advertisers want them and there really was nothing short of merging with the Big or SEC that could have made a lot of difference. I can't see anything but a 30ish grouping of national teams as being the goal of the money if it is a football only breakaway. I see getting rid of most or all of the money they are currently paying to all but the 30ish schools.

and the same with Fox. I just don't see anyway to cut the money gap for the ACC or the B12 unless they pay out money for basketball Sweet 16 like they do for football playoff 12 and I believe eventually 16. If they do that the ACC and B12 will be able to compete by dominating the Sweet 16 and have a couple of regular football playoff teams. All the while knowing if we have 2, the SEC and B1G will have more teams in the football playoff. ** Edited by Stech at 3/14/2023, 8:21:42 PM

What is frustrating is dealing with "The Committee" who always seem to fill up the bracket with these bottom feeder conferences. I expect "The Committee" to do the same with football playoffs unfortunately. Gosh I hate "The Committee".

ESPN is going to ride the ACCN until he conference implodes.

ESPN doesn't want the ACC destroyed just because FSU and CU are good enough to be in the SEC. And ESPN can put pressure on the SEC NOT to take them. The B1G is a different story though.

If either conference had a pro rata agreement with ESPN, they could have expanded by now and ESPN would be obligated to pay for the new talent. Guess that gives me my answer, no pro rata. There could be limited agreements for certain schools like Notre Dame for The ACC, or UNC or Clemson to The SEC, for example. But ACC expansion with PAC schools, i.e. would require negotiation with ESPN; or the new schools would have to be paid from the current payout pool. The SEC is in the same boat. You are right that ESPN does not want the ACC wrecked. But if FSU forces the issue, ESPN will not be the party who takes a financial hit. They would use their (presumed) composition clause to protect themselves.

No other schools are mentioned. No contractual value assigned to them. To your point, it is now at the point where only a few (one?) programs can add value to either P2 deals. The P2 conferences are not going to expand just to break even or lose per school value.

Interesting detail, that ND is specifically mentioned in The B1G media contract. I hope, for the sake of The SEC, that they too have such directives in their ESPN contract, even if less specific. It's true that ND is the only slam dunk left. And some B1G schools are holding an absolutist position on requiring expansion schools to provide positive per team movement. But there are legitimate reasons to continue growing with schools like WA, OR, and some ACC top choices. The future is arriving like a meteor. I think The SEC may have painted themselves into a corner. They want to monopolize The Southeast, but they need the support of ESPN if/when ACC properties come available. The SEC is locked-down for twelve more seasons, so ESPN can tune them out just as they have done with The ACC. Why was Sankey unable to learn from the example provided? Why do conferences think that ESPN is a friend, or even an ally? They are The Worldwide ruthless predator. ESPN would benefit more if FSU and others went to The B1G. The B1G will need more broadcast windows, which ESPN could provide. And ESPN still wants a piece of B1G/L.A. The 2023 season will give a measure of how urgent is the need.

Once GORs expires, ESPN will allow certain properties to move from the ACC to the SEC, then reduce the payout for the ACC accordingly. They will also increase what they're paying the SEC, since it is their only "valuable" conference. The ACC is their "red-headed stepchild," so don't expect ESPN to do anything positive for our conference. The only other option is if the B1X decides to cherry pick a couple of ACC properties, which I think they will. In the end, you'll have a larger SEC, a larger B1X, and the remaining ACC will evolve into another AAC/Pac-6 type conference.

The ACC has so much going for it, in every sport, but there is no denying the strong football schools from the Big East have gotten weaker. Florida State is much weaker than 20 years ago. Even Clemson has gone down the last 3 years. If every word out of ESPN’s mouth the last 10-15 years starts with SEC. Where do you think the best recruits are going? It’s a rhetorical question, we all know it’s the SEC. Heck even traditional national power Notre Dame, lost their coach, to the SEC. As painful as it is, it’s time to face the music.

for agreeing to the TV deal. It seems they were content to be the SEC's little brother and do whatever ESPN told them.

All I've seen from Jim Phillips is trying to get the Alliance with the B1G and PAC12 going explicitly to NOT have to expand, and I've seen him talking at the Football Kickoff for each of the past 2 seasons talking about keeping everyone's neighborhoods in the other conferences healthy and only saying "Everything is On the Table", whatever that means. If he has pursued expansion and actually been turned down, I would feel better knowing he's done something. Haven't seen it. ESPN will make more money with the ACC Network if we add in-state subscriptions just like the ACC will make more money. The question is what bump on the Tier1 contract would we get. It would be something because we'd add games. I wouldn't expect a Windfall like with adding Texas. But our play is adding new states with many subscribers for the ACC Network.

Maybe have 2 or 3 games a year inter-divisional

Which increases payouts. And I don't see that happening until/unless the ACC is forced to (or fail to exist)