College football’s expansion and realignment have completely changed the sport forever, and there is still much more expected to come in the future.
What started with USC and UCLA leaving the Pac-12 has caused a ripple effect in the game. Over a year after the news was released, the Pac-12 has been pillaged, losing all but four remaining teams (Stanford, Oregon State, Cal, and Washington State).
Things are moving fast in realignment, and rumors for the ACC and what is next for the conference come with that movement. Will the ACC be the next to lose their top programs, or will they find a way to stay above water and bring teams into the conference to compete?
The future is uncertain, but right now, there are winners and losers from what’s happened in college football. According to 247Sports’ recent article discussing the winners and losers from CFB expansion and realignment, the ACC is a winner for now.
“Grant of Rights” is the ad nauseam phrase associated with the ACC this summer as the league’s legally-binding contracts with member schools has ultimately hand-cuffed many from jumping elsewhere. It’s so frustrating for Florida State, the league’s lead cheerleader in wanting to leave, that the Seminoles are exploring how they’re going to pay down the exit fee. This could get ugly quickly for the ACC, whose top-end member schools are wanted by the Big Ten and SEC, but the league hasn’t collapsed just yet.
It’s never a good look to have multiple schools in your conference openly looking for a more attractive girlfriend, but the ACC isn’t sitting on its hands waiting to be dumped. The league is reportedly exploring expansion opportunities, albeit unlikely. Would Cal or Stanford be feasible for the ACC? Are two of the Pac-12’s remaining four members interested? The league has taken an exploratory approach.
The next steps will be interesting to see from the ACC as they have explored adding new members to the conference. The main question is why the delay before it could have seemingly been too late.
What’s next for the ACC is up in the air, but some changes will come.
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