Conference Realignment: ACC May Bunker To Ward Off Pillagers

The threat of super-conferences and a shift in the college landscape has everyone shaking in their boots, and the ACC is no exception. With the SEC apparently on the prowl, ready to add Texas A&M and perhaps one other team, the ACC is ready to hunker down and increase its enforcements to ward off a threat. Nobody is quite sure how this round of conference realignment will play out, and thus it's best to be prepared, else end up like the Big 12.

The ACC may vote to increase its castle walls, bbumping the buyout penalty up in an effort to keep its teams at home, according to a report.

League presidents are scheduled to discuss the topic early next week at their annual September meetings, but it is not the first time the topic has been discussed by the group, nor has the meeting been scheduled specifically to address expansion. The current buyout for an ACC team to leave the conference, according to both sources, is between $10 million to $13 million.

Whether it will work remains to be seen. As we've seen before, a buyout penalty can be merely a suggestion, with future riches and a new home enough to mitigate the hit that comes with a buyout. But at least the ACC is taking proactive action.