ACC Adds Stanford, Cal and SMU to Conference; How Will Realignment Moves Impact Streaming ACC Games?

The Pac-12 has been whittled down to the Pac-2, as Stanford and UC Berkley — colloquially known as Cal — are departing the conference in 2024 in favor of the ACC. They will be joined in the ACC by SMU, which jumps to a Power 5 conference from the AAC. Each team will play out the 2023-24 season in the conference where they currently reside, before moving to the ACC next season.

The details of the move confirm how poorly the Pac-12’s streaming-forward deal for its proposed next broadcast agreement sat with its members, essentially leading to the implosion of the historic conference. Reports indicate that Stanford and Cal agreed to relinquish 70% of their shares of the ACC’s current broadcasting deal for seven years, and will earn an increasing amount after that time has passed, while they will receive full shares of other conference income including College Football Playoff and NCAA Basketball Tournament payouts. One month after the Pac-12’s potential new deal was presented to its member schools, only Oregon State and Washington State remain without a new conference, though they are expected to eventually join the Mountain West starting next year.

The addition of these three schools by the ACC could mean an increase in the number of ACC games available via streaming. ACC football and basketball games frequently stream on ESPN+, as the Disney-owned worldwide leader in sports has the conference’s broadcast rights. So, there’s a good chance that fans will see Cardinal, Bears, and Mustangs games on the service starting next season. There will also be a much higher likelihood that you will be able to watch the teams’ games on the linear versions of ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPNU, as well as on the company’s ABC broadcast network.

In addition to ABC, there could also be more ACC games available to stream for free. ESPN sub-licenses ACC games to The CW thanks to a deal signed earlier this year that replaces the conference's agreement with Bally Sports regional sports networks. It sends 50 college football and basketball games from ACC schools to the broadcast channel. As part of the deal, ACC games will stream for free on The CW app in markets where they appear on TV. It is currently unknown if Disney and The CW’s parent company Nexstar will increase the number of games shared between them ad the conference’s inventory has now increased.

Undoubtedly, the ACC Network will also get some of the games from the three new ACC teams starting next season. That cable channel is available to stream on five of the top six live TV streaming platforms currently available: DIRECTV STREAM (Choice plan or higher), Fubo, Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV (in the Sports Extra add-on) and YouTube TV.

The college football season starts in earnest across the country this weekend, and Pac-12 fans will want to be sure to tune in to give their conference one last farewell. Starting next year the college football landscape will look very different, as Cal, Stanford, and SMU prepare to leave their current conferences and join the ACC.