California and Stanford have shown interest in joining the ACC, industry sources tell CBS Sports. What’s not known is whether the interest is being reciprocated by the conference.
ACC athletic directors were scheduled to meet to discuss the schools’ viability on a Monday call. ACC presidents meet later this week on the subject. It’s not clear whether either meeting includes exclusive discussion of expansion. The talks are considered preliminary at this time, but as we’ve seen over the last couple years, realignment can accelerate quickly.
Furthermore, the University of California Board of Regents has scheduled a meeting at 10 a.m. ET on Tuesday to discuss its Pac-12 membership.
Cal and Stanford potentially moving across the nation to the easternmost power conference could be the first significant piece of fallout from last week’s significant realignment moves. The Northern California programs have apparently been left out by the Big Ten in any potential plans for further expansion as the Bay Area is considered to be overrated as a television market, industry sources tell CBS Sports.
The Pac-12 was all but killed last week when Oregon and Washington left for the Big Ten with Arizona, Arizona State and Utah following Colorado by moving to the Big 12 — all at the start of the 2024 season. USC and UCLA had previously decided to join the Big Ten that season.
Why the ACC?
The biggest question in a potential addition of Cal and Stanford by the ACC is whether expanding with those programs would bring enough prominence into the conference to raise the average annual value (AAV) of its media rights contract with ESPN. ACC schools are presently scheduled to earn $30 million from the deal, less than the Big 12 average ($31.7 million) and about…
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