Report: ACC expansion under serious consideration with major concessions from SMU, Cal, Stanford

According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, ACC expansion is once again under “serious consideration” by league members. The Cal Golden Bears, Stanford Cardinal, and SMU Mustangs are receiving the most attention as the ACC is looking to add three new schools.

“Sources: The potential additions of Cal, Stanford and SMU to the ACC are again under serious consideration by the ACC,” Thamel said via Twitter. “A small group of ACC presidents met Wednesday morning to discuss financial models that would come with the additions.

“Those models are expected to include significant financial concessions from the school that will be added.”

At the current moment, Cal and Stanford are in a bit of no man’s land. The Pac-12 will crumble in front of their eyes ahead of the 2024 college football season. Four conference foes will be off to the Big 12 while another bunch head to the Big 12. A window of opportunity could be opening with the ACC.

SMU, on the other hand, is currently a member of the American Athletic Conference. For years, the Mustangs have been trying to break into Power Five football. Prior to the ACC, the Pac-12 was considered an avenue for the program.

Thamel also reports four current ACC schools are potentially in the way of the trio joining — Clemson, Florida State, North Carolina, and NC State. Just one of the four schools needs to vote yes and the ACC will have three new members. A decision could be made within a week, just days before the conference gets the 2023 season underway.

ACC schools discussing financial models with three new members

If Cal, Stanford, and SMU were to join the ACC, Thamel reports the conference would bring in a large “pool” of money to split up. A model to distribute the cash is being discussed by conference presidents, with not everything being even.

Thamel says SMU would be willing to go without broadcast media revenue for the school’s first seven years in the ACC, leaving more for the other 16 members. However, there is a possibility for a “performance pool” in which more successful football programs can earn a few more dollars.

“There’s expected to be a pool of money created from these additions, and the ACC presidents are discussing how the money would be split,” Thamel said. “The mechanics of that are still to be worked out, including a performance pool for success initiatives.”