At long last, the Atlantic Coast Conference school presidents voted to add Cal, Stanford and SMU to the conference on Friday morning, sources told Sports Illustrated‘s Pat Forde. The schools are set to join the league in 2024.
The vote culminates a month-long saga for the Pac-12, during which the conference has almost completely disintegrated. Only two members of the conference remain committed beyond the current academic year—Oregon State and Washington State—and at this point, it seems much more likely they will join another existing conference rather than pulling other schools into a revamped Pac-12.
As for the ACC, the move was meant to stabilize the conference in a rapidly changing college football landscape. With schools such as Florida State, Clemson, North Carolina and NC State remaining as flight risks to the conference, the additions of Cal, Stanford and SMU bolster the league’s lineup in case prominent members bolt.
The ACC will earn more than $70 million in additional revenue from ESPN by adding the three new schools, an amount which will kick in automatically due to pro-rata increases that already exist in the network’s television contract with the conference. Although some of those expenses will go toward offsetting travel expenses for the new schools, a majority will be distributed to existing schools in the ACC. How those funds will be distributed remains crucial, as schools such as Florida State already have been vocal about their displeasure with the league’s current revenue-sharing model.
Conference realignment is a fickle beast, but this is likely the end of realignment moves for now, with Week 1 upon us.
College football fans reacted to the news on social media on Friday morning. Here are some of the best comments following the latest moves in conference realignment.
The only way this (and other geographically, culturally and academically distant realignments) makes sense is if the TV $$$ is so great that all the athletes can get substantially paid.
— Matthew J. Allen (@OKMallen) September 1, 2023
Otherwise, I think we'll look back and decide doing this for the money was foolish. #hottake https://t.co/d1uHm0zQ8t
Such a relief—go Stanford! https://t.co/6FgWVIdNiY
— Michael De Groot (@MichaelDeGroot1) September 1, 2023
We now have a TuPac https://t.co/EQoZqOlQQo
— Griffin Hill (@ghilltide) September 1, 2023
Nothings says Atlantic Coast Conference like a sunset view of the Golden Gate Bridge. Aaron Rodgers is now a ACC legend just like Eric Dickerson, John Elway, and others pic.twitter.com/6lJcpNkUCD
— Alvie Cohen (@MeezyXanadu) September 1, 2023
ACC Legend Marshawn Lynch. pic.twitter.com/btMhZZsi2Z
— Mitchell Northam (@primetimeMitch) September 1, 2023
This ACC move is the dumbest move in a series of dumb moves. Stanford/Cal/SMU don’t add value on the field and the geographical issues are obvious.
— Brian Rauf (@brauf33) September 1, 2023
Just a pure numbers play in a desperation move for a dying conference.
Me, watching the beginning of the end of the ACC. pic.twitter.com/6vx9UCEH2U
— Joe Ovies (@joeovies) September 1, 2023
The #big12 dreams of the #acc “imploding” went bye-bye this morning
— DreamBackfield.com (@IntoPitt) September 1, 2023
Realignment still sucks. https://t.co/kPLaGgTJZR
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) September 1, 2023
Okey dokey.
— Pradheep J. Shanker (@Neoavatara) September 1, 2023
Going to be hilarious when FSU and Clemson leave a few months from now. https://t.co/Rgv7XgrPaW
Death rattle shaking
— Andrew Donaldson (@four4thefire) September 1, 2023
There's a reason ACC is getting the leftovers from the real conferences who took their pick... https://t.co/QWt4JBgdZT
Boston College/Cal basketball in Berkeley. The distances between the locations:
— Sean Paul (@SeanPaulCBB) September 1, 2023
Walking: 983 hours (not bad)
Driving: 45 hours
Bus: 3 days
(Flights are obviously less time but it’s not as fun if I say that) https://t.co/h00L5rkbEp
This will be fine in 25 years when we have bullet trains https://t.co/2uiQsdlv77
— Jaryd Wilson (@JarydWilson) September 1, 2023
