What are the possible outcomes of the ACC Chairs meeting? Analyzing the latest situation of the realignment drama

There has been a change in the schedule of the ACC Chairmen’s Meeting. The change came about because of a shooting at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill that resulted in a campus lockdown on Monday. After the shooting, police gave the go-ahead for campus activities to resume. However, it is unknown when the meeting will take place.

Before the shooting, the Atlantic Coast Conference board of presidents was scheduled to meet. The board had on its agenda the discussion of a possible expansion of the conference. The discussion would center on the usual names: Stanford, Cal, and SMU.

When this meeting is finally held, what will be the likely results? Will the ACC finally get the necessary number of votes to extend invitations to these schools? If so, what are the financial implications? After all, television money is the main motivation behind the conference realignment.

The ACC needs 12 of 15 votes to carry out its expansion plan for Stanford, Cal and SMU. At the previous presidents’ meeting, five schools voted against the measure: Florida State, North Carolina, Clemson, Notre Dame and North Carolina State. The conference succeeded in getting Notre Dame on their side. But one more vote is still needed.

Our assumption is that the ACC has been able to get the single vote needed to change the status quo. If our assumption is wrong, then the next ACC presidents’ meeting will yield no different results for Stanford, Cal, and SMU than the previous ones.

However, if our assumption is correct, we should look at the financial implications for both the conference and its potential new members. The addition of three new schools is expected to bring ACC an additional $72 million in estimated annual revenue. However, in negotiating their entry into the conference, Stanford and Cal reportedly forfeited most of the revenue due to them.

Similarly, SMU reportedly agreed to give up no less than seven years of revenue, which can still be extended for two more years.

How soon is the ACC chairs meeting?

The next date of the ACC chairmen’s meeting has not been confirmed. But I’m sure it will be soon. The timeline for ACC expansion is already running out, and with reports of a Big 12 intervention looming (unfounded or not), the stakes are higher.

The meeting should end with a much-needed resolution of the issue of expanding the ACC. With that, the focus will be on the college football season, which is already underway.