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.

[The Sultan]

Louisiana Tech moving from CUSA to the Sun Belt to replace Texas State. Apparently this is a big deal in Louisiana since the schools in Monroe and Lafayette never have seen Tech as a peer.

Anyway, poor Western Kentucky. If I were them I would see if the MAC would still be interested in them because CUSA is just a collection of crap.

[Uncle Rico]

https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/aac-changes-name-to-american-conference-introduces-mascot-soar-as-part-of-rebranding-intiative/

The American is soaring to new heights

[GoldenWarrior11]

https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/aac-changes-name-to-american-conference-introduces-mascot-soar-as-part-of-rebranding-intiative/

The American is soaring to new heights

They must have hired the same company that came up with the Gold.

[Scoop Snoop]

https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/aac-changes-name-to-american-conference-introduces-mascot-soar-as-part-of-rebranding-intiative/

The American is soaring to new heights

Their mascot needs a baseball cap.

[tower912]

Make American Conference great again.

[The Sultan]

How can Soar actually soar when he is apparently wearing a full football uniform?

Oh and I've been in higher education long enough to know that someone, somewhere is REALLY proud of this:

"A brand is more than a name," commissioner Tim Pernetti said in a release. "Over the past year, we stepped back, listened, and involved our community." Pernetti said. "That's how real, lasting identity is built. We're not slick, we're strong. This brand defines who we are, service and mission-driven institutions of higher learning with highly competitive athletics and deeply committed leaders. The student-athletes and their experience will always be our north star."

[tower912]

If that conference does poorly, does the mascot become a Soar Loser?

[The Sultan]

Our national symbol doesn't lose pal.

It rigs the game for their benefit, and then blame the media when people find out about the rigging.

[The Sultan]

Apparently Memphis approached the Big 12 with a proposal that it would secure $200 million in additional sponsorship dollars over the next five years and take no conference distribution during that time as well.

They were turned down.

[WhiteTrash]

Apparently Memphis approached the Big 12 with a proposal that it would secure $200 million in additional sponsorship dollars over the next five years and take no conference distribution during that time as well.

They were turned down.

$200M doesn't buy what it used to.

Seriously, what is the issue with Memphis? I couldn't care less about the Tigers, but that seems to be a compelling offer.

[The Sultan]

$200M doesn't buy what it used to.

Seriously, what is the issue with Memphis? I couldn't care less about the Tigers, but that seems to be a compelling offer.

If you look at the additions the Big 12 made a few years ago (Houston, BYU, Cincinnati, UCF), Memphis as a smaller athletic budget and enrollment, and is a worse football program. Memphis also has the second smallest endowment, but UCF makes up for that with 60,000 students.

With an endowment of $350 million and 20,000 students, that's more of a profile of a UWM than it is a Houston or Cincinnati.

[WhiteTrash]

If you look at the additions the Big 12 made a few years ago (Houston, BYU, Cincinnati, UCF), Memphis as a smaller athletic budget and enrollment, and is a worse football program. Memphis also has the second smallest endowment, but UCF makes up for that with 60,000 students.

With an endowment of $350 million and 20,000 students, that's more of a profile of a UWM than it is a Houston or Cincinnati.

Makes sense. Thanks.

[DFW HOYA]

It's not $200M in cash, it's $40M a year in sponsorship from Fedex, Autozone, and the like. To which the B12 would rightly ask, "What else is there?"

Is $2.5 million of FedEx and Autozone ads per school worth adding them in every sport? No.

[The Sultan]

It's not $200M in cash, it's $40M a year in sponsorship from Fedex, Autozone, and the like.

Right. That's what I said.

[cheebs09]

Their mascot needs a baseball cap.