![]() ![]() And the University of Virginia would be of interest to both leagues. What, you ask, is the next-largest state that doesn’t contain a Big Ten or SEC school? It’s Virginia. That’s a big potential audience down the road. As colleague Matt Fortuna astutely pointed out, North Carolina is the largest state by population that doesn’t contain a Big Ten or SEC team, and the state continues to grow fast. But the SEC also would covet the Tar Heels. Former Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany played point guard for the Tar Heels, and it’s tough to imagine his old league wouldn’t push hard for his alma mater. What about the full members? Let’s start with North Carolina, which is a big, recognizable athletics brand at an academically prestigious university. If they ever want to scrap their cherished football independence, they have a standing invitation from every league in America. Obviously, the Fighting Irish are the biggest prize in realignment. Notre Dame isn’t a full ACC member, but it has most of its sports parked there and is contracted to play five football games a year against ACC opponents. We’ll start with the schools that could draw interest from the Big Ten and SEC. So let’s say that some highly paid attorney at one of the schools found a magic bullet that would disable the grant of rights. There is a schism in the league, and it will make for some unpleasant relationships if everyone is stuck together for 14 more years. That’s the fear among the leaders at ACC schools that do want to compete for championships and have invested as such. The discussions with the Pac-12 of a loose agreement that could create some new revenue streams are a start, but the ACC doesn’t have any options that would come near closing that gap. ![]() This is yet another reason why the ACC continues to scramble to find new revenue streams as it tries to overcome a media rights deal that runs until 2036 and will soon pay less than half what the new Big Ten and SEC deals pay per school. Assuming said contract could be broken by an ACC school, would the SEC and/or the Big Ten be inclined to accept them, and if so, who? For example, Clemson may fit the SEC culturally/geographically, but would adding them make any financial sense? Which, if any, ACC school would be attractive and why? When do you hit the point of diminishing returns?Īs Jay pointed out, whether anyone currently in the ACC could break the grant of rights arrangement and leave is a massive “if.” But if they could, there absolutely would be interest in multiple schools from both leagues in the new Power 2. Great and informative reporting on the grant of rights contracts. The answer? Not anytime soon and probably never. Everyone seems to want to know when Illinois and Vanderbilt are being tossed out of their respective leagues. I haven’t heard anyone in a decision-making position even hint at booting the schools that consistently underperform in football in the Big Ten or SEC. ![]()
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