The ACC voted to add three schools to its conference beginning next year

The GIST: One more conference realignment domino fell Friday morning, as the presidents of ACC schools voted 12-3 to add Stanford and Cal from the Pac-12 and SMU from the AAC beginning in August 2024. Will they still call it the Atlantic Coast Conference? TBD.

How it happened: After Stanford and Cal were left for dead in last month’s Pac-12 implosion, their frantic search for a new home brought them to the ACC’s door. SMU, smelling an opportunity to jump to a Power Five conference, joined the bid.

• To win over the ACC’s 15 members, the applicants promised to forfeit conference TV contract disbursements, freeing up $55M for even distribution among original schools. Who says you can’t buy friends?

• This move’s a blow for athletes who will have to trek coast-to-coast for conference games next season, but admins expect Olympic sports, at minimum, to meet halfway to reduce travel burden. Ah, Dallas — our favorite Atlantic Coast destination.

The Pac-12’s swan song: One thing’s almost for sure: This is the final nail in the Pac-12’s coffin. With only two remaining members, Washington State and Oregon State, it’s hard to see how the conference will survive.

• In the meantime, the Pac-12 is throwing one hell of a goodbye party, kicking off its (likely) last football season with its schools going 12-0 in Week 1, becoming the only undefeated FBS conference, and tying the SEC for most schools in the Top 25 with six.

Speaking of the ACC: The conference’s first all–ACC football battle on Monday signaled another major power shift. As you read, unranked Duke, who’s usually mediocre-at-best, spanked then–No. 9 Clemson 28–7 to take their first Top-10 win in 24 years. 1989 is so back.

• As Clemson has ruled the ACC for years, winning seven of the last eight conference ’ships, even Clemson head coach (HC) Dabo Swinney can’t describe how shocking this upset is. Is this an embarrassing blip, or does it signal a new, transfer portal–fueled parity?