probably aren't. The others probably don't get the ACC close to those numbers either.

I do not see what would cause you to think this. The ACC schools are under contract for 14 more seasons. Those PAC schools, after the departure of USC/UCLA, were going to get less than $30 million per year. (That's not fact, it's the most popular rumor.) But the speculation was that the conference rate for the twelve would be $500 million and for the remaining ten, $300 million. ESPN might not object if The ACC added those schools, but they clearly don't see them as worth more than ACC properties.

$30 million is the expected per school share of the new PAC 10 TV deal. Almost all of that value is provided by Oregon, Washington, Stanford (and IMO Utah), however. So, if their worth is $65 million each when paired with the ACC, then all concerned might find this to be their best option. As for ND, I assume they would want to hang around given this scenario, but not actually join up, because they can continue to work their own TV deals, which pay them a lot more than the ACC + PAC 4 would. ** Edited by Truthahn at 7/19/2022, 12:07:25 PM

That ship has sailed. The ACC could add OU and Stan and maybe solidify their spot as a distant third.

The ACC is Notre Dame's only hope for football independence and remaining in the Power 3. It's in Notre Dame's best interest to support the ACC (ie: vote against the SEC and B16 when they can potentially further weaken the ACC). Notre Dame loses football independence and becomes just another football program in a Power 2. I realize that everyone is looking out for themselves, but I've been hearing about Notre Dame's desire to hold on to football indepedence since I was a kid in the 1970's. I also have read about how Notre Dame's dedication to the true student-athlete, not some semi-pro football mill that ships in and ships out football players without a degree. That's what the Power 2 will become since it will attract more football talent which will leave early for the NFL draft. That's what a Power 2 will eventually become, a semi-pro league for the NFL. I remember a year or two ago, Notre Dame posters saying going to the P-2 semi-pro model would be a difficult decision for Notre Dame to make, since they value tradition and academics over a semi-pro college sports league. I'd personally rather have Virginia Tech become a tier 2 school than playing in a semi-pro sports league. I respected William and Mary and Richmond when they decided in the early 1980's to not compete in the college sports arms race. I'm sure Tech won't drop to that level, but I'd be okay staying in a football tier making half the money the top tier is making. That will still be good money. Tech is never going to be able to compete at the top tier with Alabama, Texas, Notre Dame, LSU, Ohio State and Oklahomas of the college football world. That's been very evident for the past twenty years. I hope Tech says that they are done chasing the money and trying to compete with the top tier programs in the SEC and B16.