ACC considering adding Stanford, Cal and SMU in latest realignment craze | College Football Enquirer
Yahoo Sports’ Dan Wetzel and Ross Dellenger, and Sports Illustrated’s Pat Forde hop on the College Football Enquirer to discuss the possibility that the ACC could add Stanford, Cal and SMU, and debate what benefits each of those schools would bring to the conference.
Video Transcript
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DAN WETZEL: The ACC is kicking the tires on Cal, Stanford, and-- as our Ross Dellenger reports-- SMU. Ross explain how Cal, Stanford, and SMU make any sense.
ROSS DELLENGER: Yeah, how does this make sense? And from talking to folks within the ACC, I think there's a few reasons. One, some I think believe there's strength in numbers, so to speak. And if everybody around you is doing it, hey, might as well do it too, right.
The Big Ten's up to 18. The Big 12 and SEC will be at 16. This is clearly a consolidation race. So there's that, number one.
Number two, you've got some schools in the ACC, as we reported back in May, seven schools that talked amongst themselves about leaving the league or trying to find a way out of the league, specifically Florida State that's been vocal, and Clemson, and maybe Miami, that might eventually challenge to get out, challenge the grant of rights. Certainly, Florida State has pretty much said that publicly. So if you think you might lose members-- you're kind of maybe getting ahead of some maybe defectors down the line here.
PAT FORDE: A couple of things here. Yeah, like in a rational world, it makes no sense, but this is not a rational world. You have two desperate schools in the bay area, who do have things to offer, two of the elite academic institutions, two of the elite all-sports institutions in a populous area, in an affluent area that people, especially university presidents like to be aligned with. With the ACC, they have been locked in this gridlock, this stasis.
You need something to break the status quo. And if you can get into that late night TV market on Friday night, Saturday night, that might be a way into your ESPN contract to get more money without dissolving the grant of rights and letting Florida State just walk, and Clemson, and Miami, and North Carolina whoever may want to walk. This could be a way.
Is it going to make Florida State happy? No. Is it going to make you a bunch more money? Probably not, but as Ross said, if there's a jeopardy of losing schools, you're adding them to hedge against that. And you are finding a way into a different window for a broadcast entity.
So if you're Cal and Stanford, it's the life raft you're looking for. Again, not ideal by any stretch, but it's a chance to remain viable as a power conference athletic program.
DAN WETZEL: I guess you add SMU because you got to add somebody. Yeah.
PAT FORDE: What I have been able to gather is SMU is on a slower track.
DAN WETZEL: Yeah.
PAT FORDE: Whether they get there or not, the primary focus right now is Cal and Stanford, but SMU has been discussed.