When an undefeated conference champion in Florida State failed to make the final four in the College Football Playoffs in 2023, it caused an ACC uproar.
A debate ensued about the possibility of the ACC not being the conference that the SEC, Big 10, and Big 12 are. That similarly led to conversations around the football powerhouses in the ACC leaving for one of those more respected conferences.
North Carolina became an instant football university overnight with the hiring of six-time Super Bowl-winning coach Bill Belichick.
Ryan McGee from ESPN noticed this topic surrounding the hiring of Bill Belichick to Chapel Hill.
Because of its brand, academic reputation, and flagship status for the deep-pocketed state of North Carolina (sorry, Tobacco Road rivals, but it’s true), UNC is also viewed as the sleeping giant of conference realignment. While Florida State and Clemson make their public noise about the potential of moving elsewhere, the Heels are widely considered to be the most coveted ACC target for any league seeking its next cash-covered puzzle piece. A departure from the conference it helped create would be every bit the equivalent of Texas and Oklahoma bolting the Big 12 or USC breaking ranks with the Pac-12.
When it comes to bringing in money for the university, it is football that gets the job done. McGee explains that the football program drives the revenue.
When it comes to redrawing maps and endorsing checks from restructured TV deals, it’s a football-gloved hand that wields the pen. And all of those other universities listed in the previous paragraph have won a hell of a lot more than a handful of Gator Bowls and earned way more than zero conference titles since the Carter administration.
It is yet to be seen if North Carolina will entertain the idea of leaving the ACC for one of the more powerful conferences, but if Florida State or Clemson start jumping ship, it will just be time before the discussion starts.
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