Is momentum picking up for Stanford, Cal to join ACC?
As conference realignment once again rocked the college athletics world, the Atlantic Coast Conference stood pat despite rumors of programs wanting to leave.
The ACC held meetings about potentially adding Stanford and Cal out of the Pac-12 and even SMU as a package deal. While those talks stalled last week, a new report suggests momentum is picking up again to add those programs to the ACC.
Per Pac-12 inside Jon Wilner, there could be some news this weekend on potential movement in the ACC:
My hunch is the next 24 hours will provide clarity on the ACC front — and that momentum is currently trending in favor of the Bears and Cardinal. But we shall see. https://t.co/EwQhL1ECy8
— Jon Wilner (@wilnerhotline) August 17, 2023
Now, that was tweeted on Thursday afternoon and there hasn’t been much on the subject since. The Associated Press also reported that Stanford and Cal would take a discount to join the conference, seeking to get out of the Pac-12 as it dies:
Leaders from Stanford, California, Oregon State and Washington State spoke Thursday, and Stanford told its colleagues it had informed the ACC that it would be open to joining the conference at greatly reduced or even no media rights payout for several years, a person familiar with the discussions told The Associated Press
Just last week, the ACC voted against adding the programs as four schools opposed it. The conference needs just one of those four to vote the other way to get it approved and so far, there’s been no change.
As it appears to be in limbo still, it’s a situation worth monitoring moving forward.
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