Sources: ACC meets, still assessing Stanford, Cal

• Pete Thamel, ESPNAug 8, 2023, 05:20 PM ET

The ACC presidents satisfied Tuesday morning about the prospective addition of Stanford and Cal but did not vote on the matter, sources told ESPN. Rather, the league will continue to explore the additions and is “still assessing” the schools, sources said.No decisions are expected imminently, as another call of the athletic directors simply to even more dig into the financial resources is anticipated in the future. A timeline is fluid, according to sources, but it would be surprising if a decision in either case was reached this week.The ACC finished its initial pair of exploratory calls, one of which was with the athletic directors Monday and another with the presidents Tuesday. Those were thought about the first steps in a complex process for a league that finds itself at a compelling crossroads.The ACC’s considerations on Cal and Stanford come amid an interesting minute, as multiple dissatisfied schools need to make a decision within the next week about whether they wish to leave their league in the next week.Editor’s Picks 2 Related There’s an Aug. 15 deadline for schools to alert the

ACC if they

want to leave and alter leagues for the 2024 season, a date that’s been highlighted since of Florida State’s singing misery about league profits.(Also complicating matters was that seven schools– FSU, Miami, Clemson, North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Virginia and NC State– were communicating about options outside the ACC previously this year.)While the general expectations remain that no school will leave right now, the simple possibility and FSU’s vocal discontent leave the league

in a muddled place.The potential of programs leaving has the more entrenched schools within the league contemplating what the next iteration of the ACC might appear like, making unanimity almost difficult to reach within the room. For the ACC to enact Cal and Stanford– if a vote ever arises– it would require three-fourths of the league’s presidents/chancellors to approve, which indicates 12 of the 15 schools.The argument for the move is rooted in the strong credibilities of the schools combined with the concept of there being safety in numbers, particularly at a time of disruption in college athletics.

“I believe the undercurrent is that this is plainly evolving,” one ACC source stated of the collegiate landscape.” For us to sit here and say it’s not going to evolve, or be different than what it is today,

would be truly shortsighted. I’m unsure what schools are going to do, however to sit here and state it’s going to be fixed– that isn’t occurring.”Without the move being considerably financially additive, the assistance is far from unanimous. The expense of travel would need to be dealt with, as the idea of Stanford and Cal getting less than a full share has actually been discussed. Some of that cash could be shifted to take a trip costs.The ACC has actually been typically quiet throughout the latest ripples of adjustment. The SEC strengthened itself two summers ago, with the additions of Texas and Oklahoma coming next year. The Big 10 has included USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington in the past 13 months, with all of them also showing up next year.

The Big 12 has actually included 4 news schools– Colorado, Arizona, Arizona State and Utah– in current weeks, and they likewise will debut in their brand-new league next year.That leaves some aggrieved ACC schools looking for greener pastures, however there are both outrageous exit charges– nearly$120 million per school– and the risk of litigating to recover the rights to their games to think about. The ACC tv agreement is through 2036 and consists of a grant of the schools ‘rights through then, so any exit assures to be

costly and riddled with legal challenges.The ACC schools checking out leaving likewise do not appear to have anywhere to instantly go, which layers the relocation in issues. No league can promise them a spot due to the fact that of the risk of tortious disturbance, and a lot of leagues would wish to see how the legal fights figure out before using an invitation.That leaves the other ACC schools looking for some security, which both Cal and Stanford would represent as strong

academic schools with recognized brands and athletic departments. “The worth formula isn’t constantly tied to cash, “an ACC source told ESPN. “Are we truly going to sit here and say 2 of the best institutions worldwide have no worth? That’s a crazy idea to me. “