"Either you get busy or you get left behind" - ACC commissioner goes blunt on the recent realignment drama, adding Stanford and Cal to the conference

The ACC became the latest Power Five conference to feel the effects of conference realignment, which has dominated the college sports landscape for much of the summer. Conference officials recently voted to expand by approving the addition of the California Bears, Stanford Cardinal and SMU Mustangs.

Atlantic Coast Conference Commissioner Jim Phillips discussed the decision to expand:

"It really is a transformational day for the ACC. I can tell you when we left that call today, everybody was in a really good place and felt really good about the process. ... We've gone from regional-based conferences to national, coast-to-coast conferences. Either you get busy or you get left behind."

Phillips added that he believes the group will remain together:

"This is a great moment for the ACC, it really is. And I think there's no question that as we welcome Cal, Stanford and SMU in, that group will be together.” [h/t NBC Bay Area]

The conference previously rejected the addition of the Bears and Cardinal, with the vote falling one school short of approval, according to Brett McMurphy of The Action Network, who tweeted:

"Clemson, Florida State, North Carolina and NC State are the ACC schools against adding Stanford and Cal, sources told @ActionNetworkHQ. 1st report by SI. W/only 11 of 15 schools (including Notre Dame) in favor, ACC expansion is 1 vote shy of required 75 percent (12 of 15) to add new members"

The Bears and Cardinal agreed to only accept 30% of their revenue share, while the Mustangs will forfeit their entire share for many years. The sacrifices led to the North Carolina State Wolfpack flipping their vote, leading to the approval of all three programs.

Florida State athletic director discusses ACC expansion

The Florida State Seminoles, along with the Clemson Tigers and North Carolina Tar Heels, were the three programs that voted against expanding the conference. Their votes, however, were overruled as the California Bears, Stanford Cardinal and SMU Mustangs were approved to join the conference.

Despite voting against expansion, Seminoles athletic director Michael Alford praised the incoming programs:

"All three schools are outstanding academic and athletic institutions, and our vote against expansion does not reflect on their quality. We look forward to earning new revenue through the ACC’s success incentives initiative, based on our continued excellence. We’re grateful to the league for continuing to listen to our concerns." [h/t NBC Bay Area]

It has been no secret that Florida State is looking to leave the conference. The addition of the three new programs protects the ACC in the situation that it faces departures. Its media rights deal with ESPN allows the network to renegotiate the deal if the conference strength falls below 15 teams.