Report: Stanford, Cal Unlikely to Join ACC amid Realignment Rumors; 1 Vote Short

Stanford and Cal are one vote short of approval for ACC membership, Sports Illustrated's Pat Forde and Richard Johnson reported.

Florida State, Clemson, North Carolina and NC State oppose the proposed expansion, per Forde and Johnson.

Without one of those schools changing their stance, the two Pac-12 members will be unable to join the ACC. The admission of new ACC members requires approval from 12 of the conference's 15 president and chancellors, per ESPN.

Without 12 yes votes on the table, the ACC is unlikely to hold a formal expansion vote, according to Forde and Johnson.

After the Pac-12 collapsed to four members last week, it is likely Stanford and Cal will join a new conference when the conference's rights deal expires in 2024, even if that conference is not the ACC. Other potential options include the Mountain West Conference and the American Athletic Conference.

The Mountain West confirmed Wednesday that it is considering expansion, but commissioner Gloria Nevarez told Front Office Sports' Amanda Christovich that ACC deliberation "needs to happen first before anything would get serious with us."

The news of internal dispute over the potential expansion to 17 schools comes at a tense time for the ACC. Next Tuesday is the last day members can notify the ACC if they plan to change conferences for the 2024 season, per ESPN's Pete Thamel and Andrea Adelson.

All four schools reportedly opposing the expansion met earlier this year to consider options other than staying in the ACC, according to Sports Illustrated's Ross Dellenger. (The other schools involved in the meetings were Miami, Virginia and Virginia Tech.)

Florida State in particular has expressed public displeasure with ACC membership. Adelson reported last Wednesday that university president Richard McCullough said Florida State would "very seriously" consider leaving the ACC without a change to how the conference distributes media revenue.

On the other side of the expansion vote are Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Georgia Tech and Louisville, the schools Forde and Johnson describe as "most vocal" in supporting the additions of Stanford and Cal.

Thamel and Adelson similarly reported Notre Dame being a vocal supporter of the potential additions, but noted that "multiple athletic directors have questioned why anyone in the league would listen to Notre Dame because the Irish remain so steadfast in remaining independent" in football.