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Cal, Stanford to ACC Falls One Vote Short
With the Pac-12 (Pac-4?) breaking apart due to conference realignment, the remaining four schools in the conference – Cal, Oregon State, Stanford and Washington State – are stuck with trying to find a new home or going independent.
Cal and Stanford tried to (and likely are still trying to) join the ACC, making the Atlantic Coast Conference go as far west to the Pacific Coast, but that move hit a roadblock on Friday when only 11 of the 15 ACC schools approved the additions.
The four ACC schools that opposed the additions of Stanford and Cal at the Wed. night presidents meeting were Florida State, Clemson, North Carolina and North Carolina State, source confirms to @TheAthletic. Would need to flip one of the four to get to 12 yes votes out of 15.
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) August 11, 2023
It's not necessarily a surprise that those four schools did not approve the move considering Florida State, Clemson and North Carolina are schools that are rumored to want out of the ACC.
Ironically, Notre Dame, who seems to refuse to join a conference in football, is one of the schools pushing for the ACC to add Cal and Stanford, according to ESPN's Pete Thamel and Andrea Adelson.
"One school that has been pushing for the addition of Cal and Stanford is Notre Dame, which is a member in the ACC in all sports except football (independent) and hockey (Big Ten). Notre Dame does get a vote on expansion, and it has a long history with Stanford. The fit from an Olympics sports perspective is attractive, too. But multiple athletic directors have questioned why anyone in the league would listen to Notre Dame because the Irish remain so steadfast in remaining independent."
Texas A&M Discontinues 12th Man+ NIL Fund
The first internal organization created specifically for NIL fundraising, Texas A&M has shut down its 12th Man+ NIL Fund after the IRS threatened the foundation's non-profit status in a memo on June 9, one in which pointed out that their function doesn't fit within the confines of tax-exempt status after the fund had rewarded donors with points to use within the athletic department and tax benefits.
"Following consultation with external advisors, the 12th Man Foundation is altering its approach to NIL, which includes discontinuing the 12th Man+ Fund. This decision was made to ensure the 12th Man Foundation meets its high standards for compliance and to protect the organization's mission," the 12th Man Foundation said in a release on Wednesday.
As the first of its kind when it debuted in February, Texas A&M and other schools will have to find another way to reward donors going forward.
Graham Mertz Named Florida Gators Starting Quarterback
Former Wisconsin quarterback Graham Mertz will be QB1 in Gainesville to begin the season.
Graham Mertz has been named the #Gators starting quarterback. https://t.co/Nl05eEklnM pic.twitter.com/2WyjO6a2EE
— Nick de la Torre (@delatorre) August 11, 2023
After enrolling at Florida prior to spring practice, Mertz won the starting job over redshirt sophomore (and former Buckeye) Jack Miller and redshirt freshman Max Brown following Thursday's scrimmage.
In four years with the Badgers, Mertz completed 460 of 774 passes (59.5%) for 5,405 yards, 38 touchdowns and 26 interceptions.
Florida opens the season at Utah and also plays Tennessee, at Kentucky, Georgia, at LSU and Florida State, among others.
ICYMI
Smart's Folly
It used to be the Big Ten. Prior to that, Big Nine. Originally, the Western Conference. Currently, B1G contains two Big Nines. And it's western, again. But like, actually western. Got it?
Ohio State Practice Observations: Jimmy Simmons Reps As First-Team Left Tackle, Quarterbacks Continue to Split Reps and Arvell Reese Moves to Defensive End
With media members in attendance for Friday's practice, Jimmy Simmons practiced as the starting left tackle, Kyle McCord and Devin Brown continued to split first-team reps and Arvell Reese was with the defensive line at Friday’s practice.
Ryan Day Says Ohio State Has Most Mature Team Since 2019, Hopes to Make Quarterback Decision in Next Week
Ryan Day says Ohio State’s 2023 football team is the most mature team he’s had since 2019 and discussed various other topics in an interview with Big Ten Network on Friday.
What's Next?
- 20 Days: Until Ohio State plays its season opener at Indiana (3:30 p.m., CBS)
- 27 Days: Until Ohio State’s home opener against Youngstown State (Noon, Big Ten Network)
- 104 Days: Until Ohio State faces Michigan in Ann Arbor (Noon, FOX)
