Congratulations to the blog for going nearly a week without a realignment article, but unfortunately it remains a forefront topic that you can’t completely ignore. Here is the current status of ACC expansion with Stanford and Cal.
The four ACC schools that opposed the additions of Stanford and Cal at the Wed. night presidents’ meeting were Florida State, Clemson, North Carolina and North Carolina State, source confirms to @TheAthletic. Would need to flip one of the four to get to 12 yes votes out of 15.
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) August 11, 2023
Well there you go, but why would these four schools be against Stanford and Cal?
This is just an opinion, we don’t go the route of spreading opinions or speculation as fact.
In a vacuum, the expansion makes no sense. Stanford/Cal/SMU further dilutes ACC football, the travel while minimal for ACC programs is still a hassle, and I estimate that the financial gain of Stanford/Cal and SMU joining is only somewhere between 1-5 Million per year.
That said if you’re leaving the ACC in a year or two, why would you care who the ACC adds? I suspect Clemson and Florida State have enough reservations about the GOR and getting out of the ACC in the short term that they don’t want to deal aforementioned issues with ACC expansion, especially the dilution of the football.
North Carolina is a little less clear, but likely has the same concerns as Clemson and FSU.
What is NC State’s reasoning? It could be the same as FSU and Clemson, but they are by far the least certain of the three of having a future home in the Big 10 or SEC. Stanford/Cal/SMU provides a level of future ACC stability due to sheer numbers, so their motive is the most perplexing.
It feels very much like the Wolfpack are simply following along on the coattails of UNC, but why?
In the end, I don’t believe these schools will get added, but I would also say it’s not quite dead either with just 1 vote to flip.
