While some interpret Section 205 differently, those who helped develop the language on Capitol Hill confirmed with Yahoo Sports that the provision prevents the four conferences from acquiring any new member — even those in the G6.
I told you all.
The bill passed the committee and it looks like they may have a chance to become a law.
As y'all know, PCSA is significant because it contains anti expansion provision. Maybe the ACC is saved?
I am not a lawyer.
But PCSA is interesting because I think it aims to rectify the flawed incentive that has turned conferences into behemoths.
The real reason the P2 has been expanding is to generate more media revenue. Under the current system, TV networks generally negotiate with conferences, so from a conference’s perspective, it makes sense to add schools that deliver the highest media ratings and subscriptions.
I don't think PCSA will entirely prevent the P2 from expanding. If the P2 joins media pooling, adding schools won't have the impact on the membership requirement under PCSA
In other words, they could still add ACC schools as long as they pool the media right with everyone else but would they want to do so?
The financial incentive would be significantly weaker, meaning schools would only be added if there’s a genuine desire to associate with them and play against them on the field. And if you think about it, isn't this what a true conference should be?
From this angle, PCSA is not as onerous as people think. It doesn’t completely block the free movement of schools. It simply removes the monetary aspect from conference membership changes, encouraging more bona fide, voluntary associations among like minded institutions.
I have been predicting this for a long time.
Back in May 2024 when every pundit declared FSU and Clemson were gone and the ACC dead, I wrote a writeup saying ESPN would renew the contract and FSU/Clemson may settle with the ACC in exchange of more money.
In that article, I also explained why ESPN would move the B12 schools to the ACC.
Summary of 2024 Prediction
The ACC will lose at most two schools before 2030. It’s also possible that nobody leaves. (* I now think the ACC will lose zero school before 2030 but may lose up to four schools in 2030*)
ESPN will renew the ACC contract through 2036. It’s possible that the ACC may get slightly more or slightly less money but most likely significantly more than the Big 12.
The ACC will target certain Big 12 schools.
ESPN will have a financial incentive to move Big 12 schools to the ACC.
https://accfootballrx.blogspot.com/2024/05/guest-article-why-espn-will-move-b12.html?m=1
I was watching Phillips speech during the ACC spring game and was surprised to hear Phillips mentioned a 10 game schedule.
Granted he was just trying to answer if the 24 team playoff would undermine a regular season, but he won't mention it unless he knew something.
Then I saw this from X:
The good thing about ten conference game schedule is that they can implement the 3-7-7 schedule.
The Big Ten is king with $1.47 billion in revenue for fiscal year 2025, followed by $1.11 billion for the SEC.
ACC: $862.5M B12: $610.9M
ACC high: Clemson $55.1 million ACC low: (other than new comers): Wake Forest’s $42.8 million.
B12 high: ASU $43M (hey, better than WF!) B12 low: $37.9M
The B10 made headlines by distributing a whopping $1.37 billion. That translates to an average of $76.1M per member school, or $79.9M for full members. The SEC also distributed $1.03 billion, with full members receiving an average payout of $72.4M.
I predict the B12’s payout for full members will be around $35 million, while ACC full members will receive $46–50M. The ACC will see wider variation even among full members due to its success initiative.
Expect the media and pundits to focus on the gap between the ACC /B12 and the P2, conveniently ignoring the gap between the ACC and the B12.
https://accfootballrx.blogspot.com/2026/04/guest-article-realignment-wars.html?m=1
The simplest and smartest solution for ESPN is to own a secondary, lower-cost property that provides national reach and complements the SEC. That’s why the SEC doesn’t need to be as large as the Big Ten. Fox needs the Big Ten to cover everything, but the SEC doesn’t have to.
Just my thought.