![]() ![]() Utah is the type of program that could raise its brand to the level necessary for an eventual move into the Big Ten or SEC. (Could that change by the end of the decade? Sure. Key point: Only five football programs not committed to the SEC and Big Ten carry substantially above-average valuations: Notre Dame, Oregon, Washington, Clemson and Florida State. The Hotline has long thought the most likely future shape of college football featured the SEC and Big Ten with 20-to-24 members - after they pluck the premium remaining brands on the two coasts - and a third league of 24-to-26 teams that forms around the Big 12. If the Big Ten doesn’t expand, the chances of the SEC growing again are diminished, adding stability on the ACC’s side. In that world, the Big Ten doesn’t create a western arm (with Oregon, Washington, Cal and Stanford), and the Pac-12 members are willing to sign a grant-of-rights deal into the mid-to-late 2030s. That phase could begin in the late 2020s or early 2030s, at the start of the next media contract cycle for the Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac-12. In fact, much of the Pac-12’s current calculation with its media rights negotiations is designed to set the conference up for the next stage in the evolution of college football. That said, the Hotline would not discount the potential for a merger down the road. The scenario feels too complicated at the moment, but Skipper is, well, Skipper. Is there a way to construct a merger that benefits ESPN in both value and duration? Perhaps. If it can pay a reasonable amount for the Pac-12 and keep the ACC intact, why agree to a merged entity that could be more costly? The SEC isn’t actively looking to add schools, but the dissolution of the ACC’s grant-of-rights might change the landscape.Ĭould it happen? A majority of the ACC’s 14 full-time members would need to approve - it might require a supermajority vote - because ESPN probably wouldn’t break the deal willingly. ![]() Meanwhile, North Carolina would be a candidate for both the Big Ten and SEC. Clemson and Florida State are unhappy with the revenue situation and would assuredly seek membership in the SEC. And if the agreement is broken, the ACC might collapse. We cannot see Oregon or Washington (or Utah, for that matter) agreeing to a grant-of-rights deal into the mid-2030s. The grant-of-rights is broken in order to force a shorter contract cycle and a renegotiation of the ACC’s current deal. The grant-of-rights remains in place as incoming Pac-12 schools commit to the partnership until 2036. So far, it has proven unbreakable.Īs we see it, there are two outcomes to a merger: That, not the media contract itself, is holding the ACC together. The ACC’s media deal with ESPN runs into 2036 and coincides with the grant-of-rights agreement that binds each school’s media revenue to the conference. And the concept of a bicoastal merger has been discussed (on the Hotline and elsewhere) since the immediate aftermath of USC and UCLA announcing their departures to the Big Ten. ![]() What do you make of former ESPN chairman John Skipper’s comments that the ACC and Pac-12 should merge and that would force a renegotiation of the ACC’s deal with ESPN? - Skipper addresses college sports realignment or media matters, we listen. (Some questions have been edited for clarity and brevity.) Send questions to and include ‘mailbag’ in the subject line - or hit me on Twitter: Please note: Several topics related to Pac-12 media rights and expansion will be answered separately, in forthcoming articles. But can a starting unit made up almost entirely of transfers and high school players come together quickly enough for this unit to be ready for a brutal non-conference schedule and a loaded Pac-12 schedule? We’ll see.The Hotline mailbag is published every Friday. You could say the same about Colorado’s entire defense, frankly. The Buffaloes also added starting-quality pieces like Kyndrich Breedlove (Ole Miss), Myles Slusher (Arkansas) and Tayvion Beasley (Jackson State) to help the DB room. The secondary figures to be considerably better. Travis Hunter and Cormani McClain are the most talented cornerback duo in the country, even if they’re young. But whether that unit can even be average will determine if the Colorado bowl hype is legitimate. As such, the question is, how much will these transfers make a difference? Here’s what Hummer wrote:īut let’s narrow it down a bit: What will the Power Five’s worst defense, which gave up 7.2 yards per play last year, look like with an infusion of talent via the transfer portal and high school ranks? It’ll be better. The Buffs have crushed the transfer portal so far this offseason. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports Atlanta, GA, USA Jackson State Tigers quarterback Shedeur Sanders (2) passes against the North Carolina Central Eagles during the first half of the Celebration Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. ![]()
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