Miami Hurricanes ACC rival has been revealed

Hall of Fame reporter Dick Weiss revealed on X that Utah is considering joining the ACC despite entering the Big XII alongside Arizona, Arizona State, and Colorado on June 1. Utah was part of the Western Athletic Conference from 1962 to 1998, the Mountain West from 1999 to 2010, and the Pac-12 since 2010.

Miami and Utah have never met in a football game known as the Battle of the U. The Hurricanes lead the all-time basketball series against the Utes, 2-0. Miami defeated Utah 88-87 in 1966 and 90-66 in 2015. The Hurricanes have not faced the Utes in baseball. The Miami women’s basketball team has not played Utah.

With the admission of Utah, the ACC would become the second conference in the country to have a team in each of the continental United States’ four time zones. With California, SMU, and Stanford entering the ACC this summer, the conference will have a presence in the Central and Pacific time zones, as well as two large television areas.

The acquisition of SMU gives the ACC the fifth largest media market in the US, in the Dallas Metroplex, while California and Stanford contribute the tenth largest media market and two strong fan bases in the Bay Area. Salt Lake City is the 27th largest media market nationwide and rising.

According to Eric Olson of the Associated Press on Friday, “the ACC saw the most significant increase, going from $617 million in 2021-22 to $707 million…”The Big 12 finished fifth with $510.7 million, ranking third among Power Five conferences in the 2022-23 academic year.

According to Olson, “each ACC school received between $43.3 million and $46.9 million.”Big 12 institutions got payments ranging from $43.8 million to $48.2 million. The Pac-12 ranked fourth in revenue, with $603.9 million. Pac 12 members earned $33.6 million in income, down from $36 million in 2021-22, according to Olson.

Any deal between the ACC and Utah would most likely include various conditions. Cal, SMU, and Stanford agreed to forego a significant percentage of their television money garnered by adding teams. SMU will not accept television income for nine years, according to ESPN. Cal and Stanford will initially receive a 30% split of TV income.

The College Football Playoff will be expanded from four to twelve teams following the 2023 season, with the Big Ten and SEC receiving a 29 percent payment. The ACC will earn 17% of the CFP income, followed by the Big XII at 15%. Utah will have to assess the ACC’s future stability in comparison to the Big XII.

With Clemson and Florida State challenging the ACC, their long-term participation in the conference is uncertain. Utah was unable to duplicate the ACC attention provided by Clemson or Florida State. The Utes are a competitive athletic department that would make an excellent addition to the ACC.