Stanford, Cal in limbo as ACC presidents don’t vote on western expansion

The Atlantic Coast Conference presidents chose not to vote Wednesday night on whether to admit Stanford and California to the league, leaving the schools in limbo as they seek an alternative to the collapsing Pac-12, according to two people familiar with the situation.

The individuals spoke on the condition of anonymity because neither the ACC nor the schools would publicly discuss internal discussions.

After three days of meetings, both people stopped short of declaring the league’s exploration of westward expansion dead, but they did agree that getting the necessary 12 votes to add the Northern California schools would have been difficult.

SMU, a Dallas-based American Athletic Conference school, has also been considered for expansion by the ACC.

Cal and Stanford have been looking for a way out of the Pac-12 and into another Power Five conference for days, according to two people with knowledge of the situation.

The Big Ten has yet to commit to adding two more West Coast schools to join Southern California, UCLA, Oregon, and Washington, which are scheduled to join in 2024.

The two people also spoke to AP on the condition of anonymity because the schools’ discussions with the Big Ten were not made public.

The ACC has 15 schools, with Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, being the farthest west. The Fighting Irish are a football independent, but compete in most other sports in the ACC. Louisville is the ACC’s westernmost football school.

The ACC is looking for new ways to generate revenue for its member schools while remaining committed to a media rights agreement with ESPN through 2036.

The ACC’s most recent average distribution per school was just under $40 million, ranking fourth among Power Five conferences, and the SEC and Big Ten are about to take a big step forward with new television deals starting next year.

Bringing in Stanford and Cal could result in two more full shares from ESPN, but the schools would most likely only receive partial payouts, with the incumbent schools sharing the remainder. When Oregon and Washington agreed to join the Big Ten last week, they agreed to receive roughly half of what the other Big Ten schools will receive from the conference.

The ACC Network’s value may rise as a result of the addition of large markets such as the California Bay Area and North Texas.

However, how the ACC divides the pie has been a source of contention in the conference. Florida State’s president went so far as to say the university would be forced to leave the league unless drastic changes were made, which is easier said than done.

Breaching the ACC’s grant of rights, which grants the conference media rights to each school, could cost hundreds of millions of dollars.

The Pac-12 has only four schools committed after this season. While Cal and Stanford have piqued the interest of another Power Five conference, the outlook for Oregon State and Washington State is even bleaker.

Earlier Wednesday, Washington State athletic director Pat Chun lashed out at the Pac-12’s recent leadership, which has lost six schools in the last two weeks after failing to secure a media rights deal that would provide revenue and exposure comparable to the other Power Five conferences.

Colorado, Arizona, Arizona State, and Utah have all announced that they will leave the Pac-12 for the Big 12.

“I believe it has been well documented that the last few weeks were a culmination of years of failed leadership, vision, and implementation,” Chun said. “There was no single factor that led to the demise of the Pac-12 as we know it.” We got here as a result of a series of bad decisions and failed strategies. That’s unfortunate because the student-athletes who advance are the ones who miss out.”

Both the Mountain West and the American Athletic Conference are interested in adding Washington State and Oregon State, but neither of those non-Power Five conferences can provide the same level of revenue that the Pac-12 does.

In athletics, Washington State is facing a $11 million deficit.

“We are a Power Five institution.” Our results indicate that we are a Power Five institution. We’ll do everything we can to keep competing at that level. “And that’s really our goal for the future,” Chun said.

Washington State President Kirk Schulz told ESPN on Wednesday that the school has been in talks with the Mountain West, which may be the best option for the Cougars.

“At Washington State, economics has never had an impact on our ability to perform.” “I believe one of our staff members pointed out to me very clearly that nothing has changed for Washington State,” Chun said. “We are still fighting against schools with more resources than us.” We are still fighting against what people think we should be based on the size of our TV market. And that hasn’t changed for Washington State, and we’ll keep fighting.”