With reports of the ACC’s membership exit fees decreasing significantly with each passing season, many believe that the conference may be looking at a mass exodus in the near future.
One individual to comment on the situation was Yahoo Sports’ Dan Wetzel, who spoke about the possibility of select ACC teams considering the Big 12 as a landing spot due to increased revenue and stability in a new conference.
“I think, honestly, you’re going to have schools, I would imagine, that are on the shorter end of the stick that are looking at their options,” Wetzel said. “If I’m Louisville, or I’m Pittsburgh, how’s the Big 12 doing? We need to possibly look at going someplace else where we’re going to get a better revenue shake.”
While it’s no secret that the ACC’s doomsday clock has been ticking for some time, things appeared to speed up with the 2030 exit plans. Florida State and Clemson have been the two primary teams with alleged realignment plans, but the combination of Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech, Louisville, and NC State would be more than desirable fits for the Big 12 Conference.
Wetzel finished his thoughts by saying, “I wouldn’t say it’s out of the question for schools that aren’t just steeped in loyalty to the ACC and maybe feel like they have been handed a bad deal here. I don’t say, ‘Oh, they’re going to get up and leave now,’ but you watch, in five years, we’ll see what the possible exit plans are.”
