The only reason the ACC became dead on arrival is because the former ACC commissioner sold the whole conference down the road and locked them into a garbage ass tv deal.. for like 20 years! None of this was an issue until the money started looking funny. If you win in the ACC you were going to championship, period. ACC has never been on outside looking in. When they locked in for long ass tv deal and the game changed a few years later with other leagues resetting the market, ACC was DEAD. John Swofford did some funny stuff and I am sure if when they look back and into the deals he did there will be some funny business uncovered.
Teams started being ass too, Maryland left
NcSt fell off but got decent, tech fell off, the Virginia schools off, and Miami off, if those schools raised their floor that could give them leverage to renegotiate, too, but the old commish fukked them and they bit, cuz ain’t no way i sign a 30. Year deal that makes no sense or cents unless my share went up exponentially higher every 5 years