The ACC and Clemson's future hangs in the balance of topsy-turvy world

Clemson football has become a staple among the national powers, but Dabo Swinney and the Tigers have to manage their conference future carefully.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Thu Jul 07 08:00:06 GMT-04:00 2022

There is a lot going on in college football right now, but nothing seems to be happening. If that makes any sense to you, you’ve been following along as the powers that be wheel and deal in secret as the future of more than one conference hangs in the balance. That includes the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Let’s start with what is being about reported about the ACC as everyone reacts to last week’s stunning news that both UCLA and Southern Cal were leaving the Pac-12 for the riches of the Big Ten (or B1G). The big questions have centered on whether the B1G was done or whether the SEC would make another move (something comparable to the Texas and Oklahoma move last year), or whether the remnants of the Pac-12 would head for the Big 12.

In the ACC, the conference has proposed a "loose partnership" with the Pac-12, CBS Sports' Dennis Dodd reported late Tuesday, that will theoretically strengthen each other in comparison to the now 16-team arrangements each from the SEC and Big Ten.

Among the highlights is a proposed meeting of conference winners in Las Vegas.

"Sources indicate the proposal is viewed as a 'strength in numbers' move. While the 24 combined ACC and Pac-12 teams wouldn't have nearly the clout of the 32 programs combined in the SEC and Big Ten, it would be something to combat the growing financial gap between those burgeoning superconferences and everyone else," Dodd said.

So, a game in Las Vegas at some point between the two conference winners? Does that sound like some kind of bad consolation prize? It does to me, and it reeks of desperation as conferences try to hold on to what they have.

The Pac-12 also announced the Pac-12 Board of Directors met Tuesday morning and authorized the conference to immediately begin negotiations for its next media rights agreements.

The Pac-12’s current media deal doesn’t expire until 2024, but given the sudden and swift departures of UCLA and USC to the B1G, the league is expediting the process of getting a new media rights deal. Last Friday, the Pac-12 issued a statement indicating that the remaining 10 members of the league will look to stick together and expand, but that now appears to be in jeopardy after reports surfaced Wednesday that the Big 12 was targeting as many as six Pac-12 teams for expansion.

Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah were mentioned specifically as the teams being targeted by the Big 12, but there is also talks that the league could add Pac-12 stalwarts Oregon and Washington to make the Big 12 an 18-team league.

That’s a lot of moving parts in a small amount of time and it’s hard to make sense of it all until something definite happens.

Back to Dennis Dodd, he also reported this week that Clemson was among an ACC trio with Florida State and Miami that could be candidates for an SEC move. There has also been buzz that the Big Ten could be eyeing the Tigers. And then The Athletic reported that UNC would also be a prime target for both the B1G and the SEC.

The decision-makers at Clemson are mum right now, but a lot of the league’s media members get the feeling that the Atlantic Coast Conference is toast. We speak with ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips in 13 days at the ACC Football Kickoff in Charlotte, and barring nothing major happening between now and then, he will face a litany of questions about the overall health of the league.

First and foremost will be the albatross hanging around the neck of every league member – the grant of rights (GOR) deal put together by former commissioner John Swofford that basically depreciates in value, makes it hard for member schools to leave the conference, and puts the league well behind the B1G and SEC in potential earnings.

Unless the ACC makes some kind of major move, and I’m not entirely sure what kind of move would keep the conference on par with its peers, it appears that Clemson’s best bet moving forward would be to investigate leaving the league and letting the GOR deal get worked out in court.

Until we know, however, it’s sit and wait and hope for the best.