North Carolina reportedly exploring leaving ACC for SEC

This season, North Carolina will come to Rupp Arena for the first time since 2014 for the ACC/SEC Challenge; in the not-too-distant future, it could be a conference game.

Adam Smith of Inside Carolina is reporting that North Carolina is among a group of schools interested in leaving the ACC when the next round of realignment happens. The Tar Heels and Clemson are reportedly at the front of that pack, with the SEC being North Carolina’s preferred landing spot. As far as a timeline, the ACC’s exit fees fall from $93 million to $75 million in the 2030-31 school year, but Smith’s sources said a departure could come even sooner. Currently, the ACC’s exit fee is $147 million for schools that want to leave by June 30, 2027, the earliest possible date; that figure drops by $18 million each year until leveling off at $75 million in 2030-31.

In 2024, the SEC expanded from 14 teams to 16, with Texas and Oklahoma coming on board. The ACC is currently at 18 teams (17 in football, minus Notre Dame). Smith says the ACC’s settlement with Clemson and Florida State helps pave the way for schools looking to leave the conference, with UNC Chancellor Lee Roberts “performing a key role” in finalizing the agreement. North Carolina is one of the original members of the ACC, which was founded in 1953.

The Tar Heels are going all in on football with new coach Bill Belichick, signing him to a five-year $50 million contract. On Wednesday, North Carolina announced that all season and single-game football tickets are sold out, the earliest that’s happened in program history. Leaving the ACC for the SEC — the strongest conference in both football and men’s basketball — would send quite a statement.

We’ve been begging for a home-and-home with North Carolina in basketball for years; can you imagine getting it every single season?