Longtime college basketball writer Dick Weiss implied that Boston College and Syracuse could be left out of a potentially renegotiated TV deal 8-10 ACC teams could strike that'd increase revenue for the conference's top earners.
"Interesting," Weiss prefaced before saying, "Administrators from seven schools-- FSU, Clemson, UNC, Miami, NC State, UVA and Virginia Tech-- have discussed the idea of 8 to 10 ACC schools voting to break away from )the) league, end (the ACC's) grant of rights with majority decision and creating a TV deal that would be just as valuable with less schools splitting the pot. Think BC, Cuse are getting nervous?"
This isn't the first time the idea of ending the ACC's Grant of Rights agreement has been brought up, though it is the first time the idea of renegotiating a deal has. College football radio host Greg Swaim believes ESPN can cancel the deal, but instead of there being a new deal, the Big 12 would simply poach the remaining schools that didn't make the deal-breaking conference jump to the Big Ten or SEC already.
"Others reporting various legal suits being filed by both current ACC members and the conference itself, but in a nutshell here is what's going on...and what's going to happen," Swaim prefaced before saying, "FSU and Clemson want out for more money, and UNC and soon UVA will jump to a higher paying conference, either the Big Ten or SEC.
"The rest will then try to leave, as at that point ESPN will cancel the contract and those schools remaining that get a Big 12 offer will take it, as the ACC will basically be dead in the water as a P4 at that time."
Which ACC schools could join FSU, Clemson, UNC, Miami, NC State, UVA and Virginia Tech in renegotiated TV deal?
If one to three more schools would join FSU, Clemson, UNC, Miami, NC State, UVA and Virginia Tech, you'd have to think those schools would be football-focused. That makes Louisville an obvious candidate. Wake Forest and Duke would also make sense to join their Tobacco Road rivals.
That'd leave out the northeastern schools (BC, Syracuse), the northern California duo (Cal, Stanford), Georgia Tech, Pitt, and SMU. Pitt, Georgia Tech, Cal, and Stanford all have AAU accreditation, so they'd have a potential landing spot in the Big Ten.
So it's understandable for BC and Syracuse fans to be a little nervous right now.