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Well, it happened again, and rather quickly, too: another historic phase of college football conference realignment that saw the Big 12, Big Ten, and ACC all embark on another round of expansion, effectively destroying the 108-year-old Pac-12 Conference, creating two super-conferences in the South and Midwest, and forever changing the national map of college football for the foreseeable future. Here’s what you need to know about who will be where when the 2024 season kicks off.
ACC
Who’s coming in? Cal, Stanford, SMU
Who’s leaving? Nobody, but keep an eye on Florida State
What the ACC will look like: Cal, Stanford, SMU, Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina, NC State, Notre Dame (non-football), Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest
Why the moves? There is palpable concern among some prominent ACC members about how much money they can make in this market, and the conference responded by adding teams that will, in turn, raise more money from ESPN, which the league will direct towards those schools in the hopes that it can quell the rebellion. Cal and Stanford needed an escape hatch out of the disintegrating Pac-12, and SMU wanted to get into the Power Five, even if it means not making any more money for the first few years. Plus, the ACC moves into prominent media markets in San Francisco and the Metroplex.
Big 12
Who’s coming in? Arizona, Arizona State, Utah, Colorado
Who’s leaving? Texas, Oklahoma
What the Big 12 will look like: BYU, Houston, Cincinnati, UCF, TCU, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Kansas, Kansas State, Baylor, Iowa State, West Virginia, Arizona, Arizona State, Utah, Colorado
Why the moves? After the bombshell announcement that Texas and Oklahoma were leaving for the SEC in time for the 2024 college football season, the Big 12 got aggressive from the jump, adding the three former AAC programs and BYU, and then again this offseason by plucking four Pac-12 brands from the Four Corners to expand into all four time zones.
Big Ten
Who’s coming in? USC, UCLA, Oregon, Washington
What the Big Ten will look like: Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, Michigan State, Purdue, Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Rutgers, Maryland, USC, UCLA, Oregon, Washington, Northwestern, Illinois
Why the moves? Because after the two L.A.-based brands decided to leave the Pac-12 for the Big Ten last offseason, it was only a matter of time before the two biggest remaining names would make the move, too, especially considering the Pac-12’s lack of a lucrative media contract. Oregon and Washington are B1G-bound next summer, bringing most of the valuable West Coast media markets with them. And there’s still some talk around Stanford and Cal to watch for, too.
AAC
Who’s coming in? Charlotte, FAU, North Texas, Rice, UAB, UTSA, Army
Who’s going out? Houston, UCF, Cincinnati, SMU
What the AAC will look like: Charlotte, East Carolina, FAU, Memphis, Army, Navy, North Texas, Rice, Temple, Tulane, Tulsa, UAB, USF, UTSA, Wichita State (except football)
Why the moves? After getting poached by the Big 12 in that league’s expansion efforts, the American responded by adding schools in Texas to reaffirm its commitment to the state in terms of market and recruiting access. But then it lost a Texas school with SMU bolting for the ACC, which it hopes to replace by adding Army.
Pac-12
Who’s coming in? Nobody
Who’s going out? USC, UCLA, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Arizona State, Utah, Colorado, Cal, Stanford
What the Pac-12 will look like: It won’t exist
Why the moves? Because of serious mismanagement at the top of the conference that failed to hold the thing together and present its members with a competitive media deal, resulting in a historic exodus that has completely destroyed the “Conference of Champions” forever. The two schools that were left from realignment, Oregon State and Washington State, struck a deal to play Mountain West teams in the 2024 season, although they’ll also keep their respective Civil War and Apple Cup games against their rivals, as well.
SEC
Who’s coming in? Texas, Oklahoma
What the SEC will look like: Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, South Carolina, Florida, Arkansas, Texas A&M, Missouri, Texas, Oklahoma, Kentucky
Why the moves? Because the Longhorns and Sooners wanted a bigger piece of college football’s pie and the SEC had just the piece to offer them in exchange for adding two of the sport’s most historic names to its rotation. For their part, the two new members will also get a chance to test themselves against the nation’s most difficult schedule.
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