Let The Games Begin (Again)

Published|Updated

By Vince Thompson, Pres/CEO, MELT (www.meltatl.com)  

The addition of Notre Dame today to the ACC, even on a limited football basis, is the latest salvo in the continuing chess match between the ACC's John Swofford, the SEC's Mike Slive, the Pac-12's Larry Scott, the Big 10's Jim Delaney and the Big 12's Bob Bowlsby (even though they only technically have 10 teams).

Today's move insures not only the survival of the ACC but puts them in a very strong position long-term as the jockeying and valuation of a unified college football playoff and championship begins in earnest in 2014-2015. As ESPN and the other tv networks begin the bidding process, look for the total number to easily be north of 5 billion, over a period of 10 years, to be laid down on the table for the rights once the dust clears. Maybe even more.

Geographically, the ACC is in a strong position now and in the future once you consider Notre Dame and the inclusion of other major media markets along the East Coast, including NYC, which coincidentally, Syracuse alum dot the ESPN landscape and culture. And should both Notre Dame and the ACC teams start performing at national championship caliber in football as they do in basketball, the ACC will be in an even stronger and unique position long-term as they could be dominant in the two most popular sports in collegiate athletics.

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Clay Travis is the founder of the fastest growing national multimedia platform, OutKick, that produces and distributes engaging content across sports and pop culture to millions of fans across the country. OutKick was created by Travis in 2011 and sold to the Fox Corporation in 2021. One of the most electrifying and outspoken personalities in the industry, Travis hosts OutKick The Show where he provides his unfiltered opinion on the most compelling headlines throughout sports, culture, and politics. He also makes regular appearances on FOX News Media as a contributor providing analysis on a variety of subjects ranging from sports news to the cultural landscape. Throughout the college football season, Travis is on Big Noon Kickoff for Fox Sports breaking down the game and the latest storylines. Additionally, Travis serves as a co-host of The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show, a three-hour conservative radio talk program syndicated across Premiere Networks radio stations nationwide. Previously, he launched OutKick The Coverage on Fox Sports Radio that included interviews and listener interactions and was on Fox Sports Bet for four years. Additionally, Travis started an iHeartRadio Original Podcast called Wins & Losses that featured in-depth conversations with the biggest names in sports. Travis is a graduate of George Washington University as well as Vanderbilt Law School. Based in Nashville, he is the author of Dixieland Delight, On Rocky Top, and Republicans Buy Sneakers Too.