value and viability of its football program into question. Cowherd said on his show "The Herd":
“Cal is an academic power. … If you don't commit to football, really commit, don't tell me they have new facilities, that's the baseline for competing. … Stanford has tried to win. They had Bill Walsh as a coach, Jim Harbough. Stanford has tried to win, has committed to win. Cal's football doesn't.”
Conversely, the ACC is not the only place where Stanford and Cal could land after leaving the Pac-12, with the Big Ten being another option.
UCLA's athletic director Martin Jarmond had this to say when asked about that possibility on "The Rich Eisen Show":
"That's a question for (Big Ten commissioner) Tony Petitti. What I can tell you is both of those are phenomenal institutions, and I'm hoping at a great spot. At UCLA, we want to keep playing them."
Whatever the future holds, there is no doubt that the college football landscape will look vastly different come the 2024 season.