The future of the Atlantic Coast Conference could be in jeopardy as the college landscape is rapidly changing. With Texas and Oklahoma heading to the SEC and USC and UCLA heading to the Big Ten, the ACC is a conference to watch with 7 schools already looking to get out of the contract.
Among the schools included in that ‘Magnificent 7’ was the University of North Carolina, and if they were to leave, they reportedly have two conferences that would covet them.
Earlier this week, ESPN’s Pete Thamel wrote what he’s hearing on realignment talk and the latest buzz. In the piece, he talks about UNC and Virginia being two programs that will draw a lot of attention from the Big Ten and SEC:
This is what makes the prospect of landing North Carolina and Virginia integral in both leagues’ down-the-road expansion plans. Outside of Notre Dame, there are no programs that will be as coveted by the SEC and Big Ten thanks to both geography and market.
To be clear, none of this is imminent. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said publicly last year that his league is happy to stay at 16 teams for now. The Big Ten has a new commissioner, Tony Petitti, and a current television deal to iron out. It’s coming off league leaders shooting down a late push by Kevin Warren to bring in Oregon and Washington.
Meanwhile, all 14 ACC teams are tied to the league through a TV contract with ESPN that runs through 2036. And sources around the league are skeptical of an imminent breakaway attempt. It’s just too complicated, given the legal and financial questions.
It makes sense for both to be coveted by conferences and although Thamel notes that nothing is imminent, there continues to be talks about realignment and the future.
One thing that appears certain is that if UNC does leave the ACC, they are going to have options.
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