The buzz around ACC Media Days turned from what Rhett Lashlee had to say about the SEC to the North Carolina Tar Heels considering a move to the SEC.
This shouldn’t be a surprise because there were rumors last year that the SEC considered adding several ACC schools to the conference, including North Carolina.
What's surprising is why bring this up now during ACC Media Days?
According to Sports Business Journal, the Tar Heels are exploring a move to the SEC.
"The Univ. of North Carolina is among a group of schools 'interested in seeking a potential departure from the ACC' when the next round of realignment takes place, and it 'even could be considered at the front of that pack, alongside Clemson,' according to sources cited by Adam Smith of INSIDE CAROLINA."
Why is North Carolina considering the move? Money, of course.
"The SEC 'is where the Tar Heels are aiming' under the leadership of Chancellor Lee Roberts and incoming AD Steve Newmark should a move occur. The ACC’s decreasing exit fees dip from $93M to a flat $75M threshold with the 2030-31 school year."
This all goes back to what many people believe is the beginning of super conferences. The SEC started toward this trend when they added powerhouses Texas and Oklahoma to the fold last year from the ailing Big 12.
The reports are that the SEC might consider adding not only North Carolina, but Clemson, Virginia, and possibly FSU in the coming years. If that were to happen, that would all but end the ACC as we know it.
Leaving schools like Duke, Miami, Cal, SMU, and others scrambling for new conferences.
Time will tell if this will take place, but if the SEC decides to add the Tar Heels, as some think, the college football world will be turned on its ear again.