Four ACC university presidents setting conference up to fail

The ACC could be the next conference on the chopping block.

On Friday evening, ESPN's Andrea Adelson confirmed earlier reports that presidents at Clemson, Florida State, NC State and North Carolina are against the conference adding Cal and Stanford.

Adelson's report is the clearest indication yet that Florida State, in particular, has no interest in staying in the conference. Clemson's stance isn't too surprising considering, like Florida State, it's a large ACC brand that could provide significant value to another conference. It is a little more unexpected to discover NC State and North Carolina could also be responsible for the death of the ACC. 

As we witnessed with the Big 12, expansion is the best way for conferences to survive in this era of college athletics.

Initial moves by the Big 12 to add American Athletic Conference members Cincinnati, Houston, UCF and independent BYU didn't move the needle too much at the time but did reset the expectations for the conference's future. Instead of the exits of powerhouses Oklahoma and Texas killing the conference, it withstood those losses, worked out a media rights deal and added four Pac-12 programs this summer.

While the Big 12 is in a much better place, it has a cap to its future earnings that simply can't compete with the Big Ten and SEC. Sources expressed doubt to ESPN that Cal or Stanford would add much to the ACC's bottom line, meaning a bizarre ACC with some — or all — of the remaining Pac-12 schools could reasonably expect to receive revenue comparable to the Big 12 in future media deals.

For Florida State, why settle for less when a future in the Big Ten or SEC would offer so much more?

Per ESPN, Florida State, which has been the primary source of friction within the conference, could be using the threat of leaving the conference as a negotiation tactic to get "a change in the way television revenue is distributed."

That potentially puts the conference in a lose-lose situation. If it caves to Florida State's demands, that could incentivize schools at the lower end of the totem pole to look elsewhere when it makes sense financially. 

The ACC's contract with ESPN runs through 2035-36, meaning any school will need to pay a hefty buyout fee to leave, but at a certain point, the cost of staying will be more than the cost of leaving.

If Florida State doesn't get what it wants, the ACC's end could come a lot sooner. And instead of having Cal and Stanford help to keep it afloat in the event of Florida State's departure, its exit could be the move needed for other schools to make similar plans.

It's unlikely the ACC's death is imminent. Teams have until Tuesday, Aug. 15 to inform the conference of their plans to leave at the end of the season.

The conference should be around for a little while longer, but as long as it sits and does nothing, the harder it is to envision it having a place in the future of college athletics.