NC State’s apparent vote reversal cleared way for three new schools to join expanded ACC
The ACC approved Friday the addition of California, Stanford and SMU for the 2024 season, in a controversial turn of events.
For weeks, it appeared the much-talked about expansion wouldn’t happen after the league lacked the 12 necessary votes needed for approval from the league’s 15 presidents and chancellors. N.C. State joined North Carolina, Clemson and Florida State in opposing the move during league conversations earlier in August.
But, when the final votes were taken during a call Friday morning, expansion was approved in what ACC commissioner Jim Phillips called a “transformational day” for the league.
While N.C. State has not officially confirmed how it voted, chancellor Randy Woodson released a statement of support following the announcement.
“The NC State brand, and historical competitiveness of our programs, is already well-recognized and established,” Woodson said. “The addition of these outstanding universities gives us even greater opportunities to build on the Wolfpack’s national presence, which in turn will generate more long-term benefits for our student-athletes, our athletic programs, and our loyal fan base.”
UNC, Florida State and Clemson, the three schools that opposed enlarging the ACC, also issued statements of support after the league officially announced the three additions.
UNC chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz put out a statement explaining his school’s stance: “My vote against expansion was informed from the feedback I have gathered over the last several weeks from our athletic leadership, coaches, faculty athletic advisors, student-athletes and a variety of other stakeholders who care deeply about our University and the success of our outstanding athletic program. I look forward to working with all our colleagues in the ACC to ensure excellence in academics and athletics.”
The University of North Carolina board of trustees released a statement Thursday night, saying a majority of the board strongly opposed expansion. The group said it admires the academic achievements of the trio, but the travel distance to conference games in multiple time zones would not positively impact the experience for student-athletes, coaches, alumni and fans.
“The economics of this newly-imagined transcontinental conference do not sufficiently address the income disparity ACC members face,” the trustees’ statement said.
Phillips, speaking on a media call Friday afternoon, said expansion “strengthened the ACC now and in the future.”, citing additional revenue and further branding for the league on the West Coast. He mentioned the ever-changing landscape of college sports, saying, “You either get busy or you get left behind.”
Phillips conceded the vote on expansion was not unanimous but said a “great majority of the schools were in favor and are in favor” of Friday’s decision. He did not elaborate on the vote, or say if there was a vote switch late this week that made expansion possible.
“It’s tough to get unanimity all the time ... and I can tell you after that (ACC) call today, everybody was in a really good place and felt very good about the process, that their schools had a chance to state what they believed were the positives of this move or maybe not, in their minds, best for the league,” Phillips said.
Phillips said the decision was a “very good outcome for the ACC and had something for everyone. It may not have everything for everyone, but whether you voted for it or not you’re going to benefit from this new arrangement,”
Clemson maintained its vote opposing the move, according to The State newspaper in Columbia.
Florida State announced Friday that it also voted no on adding the three new schools.
“We appreciate the efforts of (ACC) commissioner (Jim) Phillips and our conference partners,” Florida State president Richard McCullough said in a statement. “There are many complicated factors that led us to vote no. That said, we welcome these truly outstanding institutions and look forward to working with them as our new partners in the Atlantic Coast Conference.”
All three new members agreed to forgo a significant portion of the television revenue the ACC will generate through the additions. Reports indicate SMU will allegedly forgo the TV shares for nine years, while the other two will join at roughly 30% of the shares.
California announced it wouldn’t keep its full media revenue share until its 10th year in the ACC.
The remaining ACC schools would likely divide $50-$60 million, with the additional money put toward the conference’s new success initiatives that reward schools for on-field results.
This story was originally published September 1, 2023 at 12:38 PM with the headline "NC State’s apparent vote reversal cleared way for three new schools to join expanded ACC."
