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USA Today
18-05-2025
- Business
- USA Today
ACC ranks third among Power Conferences in revenue as Big Ten, SEC remain atop
ACC ranks third among Power Conferences in revenue as Big Ten, SEC remain atop The ACC reported $711.4 million in revenue for the 2024 fiscal year, marking the third-highest total among the Power Four conferences. On average, the league distributed roughly $45 million to each full member institution — a figure that still trails behind its top-tier competitors. The SEC distributed $52.6 million per school, while the Big Ten led the way by sending as much as $63.2 million to each of its 12 longest-standing members, according to data released this week. Though the ACC's overall revenue remained nearly flat compared to 2023 — when it brought in $706.7 million — its legal costs rose significantly due to ongoing disputes and litigation. The conference reported $12.3 million in outside legal expenses this fiscal year, up from $7.2 million a year ago. Much of that spike was driven by membership-related legal battles with Florida State and Clemson, as well as the conference's involvement in the broader House v. NCAA antitrust case. The heightened legal activity has fueled speculation around the ACC's long-term stability. Both Clemson and Florida State have filed lawsuits challenging the league's Grant of Rights, threatening the cohesion of a conference that's already under financial pressure to keep pace with the SEC and Big Ten. Looking ahead, however, there's optimism for growth. The additions of Stanford, Cal, and SMU — which become full members in the 2025 fiscal year — are expected to boost the ACC's revenue. It will also be the first year the conference introduces performance-based revenue incentives, rewarding schools for postseason success in football and both men's and women's basketball. ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips addressed the state of the league and the broader college landscape, urging for a cooling-off period after several years of constant change. 'I just think you've got to settle down,' Phillips told reporters. 'I think college athletics needs to settle down, not just the ACC. I think we've positioned ourselves for that. The chaos and constant wondering of what's happening here or there, that distracts from the business at hand. I feel good about where we're at, and while I do take things one day at a time, I think there's a period of time where let's settle in and get things done.' Here's how the major conferences stacked up in per-school revenue distribution for the 2024 fiscal year: Big Ten: $63.2 million to its longest-standing 12 members $63.2 million to its longest-standing 12 members SEC: $52.6 million per school $52.6 million per school ACC: Between $43.1 and $46.4 million per full member (excluding Notre Dame, which received $20.7 million) Between $43.1 and $46.4 million per full member (excluding Notre Dame, which received $20.7 million) Big 12: Between $37.8 million and $42.1 million per school As conference realignment, lawsuits, and revenue gaps continue to shape the landscape, the ACC finds itself at a crossroads — working to maintain stability while trying to position itself for a stronger financial future. Contact us @Clemson_Wire on X, and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news and notes, plus opinions.
New York Times
05-03-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Mandel's mailbag: Will Florida State, Clemson stay in ACC? What's Ohio State's outlook?
I've got to say, I was surprised I wasn't flooded with ACC-Florida State/Clemson lawsuit settlement questions this week. Either you guys are losing interest in realignment, or you're losing interest in the ACC. (Or both.) (Note: Submitted questions have been lightly edited for length and clarity.) I think Florida State and Clemson leaving the ACC would begin a Pac-12 type of evaporation so I hope they stay. Is the new revenue formula and game selection enough to hold them in the conference? — John D. Advertisement FSU and Clemson made out well in the settlements. For all the FSU bluster about bolting the ACC, this whole saga began because it wanted a bigger slice of the league's revenue, and now it has that. Those two programs, along with Miami when it's good, are always going to be the league leaders in TV ratings, which will now determine 60 percent of the conference's media rights pot. ACC schools received an average of around $45 million from conference revenue in 2022-23. My colleagues Ralph Russo and Matt Baker reported that schools can now earn an extra $15 million to $35 million between this and the postseason performance pool instituted last year. If so, they'll be on par with the SEC/Big Ten. Which is what they wanted all along. But of course, that won't temper speculation those two might still leave. If anything, the settlement sets a target date of 2030-31, when the league's exit fee will drop to $75 million, AND a departing member retains its media rights, which effectively renders the Grant of Rights moot. But while it's now more feasible for FSU/Clemson to leave, they still need someone to invite them to leave. There has been no indication during the past 18 months that either the Big Ten or SEC are pining to add those or any other ACC members. The SEC already has schools in those states and more than enough big TV brands to keep ESPN happy. And the Big Ten is finding out how hard it is to keep 18 members spread across the country happy, especially in scheduling. GO DEEPER The ACC-FSU-Clemson legal battle is ending. How long will realignment peace reign? But 2030-31 is a long way away and both college sports and sports TV will presumably change quite a bit between now and then. Under the Big Ten's and SEC's current media rights deals, there are barely enough TV windows to fit the schools they have. But what if everything moves to streaming by then, and Netflix or Amazon says give us an abundance of games? Advertisement I believe the traditional conference model in football will crumble by the early 2030s. It's already too unwieldy, and the revenue-sharing era will expose the chasms within conferences between schools that can afford to compete at the highest level and those that can't. Len Perna, ringleader of the group spearheading a proposed FBS Super League, told me late last year they were targeting 2032. It might not be that exact model, but it will be something that generates even more money and makes more sense geographically. What's the outlook for Ohio State this season? I think Julian Sayin has the potential to be the first pick in the NFL Draft. Can they reload and win another natty? I'm worried about their pass rush. What say you, premier college football writer? — Joshua F. First pick of the NFL Draft? Two years from now? Bold prediction for a guy who's attempted 12 college passes. But yes, he's supposed to be good. And Ohio State could be really good, but to do so the Buckeyes will need to go against recent college football history. The past two national champions (2023 Michigan and 2024 Ohio State) were senior-led teams with a ton of returning experience. The past nine, going back to 2016 Clemson with Deshaun Watson, had quarterbacks with previous starting experience (albeit in a couple of cases, only a few games). The 2025 Buckeyes will be low on returning starters not just at quarterback but across the board, save for the notable exceptions of receiver Jeremiah Smith and safety Caleb Downs. But times have changed, and Ryan Day did very well in the portal this offseason, especially on offense. I've long been impressed with West Virginia running back CJ Donaldson as a guy who shares carries. Rice's Ethan Onianwa doesn't just fill a void at offensive tackle, he could be one of the top guys in the country. And Purdue tight end Max Klare has garnered quite a bit of buzz. And then there's this: The stat 'returning starters' could become increasingly deceiving with these longer seasons. Technically, Ohio State will have just six. But guys like defensive ends Kenyatta Jackson and Caden Curry, receiver Brandon Inniss, DB Lorenzo Styles Jr., linebackers C.J. Hicks and Arvell Reese, and cornerback Jermaine Matthews Jr. played as many snaps as someone who started three to five games. And they're all very good. Advertisement Realistically, Ohio State is not going to repeat as national champion, but perhaps the Buckeyes have as good or better a regular season as the team that went 10-2 last year. With teams seeming to do away with spring games, or at least heading in that direction, why couldn't they do closed-door spring games? I get coaches don't want to lose players to the portal but wouldn't it still benefit the players and staff to get a live game in? — Jasper Schmidt, Crosby, Minn. Most teams hold scrimmages during the spring that the public never sees, and coaches will tell you they're far more useful than the spring game. The spring game is primarily for the fans. Which is why I HATE that coaches are falling all over themselves to cancel them this year. Nebraska, Ohio State, Texas, USC and right on down the line. Why do they have to be the most paranoid people on the planet? I'm not unsympathetic to the concerns about other schools going roster poaching, but as Dabo Swinney — who is keeping Clemson's spring game — said last week, 'Whether you have a spring game or not, (there's) going to be tampering.' But sure, let's take away this tradition that 40,000-60,000 fans of a school enjoy annually because someone might watch them on Big Ten Network and poach their second-string linebacker. I have a particular bone to pick with Matt Rhule, whose 12-13 record in his first two seasons at Nebraska apparently has turned him into the arbiter of all things college football. First, he touched off the spring game revolt, and then, after Nebraska canceled its upcoming home-and-home with Tennessee, went on Urban Meyer's podcast and said, 'Why would you ever play one of those games?' I'll tell you why: The fans like them! Much more so than watching their team play Akron and Houston Christian, Nebraska's two nonconference home opponents this season. Even if it means the Huskers might win seven games instead of eight. Sorry to go on my soapbox, but I feel like college football finds new reasons every year to alienate its fans, from realignment to watered-down schedules to the price of hot dogs. It makes you want to shake a guy like Rhule and say, 'Do you realize how you're able to make $9 million a year to coach football? Because of those people!' Advertisement But I digress. So, the NFL is retiring the chain gang next season and using the Hawk-Eye virtual measurement system to decide if somebody got a first down. If the system works well next season in the NFL, how long until FBS adopts it? — John H., State College, Pa. First of all: Long overdue. If it goes well, hopefully college adopts it the following year. But it took nearly 30 years from when the NFL debuted helmet communication to adopt it in college, so, perhaps in 2055. Are there any coaches who've started as poorly as Luke Fickell has at Wisconsin and turned their failures into successes? Will Fickell ultimately succeed? — Gary K. Sure, I can think of a few recent examples. Florida State's Mike Norvell was 8-13 his first two seasons before going 23-4 over the next two. (Let's not discuss last season.) Missouri's Eli Drinkwitz began with three straight .500 regular seasons before improving to 11-2 and 10-3 the past two seasons. And Florida's Billy Napier was squarely on the hot seat deep into his third season after going 6-7, 5-7 and starting 4-5 last season before winning four straight to finish 8-5 and restore some confidence. Compared with those, Fickell's 13-13 mark over his first two seasons seems fairly unalarming on the surface. But there are two big differences. For one, Fickell followed a coach, Paul Chryst, who was not considered disastrous by any means. Most of us were stunned when AD Chris McIntosh fired him five games into the 2022 season given he'd just gone 9-4 the year before and 67-26 overall. So Fickell started with a higher bar than most coaches taking over for a coach who got canned. Perhaps more importantly, though, Fickell walked into a program that had a lot of success doing things a certain way for 30 years and tried to reinvent the wheel. Arguably the biggest thing working against him is that the unofficial mayor of Madison, Barry Alvarez, has been publicly critical of him on several occasions. Gary Danielson mentioned on the air during a game against USC that Alvarez did not like Wisconsin lining up in the shotgun on a fourth down play earlier in the game. Heaven help Kalen DeBoer if Nick Saban starts questioning his play-calling on 'College GameDay.' Advertisement I don't see a lot of hope for Fickell, whose big offseason moves involved hiring an offensive coordinator, Jeff Grimes, whose fans of his previous school, Kansas, would have packed his bags for him, and landing a transfer QB, Maryland's Billy Edwards Jr., who was the Big Ten's ninth-rated passer last season. But I felt the same way about those earlier guys at this same point in their tenures, so maybe both myself and Alvarez will soon be eating crow. What can fans do before consequential decisions are made to halt the 4-4-2-2-1 model for a 14-team College Football Playoff to prevent it from happening in the same way soccer fans stopped the Super League? Would coordinated protests at the conference basketball tournaments, including SEC and Big Ten tournaments, be enough? — Andrew W., New York That's a great idea. Try to get on camera waving a sign that says, 'CFP Auto Qualifiers are for Losers, not Champions.' Probably more effective, though, would be sit-ins outside the presidents' mansions at Big Ten and SEC universities. 'No At-Larges, No Justice!' Just whatever you do, keep it civil. Not like an SEC football game. After reading your article on the Pop-Tarts Bowl, it got me thinking: Could bowl games make a move toward smaller stadiums since in-person attendance has been declining? — Patrick, Aiken, S.C. Thanks for reading that story. It's so easy in the offseason to get bogged down by Playoff formats and revenue sharing and whatnot, it was fun to write about a much lighter topic. We've seen a little bit of that already. The Holiday Bowl, whose longtime home Jack Murphy Stadium (that's how I remember it) got demolished in 2021, is now played at San Diego State's 35,000-seat Snapdragon Stadium, which seems about right given that it pits a (former) Pac-12 school against an ACC school unlikely to travel. The game now known as the Rate Bowl downsized from Sun Devil Stadium to Chase Field a decade ago. But not all cities have a mid-sized stadium like that, so you're more likely to see games in a football stadium where the upper deck is not used. GO DEEPER 'To the victor goes the pastry': How the Pop-Tarts Bowl became CFB's most absurd moment But let's be honest: There was a recognition many years ago that these bowls were now less a tourism event and more a TV show, hence why we have games in Detroit, Boston, Birmingham, etc. And why so many of the G5-level bowls feel completely disconnected from their locations. Does anyone know where the 68 Ventures Bowl is played? Or the difference between the First Responders Bowl and the Frisco Bowl? Advertisement To me, the lesson of the Pop-Tarts Bowl is that it's perfectly OK to embrace the fact that most bowl games are just for fun. And to lean into that fun. Most people like to have fun. Could an athlete drop his scholarship at his current school during the season and walk on to another school to take bigger NIL money, more playing time, or to play in the College Football Playoff? — Eric L. Not as of now, because there's an NCAA rule that says you can't play for two schools in the same academic year. But like all things NCAA, it's currently facing a legal challenge from a golfer, Holly McLean, who is seeking a preliminary injunction to compete for USF this spring after competing in one event for Oklahoma last fall. She says she was informed later in the fall that her scholarship was not being renewed and thus entered the transfer portal but has been deemed ineligible to compete in the spring season due to that fall event. I think we can all agree the facts of that particular situation are unique. But, like Diego Pavia and others, if she wins, it could set a precedent allowing lots and lots of others, perhaps even in other sports, to follow suit. Another lawsuit has been filed against the NCAA challenging one of its eligibility rules. This one challenges the rule that you can't play for two schools in the same academic year. Plaintiff is a former Oklahoma🏌️♀️who was cut this fall because of House settlement roster limits. — Mit Winter (@WinterSportsLaw) February 21, 2025 Before last season started, Indiana, Iowa State and Vanderbilt were the last remaining Power 4 teams to never win 10 or more games in a season. Now Vanderbilt is the only team remaining. How long do you think it will take for Vanderbilt to get to 10 wins in a season? Five years? Ten years? Twenty-five years? Would it require the season to be extended, or for the entire SEC to get guaranteed berths in the Playoff? — Andre S., Galena, Ill. What an amazing factoid, albeit a depressing one for Vandy fans. But I think they have a chance. The portal helps them, as we saw last season. And the mega-sized SEC with no divisions allows for more randomness in schedules, where in any given year the Commodores could luck into a schedule like Indiana's last season. Maybe a decent nonconference program happens to have a down year when Vandy faces it. The Commodores don't have to make the Playoff, they just need to get to 9-3 and win a bowl game. I'll take the 10-year timeline, though perhaps I'm being pessimistic. Perhaps I should predict it to happen this season. Vandy ranks No. 8 nationally in returning production, per Bill Connelly. Pavia is back for one more season, as is his favorite target, tight end Eli Stowers. As are four of the Commodores' top five tacklers. Advertisement One problem: Vandy did not luck into an easy schedule this season, what with trips to Texas, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina and Virginia Tech, plus LSU and Missouri at home. It will happen sometime in the next decade, though. The Big Ten and SEC were 1-5 against Notre Dame last year. Super conferences? LOL. You can't even beat a team that has no conference. — Kevin H. Very true. Though if 'performance against Notre Dame in 2024' is the new measuring stick in this sport then we should all be bowing down to the MAC.
USA Today
04-03-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
From burn the ships to bend the knee: Florida State, Clemson stuck with ACC - like it or not
From burn the ships to bend the knee: Florida State, Clemson stuck with ACC - like it or not Show Caption Hide Caption US LBM Coaches Poll: Ohio State claims top spot after national title run See where your team landed in the final US LBM Coaches Poll ranking of the year. Sports Pulse After all the hyperbole and histrionics, all the wasted millions in legal fees, we now see the crux of the situation. Florida State brought a knife to a gun fight. Wait, it did less than that. It brought the fantasy of what could be. And Clemson followed. If you're shocked by the latest twist in the ACC vs. Florida State and Clemson lawsuits that's now in the makeup phase of the program, you clearly haven't been following along. It was nearly three months ago that Florida State athletic director Mike Alford told USA TODAY Sports, 'We never said we wanted to leave the ACC' — after his university spent months, and millions in legal fees, doing just that. It was last summer when multiple people from the Big Ten told USA TODAY Sports that the league never had direct or indirect talks with Florida State, and wasn't interested in adding the Seminoles, which the league deemed a 'bad partner' that was trying to break up the ACC in search of greener financial pastures. While we can argue the merits of Florida State and Clemson's reasons for trying to escape the ACC – and I agree with a few – there is no argument about the foundation of the case. Florida State and Clemson had no leverage. Had. No. Leverage. LOSE CONTROL: Hiring NFL executives to control college football has downsides POWER SHIFT: Big Ten power rankings have new look ahead of spring practice Florida State's grand plan was to get out of the ACC, and then become an attractive candidate for the Big Ten. Who among us wouldn't want the blue blood football program, and sudden mercenary, for hire? That's right, FSU – and Clemson, to a lesser extent because it wasn't publicly grandstanding – decided to risk its A-rating media properties brand on a whim and a hope. Then kept doubling down. It is here where we introduce Hernan Cortes, the famous Spanish conquistador, who in 1519 ordered his ships to be burned after landing in Mexico to prevent retreat and motivate his crew to succeed in the new land. Florida State burned the ships knowing it didn't have back channel negotiations with the Big Ten, or any semblance of a landing place if it were successful in its lawsuit against the ACC. The Seminoles did it all knowing it signed the ironclad Grant of Rights agreement with the ACC not once (in 2013), but twice (again in 2016). Did it knowing ESPN would never, ever walk away from, or alter, a favorable media rights deal with the ACC through 2036. Florida State did it knowing the ACC knew it held all the cards – and by all the cards, I mean all the cards – and wasn't negotiating with a rogue member. Only after it was clear last summer that FSU had no landing spot if it left the ACC, and that capital investment wasn't the answer, did the school arrive at the negotiating table with the ACC — burned ships smoldering in the background. FSU and Clemson have legit arguments in this fight. Without them, there is no ACC football. Who in their right mind wants to watch Wake Forest and Syracuse go it for four quarters on a perfectly good Saturday afternoon? Especially when Tennessee vs. Florida is on another network. Or Michigan vs. Penn State, or Georgia vs. LSU or Ohio State vs. Southern California or any other combination of SEC and Big Ten games you can imagine. ESPN is paying for Florida State and Clemson football in the ACC media rights deal, and to a lesser extent, Miami and as many Notre Dame games as it can get. FSU and Clemson feel as though the rest of the ACC earns off their brands, and that's a legitimate argument. But Vanderbilt and the Mississippi schools (among others) earn off SEC blue bloods, and Purdue, Indiana and Rutgers (among others) earn off Big Ten blue bloods. That's a partnership. While football is the fuel, there are other benefits of conference partnership (at the top of the list, scheduling for every other sport) that hold critical value to an efficient engine. If and until college football decides to break away from the rest of college sports and become a quasi-professional league of 50-60 teams that can afford it, this is the conference affiliation setup moving forward. That the ACC has agreed on a revenue distribution model based on television viewership – a big get for Florida State, Clemson, Miami and North Carolina – is remarkable in its generosity. The ACC didn't have to do anything. They have the contract on their side, a contract Florida State twice signed and learned after months and millions in legal wrangling, couldn't be broken. The only incentive the ACC had to get a deal done with its wayward schools was protecting its brand. Meanwhile, Florida State and Clemson didn't have a landing spot even if each paid an estimated half a billion dollars in financial obligations to leave the ACC. All three were damaging their brands with each argument in court, and only one had leverage. This is what happens when you bring fantasy to a gun fight. Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB.
Reuters
03-03-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Reports: ACC settlement with Clemson, FSU could bring revenue hike
March 3 - Florida State and Clemson called meetings for Tuesday where university officials are expected to approve an agreement with the ACC to settle four ongoing lawsuits and implement a new revenue distribution model, according to multiple reports Monday. The league board of directors as well as the boards of each school must agree to the settlement to move forward, and it's expected that will happen, per the reports. The ACC's board of directors is also expected to vote Tuesday as part of its regularly scheduled meeting. If approved, the settlement would keep the ACC's 18-member league through 2036, when the league's Grant of Rights contract expires. The deal would address financial penalties for exiting the ACC's grant of rights and establish a new revenue structure based on TV viewership, or brand-based distribution, according to the reports. The penalties for leaving the league would be reduced significantly. ACC presidents are expected to vote on the framework of the settlement, with the boards of FSU and Clemson to follow, per the reports. FSU first sued the league in December 2023 followed by Clemson. The ACC countersued both schools. FSU's lawsuit came after failing to reach the then-four-team College Football Playoff despite being undefeated, which it blamed on the ACC. The schools also were concerned with league revenues falling too far behind those of the SEC and Big Ten, per the reports. The new revenue structure based on viewership would apply to every ACC school, with no carveouts for either Clemson or FSU, but those prominent programs could see an annual increase of up to $15 million based on terms of the proposal. ESPN reported that FSU and Clemson would be among the ACC's biggest winners of the new distribution on the strength of deep runs in the College Football Playoff and the NCAA Tournament.
