The Atlantic Coast Conference Expands, Adding Stanford, California, and SMU to Its Roster

On Friday, the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) approved the inclusion of Stanford, the University of California, Berkeley (commonly referred to as Cal), and Southern Methodist University (SMU), effective next year. This marks a further step in transforming the ACC into a super conference, incorporating two institutions from the disbanding Pac-12 and becoming the fourth major collegiate sports conference in the United States.

Starting in August 2024, the ACC, which has its historical roots in North Carolina’s Tobacco Road, will bolster its football school count to 17 and 18 in the majority of other sports. Notre Dame will maintain its status as a football-independent school within the conference.

ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips expressed enthusiasm about the new additions in an official statement, saying, “The addition of these three exceptional institutions to the ACC promises to enhance the competitive landscape of our esteemed league.”

The move required the approval of 12 of the ACC’s 15 current members, and the vote was not unanimous. Florida State dissented, citing unresolved issues with the ACC’s revenue distribution model.

Florida State Athletic Director Michael Alford clarified the university’s position, stating, “Our vote against this expansion is not a reflection on the quality of these academic and athletic institutions. We remain committed to new revenue opportunities through the ACC’s incentive-based financial model and appreciate the conference’s responsiveness to our concerns.”

The ACC’s expansion solidifies its reach across the United States, from Boston in the Northeast to Miami in South Florida, extending as far west as Dallas, Texas, and Northern California, where Stanford and Cal are located. The league now stands alongside the Southeastern Conference, Big Ten, and Big 12 in having at least 16 football members.

As for scheduling, Stanford anticipates minimal changes for 22 of its 36 sports. University of California, Berkeley, Chancellor Carol Christ pointed out the ACC’s interest in utilizing Dallas as a central location to minimize travel.

This expansion appears to conclude the most recent wave of reconfiguration among the nation’s wealthiest collegiate conferences. The ACC’s new additions are expected to bring in increased media rights revenue through its extended contract with ESPN, benefiting existing members as well.

Cal announced it would not receive a full share of the revenue for the next nine years, as is often the case for new entrants into a conference.

Financially, the ACC has been behind the Big Ten and Southeastern conferences but leads the Big 12 in terms of total revenue. The ACC reported approximately $617 million in total revenue for the 2021-22 season. The conference’s existing deal with ESPN runs through 2036.

The decision to expand has been under consideration by the ACC for more than three weeks and has stirred debates over revenue distribution, specifically the allocation of new revenues from ESPN among current members.

While not all ACC schools were initially supportive of the expansion, it remains unclear which institutions changed their stance. As recently as Thursday night, two trustees from North Carolina universities publicly stated their opposition to the expansion.

Stanford and Cal are the ninth and 10th schools to exit the Pac-12, which has suffered significant losses due to departures to the Big Ten and Big 12. This leaves the Pac-12 with Oregon State and Washington State as remaining members.

Both Stanford and Cal boast athletic programs that have produced notable Olympians, professional athletes, and Hall of Famers, such as John Elway and Katie Ledecky from Stanford, and NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers and swimmer Missy Franklin from Cal.

Southern Methodist University’s (SMU) entry marks its return to major conference football for the first time since the program was disbanded by the NCAA in the early 1980s as part of sanctions for violating rules on player payments.

Geographically, the new members might be far from the ACC’s traditional footprint, but they share similarities with smaller private institutions like Duke, Wake Forest, and Boston College, as well as larger state schools such as North Carolina and Virginia that are part of the ACC.

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