Don't know if Jim Phillips would go for it, but Disney/ESPN could make it worth the ACC's while to take some from the PAC12 to satisfy ESPN's need for the West Coast as well as increase the ACC payout and satisfy the new additions from the West Coast too. I don't necessarily care for that travel scenario for the ACC, but if the money is there it could be done. I'm sure some of the top academic folks in the ACC would love to bring Stanford/Cal Berkeley into the fold, and those two would probably feel the same. I don't know the right number 2, 4, etc.

playing sports with Stanford and/or Cal? (answer: none)

It is the undergraduate Consortium that sponsors events such as the Inventure Prize, the Meeting of the Minds Conference, and the debate competition. Much of these had setbacks during the Pandemic where they were cancelled, but most expect it to ramp up again. Plus the regular communication of the Presidents and Faculty Groups of the conference would be desired. Collaboration would be of interest to the administrations of the member universities, and I know they would welcome further ties with Cal and Stanford.

but the number of faculty who care about that is undoubtedly limited and the benefit is small. Is there really regular (academic) communication between presidents and faculty groups in the ACC? What are they discussing? Collaboration has nothing to do with athletic affiliation. Playing Stanford on athletic fields/courts doesn't make it any easier for faculty to work together. Faculty collaborate with whom it makes sense for their research. It doesn't matter if they're in the ACC, Ivy League, or Sun Belt.

Just as the ACC facilitates the regular communication between the Athletic Directors and Coaches, it also does the same with the Administrations and Faculties. Much of it became Zoom calls during COVID, but I'd imagine they will get back to meeting again. The communication is significantly more with other members of the conference than with other non members. There is communication via the AAU and its events for those that are part of that organization, but I still think there is more with the other conference members. I don't know what they discuss. They talk about whatever Provosts like to talk about.

I've never heard anyone say anything about conference affiliation with respect to academics. 10+ years as faculty and in administration (including the Provost's Office at VT). Quite literally never. How do you know there are meetings yet have no idea what they talk about? I don't want to be too argumentative, but my experience tells me very clearly that athletic conference membership is a nothingburger academically. It's fascinating that something that makes zero sense to me is bought into so readily by so many. The AAU is completely different because they are actually an academic organization.

I'd love to see Cal and Stanford but 4 (w/ Oregon and Washington) might be better for scheduling/programming. ND might also be a little less of a slam dunk to B1G down the road. Would also put Big 12 in the driver's seat to essentially finish the job and dissolve the PAC I can't imagine ESPN wants this to end with zip on the west coast...suspect Disney would like that even less.

But don't have any inside info. I was looking at going down list of most populous states in PAC12 because of ACCN subscribers. In order: California, Washington, Arizona, Colorado, Oregon, Utah. Oregon might go out of order due to Phil Knight's money. Stanford, Cal-Berkeley, Washington, Arizona, Colorado, Oregon, Utah. Take 5 with ND or take 6 without ND. ** Edited by HOO86 at 2/14/2023, 8:17:57 PM

Now who knows. He might be a train wreck there, or he might revolutionize recruiting and winning. And as a result, he might not be there long. But with that being said, I just think "Prime Time" getting East Coast exposure in a nationally competitive league would lift all boats in this potential conference. Yeah, I hope if the ACC looks west, that they take more rather than less schools. I just think getting Cal and Stanford alone is a (greatly) watered down version of what the B1G did. Just two West Coast teams to me isn't enough to generate regional and national interest. And like I said in an earlier post, I'd take all 10 schools remaining if the price was right. But I'm afraid it wouldn't be. But maybe 6 would be great. I would love UW, UO, either AZ school, Colorado, and Cal in particular. Throw in Utah, and that's six schools from 6 states. Not too shabby. ** Edited by Maroon Baboon at 2/15/2023, 8:09:32 AM ** Edited by Maroon Baboon at 2/15/2023, 8:21:56 AM

Stanford, Cal, Washington, Oregon and one more of (Arizona/Utah). That's at least 5 West Coast teams that forms their own pod/group. $$$$$ would have to be right for all parties involved of course! Keeps the ACC in the P3 conversation

Even if new money made was only marginal after travel offsets. ACC football is stale and it's only going to get worse with this crazy-long and crazy-mediocre TV deal and GOR. We could use some fresh faces in new regions to play in conference. As a fan, I would LOVE to go to Husky Stadium and to Cal's Memorial Stadium. Both bucket list destinations for me. Colorado would be fun, too. But I, too, don't know the right number of teams to take. I think you have to take enough to give the new members some good west coast travel partners. But of course, you can't take so many that you operate at a loss. These new teams would also be stuck in the same ACC contract till 2036 that we are. So the price needs to be right for them, too. I'd take all 10 if the price was right. But I'm afraid it wouldn't be. I feel bad about Oregon State and Wazzu who seem to be left out of all these conversations. OrSt is going through a big stadium renovation too. Just doesn't seem fair. BTW, if you ask me, "who would you rather play Arizona State and Oregon, or Pitt and Wake?" I'll take ASU an UO without hesitation. And not that they would put us in the 10pm EST slot, but sign me up for Pac12-ACC After Dark in, say, Tucson. Question: let's say we take enough PAC teams to basically dissolve their conference. Would consolidation (resulting in one less chance for a CFP auto-bid) be worth it to both parties?

1) The sole purpose of the GOR is to fulfill the TV contract. If ESPN and conference (incl ND) are amenable to a revision, the contract and the GOR can be changed. The auto bid is the tougher nut to crack, and that comes down to motives for the deal...championship access or money. 2) What if the scheduling aspect was only for football (or football and basketball...both men and women) but included the broadcast rights to all home games in all sports and merging the conference networks? That would make for WAY better content over a longer period. 3) What if the conferences remain separate but instead they sign a joint media contract and GOR (and merge the networks for inter-conference scheduling purposes for all sports...like an "alliance" with contractual teeth. Does everyone have to travel all the time? No. But you could set up made for TV mini-tournaments/meets for the non-revenue sports that might generate a lot more fan/sponsorship interest.

unless you're really dialed in on the game, most people flip around during sporting events and that's kind of a hassle with streaming.

cheaper for them. The consumers find their way to the streaming provider rather than the provider building extensive infrastructure for delivering the content everywhere the consumer might (or might not) be. But the cable providers have a fortune invested in physical plant. They'll hold on to their format to the bitter end. Streaming has huge potential for mobile devices especially with the deployment of 5G. If you are familiar with this industry (I really am not, but I am skeptical of the hype) feel free to correct my assumptions. You won't hurt my feelings.

and horse racing, if you're watching something on Amazon you can't really do that.

If you had multiple games that you wanted to flip back and forth between, they could keep both streams going simultaneously with one in the background that you could quickly switch over to.

On those weekends when VT is off, or it's a road game I couldn't make, I determine all the games that are on TV. I set all of them up, and am able to switch from game to game at the touch of a button.

multiple streaming platforms showing games at the same time. I dunno, right now its a pain. Watched very little Thursday NFL because of this issue. ** Edited by mancunian at 2/14/2023, 9:49:17 AM

You need all of your schools to hang together, or it's a massive failure. But if the P-12 is a "dead conference walking," it's options are severely limited.

...enough to get the deal done. Have to wonder if USC and UCLA would want to return if they could get it done. Playing all of your games in the mid-west has to get old quickly for west coast programs.

pretty much. I don't know the exact exit fees and GOR costs, but I'm sure it would be prohibitive to moving anywhere. I too wish USC and UCLA, and Maryland, A&M, Texas, Oklahoma, Mizzou, Colorado, Nebraska et. al. would return to their homeland. But I'm afraid it is gone forever. I just feel like we are stuck in this dystopian era of no one looking out for the long-term interests of the sport or its devoted fans. Consequently, this is why I've posted several times in the past about favoring a Premier League model in the future with relegation and promotion. If we are going to blow up college football, let's do it right based on competition and merit over the cartel that's forming now. ** Edited by Maroon Baboon at 2/13/2023, 4:29:09 PM

There is no turning back.