ACC expansion has completely changed the look of the league over the last year. Going forward, Cal and Stanford join from all the way across the country, plus SMU from Texas. Before those three schools even play a game in the conference, there might be more additions coming. College football reporter Luke Fletcher identified four schools that could join the ACC, especially if there are departures in the near future.
Utah
Utah doesn’t fit in the footprint of the classic ACC, but that’s out the window already. The more confusing part of Utah’s potential move is that the Utes just moved from the Pac-12 to the Big 12. However, that was a move made out of desperation, as their former conference is all but dead. Perhaps Utah believes it fits better with the ACC than the Big 12. The conference would win too, as it could expand its television coverage into Salt Lake City, the number 27 market in the country.
Oregon State
Oregon State has been looking for a permanent home since it got left out of realignment following the collapse of the Pac-12. Following Cal and Stanford is a lot better than many alternatives, like joining the Mountain West or rebuilding the Pac-12 with mid-major schools. Similar to Utah, Oregon State provides another television market for the ACC to move into, number 23 Portland.
San Diego State
San Diego State doesn’t fit the mold of a Pac-12 school looking for a new home. The closest path that SDSU would be following is SMU, a school with solid athletics in a great television market. Instead of Dallas, Texas though, this would be San Diego, California (the number 30 market). Media money is really shaping up to be a key factor in ACC expansion.
South Florida
USF would be a replacement, albeit a mediocre one, for Florida State if the Seminoles successfully leave the ACC. They pick up the number 12 Tampa media market, but are probably have the weakest overall athletics out of any possible addition.
