How does the Big Ten adding USC and UCLA impact Florida State and the ACC? Here's our first look
So much for the Alliance.
The strategic partnership formed between three of the Power Five conferences – the ACC, Big Ten and Pac-12 – last August is essentially dead 10 months later.
Reports surfaced Thursday that the Big Ten plans to pluck USC and UCLA from the Pac-12 in 2024. The Mercury News' Jon Wilner first reported the stunning move, which is expected to shake up the current landscape of college athletics.
UCLA and USC confirmed the news Thursday night.
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The ACC, Big Ten and Pac-12 partially formed the Alliance in hopes to keep conferences from poaching its members. Their partnership came together just one month after the SEC announced the pending additions of Big 12 powerhouses Texas and Oklahoma to its conference.
How the latest news impacts Florida State and the ACC will be worth monitoring. The unpredictable realignment arms race figures to leave no outcome off the table.
The Pac-12 grant of rights contract expires after the 2023-24 academic year, which means USC and UCLA could join another conference without suffering a financial penalty.
The Big Ten is currently negotiating a new TV deal that will begin next fall and reportedly could be worth more than $1 billion.
In 2016, the ACC and ESPN agreed to a 20-year TV deal and rights extension that runs through 2036. The contract, which is worth $240 million, means members of the ACC could pay a heavy price for leaving the conference early.
The earning potential that comes with joining the SEC or Big Ten, though, could ultimately be too lucrative to turn down.
Navigate, a data analysis firm, estimated in March that the average payout distribution for the SEC ($117.8 million) and Big Ten ($101.1 million) would almost double that figure for the Pac-12 ($62.2 million), ACC ($61.5 million) and the Big-12 ($57.5 million) by 2029. Those numbers were projected without the knowledge of USC and UCLA joining the Big Ten.
FCS, Group of Five and HBCU programs could also be impacted by this news.
"Conference realignment is something that every school has to monitor and pay close attention to because it will affect us all, not just HBCUs and other FCS programs," Florida A&M head football coach Willie Simmons told the Democrat.
Twitter reacts to USC, UCLA leaving for Big Ten
Below is a national reaction of the news and how it impacts FSU and the ACC.
Will the Power 5 soon become the Power 2?
Revenue projections from March: https://t.co/j6pfNdD9Gd pic.twitter.com/dJkWxVOg37— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) June 30, 2022
The ACC grant of rights is through 2036 and keeps exiting teams from taking their media revenue to another conference. That figure — believed to be north of $100 million — goes down with each year, and at some point that cost may not outweigh the cost of losing out on SEC money.
— Matt Fortuna (@Matt_Fortuna) June 30, 2022
Pac-12's media rights is coming open soon. All their schools are free agents, in a way.
“If u don’t get out now, you’re stuck like Clemson & UNC in the ACC," source says.
The binding ACC media rights deal has another 14 yrs - unless it expands, which would lead to renegotiation— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) June 30, 2022
This is the last helicopter out of Saigon syndrome. B10 and SEC will be making $80 million per school, at least $30 million more than the next conference. I'd check the leanings of Clemson, Florida State and Miami right now.
— Dennis Dodd (@dennisdoddcbs) June 30, 2022
If this USC/UCLA move happens, the national realignment will affect everybody. How does the Pac-12 respond? What about ACC, which could see Clemson, Florida State and Miami tempted to join SEC. What does Notre Dame, which is partly aligned with the ACC, do? Tons of questions.
— Bill Rabinowitz (@brdispatch) June 30, 2022
The next wave of college realignment is here.
Clemson, Florida St., UNC, NC State...you're all on the clock. https://t.co/OBNh1GnvL1— John Ourand (@Ourand_SBJ) June 30, 2022
Clemson, Florida State, and Miami might as well defect to the SEC now.
The battle between the Big 10 and SEC for UNC is going to be a blast.— Dieter Kurtenbach (@dieter) June 30, 2022
The Alliance was formed last summer in response to the SEC adding Oklahoma and Texas. It was, as we know, a handshake agreement between the Big Ten, ACC and Pac-12 to agree to work together on various issues, to stabilize CFB. Essentially, to NOT poach each other's members.
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) June 30, 2022
Conferences outside the B1G & SEC with member teams that are attractive - hi rev, athletic success, big markets - should be worried those teams will leave for the new Power 2.
Would imagine that includes more Pac-12 teams such as Oregon, and ACC teams such as Clemson, FSU & UNC.— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) June 30, 2022
It’s going to be SEC/ACC and B1G/PAC 12 combining powers. Rather the Big Ten be aggressive than get left in the dust. You can hate it’s all happening (I wish it was still P5) while also understanding you have to Adapt or die
— Big Cat (@BarstoolBigCat) June 30, 2022
The ACC has never needed Notre Dame more than it does right now.
— Grace Raynor (@gmraynor) June 30, 2022
A source told me that if Notre Dame were to withdraw from the ACC, it can play football wherever it wants. It would have to pay exit fee and grant of rights fees for its other sports.
— Heather Dinich (@CFBHeather) June 30, 2022
Reach Carter Karels at ckarels@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter @CarterKarels.
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: How USC and UCLA moving to Big 10 impacts FSU and ACC
