Current:Home > MarketsACC votes to expand to 18 schools, adding Stanford, California, SMU -InfinityFinance
ACC votes to expand to 18 schools, adding Stanford, California, SMU
View
Date:2025-04-13 06:40:38
The Atlantic Coast Conference is expanding all the way to the Pacific.
The ACC's presidents and chancellors voted Friday morning to add former Pac-12 schools Stanford and California, along with SMU to increase the league's membership to 18 schools, the conference announced. Of the 18 members, 17 will play football full time when the three new schools officially begin play with the 2024-25 school year. Notre Dame is a member in all sports except football.
“This is a significant day for the ACC as we welcome Cal, SMU and Stanford to this incredible conference,” University of Virginia President James E. Ryan, chair of the ACC Board of Directors, said in a statement. “This expansion will enhance and strengthen the league now and in the future. We greatly appreciate the tireless efforts of Commissioner Jim Phillips throughout this entire process, especially his focus on minimizing travel burdens for student-athletes, and we are excited about the ACC’s collective future.”
RISKS REMAIN: Schools haven't found success in new leagues
WEEK 1 SCHEDULE:Breaking down the biggest games on tap
The decision comes despite two North Carolina trustees announcing Thursday night that a "strong majority" of the board opposed the move.
North Carolina was one of four schools, including Clemson, Florida State and North Carolina State, that had opposed expansion in a straw poll taken last month. However, at least one of those schools apparently changed sides as the proposal needed support from 12 of the 15 member schools to pass.
As part of the deal, it is expected all three schools will take significantly reduced revenue shares than the other schools, allowing the legacy group to avoid reducing their distributions from the league.
"Student-athletes come to Stanford to pursue their highest academic and athletic potential, and joining the ACC gives us the ability to continue offering them that opportunity at a national level," Stanford president said Richard Saller said in a statement. "We appreciate the dedicated efforts of Commissioner Jim Phillips and the leaders of the ACC member institutions to create this promising path forward."
After eight schools announced their departure from the Pac-12 that will take place next summer, Stanford and California were among the four conference members committed to the league. All that's left are Oregon State and Washington State. Their conference future is still uncertain.
An original member of the American Athletic, which was formed out of the ashes of the Big East in 2013, SMU has been listed as a possible addition to multiple Power Five conferences, including the Pac-12 and Big 12. The program has made huge gains in the past decade after more than 20 years as a Bowl Subdivision bottom-feeder in the wake of major NCAA sanctions and penalties in the late 1980s.
The American Athletic brought in several former members of Conference USA this offseason after losing Central Florida, Cincinnati and Houston to the Big 12. Losing SMU drops AAC membership to an uneven 13 teams, though the league's scheduling model and lack of divisions doesn't require an immediate addition to replace the Mustangs.
In a statement, American commissioner Mike Aresco said the league will look to add potential schools close to its current membership.
"We have known that today’s move was a possibility, which has allowed us time to investigate a number of options, including consideration of the larger group of institutions in the Pacific time zone," Aresco said. "We have concluded, however, that the best way to proceed for our outstanding student-athletes is to not look westward. Instead, we plan to focus any expansion efforts on schools that allow for sensible and sustainable competition and student-athlete well-being within our strong geographic footprint. We look forward to continued success as a leading FBS conference."
Contributing: Paul Myerberg, Dan Wolken
veryGood! (5)
Related
- Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
- Dylan and Cole Sprouse’s Suite Life of Zack & Cody Reunion With Phill Lewis Is a Blast From the Past
- Meyerbeer’s ‘Le Prophète’ from 1849 sounds like it’s ripped-from-the-headlines at Bard SummerScape
- Olympic gymnastics live updates: Simone Biles, USA win gold medal in team final
- Dick Vitale announces he is cancer free: 'Santa Claus came early'
- NYC’s latest crackdown on illegal weed shops is finally shutting them down
- 2 youth detention center escapees are captured in Maine, Massachusetts
- MLB trade deadline live updates: Jack Flaherty to Dodgers, latest news
- Pressure on a veteran and senator shows what’s next for those who oppose Trump
- 2024 Olympics: What USA Tennis' Emma Navarro Told “Cut-Throat” Opponent Zheng Qinwen in Heated Exchange
Ranking
- Paige Bueckers vs. Hannah Hidalgo highlights women's basketball games to watch
- Christina Applegate opens up about the 'only plastic surgery I’ve ever had'
- Two sets of US rowers qualify for finals as lightweight pairs falls off
- Is This TikTok-Viral Lip Liner Stain Worth the Hype? See Why One E! Writer Thinks So
- Federal Spending Freeze Could Have Widespread Impact on Environment, Emergency Management
- Growing number of Maui residents are 'barely surviving,' new report finds
- Paris Olympics highlights: Simone Biles and Co. win gold; USA men's soccer advances
- Top Chef's Shirley Chung Shares Stage 4 Tongue Cancer Diagnosis
Recommendation
Will the 'Yellowstone' finale be the last episode? What we know about Season 6, spinoffs
Democrats look to longtime state Sen. Cleo Fields to flip Louisiana congressional seat blue
Olympic women's, men's triathlons get clearance after Seine water test
Arizona voters to decide congressional primaries, fate of metro Phoenix election official
The company planning a successor to Concorde makes its first supersonic test
Former ballerina in Florida is convicted of manslaughter in her estranged husband’s 2020 shooting
Georgia election board rolls back some actions after a lawsuit claimed its meeting was illegal
Georgia’s largest school district won’t teach Black studies course without state approval