Tag: CAL

Dabo Swinney dishes on ACC expansion

Dabo Swinney shared his thoughts on the ACC’s latest expansion.

The ACC will never be the same as the conference has officially announced the additions of Stanford, Cal, and SMU in 2024-25. 

After weeks of speculation and discussions, NC State was the deciding vote, flipping from no to yes, allowing the addition of these three programs into the conference. Clemson, Florida State, and North Carolina stuck with their votes of no, but in the end, they were outvoted. 

Dabo Swinney met with the media shortly after the decisions and gave his honest opinions on what is happening in the ACC.

“I just focus on what I control. I don’t control any of that stuff, I don’t get distracted by any of that. So I think, not surprised is my reaction,” Swinney said. “Nothing really surprises me anymore when it comes to college football and those are certainly three really good institutions for sure. I guess my biggest reaction would be hey, last time we went to Dallas then to Bay Area, California? Brings back great memories for the Tigers.”

Nothing surprises Swinney anymore; it makes sense. You can only say so much about a topic at some point. We know how Swinney has felt about the changes in college football, and rather than further harp on these things, Swinney is looking at the brighter side of things.

Clemson’s and the ACC’s future is still up in the air, as we have no idea whether this will keep the conference intact. There is still a chance FSU leads a charge out of the conference, but we can only guess what will happen next.

Social media reacts to Stanford, SMU, and Cal joining the ACC

Social media reacts to the breaking news of Standford, SMU, and Cal joining the ACC in 2024.

The ongoing saga of college conferences doing a shake-up continues, with the Atlantic Coast Conference welcoming Stanford, SMU, and Cal to the conference in 2024.

The decision has been looming for weeks, as programs, coaches, players, and fans gave their input on the move as many pondered what the ACC would look like adding distant teams to the conference. In a press release from the school, Chancellor Kevin M. Guskiewicz responded to the decision to bring the three programs to the conference.

“I respect the outcome of today’s vote and welcome our new members to the ACC,” Guskiewicz said. “My vote against expansion was informed from feedback I have gathered over the last several weeks from our athletic leadership, coaches, faculty athletic advisors, student-athletes and a variety of other stakeholders who care deeply about our University and the success of our outstanding athletic program. I look forward to working with all our colleagues in the ACC to ensure excellence in academics and athletics – something our conference has long been known for. ”

There is no denying this addition to the ACC will serve implications. Travel and scheduling will become more challenging, leaving fans to think twice about road games. However, with the bad, there is some good, with exciting new rivals on the horizon while adding more respect to the conference.

Social media had a field day with this topic; let us look at how fans reacted to Standford, SMU, and Cal joining the ACC in 2024.

College football realignment: Social media reaction to Notre Dame getting wish with Stanford, Cal, and SMU

All Coasts Conference?

In August, much was made of Notre Dame pushing for Stanford and Cal to join the ACC.  The Atlantic Coast Conference initially didn’t have the votes to allow the two entry but Notre Dame kept pushing publicly and as a result, Friday morning saw Stanford, Cal, and Southern Methodist voted in as members to the conference starting in 2024.

As you can probably guess, the college football world on social media handled this well.

Here are a few of the best tweets and responses to the news of Notre Dame getting their push through, yet not having to join the ACC for football themselves.

Clemson issues statement on ACC’s expansion, says it respects decision

Here’s what Clemson University had to say about the ACC adding Cal, Stanford and SMU.

Clemson University issued a public statement Friday afternoon after the ACC announced it is adding Stanford, Cal and SMU to the conference in 2024.

“Clemson’s leadership has been aligned and consistent throughout this process, and continues to position our University for long-term success,” Clemson University said in a statement. “We respect the conference membership’s decision and welcome the University of California-Berkeley, Southern Methodist University and Stanford University to the ACC.”

Clemson’s statement comes after it voted “no” to the ACC’s expansion, which was finalized when the conference’s presidents and chancellors successfully voted Friday morning to add Stanford, Cal and SMU, according to On3’s Matt Connolly. To add the three schools, the ACC needed 12 of 15 programs to vote “yes,” a benchmark that was reached when NC State flipped its vote after initially opposing the expansion.

Along with Clemson, Florida State and UNC voted “no” and issued statements of their own.

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Social media reacts: ACC to add Stanford, Cal, and SMU in 2024-25

The ACC has approved the invitations of Stanford, Cal, and SMU to the conference as college football expansion and realignment continues.

College football’s expansion and realignment had its latest significant move happen, with the ACC approving the addition of Stanford, Cal, and SMU to start in 2024.

After weeks of speculation, meetings, votes, and more, the ACC has finally made a move. Reports indicate that while Clemson, Florida State, and North Carolina stuck to their no votes, NC State flipped to yes, solidifying the addition of these three programs. 

The future remains uncertain. There is no telling what happens from here as Clemson, FSU, and more will likely still explore ways out of the conference. It’s anyone’s guess what’s next, but this news definitely has people talking. 

Here is a look at how Twitter/X has reacted to the ACC’s expansion.

ACC expansion: Ranking the three teams joining the conference by value

We ranked the three teams joining the Atlantic Coast Conference with expansion based on value.

The Atlantic Coast Conference is moving forward with expansion, voting to invite SMU, Cal, and Stanford to the conference on Friday morning.

After four programs voted against it, leaving them one vote shy, N.C. State flipped on Friday morning and the vote has now passed. So now what?

The move won’t take place until the 2024-25 academic year, giving the current ACC one more year in its current form. With the additions, the conference now has 18 schools with 17 of those participating in football with every school participating in basketball.

It also means more revenue for the ACC moving forward.

There are a lot of questions still left to be answered and some uncertainty with programs like Florida State, Clemson, and even North Carolina, which all voted against expansion. That will settle itself out over the next few years but expansion will continue to be a hot topic moving forward.

So what do these programs bring to the ACC? We decided to rank the three additions based on overall value using factors such as basketball, football and revenue.

Let’s dive in.

ACC Official Release: ACC adds Stanford, Cal and SMU to the conference

The ACC has made it official. Stanford, Cal, and SMU are joining the conference.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – The ACC Board of Directors voted today to formally admit the University of California, Berkeley (Cal), Southern Methodist University (SMU) and Stanford University to the Atlantic Coast Conference. Cal, SMU and Stanford will join the ACC as full members with full voting participation effective July 1, 2024 (SMU) and August 2, 2024 (Stanford and Cal). The decision followed the submission of letters of application from all three institutions.

The additions of Cal, SMU and Stanford enhance and strengthen the ACC academically, athletically and financially as well as create a true national conference that spans coast to coast. The incoming universities enrich the league’s competitiveness in all sports and further demonstrate the ACC’s commitment to broad-based programs for both women and men. More than 2,200 student-athletes from Cal, SMU and Stanford will join the nearly 10,000 current ACC student-athletes competing at the highest level of intercollegiate athletics.

“This is a significant day for the ACC as we welcome Cal, SMU and Stanford to this incredible conference,” said University of Virginia President James E. Ryan, chair of the ACC Board of Directors. “This expansion will enhance and strengthen the league now and in the future. We greatly appreciate the tireless efforts of Commissioner Jim Phillips throughout this entire process, especially his focus on minimizing travel burdens for student-athletes, and we are excited about the ACC’s collective future.”

“We are thrilled to welcome three world-class institutions to the ACC, and we look forward to having them compete as part of our amazing league,” said ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips, Ph.D. “Throughout the evaluation process, the ACC Board of Directors, led by President Ryan, was deliberate in prioritizing the best possible athletic and academic experience for our student-athletes and in ensuring that the three universities would strengthen the league in all possible ways. Cal, SMU and Stanford will be terrific members of the ACC and we are proud to welcome their student-athletes, coaches, staff and entire campus community, alumni and fans.”

“We are very pleased with the outcome, which will support the best interests of our student-athletes and aligns with Berkeley’s values,” said University of California-Berkeley Chancellor Carol Christ. “We are confident that the ACC and its constituent institutions are an excellent match for our university and will provide an elite competitive context for our student-athletes in this changing landscape of intercollegiate athletics. I want to thank UC president Michael Drake, Director of Athletics Jim Knowlton, and ACC commissioner Jim Phillips, for the partnership, hard work, and leadership that made this agreement possible.”

“This is a transformational day for SMU,” said President R. Gerald Turner. “Becoming a member of the ACC will positively impact all aspects of the collegiate experience on the Hilltop and will raise SMU’s profile on a national level. We want to thank everyone who has helped position SMU for this important moment. Joining the ACC is an historic milestone in our institution’s history, and the start of a new chapter in SMU Athletics.”

“Stanford welcomes the invitation extended by the ACC member universities, and we are excited to join them beginning in 2024,” said Stanford University President Richard P. Saller. “Student-athletes come to Stanford to pursue their highest academic and athletic potential, and joining the ACC gives us the ability to continue offering them that opportunity at a national level. We appreciate the dedicated efforts of Commissioner Jim Phillips and the leaders of the ACC member institutions to create this promising path forward.”

Cal, SMU and Stanford will begin competing in the ACC across their respective sponsored sports beginning in the 2024-2025 academic year. The ACC leads all Autonomy 5 conferences with 15 women’s sports offerings and no conference offers more than the league’s 28 total sponsored sports.

About University of California, Berkeley: 
The University of California, Berkeley, is consistently rated the world’s top public university. The flagship of the 10-campus University of California system, it was chartered in 1868 with a mission to excel in teaching, research and public service. Enrolling more than 42,000 undergraduate and graduate students, the campus has more than 1,500 full-time and 500 part-time faculty members in more than 130 academic departments that offer more than 350 degree programs. The faculty’s outstanding research achievements and scholarship so far have led to 26 Nobel Prizes, and an additional 35 Nobel Prizes have been won by alumni.

Cal Athletics is a broad-based NCAA Division I athletic department that sponsors 30 varsity sports and includes over 900 student-athletes. The department has approximately 300 staff members. Cal Athletics has produced 103 team national championships and 223 Olympic medals. Notable alums include Aaron Rodgers, Jason Kidd, Natalie Coughlin, Marshawn Lynch, Jaylen Brown, Layshia Clarendon and more.

About Southern Methodist University: 
SMU is the nationally ranked global research university in the dynamic city of Dallas. SMU’s alumni, faculty and more than 12,000 students in eight degree-granting schools demonstrate an entrepreneurial spirit as they lead change in their professions, communities and the world.

In the classroom and on the field, SMU Athletics is driving excellence and growth to be among the best athletics programs in the country. SMU brings the highest level of collegiate competition to Dallas, which was recently named the No. 1 city for sports business by the Sports Business Journal, and continues to build on recent success, with all 17 programs reaching the postseason and 15 programs winning conference championships since 2013. SMU is the only NCAA FBS program in Dallas, and has claimed nine overall national championships, almost 200 team conference championships, over 100 individual national championships, more than 150 NCAA top-10 finishes, nearly 2,000 All-American honors and over 150 Olympic appearances. Since 2013, SMU has invested over $250 million to develop and enhance championship-caliber facilities.

About Stanford University:
Stanford University, located in the San Francisco Bay Area, is a place of discovery, creativity, and innovation that is recognized internationally for excellence in teaching, research, and medical care. Stanford’s campus is home to seven schools, a distinguished faculty that includes 20 living Nobel laureates, and more than 7,700 undergraduates and 9,500 graduate students. Stanford’s Department of Athletics, Physical Education and Recreation leads the nation with 134 NCAA team championships, has won the Women’s Capital One Cup four of the last six years, and has achieved the LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup for 26 of the 29 possible seasons. Nearly 900 Cardinal student-athletes compete as members of 36 intercollegiate athletics teams.

About the Atlantic Coast Conference: 
The Atlantic Coast Conference, now in its 71st year of competition and 15 members strong, has long enjoyed the reputation as one of the strongest and most competitive intercollegiate conferences in the nation. ACC members Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina, NC State, Notre Dame, Pitt, Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest continue to build upon the cornerstones on which the league was founded in 1953 with a consistent balance of academics, athletics and integrity. The ACC currently sponsors 28 NCAA sports – 15 for women and 13 for men – with member institutions located in 10 states. In August 2019, ESPN and the ACC partnered to launch ACC Network (ACCN), a 24/7 national network dedicated to ACC sports and league-wide original programming. For more information, visit theACC.com and follow @accsports on Instagram and @theACC on Twitter and on Facebook (facebook.com/theACC).

– Via ACC Communications

REPORT: ACC Leadership to Meet Monday Night About Expansion

ACC presidents have scheduled a call Monday night to discuss & possibly vote on adding Cal, Stanford & SMU

According to Yahoo Sports, ACC presidents have a call scheduled for Monday evening to talk about the possibility of adding Cal, Stanford, and SMU to their conference.

For the expansion proposal to pass, the league requires the support of 12 out of 15 members.

Recently, Commissioner Jim Phillips has been actively promoting a proposal that has received support from officials at Notre Dame, both publicly and privately.

During meetings with athletic directors and university presidents last week, Phillips presented new financial models to support the proposal further.

Stanford and Cal are willing to give up a significant portion of their revenue distribution for several years to join the conference. Starting with a 30% distribution, this amounts to approximately $8 million for each school.

SMU is considering preceding distribution for 7-9 years. Negotiations are ongoing, but this move would result in over $50 million in new revenue from ESPN, a significant boost for the struggling conference.

The ACC’s deal with ESPN has a pro-rata clause that increases the deal’s worth by one Tier 1 share for every new member added, estimated to be worth $24 million.

Adding Stanford and Cal and deducting their expenses means ACC schools can expect a yearly gain of over $30 million.

A decision needs to be made urgently as the CFP commissioners are expected to meet in Dallas on Wednesday to discuss potential changes to the playoff expansion format and revenue distribution model.

College football realignment: Dissecting that Notre Dame-Stanford conference proposal

Nothing brings out the takes quite like Notre Dame conference talk.

If you want to hear unfortunate opinions and brutal ideas then simply search “Notre Dame” on the app formerly known as Twitter whenever college football realignment conversations come up. Because Notre Dame is in a unique position with its football independence, fans and media members alike can’t keep Notre Dame out of their mouths.

Yesterday we looked at former Florida head coach Dan Mullen’s brutal thought that Notre Dame should have saved the Pac-12. Today we go to the land of Andy Staples for another Notre Dame thought.

Staples claimed on Thursday that Notre Dame wouldn’t ever do it, but it should create a football only conference with Air Force, Army, Cal, Navy and Stanford.

That’s not a joke, he actually did.  Below I break down a bit of what Staples had to say before reading some of the social media reaction to his post.