What Would an ACC & Big 12 Merger Look Like?

College football fans can't agree on much these days, but there is one aspect of the sport that people across the country still despise — conference realignment.

Once built on regionality and tradition, today's college football conferences are nothing more than an amalgamation of teams thrown together for no other reason than to chase more dollars from ESPN, FOX, and CBS.

The SEC and Big Ten are largely to blame — Texas and Oklahoma have no business playing in the Southeastern Conference, while the Big Ten, a group of schools surrounding the Great Lakes, welcomed four schools from the Pacific timezone into their conference a few years ago.

In an effort to keep up with the Joneses, the ACC and Big 12 also abandoned their regionality. West Virginia plays in the same conference as Arizona, while the Cal Golden Bears can now fly into Logan International Airport for a conference tilt against Boston College. 

This is madness.

What if there was a realistic way to clean up some of this mess?

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you an ACC and Big 12 merger.

Why Do This?

Nothing gets done in college football these days, unless it makes more money. A merger between the two conferences could do just that.

ESPN, CBS, NBC, and FOX have shelled out more than $10 billion over the next several years to secure broadcasting rights from the SEC and Big Ten. And while those catalogues are valuable, they're not enough to fill available timeslots, especially when it comes to ESPN.

So, ESPN and FOX also have existing media deals with the ACC and Big 12. By themselves, the two conferences are nowhere near as valuable as their Power 4 peers — the ACC's deal with ESPN is valued at $3.6 billion, while the Big 12's deal with ESPN and FOX is valued at $2.28 billion.

However, if you were to combine the ACC's and Big 12's valuations, it would elevate the two conference's negotiating power with networks starved for live sports, which consistently out perform any other televised content.

What Would a Merger Look Like?

Northeast Division: Boston College, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, West Virginia

If you were fortunate enough to grow up watching the Big East, you will appreciate this division.

Grouping these teams preserves the Backyard Brawl, a rivalry that went dormant from 2012-2021. It also pairs Boston College and Syracuse, two schools that started playing each other in 1924. This division seems like a no-brainer, though keeping the Mountaineers away from Virginia Tech is a regrettable omission.

Colonial Division: Cincinnati, Louisville, Virginia, Virginia Tech

Cincinnati and Louisville are really out of place in their respective conferences. Putting them with Virginia Tech and Virginia makes the most sense geographically.

Since 2004, Virginia and Virginia Tech have been tied at the hip and should be a package deal in any conference realignment. Any change that kills the Commonwealth Clash should be a non-starter.

Carolina Division: Clemson, Duke, North Carolina, NC State, Wake Forest

The four teams from the Tar Heel State should play each other every year. That's the easy part.

Clemson's inclusion in this group accomplishes a couple things — it balances out the divisions and preserves a rivalry with the Wolfpack, two programs that take football far more seriously than their neighbors.

Southeast Division: Florida State, Georgia Tech, Miami, UCF

Currently, Central Florida's closest conference opponent is 902 miles away (West Virginia). Let's change that.

Florida State and Miami battle each other, and the Gators, for the Florida Cup every year. Georgia Tech gets the short end of the stick here, but they make the most sense to fill the fourth spot in his division.

Midwest Division: Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State

Farmageddon sounds way cooler than the Sunflower Showdown, but both rivalries are equally valuable and should be preserved. The Cowboys' biggest rival, Oklahoma, already left them out to dry. Setting them up with annual matchups with a few Midwest schools is the best consolation prize I can offer.

Lone Star Division: Baylor, Houston, SMU, TCU

Texas Christian vs. Southern Methodist is Texas' version of the Holy War, yet the two schools actually play for an Iron Skillet. Now that is a unique trophy.

Houston is the only school in this division that wasn't founded on religious grounds, but I'm sure Cougar fans would enjoy watching the preachers battle each other every fall. 

Mountain Division: BYU, Colorado, Utah, Texas Tech

Speaking of the Holy War, BYU and Utah should be stuck with each other in any future conference realignment. Texas Tech really does belong in the Lone Star conference, but there's no way to make the numbers and geography work. It isn't the Big Eight, but Colorado does get to play rival Utah.

Pacific Division: Arizona, Arizona State, Cal, Stanford

Cal and Stanford should be playing teams in their own time zone, but that ship has long sailed away. At least both schools have familiarity with Arizona and Arizona State from their days in the Pac-12.