If the ACC were smart. And it isn't. It would offer ND a great deal then say you have 48 hours to consider it, or you are out of the league as of 2024.
That ends this debacle one way or another. If they say no, which they wouldn't then you fly to the WC and sit with the Pac8 (or what's left of it) and hammer out a coast to coast league and tell ESPN and whomever else, to start opening the wallet. You've got from 12 noon to 9pm start times covered in one fell swoop.
there are two outcomes to a merger:
— The grant-of-rights remains in place as incoming Pac-12 schools commit to the partnership until 2036. (LOL)
— The
grant-of-rights is broken in order to force a shorter contract cycle and a renegotiation of the ACC’s current deal. (Likely)
Could it happen? A majority of the ACC’s 14 full-time members would need to approve — because ESPN probably wouldn’t break the deal willingly.
Is there a way to construct a merger that benefits ESPN in both value and duration? Perhaps.
That said, you would not discount the potential for a merger down the road. In fact, much of the Pac-12’s current calculation with its media rights negotiations is designed to set the conference up for the next stage in the evolution of college football.
That phase could begin in the late 2020s or early 2030s, at the start of the next media contract cycle for the Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac-12.
In that world, the Big Ten doesn’t create a western arm (with Oregon, Washington, Cal and Stanford), and the Pac-12 members are willing to sign a grant-of-rights deal into the mid-to-late 2030s.
If the Big Ten doesn’t expand, the chances of the SEC growing again are diminished, adding stability on the ACC’s side. USC and UCLA then, have taken a B1G ride and the cost factors and travel expenditures might become more prohibitive making other schools consider doing a merger which keeps their western arm intact.
Why would ESPN want to help the ACC and Pac-12 on a new network?
Money and the ability to stabilize two of its main brands is the answer.
The ACC Network has at present about 48 million subscribers and could benefit from the number of homes they could add in Arizona, California, Colorado, Oregon, Utah and Washington.
In the states where there is an ACC team the network is getting about $2 per month from its cable deals through ESPN. Put the Pac teams in there and the fees will go a bit higher while adding new subs producing some impressive dollar per month figures.
East Division
Clemson
Duke
North Carolina
Florida State
Miami
Virginia
Virginia Tech
Syracuse
Boston College
NCSU
Pittsburgh | West Division
Cal
Stanford
Oregon
Washington
Utah
Arizona
Arizona State
Louisville
Washington State
Oregon State
Colorado |
3 divisions could also be done including UL, CU, UVA, VT, and a few others keeping the ACC intact
Miami would be in the southern division with Clemson and FSU. 8 teams per division.
