Conference Expansion: Stanford, California and SMU Join the ACC

[Pilchard]

Chris Long talking about Virginia, Carolina, Clemson, and Florida State in talks to join SEC

Edit: referencing a post from another source

The source is a swimming website "SwimSwam". Really find it hard to believe that a swimming website was able to out source all those that spend their careers building connections with conferences, athletic departments and football programs. More likely that a college swim coach speculated and speculation got twisted into a fact.

 

[Biff Tannen]

We're going to get stuck in the Big South because we don't have a swimming and diving team.

 

[cheeseheads12]

Who the F is Brandon Keith?

 

[CHillDeac]

Who the F is Brandon Keith?

Editor of Swim Swam News. He has 6,000 twitter followers.

 

[skinnydeac]

I would like to be in the meeting with those ESPN executives.

Exec #1: Hey you know those teams that we already own the broadcast rights for?

Exec #2: Yeah! What a steal! We definitely got those guys pretty cheap.

Exec #1: What if we paid them nearly double?

Exec #2: Well we can reassess after their next contract.

Exec #1: Screw it. Let's pay them now!

 

[Pilchard]

For 15 minutes, Brandon Keith is a celebrity, and suddenly, more than a handful of swim nerds are aware of SwimSwam. Probably worth it for Mr. Keith to throw it out there first even if it's total speculation.

 

[PhDeac]

He’s probably just regurgitating last week’s rumors.

Elon Musk has 9 kids now. The ACC should go ahead and promise them admission to the ACC school of their choice for a billion each over the next 14 years. That should hold them over.

 

[bym051d]

He’s probably just regurgitating last week’s rumors.

Elon Musk has 9 kids now. The ACC should go ahead and promise them admission to the ACC school of their choice for a billion each over the next 14 years. That should hold them over.

By the time they're in school, Wake will probably be $1B/year.

 

[TimmyClutch]

For 15 minutes, Brandon Keith is a celebrity, and suddenly, more than a handful of swim nerds are aware of SwimSwam. Probably worth it for Mr. Keith to throw it out there first even if it's total speculation.

UNC, Clemson, FSU, UVA to the SEC.....but Miami is left out? Thats where he lost me.

Also, how much fun would it be to be in-house counsel at ESPN, Fox or some of these conferences the next couple weeks. This like a transactional attorneys dream. People finally caring about what the contracts say.

 

[Pilchard]

Here is the SwimSwam article on the alleged move: https://swimswam.com/source-virginia-north-carolina-florida-state-clemson-in-talks-to-join-sec/

Hilarious how its written as if the strength of swim programs in the SEC was somehow a factor in all of this. Swimswam claims that Florida doesn't want Miami to join, and TN doesn't want UNC (without explanation); while KY wants to exclude L'ville.


According to the source, money is a major factor (you think?) along with recruiting clashes. Florida reportedly doesn’t want Miami to join, Tennessee doesn’t want UNC, and Kentucky doesn’t want Louisville. Louisville brings in the second-most revenue among ACC schools. Miami’s revenue isn’t public, but it’s estimated that they are near the top as well — plus they bring a hometown team in a huge market.

The source said that the conversations are still in early stages, but as we’ve seen recently, things can change quickly. USC and UCLA’s surprising jump from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten went from rumor to official news in less than a day. If these early talks eventually become official, this next major shift in conference realignment would send another powerhouse swimming program to the SEC.

 

[PhDeac]

It makes perfect sense why those schools don’t want rival/neighbor state schools as part of their big money cabal.

 

[TimmyClutch]

It makes perfect sense why those schools don’t want rival/neighbor state schools as part of their big money cabal.

But UF is cool with FSU and SC is cool with Clemson? I have doubts that the SEC would listen to the objections of Kentucky over others.

 

[JKW385]

If we are stuck in conference with VT, State, and Duke- we’ll survive somehow

 

[PhDeac]

But UF is cool with FSU and SC is cool with Clemson? I have doubts that the SEC would listen to the objections of Kentucky over others.

FSU and Clemson have three of the last 10 national championships. Hard to keep them out.

 

[Biff Tannen]

Georgia, USC, Florida, and UK have long been rumored to have an informal agreement to keep other schools from their states out of the SEC.

 

[guitardeac]

Apparently its a $200 million fine to leave the ACC. My UNC friends tell me that will not stop them from leaving as that's about 2 years of revenue from the new "conference". Is that fine info correct? The ACC wouldn't also have a legal right to all or a portion of their revenue from the new league?

 

[WFU Lurker]

UNC, Clemson, FSU, UVA to the SEC.....but Miami is left out? Thats where he lost me.

Also, how much fun would it be to be in-house counsel at ESPN, Fox or some of these conferences the next couple weeks. This like a transactional attorneys dream. People finally caring about what the contracts say.

I mean... I don't know that Miami is super desirable to a conference that would already have two Florida schools. They have had one 10 win season since 2004 and don't have a great fanbase when they aren't winning. Yeah, I mean things seem to be headed in the right direction right now, but that's been said before. Many times. And this time it is all based on a really sketchy billionaire that appears out of nowhere.

 

[WFU Lurker]

Georgia, USC, Florida, and UK have long been rumored to have an informal agreement to keep other schools from their states out of the SEC.

Yeah.. and Texas A&M thought they were part of that same agreement.

 

[ipitytheblue]

Apparently its a $200 million fine to leave the ACC. My UNC friends tell me that will not stop them from leaving as that's about 2 years of revenue from the new "conference". Is that fine info correct? The ACC wouldn't also have a legal right to all or a portion of their revenue from the new league?

I may have missed something but if, say, four schools leave and we add four more, would the remaining members split that pot? Would it be an extra ~$50-70 million windfall for WFU?

 

[Sco Deac]

Also, how much fun would it be to be in-house counsel at ESPN, Fox or some of these conferences the next couple weeks. This like a transactional attorneys dream. People finally caring about what the contracts say.

The transactional attorneys write the contracts; the litigators are the ones left to care about what they say... Which claim would be better, tortious interference on the part of the SEC or breach of contract/bad faith by ESPN?