Stanford, Cal, and SMU trio become targets of ACC commissioner as drama surrounding Pac-12 implosion continues: Reports

The expansion drama within the ACC continues to drag on as the season approaches. The move to add Stanford, Cal and SMU was met with opposition from four schools a few weeks ago, resulting in the lack of required votes needed for the ratification of expansion.

However, the three schools remain in consideration of the conference with lobbying going in the background. The league's commissioner, Jim Phillips, wants to see the expansion occur in a bid to remain competitive and keep up with the evolving Power Five landscape.

Earlier in the offseason, Jim Phillips made it known that the conference is open to expansion. He noted that the conference is always ready to engage in anything that makes them better and expansion makes the league stronger. Speaking to ESPN in July, he said:

“The ACC has been and remains highly engaged in looking at anything that makes us a better and stronger conference. We’ve spent considerable time on expansion to see if there is anything that fits. We have a tremendous group of institutions but if there was something that made us better, we would absolutely be open to it.”

ACC Commissioner is lobbying on behalf of the expansion candidates

Stanford, Cal and SMU have been lobbying to get into the ACC since the initial failed move. The universities have been lobbying with high-profile personalities from the educational and political sector such as Condoleezza Rice and former president George W. Bush.

However, the universities now also have Commissioner Jim Phillips doing the lobbying job for them internally. The commissioner has reportedly been meeting presidents of member schools across the league to ensure the expansion becomes a reality soon enough.

The conference notably needs one of the four opposing schools to flip the initial decision and vote in favor of the expansion to get the needed 75% support. Florida State, Clemson, North Carolina and North Carolina State were revealed to be the schools opposing the expansion.

Discussion on the financial models for the expansion

A host of ACC presidents convened earlier this week to discuss the possibility of adding Stanford, Cal and SMU. The addition of the three schools will create a monetary pool stemming from the financial concession that has been offered by the expansion candidates.

According to reports, ESPN is expected to pay the league an extra $72 million if the three schools join. With the financial concession on the table, a large chunk of the money will be redistributed among existing teams in the league. The presidents are currently discussing the model in which the revenue will be shared.