Cal and Stanford came one vote short of ACC membership, according to multiple reports on Friday evening.
ACC bylaws require 12 of 15 schools approve a new school's membership. Clemson, Florida State, North Carolina and NC State were against adding the Golden Bears and the Cardinal to become the Bi Coastal Conference.
No formal vote was ever taken, because formal votes are only conducted after a school has the necessary support to join a new conference.
Florida State, of course, has advertised its desire to exit the ACC as soon as possible. Clemson is thought to be in lock-step with the Seminoles.
"If you take the TV money out of it, we're fourth in (the SEC and Big Ten) in the amount of money we bring, but once you throw the TV contract in, that gap is massive," FSU board chair Peter Collins told the fan site Warchant in a recent interview.
While Cal and Stanford would have joined as pro rata members, meaning they would have received full shares immediately upon joining the ACC, it was questionable at best whether or not they would have meaningfully grown the pie for the existing 15 schools.
Notre Dame led a group of schools pushing for Cal and Stanford's admittance. Despite being an independent in football, the Fighting Irish get a vote in ACC governance matters.
“The notion that two of the very best academic institutions in the world who also play [Division I] sports could be abandoned in this latest chapter of realignment is an indictment of college athletics," Notre Dame AD Jack Swarbrick told ESPN this week.
According to one report, it was more likely as of Friday that more schools would join the "no" group than Clemson, Florida State, UNC or NC State changing their mind.
Can confirm report from @ByPatForde and @RJ_cfb: the four schools firmly against expanding the ACC w/ invites to Cal + Stanford are UNC, NC State, Florida State and Clemson, sources told @CBSSports. Per sources, a couple other schools may be soft-yeses, as to not rock the boat.
— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) August 11, 2023
With the ACC off the table, it remains to be seen what becomes of the Pac-4.
NCAA bylaws dictate a conference must have at least eight members to qualify as an FBS league. There is a two-year grace period to get back to that number, meaning the Pac-4 would not necessarily have to add four new schools until the 2026 season.
The more immediate problem: Cal, Stanford, Oregon State and Washington State have run out of teams to play for 2024.
A statement from @OregonStatePres Jayathi Murthy:
— John Canzano (@johncanzanobft) August 11, 2023
“We continue to believe that preserving the Pac-12 is in the best interests of OSU student-athletes and the remaining universities, and so we are doing everything in our control to stabilize and rebuild the conference.” pic.twitter.com/QJkuWPlYBw
Any school leaving the Mountain West would have to pay a $34 million exit fee to play in the Pac-4 by 2024. AAC exit fees are expected to be between $10 and $17 million, but could be higher given that league's bylaws require a 27-month advance notice.
The American could pursue some or all of the Pac-4 to join their league, according to SI. The Mountain West would also be expected to pursue the Pac-4, should the conference fully disintegrate.
The AAC distributes between $8 and $9 million per year to its member schools, while the Mountain West pays around $6 million. Recent reporting indicated ESPN offered $30 million per year to the Pac-12 without USC and UCLA, but the conference sought $50 million per school.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.