Stanford and Cal found their lifeboat. They got to the Good Ship ACC and were rescued. They received blankets, hot coffee, and sandwiches. They were taken care of and will survive. Truly and genuinely: Good for them. They weren’t stranded, unlike Washington State and Oregon State.
However, life in the ACC is not going to be completely stable. Florida State wants out of the ACC, and the Seminoles seem to view their situation as a matter of when, not if, they will depart the conference. What will happen then?
If Florida State does leave, that’s a big hit to the ACC football brand. Clemson might want to leave for the SEC. North Carolina could become a central Big Ten target, and Duke might join the Tar Heels. Remember: Former Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany is a North Carolina alumnus. UNC to the Big Ten is not a ridiculous scenario, certainly not in comparison to Stanford and Cal going to the ACC.
Realignment might have slowed down for now, with the only short-term question being the fate of Washington State and Oregon State. However, Florida State is likely to leave the ACC in the next several years. What happens when the Seminoles pack their bags?
People are still bewildered by Stanford and Cal going to the ACC, as you can see below. When you look at how people are processing all of these wild developments, it is clear that no one thinks this is a healthy, sensible way to arrange college sports. Surely we can all do a lot better than this: