The Big Ten officially expanded its membership to 18 members this summer with the additions of Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington from the fallout of the Pac-12’s implosion, but the rumor mill never slows down when it comes to possible future expansion. The Big Ten appears to be publicly settled on its current 18-team membership, but the door will always remain open for more moves if the opportunity arises. The ACC is in the spotlight as a potential conference on the verge of seeing schools leave for greener pastures.
Florida State and Clemson have ignited the ACC chaos with legal battles in court over the conference’s grant of rights, and other schools around the conference are monitoring the situation closely. North Carolina has been one of the big names on the radar and college football analyst David Pollack feels the Tar Heels would be a natural addition for the Big Ten.
“I’ll throw a couple of other teams at you, too. North Carolina has value; that’s a perfect Big Ten team,” Pollack said in an interview on Outkick recently. “North Carolina, I could see in the Big Ten. North Carolina and Virginia, those two teams to me end up in the Big Ten.”
A pairing of North Carolina and Virginia would make sense for the Big Ten given the academic reputation of both schools, but the UNC brand would be the real heavy hitter in that combo. North Carolina has the biggest national brand appeal in any potential realignment changes moving forward outside of Notre Dame. Any addition that involves North Carolina would likely pair nicely with the Big Ten’s previous addition from the ACC, Maryland. Virginia would bridge the gap between Maryland and North Carolina on the map as well.
Another school from the ACC to keep an eye on is Miami, a school that reportedly would make a big push for a Big Ten invite if the door to leave the ACC cracks open.
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