What are the possible outcomes of the ACC presidents’ meeting? Analyzing the latest situation in the realignment drama
There has been a change in the schedule of the ACC presidents’ meeting. The change occurred due to a shooting incident at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill that resulted in a campus lockdown on Monday. After the shooting, the police gave the all-clear for activities to resume on the campus. However, it is unknown when the meeting will occur.
Before the shooting, the Atlantic Coast Conference board of presidents was set to meet. The board had on its agenda the discussion of a potential conference expansion. The discussion would center around the usual names, Stanford, Cal and SMU.
When this meeting eventually is held, what are the outcomes likely to be? Will the ACC finally get the needed number of votes to extend invitations to these schools? If it does, what are the financial implications? After all, TV money is the primary motivation behind conference realignment.
The ACC needs 12 out of 15 votes to carry out its expansion plan for Stanford, Cal and SMU. In the previous presidents’ meeting, five schools voted against the move: Florida State, North Carolina, Clemson, Notre Dame and North Carolina State. The conference has managed to get Notre Dame on its side. But one more vote is still needed.
Our guess is that the ACC has been able to secure the single vote needed to change the status quo. If our guess is wrong, then the next ACC presidents’ meeting will yield no different results for Stanford, Cal and SMU than the previous ones.
Should our guess be right, however, we should look at the financial implications for both the conference and its potential new members. The addition of three new schools is expected to earn the ACC an additional $72 million in estimated annual revenue. However, in negotiating their way into the conference, Stanford and Cal have reportedly given up a lion's share of their due revenue.
Similarly, SMU has reportedly agreed to forgo not less than seven years of revenue, which can still be extended for an additional two years.
How soon is the ACC presidents’ meeting?
The next date of the ACC presidents’ meeting has not been confirmed. But it is certainly going to be soon. The timeline for the ACC expansion is already elapsing, and with reports of a lurking Big 12 intervention (unfounded or not), the stakes are higher.
The meeting should end with a much-needed resolution of the ACC expansion question. With that, the focus will shift to the college football season, which is already underway.