Reports: ACC looks at addition of Cal, Stanford, SMU

The Atlantic Coast Conference’s expansion plans might include not just Stanford and Cal but also SMU, multiple media outlets reported on Wednesday.

Discussions reportedly are ongoing, with the major issue being how the conference would divvy up incoming revenue. The university presidents, who met on Wednesday, reportedly are looking at multiple ways to determine what each school receives.

Stanford and Cal were put forth as potential new ACC members earlier this month, but the proposal failed to gain the 12 votes needed from the 15 existing schools. Reportedly Clemson, Florida State, North Carolina and North Carolina State rejected the two West Coast schools.

At least one of the dissenters would need to flip its vote in order for the newcomers to be approved.

While Stanford and Cal reportedly agreed to accept a smaller share of league revenues if they land in the ACC, SMU reportedly would be amenable to getting no broadcast money for its first seven years in the league.

The financial distribution is a key point within the ACC, even leaving aside potential newcomers. Florida State University president Richard McCullough said earlier this month that his school deserves a larger share of the pie due to its marketability and television ratings.

“Our goal would be to continue to stay in the ACC, but staying in the ACC under the current situation is hard for us to figure out how we remain competitive unless there were a major change in the revenue distribution within the conference,” McCullough said. “That has not happened. Those discussions are ongoing at all times.”

Cal and Stanford are looking for new homes are the disintegration of the Pac-12 Conference over the past year. UCLA and Southern California kicked off the exodus last summer by announcing their move to the Big Ten. Last month, Colorado moved to the Big 12, and Arizona, Arizona State and Utah soon followed.

Oregon and Washington then relocated to the Big Ten, leaving just Stanford, Cal, Oregon State and Washington State still in the Pac-12.

The ACC last changed its membership in 2014, when Louisville arrived as Maryland exited. Notre Dame is one of the 15, though it maintains independence in football despite playing multiple ACC opponents annually.

–Field Level Media