Reports: Condoleezza Rice, George W. Bush pushing for ACC to add Stanford and SMU
Just when it appears ACC expansion talks stalled, some “big guns” reportedly have been called in. Two teams seeking entry — Stanford and SMU — have had powerful figures reach out to the league, according to Sports Illustrated’s Pat Forde and Yahoo! Sports’ Ross Dellenger.
Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and former president George W. Bush have both spoken with ACC officials about getting Stanford and SMU in the league, Dellenger reported Wednesday night. Rice is a Stanford alumna and still teaches at the university, and SMU is the site of Bush’s presidential library, as well as his wife Laura’s alma mater. Of course, Rice was National Security Advisor and eventually Secretary of State during the Bush Administration.
Yahoo! co-founder Jerry Yang has also been speaking with the ACC about Stanford, Forde reported Tuesday.
News of Stanford and SMU’s latest efforts for ACC admission comes more than a week after the ACC hit “significant roadblocks” during a vote to add the Cardinal and Cal, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported. Four teams — later revealed to be North Carolina, NC State, Florida State and Clemson — expressed their opposition the additions, Forde and Richard Johnson reported.
Talks with SMU also were not “headed anywhere,” either, Dellenger reported at the time. The Mustangs said they’d be willing to forego revenue for the next five years if they receive an invitation to the ACC, but that apparently wasn’t enough to win over administrators to support their admission.
Per ACC rules, 12 of 15 teams need to vote yes to admit new schools to the conference. With four teams against such a move, it doesn’t appear likely the league will have a formal vote.
Four ACC teams opposed additions of Cal, Stanford
Cal and Stanford are two of the so-called “Pac-4” left standing from the Pac-12 after the latest realignment shakeup, along with Oregon State and Washington State. Adding the Golden Bears and Cardinal meant the ACC would expand to both coasts, and On3’s Eric Prisbell reported TV executives questioned how much sense that would make.
SI also reported Notre Dame, Pitt, Georgia Tech and Louisville as the “most vocal” in their support to add Cal and Stanford. Although Notre Dame doesn’t compete in the ACC in football — maintaining the independence it’s proud of — the school is still a full voting member. Fighting Irish athletic director Jack Swarbrick opened up about his feelings that the two programs would be strong additions in an conversation with ESPN’s Heather Dinich. He pointed to their academic records as reasons why they’d make sense.
“The notion that two of the very best academic institutions in the world who also play D-I sports could be abandoned in this latest chapter of realignment is an indictment on college athletics,” Swarbrick said in a text message to Dinich.