Conference Realignment

[Augusta_Jacket]

That isn't the way the GOR is worded. The ACC owns the broadcast rights for all member schools. The ACC owns the copyright to all of the broadcasts, during and after the broadcast. The Big10 would not be able to negotiate the broadcast of the FSU nor Clemson home games, since the Big10, Clemson, nor FSU would own those rights to negotiate.

That said, there was a Twitter post that said FSU had negotiated a complete buyout for $300 million. I don't believe that to be real. The GOR would have to be modified to let FSU out of it. Any modification of the GOR requires every single member to approve it. There are some schools who are worried about the ACC collapsing and who are unlikely to sign it. There are some schools who would like to leave the ACC also, and they are unlikely to sign off on FSU getting out while they are still stuck. There will not be unanimous approval to allow FSU to leave. There especially will not be unanimous approval to let FSU to purchase their TV broadcast rights back for $150 million. ($300 million minus approx. $150 for the actual buyout amount)

Poorly worded on my part. Should have said the games would still be televised, but under the ACC contract with ESPN and we'd still get all the money from them.

 

[LT 1967]

Let them go to the SEC and see how their fans like struggling to win half their games. The AD's will like the extra money for a while until the sidewalk fans leave them. The brashness of FSU is rather amusing in all this conference churn. It seems like they have wanted to exit the ACC for several years now.

FSU's public whining has hurt the perception of the ACC for years. They make the conference look unstable, plus they leave the conference open to belittlement by the talking-heads
on ESPN and SEC network(Finebaum). The media crowd has already anointed the NEW Big 12 as the #3 conference. This is ridiculous. The new Big 12 is made up of 8 mediocre P5 teams plus FOUR G5 teams. I recently saw an article listing 18 teams who had a realistic chance to win a Natty. The ACC has 3 on that list (CLEM-FSU-MIAMI). The NEW Big 12 has ZERO.

As far as Sports media folks go, Heather Denish to be the lone supporter of the ACC. All the others seem to be searching for a reason to keep the ACC as the weakest conference.

 

[Flajacket]

Since when have random people on Twitter been a reliable news source?

Since when have random people on X been a reliable news source?

Elon asked for it to be correcrted.

 

[Jacket4Life]

Looking at the Clemson board, not a single person believes it to be true. So far all the sources of this so called rumor are nobody bloggers looking for clicks.

 

[Augusta_Jacket]

Looking at the Clemson board, not a single person believes it to be true. So far all the sources of this so called rumor are nobody bloggers looking for clicks.

This. I asked my coworker today who is a Clemson STH and donor and he said he'll believe it when he sees it so I went to the Tigernet boards to check for myself and there is not much chatter at all there about it at all.

 

[g0lftime]

The reality is that FSU and Clemson have a much better chance getting into the national championship playoff out of the ACC. The monetary problems at ESPN may totally change how the various tv contracts are finalized. No need for the networks to get into a big bidding war with a weak rival. Who knows what ultimately happens to the ESPN and Disney ownership. Notre Dame may not have the tv leverage they think they have either.

 

[TampaBuzz]

Let them go to the SEC and see how their fans like struggling to win half their games. The AD's will like the extra money for a while until the sidewalk fans leave them. The brashness of FSU is rather amusing in all this conference churn. It seems like they have wanted to exit the ACC for several years now.

I don't really get the desire to jump into a much more difficult conference; especially if the goal is to make the playoffs and have a chance to get to the championship game. Didn't the rules just recently change that guaranteed a spot in the playoffs for each conference champ? Wouldn't it be easier to win the ACC than hope to get a wild card spot from within the BIG 10 or SEC? If the goal is solely to make money....go for it.

 

[roadkill]

That isn't the way the GOR is worded. The ACC owns the broadcast rights for all member schools. The ACC owns the copyright to all of the broadcasts, during and after the broadcast. The Big10 would not be able to negotiate the broadcast of the FSU nor Clemson home games, since the Big10, Clemson, nor FSU would own those rights to negotiate.

That said, there was a Twitter post that said FSU had negotiated a complete buyout for $300 million. I don't believe that to be real. The GOR would have to be modified to let FSU out of it. Any modification of the GOR requires every single member to approve it. There are some schools who are worried about the ACC collapsing and who are unlikely to sign it. There are some schools who would like to leave the ACC also, and they are unlikely to sign off on FSU getting out while they are still stuck. There will not be unanimous approval to allow FSU to leave. There especially will not be unanimous approval to let FSU to purchase their TV broadcast rights back for $150 million. ($300 million minus approx. $150 for the actual buyout amount)

Unless the ACC is run by complete idiots (insert obligatory comment here), both sides in a negotiation generally have something to gain and something to give. Why would the ACC "negotiate" for less $$?

 

[Richard7125]

I don't really get the desire to jump into a much more difficult conference; especially if the goal is to make the playoffs and have a chance to get to the championship game. Didn't the rules just recently change that guaranteed a spot in the playoffs for each conference champ? Wouldn't it be easier to win the ACC than hope to get a wild card spot from within the BIG 10 or SEC? If the goal is solely to make money....go for it.

I get it. For example, Vandy, South Carolina, Kentucky, and Missouri are never going to make the CFP (there are probably other SEC schools too). They would have a much easier time if they changed to the Big12 or Pac12. I completely understand why they have no desire to jump to an "easier" conference.

 

[TampaBuzz]

I get it. For example, Vandy, South Carolina, Kentucky, and Missouri are never going to make the CFP (there are probably other SEC schools too). They would have a much easier time if they changed to the Big12 or Pac12. I completely understand why they have no desire to jump to an "easier" conference.

I am talking solely about FSU and Clemson. Are you suggesting that FSU and Clemson are like Vandy with no chance of winning a title? It seems to me that their goal in football is a national title every year, so getting in the playoffs is job 1. Hmmm, SEC record is maybe 9-3 or 8-4 depending on schedule. ACC record is 11-1 (Champs). Which gets in the playoffs automatically?

The sad thing is: we may not see historical powers like Texas or USC play for the national title again in our lifetimes because they joined these mega-conferences in the pursuit of dinero. I hope I am wrong!

 

[SOWEGA Jacket]

Man, you guys live in an alternate universe than I do. The ACC is a dead conference not because FSU has whined or because some bloggers say the ACC is a joke, the ACC is a dead conference because the previous leaders were country club short sighted idiots who planted a death bomb on the conference as they strolled out the door.

As for so many of you concerned about “making the playoffs” the playoffs are going to keep expanding so we aren’t that long away from basically most viable teams getting in. Again, FSU, Texas, Oklahoma, etc are doing the exact opposite of what the ACC has done which is think past next week. Let’s face reality, some teams over the years have made very poor decisions (GT) and some conferences have made very poor decisions while other schools (ND) and conferences have made very wise decisions. Hence here we are.

 

[CEB]

Unless the ACC is run by complete idiots (insert obligatory comment here), both sides in a negotiation generally have something to gain and something to give. Why would the ACC "negotiate" for less $$?

Precisely. They wouldn’t. $300m wouldn’t scratch the surface, either... especially if it’s just two teams departing.
If EIGHT teams leave for $300m, that comes close to compensating the other six for what they would’ve made through 2036.
If just two teams are leaving and stranding the other 12, that buy out starts with a “b” and it’s plural.

 

[Oldgoldandwhite]

I have a hard time believing that the pie will increase enough to get larger plus add two more teams to get their share.

 

[Techwood Relict]

some guys also believe strippers like them for who they are.

Everybody likes attention...... Some people just have to pay for it.

 

[CEB]

Everybody likes attention...... Some people just have to pay for it.

To be fair, we all pay for it one way or another.

 

[RonJohn]

Thamel's realignment buzz: Latest on Pac-12, Big 12 and ACC

Is the Pac-12 in danger of losing more teams? Arizona just might hold the keys to its future. Plus, what's next for Oregon and Washington, and how the ACC fits into it all.

www.espn.com

Thamel doesn't seem to be as certain about ACC teams leaving the conference as all of the random people on Twitter. In fact, everything he says highly suggests that nothing will happen in the near future.

 

[Richard7125]

I thought I read the ACC exist fee is $150m and GOR implications (as of 2023) is another $350m. If a school wanted to leave now they are looking at roughly $500m. Why would the ACC negotiate that fee down now? I could see them negotiating with a year or two left, but why would you cut a deal with 13 years left. The school has zero leverage.

 

[Northeast Stinger]

I thought I read the ACC exist fee is $150m and GOR implications (as of 2023) is another $350m. If a school wanted to leave now they are looking at roughly $500m. Why would the ACC negotiate that fee down now? I could see them negotiating with a year or two left, but why would you cut a deal with 13 years left. The school has zero leverage.

Minor hypothetical side note but what would the ACC do with that extra $1 billion they would get from Clemson and FSU leaving? I wonder because the ACC has never gone out of it’s way to help Tech and I just don’t see that extra money doing anything to actually help the remaining members.

Yeah, I’ve discovered that I have bad attitude toward the ACC after years of pulling for the conference and wanting them to be better.

 

[bobongo]

Minor hypothetical side note but what would the ACC do with that extra $1 billion they would get from Clemson and FSU leaving? I wonder because the ACC has never gone out of it’s way to help Tech and I just don’t see that extra money doing anything to actually help the remaining members.

Yeah, I’ve discovered that I have bad attitude toward the ACC after years of pulling for the conference and wanting them to be better.

Wouldn't the money be split evenly among the remaining members of the conference?

 

[CEB]

I thought I read the ACC exist fee is $150m and GOR implications (as of 2023) is another $350m. If a school wanted to leave now they are looking at roughly $500m. Why would the ACC negotiate that fee down now? I could see them negotiating with a year or two left, but why would you cut a deal with 13 years left. The school has zero leverage.

Bolded part 100%.
No idea what or where you read the dollar amounts and I’m not disputing it (well, maybe a little) BUT, if I’m an ACC team that is not likely to land in a better revenue situation, I want to hold like crazy to the GOR and the ESPN deal. WHAT FOLLOWS IS RAMPANT SPECULATION.
ESPN deal paid $40m+ last years figures I saw. For 12 years, ONE TEAM’S total deal value is $480m. I get that will drop in net present value, but the reality is that no departing team will pay it all up front.
At any rate...Let’s say you agree to a one time payment for 50% of that total value and let’s say 10 teams aren’t jumping at the chance to sign away GOR.... that’s $2.4B. If four departing teams split that, it’s $600m each for them to get GOR to go away. Then you have to tackle the buyout, which is 3x the annual payout ($120m is what I’ve heard, but annual payments are increasing, so it could increase also). A whole lot of speculation here, but my gut puts today’s figure at $700-$750m.... and that’s with 4 teams leaving.
If more teams want out, that drops.
Each year that drops also, as total value of contract decreases.
To your point; the duration of remaining contract is the biggest impediment. There is a deal to be had if people really want out, but it will be several years to get everyone on board with the value of that and maybe a couple more years until someone can actually afford to pay it.
I don’t see a mass exodus nuclear option exercised to blow up the GOR... that lawsuit will take longer than the contract!