Sources: ACC ramps up Cal, Stanford, SMU talks

• Pete Thamel, ESPNAug 23, 2023, 05:54 PM ET

The ACC is once again seriously thinking about the potential additions of Stanford, California and SMU, several sources told ESPN on Wednesday.A series of meetings will be held this week to additional vet and go over various monetary models that would include the additions, sources said.The addition of all three schools is being greatly discussed

, in part, because they would come with considerable financial concessions from each of the schools, according to sources. The conversations within the ACC this week revolved around how that additional money would be distributed among conference members.A little group of ACC presidents met Wednesday early morning to discuss different ways to divide that cash, sources stated. More conferences are expected this week to talk through the numerous concepts and designs, however no decisions have been made yet on what that would look like, according to sources.Editor’s Picks 2 Associated A vote of 12 of the 15 ACC schools is required to approve the additions, and simply one brand-new favorable vote is required amongst the block of four– North Carolina

, NC State

, Clemson and Florida State– that has actually indicated dissent versus the move in previous meetings.(No official vote has actually been taken.)One vote of those 4 is required, assuming all of the” yes “votes are lined up with the monetary model.The timeline on a prospective decision on whether to include all 3 schools is fluid, sources stated, but the process is expected to play out over the next week. The flurry of meetings and the diving into information show momentum toward the additions taking place, but sources cautioned the myriad complications that can come with realignment decisions.The financial concessions from the 3 schools will create a pool of money, and the ACC presidents are having conversations on how it would be split. The mechanics of that are still to be worked out, sources said, including an efficiency pool for success initiatives.SMU’s concessions are anticipated to be different from those of Stanford and Cal, including a willingness for the school to take no broadcast media earnings for the very first 7 years it is in the league, sources told ESPN. The concessions for Cal and Stanford will consist of taking a reduced share of the ACC payout, sources stated; both schools are expected to receive the exact same decreased share.The potential additions come at a time when the ACC has appeared increasingly fragmented. Florida State’s management has been singing in recent weeks about needing more money to stay in the ACC, and Clemson’s leadership in current months has actually openly shown a choice for a new monetary design within the league.The underlying disappointment with the higher-end athletic programs in the league comes from the truth that their revenues will ultimately fall nearly$ 30 million behind what schools in the SEC and the Big Ten are expected to make.The ACC television contract with ESPN runs through 2036, a length of time that the league’s leading

programs fear would put them at an unique financial downside from their competitors in the Big 10 and the SEC.The ACC would likely have a swimming pool of tens of countless dollars to potentially offer the schools winning big in football a chance to close that space. But sources warned simply how that earnings is divided is a difficult problem among the 15 ACC schools. A portion of the cash is also being considered to resolve the extra travel.