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Miami Realignment BOMBSHELL Dropped By Canes Authority! | ACC | B1G | SEC | Hurricanes · ACC Football Addiction (Atlantic Coast Conference)

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Miami is number one in the country for the first
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: time in nearly a quarter of a century. And somehow
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: that might not be the biggest thing happening in Coral
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: Gables this week. Because while everyone is deservedly so celebrating
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: the ranking, Miami's president sat down with Ross Dellinger at
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: Yahoo Sports and said something that no ACC president has
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: frankly had the balls to say this plainly. He said
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: it out loud on the record. He said, you cannot
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: lock us into a conference. Now, think about who said that.
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: Not Florida State, not Clemson, not UNC, not the schools
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: that sued the ACC and FSU in Clemson, not the
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: pride and joy of what the SEC may want in
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: North Carolina. Everybody likes to focus there. Think about Florida
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: State and Clemson. They spent the last two and a half,
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: three years, everybody called them troublemakers. Everybody said that they
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: were bad partners in their lawsuits against the ACC. Not
• 0:59
  Speaker 1: any of those schools. It was the Miami Hurricanes. The
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: school that never sued. The school that never went to court.
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: The school that publicly, at least, played the role of
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: the good ACC citizen the entire time. And now that
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: same school is openly talking about life as a possible
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: football independent.
• 1:18
  Speaker 2: This is ACC Football Addiction.
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: I'm TJ Pittenger, and we are presented by PrizePix, where
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: all new users who play a $ 5 lineup and win
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: get $ 150 in lineups instantly if they use code HMA. Today,
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: we're going to talk about why. We're going to run
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: through a checklist that I built months ago, and I'm
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: going to share a theory that I've had for a
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: long time about how Miami played this whole ACC fight.
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: Because if I'm right about this, and listen, we all
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: think we're right or else we wouldn't say things, but
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: if I'm right, the school that stayed quiet might very
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: well be the first one out the door. Let's start
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: with the man himself, Joe Echevarria, Miami alum, former CEO
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: at Deloitte. And if you read Dellinger's piece, you get
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: the sense this is a guy who looks at a
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: football program the same way that he used to look
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: at a balance sheet. He's not emotional about it. He
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: keeps coming back to one idea. This is business. And
• 2:16
  Speaker 1: his business case goes much like this. Miami won just
• 2:20
  Speaker 1: about every game you could win last season. They played
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: for a national championship in January. They maxed out the
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: ACC's pay revenue model for performance and did very well
• 2:32
  Speaker 1: from a TV viewership perspective as well. They ended up
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: making about the same money as SEC and Big Ten
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: schools that were no near that level. Best season in
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: a generation. And the paycheck looked like an average year
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: in the SEC. And that's his problem.
• 2:48
  Speaker 2: And it's about to get worse.
• 2:51
  Speaker 1: Right now, the SEC and the Big Ten distribute about
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: $ 25 million more per school than the ACC. In 2030,
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  Speaker 1: the SEC can reopen its deal with ESPN and the
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: Big Ten's media contract runs out. Echevarria believes that that
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: gap could nearly double once those new deals land. The
• 3:11
  Speaker 1: ACC's deal with ESPN, it runs through 2036. So the
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: ACC is locked in while the other two leagues are
• 3:18
  Speaker 1: about to reload. And it's not just money. The SEC
• 3:22
  Speaker 1: and the Big Ten got the keys to the playoff format.
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: They just used them to push the field to 24
• 3:28
  Speaker 1: teams starting next year.
• 3:29
  Speaker 2: Miami didn't really get a vote on that.
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: That is ultimately what second tier looks like in 2026.
• 3:37
  Speaker 1: So I think Congress plays into this. We've talked a
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: lot about the protects college sports act. It passed the
• 3:43
  Speaker 1: Senate last month, 77 to 22 big margin. Now it's
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: headed to the house where it's scheduled to come back
• 3:49
  Speaker 1: in mid November. Most of it's NIL transfers eligibility. But
• 3:55
  Speaker 1: the section two Oh five is the part that Miami
• 3:57
  Speaker 1: cares about. There are two things in there. First, it
• 4:01
  Speaker 1: caps power conference members at 20 schools. Second, if a
• 4:05
  Speaker 1: school moves from one power conference to another, it has
• 4:08
  Speaker 1: to spend three years as an independent, down from five years,
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: before it can join the new league. That rule applies
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: to moves in the next six years, which will cover
• 4:19
  Speaker 1: that 2030 window if you can do pretty simple math.
• 4:23
  Speaker 1: The exact window is the one that everyone's been circling.
• 4:27
  Speaker 1: Ted Cruz, who wrote the bill, says it's meant to
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: stop an SEC and Big Ten Super League. But look
• 4:33
  Speaker 1: at who actually gets hurt. The Big Ten is at 18.
• 4:37
  Speaker 1: The SEC is at 16. With a cap of 20,
• 4:39
  Speaker 1: there's only so much room left at the table. And
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: the three-year waiting period turns every move into a possible gamble. Miami,
• 4:49
  Speaker 1: Florida State, Clemson, and North Carolina all signed a letter
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  Speaker 1: to House leaders asking for two changes. They said raise
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  Speaker 1: the cap to 22 and kill the independent waiting period.
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  Speaker 1: The rest of the ACC is on the other side.
• 5:03
  Speaker 1: The league is split 13-4. You can guess which four.
• 5:07
  Speaker 1: Florida State's Board of Chairman Peter Collins said publicly that
• 5:10
  Speaker 1: the provision wipes out the exact options that Florida State
• 5:14
  Speaker 1: fought for in court.
• 5:15
  Speaker 2: And he's completely right.
• 5:17
  Speaker 1: The settlement with the ACC brought the exit fees down.
• 5:21
  Speaker 1: By 2030, they will be at $ 75 million per school.
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  Speaker 1: The door to leave this conference was finally starting to open.
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  Speaker 1: And this bill tries to put a three-year hallway in
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  Speaker 1: front of that door. That's why Echevarria is talking. He
• 5:37
  Speaker 1: told Yahoo that if the bill passes as written, it
• 5:40
  Speaker 1: would force Miami to go independent. However, what I noticed
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: was that he didn't sound scared of that. He said
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  Speaker 1: Miami is a national brand and he likes its chances.
• 5:51
  Speaker 1: So let's take that seriously because we've actually been here
• 5:54
  Speaker 1: and we've discussed that before. Before I go on to that,
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  Speaker 1: I wanted to say, first of all, thank you to
• 6:01
  Speaker 1: several of you who reached out early last week before
• 6:05
  Speaker 1: we got to the Florida State-Miami game. I told you
• 6:07
  Speaker 1: guys about a family that I knew that was in
• 6:09
  Speaker 1: need and asked if you guys wanted to support and
• 6:11
  Speaker 1: help there. Several of you did reach out. Several of
• 6:14
  Speaker 1: you did give. Several of you said, man, just post
• 6:16
  Speaker 1: your Venmo and I'll give there. A lot of you asked, hey,
• 6:19
  Speaker 1: why not set up a GoFundMe? The family doesn't know
• 6:22
  Speaker 1: I'm doing this, doesn't watch my Miami content, and I they,
• 6:26
  Speaker 1: they just didn't love the idea of a GoFundMe, probably
• 6:29
  Speaker 1: a pride thing. I don't know, but they said they
• 6:31
  Speaker 1: didn't want to do it. Several of you just said, Hey,
• 6:33
  Speaker 1: post the Venmo. And I'm happy to just share there
• 6:36
  Speaker 1: and post. If you do send something right family in
• 6:39
  Speaker 1: the description or right, go canes. If you need to
• 6:43
  Speaker 1: do that, whatever you feel comfortable doing, no one is
• 6:46
  Speaker 1: required to do anything, but several of you asked. And
• 6:49
  Speaker 1: so there's your opportunity. I do love this community. I
• 6:53
  Speaker 1: don't love the Canes, but I will say I love
• 6:54
  Speaker 1: this community. And when I've asked for things like this
• 6:57
  Speaker 1: in the past, you guys have supported whether it's been
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: a GoFundMe for my family. My dad had some health
• 7:03
  Speaker 1: stuff going on for other people. We helped with a
• 7:06
  Speaker 1: funeral cost for a family. I love that we're able
• 7:09
  Speaker 1: to do that. I love that some things are a
• 7:11
  Speaker 1: little bit bigger than football. But again, nobody's required to
• 7:14
  Speaker 1: do anything. Wanted to share that. My email is down
• 7:16
  Speaker 1: there on the bottom as well if you want to
• 7:17
  Speaker 1: email me for Any more details that we may not
• 7:20
  Speaker 1: share publicly, but if you want to give, if you
• 7:22
  Speaker 1: want to help, it certainly is appreciated. A couple of
• 7:25
  Speaker 1: months ago, over on the College Football Addiction channel, I
• 7:29
  Speaker 1: did a whole video on this exact question. Back then,
• 7:32
  Speaker 1: the waiting period that was on the table wasn't three years,
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: it was five. The question was whether anybody could actually
• 7:40
  Speaker 1: pull it off. My answer was that it's hard, but
• 7:44
  Speaker 1: not impossible. At that time, I pointed to BYU, a
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  Speaker 1: national brand that walked away from its conference.
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  Speaker 2: It cut its own deal with ESPN.
• 7:54
  Speaker 1: It's scheduled all over the country, and they were ready
• 7:57
  Speaker 1: and prepared when the Big 12 called. Not because independence
• 8:01
  Speaker 1: was easy, but because a big enough brand can stand
• 8:04
  Speaker 1: on its own if it absolutely has to. Back then,
• 8:08
  Speaker 1: it was early August, I think August 2nd is the
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  Speaker 1: day that I did it, was I laid out the
• 8:13
  Speaker 1: five hurdles that I saw sitting if a team wanted
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  Speaker 1: to go independent, and then I added one more on
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  Speaker 1: top of all of it. Since that video, I do
• 8:23
  Speaker 1: think two things have changed. The Senate cut the waiting
• 8:26
  Speaker 1: period down from five years to three years, and a
• 8:29
  Speaker 1: school has actually raised its hand to say, we could
• 8:32
  Speaker 1: do it. I want to run through the Miami checklist
• 8:36
  Speaker 1: and I won't go completely into detail if you've already
• 8:38
  Speaker 1: seen that video, but I do want you to see
• 8:40
  Speaker 1: how this applies to Miami. And at the end of
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  Speaker 1: this one, I'll link that full video from August that
• 8:44
  Speaker 1: you can go watch. Hurdle one, you have to have
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  Speaker 1: a destination before you leave. I said it then and
• 8:51
  Speaker 1: I'll say it now. Nobody writes a nine-figure check to
• 8:53
  Speaker 1: the ACC and then hopes that somebody calls. You go
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  Speaker 1: independent because the SEC or the Big Ten has already
• 9:00
  Speaker 1: told you, hey, we'll see you in three years. You're
• 9:03
  Speaker 1: not leaving without a destination. You're waiting to arrive. Does
• 9:08
  Speaker 1: Miami have that? Well, I'll say not publicly. Neither league
• 9:12
  Speaker 1: has shown any sign it's ready to expand right now.
• 9:16
  Speaker 1: But expansion never happens in public. It happens in the dark,
• 9:20
  Speaker 1: right up until it doesn't. And one of two things
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  Speaker 1: is true. Miami's president is pitching both leagues out loud
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  Speaker 1: or has already been told privately they've got a spot.
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  Speaker 1: Hurdle number two, the money to get out. In that video,
• 9:35
  Speaker 1: I used a range of $ 100 to $ 150.
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  Speaker 2: Million just to leave the ACC.
• 9:40
  Speaker 1: Under the settlement, that number drops below $ 100 million by 2030,
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  Speaker 1: $ 75 million.
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  Speaker 2: And then if you go every year before that, just
• 9:48
  Speaker 2: add 18.
• 9:49
  Speaker 1: So quick math would tell you 2029 is 93. And
• 9:52
  Speaker 1: that's about the end of the math that I'll do
• 9:53
  Speaker 1: just so I don't make myself look like more of
• 9:55
  Speaker 1: a fool than I already am. It's a huge chunk
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  Speaker 1: of money before you've played a single game independent or
• 10:01
  Speaker 1: in a new conference. But look at how Miami operates.
• 10:05
  Speaker 1: They've got a roster that's reportedly north of 40 million.
• 10:08
  Speaker 1: They've got a president who sits in on football money
• 10:10
  Speaker 1: decisions daily. They've got people around the program. One told
• 10:14
  Speaker 1: Yahoo that Echevarria runs it like an NFL owner would.
• 10:18
  Speaker 1: It is a school that already spins like it's in
• 10:21
  Speaker 1: the top tier. So for this hurdle, it's expensive, but
• 10:25
  Speaker 1: I think it's doable. Hurdle number three, who buys the
• 10:28
  Speaker 1: TV rights? This is the part that was most interesting
• 10:32
  Speaker 1: to me last time. If you're Amazon, would you rather
• 10:36
  Speaker 1: spend billions on an entire conference or buy one or
• 10:40
  Speaker 1: two elite football properties? A streaming company doesn't need 17 schools.
• 10:46
  Speaker 1: It needs subscribers. It needs a reason for you to
• 10:49
  Speaker 1: open the app on Saturday. Amazon doesn't need Miami to
• 10:53
  Speaker 1: play BC. Amazon needs Miami to be the reason that
• 10:56
  Speaker 1: somebody keeps their subscription. When I asked that a couple
• 11:00
  Speaker 1: of months ago, I said I honestly didn't know the answer.
• 11:03
  Speaker 1: But now Yahoo is reporting that Miami has been exploring
• 11:06
  Speaker 1: independence with media companies just like Amazon.
• 11:10
  Speaker 2: I didn't talk with President Echevarria.
• 11:13
  Speaker 1: I didn't ask him if that's somebody that they were
• 11:15
  Speaker 1: pointing out, but go back and watch the video.
• 11:17
  Speaker 2: I laid that out plainly.
• 11:20
  Speaker 1: Echevarria didn't confirm it, but that question is not hypothetical
• 11:23
  Speaker 1: from August anymore.
• 11:25
  Speaker 2: And think about the timing.
• 11:26
  Speaker 1: If you're going to sell yourself as a standalone TV property,
• 11:30
  Speaker 1: the week that you're number one in the country is
• 11:32
  Speaker 1: a pretty good week to do it. The year that
• 11:35
  Speaker 1: you are going to be in the college football playoff,
• 11:37
  Speaker 1: the year that you have a massive top five matchup
• 11:39
  Speaker 1: against Notre Dame, those are pretty good selling points. If
• 11:43
  Speaker 1: I'm grading this hurdle, I think this is the strongest
• 11:45
  Speaker 1: card that Miami currently holds. Hurdle number four is the schedule.
• 11:50
  Speaker 1: I think September is really easy. Everybody's looking for non-conference games.
• 11:55
  Speaker 1: You've got bye games against bad opponents that everybody's playing
• 11:58
  Speaker 1: in college football. October and November, that's when every conference
• 12:02
  Speaker 1: team is locked into league play. That's when independents get
• 12:06
  Speaker 1: stuck with whoever has an open date.
• 12:09
  Speaker 2: Ask BYU.
• 12:10
  Speaker 1: It is trickier than you would expect. Now, the last
• 12:13
  Speaker 1: time we did this in August, I floated an idea.
• 12:16
  Speaker 1: If the Big Ten or the SEC, likely the Big Ten,
• 12:19
  Speaker 1: already knows that you're coming in a few years, would
• 12:22
  Speaker 1: they help you fill that schedule? And I think the
• 12:24
  Speaker 1: answer is yes. They would be protecting the value of
• 12:28
  Speaker 1: the future that they already own.
• 12:31
  Speaker 2: Say it's the Big Ten.
• 12:33
  Speaker 1: Maybe they schedule a couple of their high-profile games against Miami.
• 12:38
  Speaker 1: Miami would certainly already have some pieces in place. I
• 12:42
  Speaker 1: don't think that Florida State rivalry is going anywhere, even
• 12:45
  Speaker 1: if Miami is out of the conference. Jim Williams has
• 12:48
  Speaker 1: reported that Notre Dame has at least had early scheduling
• 12:52
  Speaker 1: conversations involving Miami, just like they do with Clemson, independent
• 12:56
  Speaker 1: of that ACC rotation.
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  Speaker 2: What if somebody leaves with you? A Florida State. Well,
• 13:00
  Speaker 2: then you certainly keep that rivalry together, both as independents.
• 13:05
  Speaker 1: I think that hurdle is solvable with help from your
• 13:09
  Speaker 1: new conference, from other programs that you've got good relationships with,
• 13:12
  Speaker 1: from ACC schools that want to continue to play you.
• 13:15
  Speaker 1: Notre Dame's an independent. There are others you can play.
• 13:18
  Speaker 1: I think it's doable. Hurdle number five is the playoff.
• 13:22
  Speaker 1: To me, this is the biggest unknown. Notre Dame right
• 13:25
  Speaker 1: now has its own arrangement. A brand new independent? Would
• 13:30
  Speaker 1: you get guaranteed playoff revenue? Nobody outside of those rooms
• 13:34
  Speaker 1: within the playoff committee or the playoff decision makers, better,
• 13:38
  Speaker 1: is aware of that. What we do know is the
• 13:41
  Speaker 1: field is going to 24 teams. And in 10-2 Miami,
• 13:44
  Speaker 1: or maybe even a 9-3 Miami, is always in. But
• 13:50
  Speaker 1: an 8-4 Miami with no conference title game to fall
• 13:53
  Speaker 1: back on, I think that's maybe a harder argument.
• 13:56
  Speaker 2: It's murky.
• 13:57
  Speaker 1: You don't know how the money details would work. You
• 13:59
  Speaker 1: don't know if you could get the auto bid agreement
• 14:01
  Speaker 1: that Notre Dame has. Certainly possible. But I think that
• 14:03
  Speaker 1: one's one we have to figure out. And here's one
• 14:06
  Speaker 1: that I didn't spend enough time on last time. Football
• 14:10
  Speaker 1: is the major driver here, but it isn't everything. Echevarria
• 14:14
  Speaker 1: brought this up himself. Independence is great for football, but
• 14:17
  Speaker 1: what about track? What about volleyball? What about your golf team?
• 14:21
  Speaker 1: Notre Dame solved it by putting its other sports in
• 14:23
  Speaker 1: the ACC. BYU did it by sending them to the
• 14:26
  Speaker 1: West Coast Conference. Would the ACC keep Miami's Olympic sports
• 14:30
  Speaker 1: while football walks out the door? I don't know that
• 14:33
  Speaker 1: I would bet on that just because of how that
• 14:35
  Speaker 1: would look, but it's going to be a second negotiation
• 14:38
  Speaker 1: that goes on. Then there's one more thing that everything
• 14:42
  Speaker 1: sits on top of. You have to keep winning. I
• 14:45
  Speaker 1: ended that video back in August saying that if you're
• 14:46
  Speaker 1: going to bet on yourself, you have to deliver. That's
• 14:49
  Speaker 1: the fragile part for Miami. Notre Dame can survive a
• 14:52
  Speaker 1: bad year as an independent. People will go watch Notre
• 14:55
  Speaker 1: Dame at seven and five. And Miami's been great the
• 14:57
  Speaker 1: last three years. Miami's also been irrelevant the 17 years
• 15:01
  Speaker 1: before that. We all remember when Miami was back every
• 15:05
  Speaker 1: August and gone by October or November. An independent Miami
• 15:08
  Speaker 1: that's number one in the country is a premium streaming property.
• 15:13
  Speaker 1: An independent Miami that's seven and five or eight and
• 15:15
  Speaker 1: four is probably a scheduling problem. Independence will magnify whatever
• 15:21
  Speaker 1: you are. Win, and it's great. Don't win, and I
• 15:25
  Speaker 1: think you've got a problem. So where does that leave Miami?
• 15:29
  Speaker 1: In that video back in August, I said every one
• 15:32
  Speaker 1: of these schools would at least explore it. Miami's the
• 15:36
  Speaker 1: first one to come out and say, you know what, T.J., yeah,
• 15:38
  Speaker 1: you're right.
• 15:38
  Speaker 2: We'll do this.
• 15:40
  Speaker 1: And here's something a lot of younger fans don't know.
• 15:42
  Speaker 2: Miami has done this before.
• 15:44
  Speaker 1: Miami was a football independent when it won national titles
• 15:47
  Speaker 1: in 83, 87, and 89. It's a much different sport,
• 15:51
  Speaker 1: I understand, but they didn't join the Big East in
• 15:53
  Speaker 1: football until 1991. They didn't come to the ACC until
• 15:57
  Speaker 1: the mid-2000s. So this would not be some wild experiment.
• 16:00
  Speaker 1: It would be a return. And it would not be
• 16:03
  Speaker 1: the final destination. It would be the bridge to get
• 16:06
  Speaker 1: them to that point. If the bill in Congress passes
• 16:09
  Speaker 1: and the waiting period sticks, Miami doesn't sit in the
• 16:12
  Speaker 1: ACC hoping that somebody calls. I think they're going to
• 16:15
  Speaker 1: walk out, build their own deal, and run the clock
• 16:18
  Speaker 1: while everybody else is still arguing. By the time the
• 16:22
  Speaker 1: SEC and the Big Ten are negotiating new contracts, Miami
• 16:25
  Speaker 1: will not be asking for an invitation. They're already halfway
• 16:28
  Speaker 1: through that hallway. Nobody is asking whether or not independence
• 16:32
  Speaker 1: is perfect. The question is whether it's better than waiting
• 16:37
  Speaker 1: in the ACC until 2036. And for Miami right now,
• 16:41
  Speaker 1: I think the answer is very clearly yes. And it
• 16:44
  Speaker 1: seems like your president agrees. Which brings me back to
• 16:48
  Speaker 1: the part that I want to talk about and wanted
• 16:50
  Speaker 1: to talk about for a long time. Go back to 2023.
• 16:54
  Speaker 1: Remember how all of this started. There was a group
• 16:57
  Speaker 1: of ACC schools, seven of them. by most reports, quietly
• 17:02
  Speaker 1: digging into the grant of rights, trying to figure out
• 17:05
  Speaker 1: if it could be broken. Florida State, Clemson, UNC, Virginia,
• 17:09
  Speaker 1: NC State, Georgia Tech, and Miami. One called them the
• 17:13
  Speaker 1: Magnificent Seven. I think that was Brett McMurphy. Now, one
• 17:16
  Speaker 1: by one, they backed off, except for Florida State. Florida
• 17:21
  Speaker 1: State went to court, and then Clemson went to court.
• 17:24
  Speaker 1: They took the shots. They took the headlines. They became
• 17:26
  Speaker 1: the villains of the entire ACC. And Miami? Well, the
• 17:30
  Speaker 1: Canes stayed quiet. They never sued. They kept their head down.
• 17:34
  Speaker 1: They kept winning. They kept cashing in under the ACC's
• 17:36
  Speaker 1: revenue model.
• 17:37
  Speaker 2: That rewards schools who perform.
• 17:39
  Speaker 1: Essentially, they played the good cop while Florida State and
• 17:42
  Speaker 1: Clemson played the bad cop. Now, here's my theory on
• 17:45
  Speaker 1: all of that. I don't think it was an accident.
• 17:48
  Speaker 1: I think Florida State and Clemson were the bad cop
• 17:51
  Speaker 1: on purpose. They were loud. They were aggressive. They pushed
• 17:54
  Speaker 1: the league in court and in public. And Miami was
• 17:57
  Speaker 1: the good cop. They publicly supported. They were inside of
• 18:00
  Speaker 1: the room. They were hearing everything the league was thinking,
• 18:03
  Speaker 1: every strategy, every concern, while at the same time, Miami
• 18:06
  Speaker 1: had every reason in the world to want the same
• 18:09
  Speaker 1: outcome that Florida State and Clemson were fighting for. I
• 18:12
  Speaker 1: can't prove that they were working together, but if you've
• 18:15
  Speaker 1: just seen their statements that have come out in support
• 18:18
  Speaker 1: of different legislation changes, different ways out of the conference,
• 18:22
  Speaker 1: it sure seems like they're working together now. And so, yeah,
• 18:26
  Speaker 1: I can't prove they were working together then, but just
• 18:28
  Speaker 1: look how it all played out. The lawsuits ended in
• 18:32
  Speaker 1: a settlement. Exit fees came down for schools like Miami.
• 18:37
  Speaker 1: Everyone else got a real path out, whether they sued
• 18:39
  Speaker 1: or not. They got a path out with their media rights,
• 18:42
  Speaker 1: and that path doesn't just apply to the Seminoles and Tigers.
• 18:45
  Speaker 1: It applies to everyone, including the school down in South
• 18:49
  Speaker 1: Florida that never filed a single lawsuit. Florida State spent
• 18:54
  Speaker 1: years alongside Clemson and millions of dollars in legal fees
• 18:58
  Speaker 1: opening that door, and Miami gets to walk through it
• 19:01
  Speaker 1: without paying a dime of that legal bill and without
• 19:04
  Speaker 1: burning a single bridge doing it. Whether that was coordinated
• 19:07
  Speaker 1: or just really smart positioning, the result is the same.
• 19:11
  Speaker 1: Miami played this perfectly, and honestly, it probably helped Florida
• 19:15
  Speaker 1: State and Clemson too. Every time Miami stayed calm, the
• 19:19
  Speaker 1: ACC had to wonder how long that calm would last.
• 19:22
  Speaker 1: They had leverage, even if they weren't using it at
• 19:25
  Speaker 1: the time. So why could Miami be first? Well, first
• 19:28
  Speaker 1: of all, they're the number one team in the country.
• 19:30
  Speaker 1: They just played for a national title. They've got one
• 19:33
  Speaker 1: of the most expensive rosters, best coaching staffs in America.
• 19:36
  Speaker 1: And the president is making the case like a CEO,
• 19:39
  Speaker 1: not a fan. He's telling Yahoo that an AAU research school, Miami,
• 19:44
  Speaker 1: already fits the Big 10 profile and geographically they fit
• 19:49
  Speaker 1: in the sec he's pitching both leagues in public at
• 19:52
  Speaker 1: the same time it's again leverage now compare that to
• 19:55
  Speaker 1: the bad cops florida state and clemson have a problem
• 19:58
  Speaker 1: that miami might not have in the sec florida and
• 20:02
  Speaker 1: south carolina are seen as obstacles to bringing in more
• 20:04
  Speaker 1: schools from their own states we saw the same thing
• 20:07
  Speaker 1: years ago when texas a & m didn't want texas
• 20:10
  Speaker 1: Miami certainly has that issue with Florida, too, if it
• 20:13
  Speaker 1: was SEC-bound. But Miami also has a Big Ten argument
• 20:16
  Speaker 1: that the other two don't. Miami is an AAU member.
• 20:19
  Speaker 1: Florida State and Clemson, though, working toward that, are not.
• 20:22
  Speaker 1: And the Big Ten and Fox have been more aggressive
• 20:24
  Speaker 1: about expansion than anybody.
• 20:27
  Speaker 2: So think about this. The two schools that.
• 20:29
  Speaker 1: Fought the war might still be stuck waiting on their
• 20:32
  Speaker 1: in-state rivals and conference politics. And maybe the school that
• 20:36
  Speaker 1: stayed quiet has the cleanest resume. the hottest team, and
• 20:41
  Speaker 1: the best academic profile for the Big Ten. And they
• 20:44
  Speaker 1: may have a streaming partner ready to carry it through
• 20:46
  Speaker 1: the waiting period if they have to. I think that's
• 20:49
  Speaker 1: a position of strength that no one in the country
• 20:51
  Speaker 1: can match when it comes to the Miami Hurricanes right now.
• 20:54
  Speaker 2: Now, does any of this happen tomorrow?
• 20:56
  Speaker 1: I don't think so. The House has to take up
• 20:58
  Speaker 1: the bill. If the House changes it, if it goes
• 21:01
  Speaker 1: back to the Senate, there's a lot of things that
• 21:03
  Speaker 1: could make this a back and forth or it could
• 21:05
  Speaker 1: get killed entirely. If it dies, Miami may wait until
• 21:09
  Speaker 1: 2030 like everybody else. If it gets amended the way
• 21:11
  Speaker 1: that Miami wants, the path may get easier. If it
• 21:14
  Speaker 1: passes as is, that's when independence stops being a threat
• 21:18
  Speaker 1: and will be a plan for the hurricanes. Echeverria said
• 21:22
  Speaker 1: something at the end of that interview that stuck with me.
• 21:24
  Speaker 1: He said that when Miami joined the ACC in 2004,
• 21:27
  Speaker 1: the world looked completely different. And when these contracts come
• 21:31
  Speaker 1: up again, Miami is going to ask whether that decision
• 21:34
  Speaker 1: still makes sense. It's not a school that's emotionally attached
• 21:37
  Speaker 1: to the ACC. It's a school that's simply doing math.
• 21:41
  Speaker 1: And right now, the math says Miami is the most
• 21:43
  Speaker 1: valuable thing in the conference that doesn't have to fight
• 21:46
  Speaker 1: its way out. Florida State kicked the door. Clemson kicked
• 21:50
  Speaker 1: the door. And Miami stood there just holding the keys.
• 21:53
  Speaker 1: So I'd love to hear what you guys think about this.
• 21:56
  Speaker 1: Was Miami playing the good cop on purpose or did
• 21:58
  Speaker 1: it just work out that way? Would you want Miami
• 22:01
  Speaker 1: going independent if it came to that or What are
• 22:03
  Speaker 1: your thoughts on the Olympic sports?
• 22:04
  Speaker 2: Are they too big of a problem to ignore?
• 22:06
  Speaker 1: And if Miami does get out first, how do Clemson
• 22:09
  Speaker 1: and Florida State respond? Do they maybe have a travel
• 22:11
  Speaker 1: partner to go with them? Let me know down in
• 22:14
  Speaker 1: the comments. We appreciate you guys as always for tuning in. Again,
• 22:17
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• 22:19
  Speaker 1: will be in the description if you'd like to contribute. Again,
• 22:23
  Speaker 1: write family or go Canes or something on there. And
• 22:26
  Speaker 1: we appreciate you guys as always for tuning in. We
• 22:28
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• 22:30
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• 22:36
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• 22:38
  Speaker 1: Football Addiction.