North Carolina Tar Heels: Is the ACC closing in on expansion?
The talks about the Atlantic Coast Conference expanding have heated up again, as the North Carolina Tar Heels may see some new teams enter the mix.
Over the past month or so, there’s been a lot of talk about the Atlantic Coast Conference looking toward potential expansion.
Although the talks seemed to die down a bit, they have heated up again rather quickly, as recent reports seem to indicate that the conference is “seriously considering” adding three more programs to the mix.
Sources told @TheAthletic today they believe the ACC is closer to adding the three schools than it has been at any point this month, and that a final decision could be made by the weekend.
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) August 23, 2023
Here's where things stand with the ACC and Stanford/Cal/SMU: https://t.co/qbZVNERpEv
If you recall, two weeks ago, the conference did not receive the required 12 votes it needed from the league presidents in order to make this happen. The North Carolina Tar Heels, along with Clemson, Florida State, and NC State, all elected to vote “no” when the straw poll was conducted.
Even though the ACC is strongly considering adding the three schools: Stanford, Cal, and SMU, there are still obstacles that stand in the way.
Finances are still a major topic of discussion, as the league must find the financial model that would make the most sense.
Additionally, one of the four schools who originally voted “no” must change their stance. There’s no reason to believe that North Carolina will change its viewpoint, and the same could be said about Clemson and Florida State, who have both explored potentially leaving the conference.
In this instance, NC State may be the deciding factor if this ends up happening.
As the ACC looks to not get lost in the conference re-alignment shuffle, they are looking to make this happen in order to keep up with the Joneses. However, the idea of adding programs from the West Coast doesn’t add up geographically, as this decision needs to be more than just football-focused.
If the reports are true, a decision could be made as early as this weekend. We’ll have to wait and see if the conference is able to come to an agreement this time around.
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