September 19, 2024

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Good morning. The ACC’s West Coast teams are making their first cross-country trips this weekend, with Stanford flying 2,400 miles to face Syracuse. It’s just the beginning of this realignment era, in which possibilities are endless—but travel could take a toll.

— David Rumsey [[link removed]] and Colin Salao [[link removed]]

College Football’s Power 4 Era Heats Up With Coast-to-Coast Clashes [[link removed]]

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College football is already several weeks into its new Power 4 era [[link removed]]. But this weekend is when the impact of conference realignment—the good, the bad, and the ugly—will be felt the most yet.

Four debut conference matchups in particular highlight the sport’s wild, cash-driven new reality.

In the expanded 17-team ACC, Stanford is making the roughly 2,400-mile flight from Northern California to upstate New York for its inaugural conference matchup against Syracuse on Friday night. On Saturday, Cal will visit Florida State after flying more than 2,200 miles across the country for its first ACC game.

And that’s just the beginning for the ACC’s two new West Coast members. Stanford travels cross-country again to Clemson next weekend, and plays at NC State on Nov. 2. Cal has road games at Pitt and Wake Forest this fall, too.

But while taxing travel schedules show the dark side of conference realignment, the shifting landscape is also giving fans and networks some can’t-miss conference matchups like never before.

On Saturday afternoon, No. 11 USC will play its first matchup in the 18-team Big Ten at No. 18 Michigan. CBS gets the game broadcast as one of three companies (alongside Fox and NBC) paying the conference roughly $1 billion annually for the remainder of the decade.

That night, No. 6 Tennessee will visit No. 15 Oklahoma in the 16-team SEC. Disney (ABC/ESPN) is the benefactor as the conference’s sole media partner, beginning this year, at a cost of $710 million annually.

Coast to Coast

With intraconference schedules beginning in earnest, the madness of realignment will be at play all season.

Rutgers is a particularly interesting case of cross-country contests in the expanded Big Ten. The Scarlet Knights welcome Washington to New Jersey next weekend, and in October, host UCLA before traveling to USC six days later for an 11 p.m. ET kickoff the following Friday night [[link removed]].

In the SEC, Georgia will make just its second visit to Texas on Oct. 19, setting up to potentially be the game of the season. The Longhorns just leapfrogged the Bulldogs as the No. 1–ranked team, and Arch Manning is likely to keep filling in while starting quarterback Quinn Ewers is injured. ABC/ESPN will be hoping both teams are still undefeated, as Texas’s 31–12 victory at Michigan is the most-watched game so far this year with 9.35 million viewers on Fox.

How Will the ACC, Pac-12, and Group of 5 Shake Out? [[link removed]]

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The future of Florida State and Clemson in the ACC has been the biggest remaining question surrounding the latest wave of conference realignment. But there could be some unexpected progress in discussions between the schools and the conference.

Amid lawsuits among the three parties [[link removed]], the ACC is now said to be exploring a new revenue distribution model [[link removed]] that could lead to the schools changing their mind on exploring exits, according to Yahoo Sports. Conference leaders have reviewed a plan to create a separate pot of revenue to be divided based on media value metrics.

Last year, the ACC approved a plan [[link removed]] to financially reward schools for better on-field performance. But further changes to how the ACC doles out its cash could give programs with a larger following like FSU and Clemson more money no matter how much they win.

Best of the Rest

Beyond the ACC’s future, plenty of unknowns remain around how the Pac-12’s rebuild will affect the Group of 5 conferences.

The Pac-12’s addition of Boise State, San Diego State, Colorado State, and Fresno State [[link removed]] will not only impact the Mountain West, but also have a domino effect across the country. The Pac-12 still needs to add at least two more schools by 2026 to maintain its FBS status, and the Mountain West will want to add to its eight remaining programs [[link removed]], and make sure they don’t exit, too.

Of the 134 current FBS schools, 67 are in Power 4 conferences, and Notre Dame is an independent. That leaves 66 schools to fit into the new “Group of 6,” if you will, assuming the Pac-12 lives on alongside the American Athletic Conference, Conference USA, Mid-American Conference, Mountain West, and Sun Belt. (UConn and UMass are currently independent in football, too.)

Musical Chairs

There are new reports and rumors seemingly every day, but it’s undeniable that nearly every school and conference are at least exploring all their options.

AAC members Memphis and Tulane are said to be the next top targets for the Pac-12 [[link removed]], according to The Athletic. Also under consideration are Mountain West schools Air Force and UNLV. Lower on the list is the AAC’s UTSA, North Texas, and South Florida, and the Sun Belt’s Texas State.

However, Air Force is also said to be a serious target of the AAC [[link removed]], per ESPN. That would put the academy in the same conference as its military academy counterparts Army and Navy.

New Mexico State would make geographical sense for the Mountain West, which already includes New Mexico. And FCS programs like North Dakota State, Sacramento State, and Tarleton State (Texas), potentially looking to make the jump to FBS, could be options for multiple conferences looking to add members.

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The Cost of Losing

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More than ever before, college football is all about the money. Early in the season, that means big schools are paying FCS and smaller FBS programs six- and seven-figure sums [[link removed]] to play on their turf in “guarantee games.”

While that typically results in an easy win for the home team, there are always a few upsets. This fall, there have already been five such instances, three of which cost schools more than $1 million. Notre Dame leads the pack after paying $1.4 million to lose to MAC member Northern Illinois [[link removed]] when the Fighting Irish were a four-touchdown favorite and the No. 5–ranked team in the nation.

STATUS REPORT Two Up, One Down, One Push

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Miami ⬆ Led by quarterback Cam Ward, whose $1.9 million NIL (name, image, and likeness) valuation from On3 ranks seventh among all college football players [[link removed]], the Hurricanes are 3–0 and the No. 8 team in the country, 11 spots higher in the AP poll than any other ACC team.

Northwestern ⬆ After three home games to start the season, the Wildcats are making more money [[link removed]] in their 12,000-seat temporary lakefront stadium than they were at the 47,000-seat Ryan Field, which was demolished so that a new $800 million stadium can be built in its place.

Colorado ⬆⬇ Following three prime-time broadcasts on ESPN, NBC, and CBS, the Buffaloes are still one of the most-watched teams in the country early in the season, averaging 4.77 million viewers per game. However, Saturday’s 28–9 victory over Colorado State drew an audience of 3.25 million on CBS, the least-watched Colorado game on broadcast television [[link removed]] in the Deion Sanders era, according to Sports Media Watch.

Ole Miss ⬇ The Rebels are trying to fill a hole in their 2025 schedule after Wake Forest canceled its visit to Oxford next fall. Ole Miss beat the Demon Deacons 40–6 in Winston-Salem last weekend, and is reportedly seeking a $1 million payment [[link removed]] from Wake Forest, which just announced a home-and-home series with Oregon State in place of its deal with the SEC school.

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS TODAY Woj Bomb: Retired

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Legendary NBA newsbreaker Adrian Wojnarowski is leaving ESPN to be the GM of the St. Bonaventure men’s basketball program, overseeing NIL opportunities, collectives, the transfer portal, and fundraising. Front Office Sports “Tuned In” columnist Michael McCarthy joins the show to discuss Woj’s legacy and who ESPN may be eyeing to replace him.

Plus, the WNBA is coming to Portland, FSU and Clemson are reportedly in talks with the ACC on a deal that could redistribute conference funds, and the Pac-12 has new schools in its sights.

Later, we hear from two people who have helped grow chess exponentially in recent years—Chess.com executive Danny Rensch and YouTube’s most popular chess creator Levy Rozman—on the game’s recent triumphs and scandals.

Watch, listen, and subscribe on Apple [[link removed]], Spotify [[link removed]], and YouTube [[link removed]].

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Consideration for this award is inclusive of:

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Prices increase after Sept. 22— submit now [[link removed]] for the best rate. Submissions are open through Oct. 6 at 11:59 p.m. ET.

Conversation Starters Colorado football coach Deion Sanders said reporters are “envious and jealous” of students due to the money they receive from NIL (name, image, and likeness). Listen to his comments [[link removed]]. FC Dallas has released renderings for a $182 million renovation of Toyota Stadium, which will include an expanded roof and additional luxury suites. Take a look [[link removed]]. Philadelphia mayor Cherelle Parker announced the city has reached a deal [[link removed]] to ensure the 76ers will stay in the city. New Jersey was interested in the franchise. Editors’ Picks Colorado Star Travis Hunter Signs NIL Deal With NerdWallet [[link removed]]by Colin Salao [[link removed]]Travis Hunter is a projected top-10 pick in the 2025 NFL draft. Wake Forest Defends Million-Dollar Buyout That Infuriated Lane Kiffin: ‘Business Decision’ [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]The Rebels blew out the Demon Deacons 40–6 on Saturday. Political NIL Deals Open Another Window for College Athlete Paydays [[link removed]]by Amanda Christovich [[link removed]]Two University of Montana athletes have signed NIL deals endorsing political candidates. Question of the Day

Do you feel overwhelmed by the conference realignment taking place in college football?

YES [[link removed]] NO [[link removed]]

Wednesday’s result: 36% of respondents said they would pay more for tickets if it meant their favorite school was able to recruit better players.

Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Podcast [[link removed]] Written by David Rumsey [[link removed]], Colin Salao [[link removed]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Or Moyal [[link removed]], Catherine Chen [[link removed]]

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