1. Announcement time and actual departure time are two different things. Read the report: "It is expected that there will be declining financial penalties for schools that exit before 2036, with the steepest decreases coming after 2030... But the total cost to exit the league after the 2029-30 season is expected to drop below $100 million, sources said." 2. The domino effect is not very relevant here. The P2 doesn’t invite schools because of a domino effect. Every M2 school will accept an invitation if given. There aren’t that many schools in the ACC that will increase the payout for the P2. I don’t see more than four (plus ND). 3. See my comments in #2. Again, everyone wants to leave, but no invitation means nowhere to go. 4. It’s all about money. Nobody in the ACC would leave for the B12 if the money is less there, and vice versa. The ESPN-ACC contract runs through 2036. The current B12 contract is much worse than the ACC contract. 5. It’s about football because football makes money. In the end, it’s about money—and all about money. 6. The Big East/AAC kept losing schools and backfilling with schools from CUSA. That’s the exact model. As long as the ACC makes significantly more, B12 schools will come. 7. The unstable B12 didn’t have any problem getting AAC schools when it lost so many teams. 8. Again, the ACC contract runs through 2036. It’s not like the ACC has to find a new media contract in 2030/2031 (that’s what happened to the Pac-12; this is a completely different situation). 9. ESPN has already invested so much money in the ACC Network. From ESPN’s perspective, leveraging its platform to the max is more advantageous than partnering with the B12. You always make fun of BC, but there are many (rich) people in Massachusetts. I suspect there are plenty of people in ACC territory who are rich enough to subscribe to the ESPN/ACC Network, even if they don’t watch much sports. This doesn’t impact ratings but helps the bottom line through subscription revenue. 10. No ACC schools will join the Big East, no matter what happens. Football drives the bus. Being independent won’t work for all ACC schools except for ND. ACC schools joining the Big East is a pipe dream from the past.