Hamilton: The ACC again pacifying the loudest voices in the room

The ACCs good ol days, which actually werent that long ago, were indeed pretty good.

The basketball side was unlike anything wed ever seen, flush full of Hall of Fame coaches, future NBA superstars, ancient rivalries and chic programs.

And, for a spell, football was also on another level.

Clemson and Florida State provided national gravitas, while the rest of the conference was competitive pretty much from top to bottom.

Now its just a mess.

Reports are circulating that the ACC is exploring a new revenue structure for its membership.

Its a move the league hopes will placate its two signature football schools and halt litigation among all sides.

Its all a far cry from the dream of former commissioner John Swofford .

During his 24 years in charge, he envisioned a conference bound together by tradition, like-minded institutions and a bunch of gentlemens agreements.

Oh, and that presumably air-tight contract thats brought Grant of Rights into the mainstream sports vernacular and has four lawsuits pending in three states.

Remember: Clemson and FSU are both trying to sue their way out of the ACC, likely to chase membership in a conference with larger payouts such as the SEC or Big 10.

The challenge is decoding a contract that runs through 2036 and, barring judicial intervention, would cost around $540 million to escape.

A couple of quick takeaways: Its never a good look when your members want away from you so badly theyre working the court system.

Its equally poor form when youre playing favorites and trying to appease the loudest voices by dangling an uneven revenue share system in front of everyone.

Thats where the ACC is in 2024.

The league has been down this road before.

No, not with the lawsuits; that is rare air.

But its previously tweaked its revenue-sharing formula.

The success incentive initiative introduced in 2023 was to funnel bonuses to schools based on postseason competition such as the College Football Playoff and NCAA basketball tournaments.

Clemson and FSUs athletic directors pushed for that model, claiming they were carrying the weight of the league and wanting proper compensation.

In a blatant example of foreshadowing, the ACC capitulated.

Can Clemson's offense do it again? 4 things to watch vs.

NC State Yet neither Clemson nor FSU have made the CFP since.

And each has expressed a desire to explore greener pastures where theyll get paid more for merely existing.

Some perspective: The likes of Vanderbilt and Rutgers get bigger bucks annually from their respective leagues than any school in the ACC.

That roundhouse kick to the ego is more than some (i.e., Clemson and FSU) can absorb never mind the harsh economic truth in it.

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FSU already spends the most money of any public school in the ACC.

Getting more cash won fix FSU, just as merely being in the SEC or Big 10 wont bolster the nations perception of it.

That's especially true after going to the lengths it and Clemson have gone to safeguard their interests.

There's no guarantee that this concession will satisfy FSU and Clemson long-term, said David McKenzie, a Raleigh, N.C.-based attorney who specializes in media rights and intellectual property.

Their past behavior suggests a pattern of unreliability as contract partners.

This is particularly evident in their attempt to leverage sovereign immunity to evade their contractual obligations to the ACC.

Also, by acquiescing to these demands now, the ACC risks setting a dangerous precedent.

What's to prevent FSU, Clemson, or other members from employing similar tactics in the future when the financial landscape inevitably shifts again? No, the status quo wont be around for long.

The television deals of the SEC and Big 10 will turn over multiple times before the ACCs deal with ESPN expires in 2036.

A current difference of about $15-20 million per school will balloon exponentially by then.

That gap needs to be closed now if its not already too late.

And that will be impossible if Clemson and FSU are successful in court.

That would remove the league's two biggest football brands and open the door for others with wayward eyes.

Its not inconceivable that the ACC could go the way of the Pac-12.

Hamilton: The FSU Experience (tinfoil hat optional) Thats why the rest of the league will likely, though reluctantly, sign off on giving the loudest voices larger slices of the pie even if, as McKenzie said, from a legal standpoint, there's no compelling reason for rank-and-file ACC members to accept this proposal.

It's not just impractical; it's legally problematic.

What theyll see, however, is the only avenue in the short term to keep the league and themselves afloat.

It will bolster the Grant of Rights and, along with that, the ACCs relationship with ESPNs parent company, Disney.

The odds of the league surviving at least another decade or so will increase markedly.

Yet the lingering question is how long will tranquility last? Because whats being pitched isnt a perfect solution, if its a solution, at all.

The performers will be rewarded, though they still have to invest to get a return.

So what about the schools that simply cant allocate the kinds of resources necessary to have a shot at making a run at this proposed revenue-sharing model? Its like the old adage about needing money to make money.

Some have it and will get more; others dont and will continue to plod along if they dont fall behind and then completely fall out.

The gap is going to grow in the revenue share world regardless, said a high-level Division I administrator who asked to not be named.

If this deal keeps the ACC together and Pitt, Boston College, Syracuse, Wake Forest from becoming victims like Oregon State and Washington State, then Id think theyd be for it.

However, it could also backfire and give UNC and Virginia an out to the Big 10.

What comes out on the other side of this will barely resemble John Swoffords dream.

Thats been dead for a while, anyhow.

But it was pretty cool while it lasted..

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