Three of these programs will have a hard time staying afloat on reduced media payout. Joining The ACC would at least put them in position to collect CPF money when the time comes. But cross-country travel will be torture on their budget. Stanford has no concerns about budget but they have a different issue. The Cardinal are not able to get help from the portal the way other schools do. Their admissions office is a stern gatekeeper. I am not convinced that ACC membership is a positive move for these schools or for the conference. The AAC is courting them. That is also a national footprint enterprise. These four PAC orphans would likely be used exclusively in the late-night window on ESPN+. Rumor is that ESPN would bump the AAC payout. Moving to The MWC would be the least disruptive in the long run. They would be used in the late-night window by FS1 but, at least, here they would share that duty with a sixteen-team rotation, so maybe twice per season. And the football would often be on linear (FS1). Fox has (reportedly) also agreed to bump the payout. Another advantage of The MWC is that there are only two years remaining on the media contract, if opportunities arise for them to improve their lot. The AAC and ACC deals end in 2034 and 2036 respectively. The biggest pill to swallow may be the decision to cling to P4 and struggle status or accept a future (perhaps temporarily) in a G5 world.