The big talk of the summer has been conference realignment in the NCAA, as multiple programs are switching alliances and making major moves in the college landscape.
No other conference has been impacted negatively as the Pac-12. The conference’s future was put in question once USC and UCLA elected to leave and join the Big Ten. More recently, Oregon and Washington made the decision to join them there, while Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah will be merging into the Big 12 conference.
It leaves the Pac-12 with just four teams remaining — Stanford, Cal, Oregon State and Washington State — and as expected, these programs could be on the move as well.
There have been reports that Stanford, in addition to Cal, could be leaving the Pac-12 and join the ACC, which features teams such as Clemson, Florida State, Miami and Pitt. While football is the main catalyst behind these changes, the future movements from all of these schools have all sorts of impacts on athletics.
MORE: A realignment guide for who is where in 2023, 2024
Here’s what you need to know about Stanford discussing a potential move to the ACC.
Is Stanford going to the ACC?
While it’s still fairly early in the process, the ACC is considering adding both Stanford and Cal to the conference, according to The Athletic’s Pete Thamel.
Two calls are expected to happen between Monday and Tuesday with the ACC athletic directors and the conference’s presidents and chancellors.
Sources: In the next 24 hours, there’s two calls for the ACC to vet and have early exploratory discussions on the potential addition of Cal and Stanford. One is for ACC athletic directors and the other for the league’s presidents and chancellors.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) August 7, 2023
According to Thamel, a move to the ACC is not the only option for Stanford and the three remaining Pac-12 schools. Other conferences, including the Big 12, have reportedly been in talks with Stanford about having the program join the league.
Stanford has options. ACC and Big 12 is all over them, but Stanford is going to have to put its pride to the side a little bit.
— Jason Scheer (@jasonscheer) August 7, 2023
MORE: Pac-12 QB rankings for 2023: Colorado, Oregon State transfers add depth to loaded league
Longtime ACC reporter Andrew Carter of The News & Observer’s Andrew Carter sounded more skeptical of the option, unless it was a part of a larger move to get Notre Dame to join the ACC full-time.
As recently as Friday night the math did not make sense for the ACC to add any of the Pac-12’s remaining schools. Unless this is a Hail Mary in hopes of convincing Notre Dame (which has played Stanford annually since ‘88) to join full-time, don’t see this going far. https://t.co/iupxEq8yu3
— Andrew Carter (@_andrewcarter) August 7, 2023
From a geographical standpoint, it would be confusing for the ACC, which stands for Atlantic Coast Conference, to add two Pacific Coast schools to its league. However, as we have seen with other realignment moves, school locations have not been a roadblock before.
One of the conferences that won’t be considering adding Stanford is the Big 12. According to Action Network’s Brett McMurphy, the league has “no appetite” for adding any of the remaining Pac-12 schools, or San Diego State.
Big 12 has “no appetite” to add any of Pac-4 schools or San Diego State, sources told @ActionNetworkHQ. “We have no interest in doing anything,” source said. “We’re done.”
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) August 7, 2023
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