The ACC is raking in cash, just not enough to rival the SEC and B10
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If you want to see why everyone in the Atlantic Coast Conference is anxious about the future, look no further than last year's revenue numbers of the so-called "Power Five" college athletic conferences.
Driving the news: Power Five conferences generated a combined $3.3 billion in revenues during their 2022 fiscal year, Axios' Jeff Tracy reports.
- But the Big Ten and SEC lead the way by a wide margin, per federal tax records obtained by USA Today.
By the numbers: The ACC, home of North Carolina's largest universities and a state institution for generations, is tens of millions of dollars behind the two leading conferences when it comes to revenue.
- Big Ten: $845.6 million
- SEC: $802 million
- ACC: $617 million
- Pac-12: $580.9 million
- Big 12: $480.6 million
Why it matters: The gap is likely to widen, as the Big Ten and SEC each have enormous new media deals kicking in soon ($1 billion annually and $700 million annually, respectively). The ACC's smaller media deal with ESPN, on the other hand, doesn't expire until 2036.
- That reality could lead to big changes to the makeup of conferences — and potentially more conference consolidation.
What we're watching: Right before the ACC conducted its annual spring meetings, it was reported that seven schools — including UNC and N.C. State — have met to discuss if the conference's grant-of-rights agreement, which makes each school's TV revenue the property of the ACC, is breakable.
- So far, the ACC is preaching the message of staying together, but it's facing more pressure than ever.