Latest ACC rumblings; ND involved
Also, an FSU insider (guy who owns Warchant) says that the SEC and FSU/Clems are in talks (to what extent, no one knows). Apparently he has a B10 source who says the B10 are working under the assumption that theose two schools are going to the SEC and thus the B10 is focusing on UNC/UVa.
I assume ND (do they really have a full vote?) wants to prevent Stanford from going to the B10 b/c that may put their USC or Stanford rivalry games in jeopardy. Team ACC expansion (ND and ???) are aiming for SMU as well, allegedly. It's been argued that there is safety in numbers: A conf with 17-18 that loses 3-4 programs is still a conference. Also, I've read that ESPN is brokering a deal for Syracuse, BC and Wake to take half shares, which will be passed to FSU, UNC, and Clemson. I'll be surprised if Syracuse agress, but IDK about the others. We live is strange times in the CFB universe.
August 9th, 2023 at 11:30 PM ^
Fair point.
that would be a very odd move imo.
If the B1G doesn't think adding Cal/Stanford makes sense (this is with 4 other west coast schools), I don't know how the ACC makes the math (ie travel costs) work, especially if it is all sports.
Once upon a time, when Cal and Stanford were actually good/decent at football, it might have made sense, but both have really let those programs slide.
Academics are a no brainer, but the numbers are tough to make work if the ADs of all the other schools have to reduce their shares, since Fox isn't adding money to the deal for Cal/Stanford like they did for Oregon/Washington.
August 10th, 2023 at 7:42 AM ^
Cal and Stanford to the B20 makes sense academically and geographically, now that there are four West Coast teams in the B18 in 2024. (Boy, that logo is doing a lot of calisthenics.)
It even makes a certain sense athletically--really, the argument against is primarily focused on football, and then only on fairly recent seasons for Stanford. Hard to argue with a straight face that Cal and Stanford would be worse fits athletically overall than, say, Rutgers and Maryland. Or Northwestern and Minnesota. Or Indiana and Purdue.
That leaves the financials. And, to be clear, there are folks lamenting that conference expansion is only about the money--and there are folks (possibly different folks) lamenting that two schools that make sense otherwise don't make the conference more money.
IMHO, Oregon and UDub agreeing to take less than a full share to join was a watershed moment. And if Cal and Stanford join the B20 by taking a break-even share--say, $30 million, which was essentially enough for Colorado to leave the PAC--then it's much harder for both the TV execs to say no to adding the Bay Area TV markets and for the rest of the conference to balk at their payouts staying essentially the same.
But we'll see. I admit I find the geographic appeal to be strong, I like the idea of the B20 composed principally of academic and research powerhouses as opposed to the SEC, and I want to believe that having six schools on the West Coast will make scheduling for all athletes easier overall.
August 10th, 2023 at 9:33 AM ^
Big 20? Hell, no, we can once be the Big 10 x2
August 9th, 2023 at 10:41 PM ^
If the ACC were to invite Cal and Stanford that would effectively break their grant of rights (opening the floodgates for Florida State, Clemson, UNC, etc. to leave).
i highly doubt they would do that to preserve ND’s rivalry with Stanford.
August 10th, 2023 at 12:11 AM ^
I don't think it does; otherwise they would have added Cincinatti and Houston a few years ago.
Grant of Rights is air tight from what I've read unless the conference dissolves, which requires a majority of the teams to agree...like most conferences, the bottom feeders aren't going to agree to that because they wouldn't get close to that kind of deal without Clemson/FSU as part of ACC
August 9th, 2023 at 11:31 PM ^
It’s absurd that ND is doing anything and everything to avoid going to the Big Ten including cutting off their noses to spite their own faces.
To hell with Notre Dame.
August 10th, 2023 at 12:59 AM ^
With the new and improved B1G there’ll be an opportunity to gamble on football games from 9a PT to maybe 1a ET. All that’s needed now is teams within the B1G worth gambling on. I think ND would be wise to let bygones be bygones and join us.
Just my uninformed opinion that gambling is driving this, but it strikes me as a not unreasonable hypothesis, FWIW,
I don’t care how people spend their entertainment $$. (I don’t gamble). But the Mafia ran college football gambling for decades, and really well, and we didn’t have to deal with conference realignments. How about we give that franchise back to them?
Kidding aside, I’m looking forward to Michigan-USC like the next guy, but bottom line I still don’t understand what we get out of all of this, beyond some hypothetical TV upside. And I miss seeing Michigan-Wisconsin on the schedule more and more.
Now get off my lawn.
August 10th, 2023 at 5:16 AM ^
If ND is a full voting member of the ACC - shouldn’t they compete for any ACC CFP spot in the future instead of getting all these special rules?
August 10th, 2023 at 7:46 AM ^
If we're really lucky the ACC will steal Rutgers and Maryland away from the Big Ten.
August 10th, 2023 at 8:04 AM ^
If Clemson and FSU go to the SEC. And, Cal / Stanford move to the ACC.
Who will be the odds on favorite to win the conference in football each season? My guess… ND. And, if they don’t win the conference - second place is pretty likely - and, in this scenario - second place probably means.. invitation to the CFP.
Yeah, I can see why ND likes it…
August 10th, 2023 at 8:15 AM ^
Why would those schools take half shares? No one has any leverage here because ESPN can't kick them out of the conference, and the schools can't leave.
August 10th, 2023 at 8:19 AM ^
I would like to see the Big Ten grab Standford and either UVa, Clemson, or Pitt. And then create four divisions, five teams each. Leaving schools five non-divsion games to play against other Big Ten teams... Maybe at this point they even go to ten conference games. Pick division winners based on division record only, Big Ten champion game between two highest ranked teams.
August 10th, 2023 at 8:50 AM ^
Notre Dame, looking to be the big fish in a large pond where all the other fish are going to be minnows.
August 10th, 2023 at 8:50 AM ^
I'd like to see Pitt in the Big Ten, to renew the rivalry with Penn State. I grew up in Pittsburgh. That was a great rivalry because it was always very even in total wins each, and not streaky like others, including M/OSU, which has been so historically.
Pitt is also a very good school.
Pittsburgh is a great football and hockey town.
Western PA is a great source of football talent...we already recruit it heavily.
And most importantly of all, Bob Ufer was from the 'burgh, bless his cotton pickin' Maize & Blue heart up in football's valhalla.
August 10th, 2023 at 9:43 AM ^
ND knows that an ACC without FSU and Clemson is easier for them to win. Adding Cal and Stanford will open the door for FSU and Clemson to leave and water down an already watery conference.
August 10th, 2023 at 11:46 AM ^
To Hell with Notre Dame.
August 10th, 2023 at 12:31 PM ^
Why the hell is ND allowed to do whatever they seem to want to do? This shit is so crazy
August 10th, 2023 at 1:08 PM ^
ND feeling the heat.
Big so should add Cal and Stanford. Then don't pursue ND but have them crawl.
It'll pay for itself.