ACC expansion aims to safeguard conference from meltdown if FSU and Clemson confirm their exit: Reports

The ACC is getting close to adding Stanford and Cal to the conference.

The Atlantic Coast Conference has been quiet in terms of college football expansion. The Big 12, Big Ten, and SEC have all added multiple schools, while the ACC hasn't.

They tried to add Stanford and Cal but didn't get enough support from the other schools in the conference. However, as Stanford, Cal, and SMU have all said, they will take little to no media rights payouts, which could entice the other schools to vote them into the ACC.

Many were confused about why the ACC would be interested in those three schools as they aren't massive. Yet, a CFB reporter revealed a big reason why they are looking at expansion.

"Correct - ACC expansion isn’t about appeasing FSU and Clemson. This is about if/when those schools leave, there is enough left in the ACC that it doesn’t meltdown like the Pac-12. A lot of ACC schools know they wouldn’t be worth more than Stanford or Cal in an open market."

It certainly makes sense on paper, as the ACC just saw the Pac-12 fall apart after two key members left and opened the door for the other schools to leave.

Will FSU and Clemson leave the ACC?

FSU has been in rumors of leaving the ACC all summer now.

As the other conferences have added more money to their media rights deal and added teams, FSU was frustrated with the ACC being locked into their media deal for so long.

It got so bad that their President spoke publicly, saying they would consider leaving as they were unsatisfied with how the conference was running.

“We are not satisfied with our current situation,” Florida State President Rick McCullough said, per ESPN. "We love the ACC and our partners at ESPN. Our goal would be to stay in the ACC, but staying in the ACC under the current situation is hard for us to figure out how to remain competitive unless there were a major change in the revenue distribution. That has not happened.”

If FSU and Clemson do leave, they would be highly sought after by the SEC and Big Ten, most likely.

Will the ACC add the three schools in?

Stanford, Cal, and SMU aren't in the ACC, but all signs point to it happening any day now.

Stanford and Cal are expected to be approved soon, while the hope for SMU is they can also be added to the ACC for the 2024 season.