On Wednesday night, the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) presidents chose not to vote on whether to add Stanford and California to the league. This decision has left the universities in a state of uncertainty as they continue to seek an escape from the crumbling Pac-12.
The move to add the Northern California schools would have required 12 votes, which was deemed a tall order. The ACC has also been considering Southern Methodist University (SMU) from the American Athletic Conference as a potential addition.
Stanford and Cal have reached out to officials from the Big Ten, but there has been no movement as yet to add two more West Coast schools to this conference either.
The ACC, currently comprising 15 schools, is exploring ways to generate more revenue for its members while being tied to a media rights contract with ESPN that runs until 2036. The addition of Stanford and Cal could potentially increase the value of the ACC Network by adding large markets like the California Bay Area.
However, the ACC’s revenue distribution has been a contentious issue. Breaking the ACC’s grant of rights, which hands each school’s media rights to the conference, could cost hundreds of millions of dollars.
Meanwhile, the Pac-12 is left with only four schools committed beyond this season. While Cal and Stanford have garnered some interest from another Power Five conference, the outlook for Oregon State and Washington State is far less optimistic.
This scenario underscores the dynamic and complex landscape of college athletics, with significant financial implications and a constant juggle of affiliation and market considerations.