In a recent story from 247Sports’ Brad Crawford, inside sources at Virginia, NC State, Miami, Clemson, Florida State, and North Carolina all discussed what the future of conference realignment plans look like.
Some insiders shared a little, and others a whole lot more, but today, we’ll take a look at key points from each insider’s comments and what that means for the Big 12 Conference.
VIRGINIA
“From everyone I spoke to, they continue to say that the administration has been working behind the scenes at options for the ‘Hoos for the last two years,” 247Sports’ Jacquie Franciulli said. “The Big 12 hasn’t really been mentioned to me when it comes to UVA. There is a sense that change is coming.”
While Virginia hasn’t been floated around nearly as much as their counterpart Virginia Tech, the idea that change is coming could be the program seeing the writing on the walls. It’s been long believed that the in-state rivals will likely be a package deal should either team depart elsewhere.
NC STATE
“Based on conservations with two sources at NC State, there is no belief the Wolfpack ‘have their say’ in the next phase of realignment,” Crawford wrote. “Reaching into a TV market that’s heating up in Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill would be a win for the Big Ten or SEC, but North Carolina is the preferred choice there, it’s believed.”
NC State has quietly built an incredible athletics program over the last few decades, and the Wolfpack appears to be an incredible cultural fit for the Big 12. With both NC State and North Carolina being tossed around by multiple different leagues in conference realignment, it goes without saying that NC State would be a hot commodity should expansions strike.
MIAMI
“At this point, Miami is mostly focused on trying to win this season,” Inside the U’s David Lake said. “They feel like if they do that, they will be positioned to be attractive to the Big Ten. They really aren’t all that interested in the Big 12 at this stage.”
Despite the Big 12 creating a stable and consistent path to the College Football Playoff, nothing has changed for the Hurricanes. Crawford notes in his piece that Miami is fighting for a Big Ten offer, and that plan doesn’t appear to be changing anytime soon.
CLEMSON
“In my opinion, this could last a while with all of the different cases going on at once (including FSU),” Clemson247’s Austin Hannon said. “Clemson’s made it clear that it wants out of the conference but the ACC, and the hours and dollars in the courtroom, are going to make it hard to do so.”
One of the two schools named openly as having had ‘preliminary talks’ with the Big 12, Clemson appears to be in the driver’s seat toward departing the ACC. As the insider above mentions, with the legal limbo that the ACC is in with multiple ongoing lawsuits, fans expecting immediate realignment should probably check themselves for more patience.
FLORIDA STATE
“Folks at FSU are dismissive of Big 12 talk being of any real substance,” Noles247’s Chris Nee said. “All cards on the table, but that is not why they entered into the legal fray.”
Another team heavily discussed in conference realignment, Florida State, is involved in the same process as Clemson. Fans from both programs are beginning to embrace the idea that change is coming, and while it may not be coming anytime soon, with members of the media openly discussing possible moves, Florida State and Clemson would likely be the first dominoes to fall.
NORTH CAROLINA
“I don’t know where we’re going from a national governance standpoint,” UNC AD Bubba Cunningham said. “Right now, you have to have a minimum of 16 sports to be at the highest level. [NCAA President] Charlie Baker has a proposal out there that we want to enhance some of the benefits to students, we want to ensure that they graduate, we want to make sure they have great health care. But the financial component of his proposal I don’t think has really been fully developed. I think that’ll have some impact on the future, whether or not the ACC schools can really compete at the highest level.”
North Carolina’s athletic director discussed some additional circumstances involved in the future of the ACC, including academic standing, sports revenue distribution, student benefits, travel plans, and much more. While the modern era of college athletics has quickly discarded the idea of regionality, North Carolina’s leadership is making sure to factor that into the equation.
