A general view of a Southern Methodist Mustangs helmet Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Report: ACC targeting surprising school as possible addition

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated 8/9/23

The recent Pac-12 exodus has launched another conference realignment free-for-all, and the ACC is looking to get in on the act. One of its targets, however, is a surprising one.

The ACC is eyeing SMU as a potential addition to the conference, according to Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic. League administrators are studying potential financial ramifications of adding SMU in addition to previously reported Cal and Stanford.

SMU is another expansion target for the ACC, a source confirms to @TheAthletic. The league’s administrators are expected to review financials later today related to adding only Cal & Stanford and also all three. @RossDellenger first reported the SMU piece.

— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) August 8, 2023

An ACC move would be a no-brainer for SMU, which has been trying to leave the AAC for a power conference for years. From the ACC’s point of view, however, it is a strange fit. The football program has essentially hovered around .500 for several years, and the basketball team last reached the NCAA Tournament in 2017. However, adding the Mustangs would give the ACC access to the Texas market, not to mention the private university’s deep pockets.

The ACC does appear eager to add schools in some form, though there are certainly more obvious targets. There are merits to bringing SMU in, though as with most conference changes, they’re mostly financial.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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