Jim Phillips: ACC Is a ‘Top 3’ Conference amid Florida State, Clemson Rumors

Doric SamJuly 23, 2024

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While there is a debate as to whether the ACC or the Big 12 is the third-best conference in college sports behind the SEC and Big Ten, ACC commissioner Jim Phillips believes it’s time to put those discussions to rest.

In an interview with Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports at ACC Media Days on Monday, Phillips declared that the ACC has already earned the No. 3 ranking.

“We are not chasing third,” Phillips said. “By any metric of significance — CFP appearances, national championships, having our own network, revenue generation, academic prowess — I’m comfortable where the ACC is: inside that top three.”

The comments from Phillips come at an interesting time, as the ACC is facing lawsuits from two of its most prominent members in Clemson and Florida State to challenge the conference’s grant of rights. Phillips admonished the two schools for their “disruptive and harmful” attempts to leave the conference through their lawsuits and added that the ACC is committed to fighting them in court for “as long as it takes.”

However, it was less than two weeks ago at Big 12 Media Days that commissioner Brett Yormark said his conference has “solidified ourselves as one of the top three conferences in America,” Dellenger noted.

While Phillips didn’t mention the Big 12 specifically, he made it clear he believes that the true pecking order is the SEC, the Big Ten and the ACC.

“The ACC is one of the top three conferences in overall revenue generated and distributed,” he reinforced, “and we fully expect that to continue and grow.”

Phillips touted the ACC for having seven different schools that won team NCAA championships this year followed by 16 titles in the previous two years. The three-year total of 23 national titles leads all conferences. He also noted that the ACC leads all power conferences in rankings such as U.S. News & World Report, NCAA graduation rates and NCAA academic performance figures.

The ACC also generated a record $700 million in total revenue last year and distributed $45 million to its schools, the third-highest in the nation.