More conference realignment talk

[muwarrior69]

From The Athletic: ACC's legal settlement with FSU, Clemson reveals 'super league' escape clause

Excerpt: "Suppose at least six members want to leave the same sport to join a "single sport league, conference or other association" alongside other schools. In that case, they'll owe $75 million or 50 percent of the current withdrawal figure (whichever is greater). In practice, that would allow, say, Florida State, Clemson, Miami, North Carolina and a few other top programs to leave for a super league in football while remaining ACC members in basketball, baseball and every other sport."

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6472151/2025/07/03/accs-legal-settlement-with-fsu-clemson-reveals-super-league-escape-clause/

So Syracuse, Pitt and Duke could join the Big East and play football with ACC?

[WhiteTrash]

So Syracuse, Pitt and Duke could join the Big East and play football with ACC?

BE is not a single sport league.

[MarquetteMike1977]

NM

[MarquetteMike1977]

Grand Canyon is joining the Mountain West immediately. They left the WAC to join the WCC, but when the Mountain West offered, decided to rescind the acceptance of the WCC invite leaving them without a conference this season. Now that is resolved.

School will transition immediately as stated instead of July 2026 as scheduled

[DFW HOYA]

So Syracuse, Pitt and Duke could join the Big East and play football with ACC?

No, but in theory, Duke, Syracuse, Pitt, Wake, BC, SMU, Cal, and Stanford could create a football-only G5 league and park their other sports elsewhere. The Big East wouldn't need or want all of them, but that's an out-clause too big to ignore.

[The Sultan]

No, but in theory, Duke, Syracuse, Pitt, Wake, BC, SMU, Cal, and Stanford could create a football-only G5 league and park their other sports elsewhere. The Big East wouldn't need or want all of them, but that's an out-clause too big to ignore.

How many schools would have to vote "yes" for the ACC to no longer sponsor football?

[TallTitan34]

This may be a dumb question but what is to keep every ACC school from creating football only ACC2 and get a WAAAAAY better media deal while also creating ACC3 to park all of their other sports in?

[The Sultan]

This may be a dumb question but what is to keep every ACC school from creating football only ACC2 and get a WAAAAAY better media deal while also creating ACC3 to park all of their other sports in?

There is likely a threashold of schools who would suffer financially from being in a second tier football conference and would therefore not vote for that to happen.

[DFW HOYA]

How many schools would have to vote "yes" for the ACC to no longer sponsor football?

Of the current lineup, 13 of 17, based on  the ACC's 75 percent rule on bylaws changes and ND does not vote on football. But, much like the anomaly when teams left the Big East and it forced the AAC schools to sell while they could, that number would change if multiple teams gave notice.

Given how high the threshold is to make changes, I'm really surprised that this out-clause ever got approved. It signals that a lot more schools than Clemson and FSU are exploring opportunities elsewhere.

[WhiteTrash]

This may be a dumb question but what is to keep every ACC school from creating football only ACC2 and get a WAAAAAY better media deal while also creating ACC3 to park all of their other sports in?

Disney's lawyers.