Clemson, Florida State aren’t the biggest targets for SEC, Big Ten expansion

After the Clemson Tigers finally pushed the nuclear option and sued the ACC to get out of the conference, the College Football world naturally assumed that they or Florida State were the biggest threats to leave the conference.

In all reality, another school is a bigger threat to leave the conference in the short-term future. According to Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports, North Carolina is a bigger target for the SEC and Big Ten to recruit to their conferences.

The Tar Heels are the 'lynchpin' when it comes to value that will be added to a possible conference. As noted by Dellenger, North Carolina was one of three schools to vote no when considering additions SMU, Cal, and Stanford. Along with the other two highly dissatisfied schools in Clemson and Florida State, North Carolina didn't want to include more programs into already poor TV deal. With this in mind, is North Carolina likely to leave the ACC anytime soon?

Is North Carolina likely to leave the ACC for the SEC or Big Ten?

To be quite honest, North Carolina is extremely likely to leave the ACC if the current TV deal doesn't funnel more money toward the Tar Heels. In the article by Dellenger, the journalist brings up the fact that UNC chair John Preyer publicly said North Carolina would re-evaluate their fit in the conference if the current ACC finance model doesn't change dramatically in a positive direction. This came in an interview with Inside Carolina.

North Carolina has an extra hill to climb when it comes to leaving the conference since the school needs to provide an actual plan for their financial future before they depart the ACC. With the high costs that come with leaving the conference, it's hard to see a world in which North Carolina is able to do this without getting a guarantee from the SEC or Big Ten when it comes to revenue.

At the end of the day, the ACC is likely doomed unless the conference can change its financial shape.