Report: UNC system Board of Governors gains power to control conference moves for state schools

Conference realignment has been a hot topic in college sports in recent years, with Florida State becoming the latest university to seek a new home. If North Carolina joins the Seminoles in attempting to leave the ACC, it will now be a more difficult process to leave.

The UNC system Board of Governors has gained the power to control conference moves for state schools, according to the Raleigh News & Observer.

Universities in North Carolina must now get approval from the system president before changing conferences. Per the News & Observer, the chancellor of the school looking to move conferences must give the system president advance notice and provide a financial plan for the move.

Schools in the UNC system include: Appalachian State, East Carolina, Elizabeth City State, Fayetteville State, North Carolina A&T, North Carolina Central, University of North Carolina School of the Arts, NC State, UNC Asheville, UNC Chapel Hill, Charlotte, UNC Greensboro, UNC Pembroke, UNC Wilmington, Western Carolina and Winston-Salem State.

Once the president receives the plan from the chancellor of a school, he can either approve or reject it. If it is approved, the process still isn’t complete. The president then delivers the plan to the Board of Governors. They could end up having a vote for final approval.

Per the News & Observer, if the plan is not approved, the school must restart the process with a new financial plan.

There are four Power 5 conference universities in the state of North Carolina in UNC, NC State, Wake Forest and Duke. All four schools are currently in the ACC.

Wake Forest and Duke are private schools, while UNC and NC State are a part of the North Carolina system.

NC State and North Carolina were on opposite sides last summer when the ACC voted on potentially adding Cal, Stanford and SMU to the league. The Wolfpack voted to add the schools, while UNC voted no. Ultimately, the schools were added, with NC State serving as the swing vote.

North Carolina is reportedly interested in leaving the conference, although NC State has been quiet about its future. The change on Thursday could make it more likely that NC State and UNC remain in the same conference for years to come.

North Carolina governor Roy Cooper is on record as saying he wants the schools to remain in the same league.

“I would hope that would not happen and that would not be good for our state,” Cooper recently told WRAL when asked if UNC and NC State could play in different leagues.