ESPN insider reveals what's next for the ACC, why it needs to make 'predatory play'

On3 imageby:Sam Gillenwater07/12/22

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The part the ACC has played in conference realignment so far is which programs would be interested in leaving. However, what if was the other way around? Could the ACC become aggressors and start looking for new programs of their own? That’s the direction that ESPN College Football Senior Writer Pete Thamel believes is the most prosperous for the conference.

Thamel discussed the scenario on Monday on ESPN’s Paul Finebaum Show. He says different TV deal projections have not come back positive thus far for the ACC. While there’s no suspicion that the conference is out looking for new members, Thamel wonders if it’s time for the conference to go on the offensive.

“Obviously the ACC, if it wants to do something here, would have to poach. They’re running the numbers on what some sort of ACC/Pac-12 arrangement could look like. The numbers my sources have told me are going to be pretty underwhelming,” said Thamel. “The thought is does the ACC go and make a big, predatory play? That would obviously shake things up significantly. I don’t think there’s like a yearning or urgency to do that.”

Clemson, Florida State, Miami and North Carolina are all ACC teams that have beem mentioned as schools who could be on their way out. That’s not to mention programs like Duke, Virginia, and Virginia Tech that could follow them out the door. With that said, the main focus has solely been on the ACC preventing teams from leaving.

The ACC currently has had Notre Dame locked in as a partial member since 2012. What if they’re the conference who could bring the Irish into the fold? That’s not to mention multiple other east coast schools they could consider. If their goal is to make themselves a player in the realignment arms race, Thamel says that’s their only avenue to staying in it at all.

“If revenue and trying to catch up in some semblance to the Power 2 is what the ACC focuses on doing, that’s the surest, most likely way to more revenue streams,” said Thamel.

The ACC’s future remains just as cloudy as the Pac-12 and Big 12’s. The SEC and Big Ten separated themselves from the rest of the Power 5, leaving those three to fend for themselves against super conference dominance. While there’s no indication of what they’ll do yet, Thamel at least tossed out this option for the ACC to try to live to see another college football Saturday.