SMU2006

Hard to fill seats with opponents no one has heard of and/or cares about in a sports market like Dallas. As illustrated by three sellouts already (TCU, BYU, FSU) if teams that actually matter are coming that gets people interested.

Memphis academics are a 100% non-starter for the SEC. They are prime Big 12. Mediocre media market and poor academics will align well there. USF and Tulane are intriguing. USF especially given their financial commitment and AAU status. FAU, ECU, Charlotte, and Temple have a better chance of going to the NFC East than the ACC.

SMU is closing in on 20k season tickets sold and hasn't played a down of football in the ACC. Try again.

Considering the Power Four are a year or two away from a complete breakaway this might be the understatement of the century.

What's sad is the ball carrier in that picture would be RB1 at North Texas.

Its not about increasing the media rights value. Strength in numbers and adding schools that fit the profile academically. Memphis is absolutely a non-starter for the ACC. USF, however, is an AAU school that is already in the ACC geographic footprint as well as being in a major media market. USF is committing the necessary resources to build an on-campus football stadium as well. The question will be can USF go without media rights revenue? I highly doubt it. Nothing will happen until FSU/Clemson actually find a way out of the ACC. Pete Thamel reported today that there would be no departure before the 2025-2026 season (almost certainly because FSU/Clemson know they are about to get eviscerated in their North Carolina lawsuit). As to when they are actually able to wiggle off the hook? That's anyone's guess but its likely a 7-10 year process not 2-3.

SMU has been ranked in football four of the last five years and currently has a borderline Top 30 recruiting class without playing a down of P4 football. We also just hired away a sitting Big 10 head coach for basketball who has been to multiple Sweet 16's and an Elite 8. Revenue is for poverty programs. Billionaires are a fun cheat code right? But I do enjoy the copium.

Super majority of ACC schools voted SMU into the ACC. As far as buying its way its not that different than CAL/Stanford taking 30% shares as well as Oregon/Washington taking vastly reduced shares in the Big 10. You do what you have to do to avoid being left for dead (AAC).

That's why it was so important for the league to expand when it did. If membership falls below 15 members ESPN reserves the right to renegotiate the standing contract that runs through 2036. Also, there is going to be a very, very long legal fight for both FSU and Clemson to get out of the league. Even if there is an agreement for them to exit it could take several years to actually iron out all the details. Hypothetically they could both announce tomorrow that they are leaving the ACC and still be playing in the league for another 5-6 years. Time is on the ACC's side. They can afford to let this thing play out through the legal process while the price of poker keeps going up for FSU/Clemson.

The solution is unequal revenue sharing and a compensation model dependent upon performance on the field/court. There is also the very real likelihood that if the FSU case is heard in North Carolina that the judgment could essentially bind FSU to the ACC for the full duration of the contract. That's why they are desperate for a ruling in Florida venue (which they will not get). Who knows what will eventually happen but if I had to guess FSU and Clemson negotiate their way out of the ACC in the 2030-2032 time frame. They'll forfeit the remaining years of TV revenue as well as the rights to their home games through 2036. The ACC will use that $200-300m war chest to lure Utah and Arizona as travel partners for CAL/Stanford. Both schools rely heavily on CA for students and long for the academic affiliation with CAL/Stanford. Utah has already made comments suggesting its time in the Big 12 could be short, especially if Yormark goes the private equity route.

The ACC has a GoR through 2036 and enough members that want the league to survive that its not going to collapse in 12 years let alone 2. One of the main reasons the ACC expanded with three schools is to keep the league above the 15 minimum in order to maintain the existing deal with Disney/ESPN. You've also added three ironclad votes in favor of keeping the league together. The ACCN is a boon for ESPN with nearly 50m subs. They are heavily incentivized to see the ACC survive. Further, Notre Dame's independent status in football and ACC membership for all other sports is vital for them. ND was one of the biggest proponents of adding SMU/Stanford/CAL. In your doomsday scenario there are still going to be a handful of ACC schools with nowhere to go. SMU would likely band together with them and raid Oregon State, Washington State, Memphis, San Diego State, Tulane, and South Florida to make something out of the rubble.

The PAC-12 needs to become the de-facto "best of the rest" conference which may still maintain access to the playoff in a post P4/G5 split. That should be the goal. To do that they'll need to get at least 12 (probably 14-16) schools from the MWC/AAC. West - SDSU, Fresno State, Boise State, UNLV, Oregon State, Washington State, Colorado State, Air Force East - UTSA, North Texas, Memphis, Tulane, South Florida, East Carolina, Navy, Army

I actually agree with you here. PAC needs to expand with a combination of MWC/AAC teams. North Texas needs to make sure its as attractive as possible b/c its probably happening in the next 2-3 years.