As theSEC and Big Ten continue to pump out record revenue numbers with expanded conferences and new TV contracts in tow, college football realignment remains a hot-button topic and one area North Carolina needs to press, according to university board of trustee member and former chairmanDave Boliek.
The ACC's $40 million revenue distribution is nearly half of its other Power conference brethren in the SEC and Big Ten and there's no strategy being discussed in Chapel Hill on how the Tar Heels will move forward in an ever-changing era, Boliek says.
"Carolina's ability to maintain excellence at a high level is going to require really prudent budgeting and revenue models and potential cost cutting," Boliek said in an interview Monday with WRAL Sports Fan. "A lot of it is due to the revenue or lack there of of revenue that we're not receiving from the ACC deal."
The Tar Heels areviewed as "the lynchpin" for the SEC and Big Ten,according to Ross Dellengerof Yahoo Sports.The Tar Heels are an attractive option because the market in North Carolina would expand the SEC's southern reach outside of states like Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.
"It's not something you can chance with the snap of a finger," Boliek said. "It's something we've got to be cognizant of. We can't sit back and cross our fingers and pray for pennies from heaven and thinking everything is going to 'work out.' We have to actively pursue what's in the best interests of Carolina athletics."
RELATED: Projecting where FSU, Clemson, UNC and others land if ACC collapses
It's time for the Tar Heels to get serious about leaving the ACC for a higher-performing conference with greater revenue sharing, he says.
"I am advocating for that," Boliek said. "That's what we need to do. We need to do everything we can to get there. Or the alternative is the ACC is going to have to reconstruct itself. I think all options are on the table."
North Carolina is well-positioned within the realignment arms raceand the Tar Heels'identifiable brandswithinbasketball and football make themaunique optionwhen more realignment happens.Everything relating to North Carolina points to theBig Ten being the most beneficial for both parties.Last summer when conferenceexpansion within the Big Ten hit a fever pitchwith the additions of USC and UCLA, the two most talked-about programs who could be next were North Carolina and Notre Dame. The SEC wants the Tar Heels, too.
UNC athletic directorBubba Cunninghamhas takena measured approach as the national landscape has shiftedand his Tar Heels are now featured among expansion options. With the Big Ten and SEC swiping several elite-level programs over the last two realignment cycles, the biggest question is who's next for the Power 2 and if UNC will be one of those targets.
Last year, amid discussions of ACC expansion, North Carolina opposed the additions of California, SMU and Stanford.Clemson, Florida State and NC State were also league schoolsstandingagainst the new additions, which pushed the ACCto 17 teams.
Get the latest football and recruiting scoop on your favorite college team today.
Clemson and Florida State are two schools currently in a league battle against the conference in an effort to leave, hoping to successfully test the league's grant of rights exit fees.
