ESPN executive says network didn’t drive ACC expansion talks
"There was sort of a misperception that ESPN is involved and has control of that, and we absolutely do not."
"There was sort of a misperception that ESPN is involved and has control of that, and we absolutely do not."
"We tried at every stage to negotiate an agreement of some kind, to limit what would happen. But we learned the ‘NCAA’ stood for ‘Never Compromise Anything at Anytime,’ and they wouldn’t even talk to us."
"College football as a regional game of rivalries is fading from memory."
The College Football Playoff committee can essentially go back and rip up the expanded format before the contract starts the '26 season.
Is this enough to offset the loss of Oklahoma and Texas? Well, probably not, but it's probably the best they could have done.