The Big 20 (XX) Conference

May 16, 2023

MORGANTOWN, West Virginia — According to multiple sources, several current ACC teams are unhappy with the current television deal and the conference could soon fall apart.

Brett McMurphy, a college football insider with Action Network HQ, reported yesterday that current ACC members Clemson, Florida State, Miami, North Carolina, NC State, Virginia and Virginia Tech have come together to form the “Magnificent 7” and met with lawyers to examine grant-of-rights to determine just how unbreakable it is. The current Grant of Rights ACC deal runs through 2036 and teams in the ACC will far behind other conferences (namely the SEC, Big Ten and even the Big 12) in terms of yearly revenue.

With that said, it’s very likely that the ACC could dissolve soon. In order for the current grant of rights to fall apart, only eight teams would have to agree to leave the conference. Right now, there are reportedly those seven aforementioned programs ready to leave and only need one more to make it official.

If that happens, Clemson, Florida State, Miami, North Carolina and Virginia will likely end up in either the SEC or the Big Ten Conferences, leaving Virginia Tech, Pitt, Boston College, Syracuse, NC State and Georgia Tech searching for a new home.

If/when the ACC dissolves, the Big 12 Conference is reportedly interested in adding Virginia Tech, Pitt, Louisville and NC State. This would be ideal for West Virginia because it would give the Mountaineers geographical and traditional rivals within the Big 12.

Under this scenario, there would likely be two divisions within the Big 12 Conference, with the assumption that the Big 12 will also add current PAC 12 teams Utah, BYU, Arizona and Arizona State, which has been rumored to eventually happen.

East Division

West Virginia

Pitt

Virginia Tech

Louisville

Cincinnati

NC State

UCF

Iowa State

Kansas State

Kansas

West Division