In an interview with Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger this week, University of Miami President Joe Echevarria framed Miami's place in the ACC as a business calculation that no longer favors the Hurricanes if the current economics persist.
"We are proud members of the ACC. If the economics were even, we wouldn't be having any of these conversations. Thing is, we sit in the second tier. It's a reason we don't get a vote on the 24-team playoff and the Big Ten and SEC do."Joe Echevarria
In the "second tier" of college sports' caste system, Miami is positioning itself for a conference move while exploring football independence and fighting against a federal bill.
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) October 22, 2026
"If we have to go independent," the president says, "I like our chances."https://t.co/AGBdulm1OU
Miami exploring its options
He also said, "You cannot lock us into a conference." Echevarria's case rests on recent results and the ACC's revenue model. Miami reached the College Football Playoff national championship game last season, is ranked No. 1 and undefeated this year, and, he said, has maximized what the conference's sharing formula pays. The return has been comparable to Big Ten and SEC programs that invest and perform at lower levels.
"The fact is that we won about every game you could win last year and maxed out in revenue in our current [ACC] sharing model. And we made the same amount of money as other institutions [in the Big Ten and SEC] whose football programs operate at different levels of investment and performance."Joe Echevarria
Dellenger reported that the Big Ten and SEC already distribute roughly $25 million more per school than the ACC. Echevarria said projections indicate the edge could nearly double when those conferences renegotiate media rights around 2030.
The ACC's ESPN deal runs through 2036. Miami’s institutional profile (AAU membership, R1 research status, a major healthcare system) aligns more closely with Big Ten criteria, while geography favors the SEC, Echevarria noted.
A provision in the Protect College Sports Act, which passed the Senate 77-22 in late September and is now in the House, would cap power-conference membership at 20 schools and require any school moving between those leagues to spend three years as an independent. Thirteen ACC members support the legislation; Miami, Florida State, Clemson and North Carolina do not.
The four presidents signed a letter to House leaders asking that the cap be raised to 22 and that the independent period be eliminated. Echevarria called the restriction an "unfair advantage" that "no modern enterprise" would accept and described it as "illogical."
If the bill becomes law as written, Echevarria indicated, Miami would be forced to consider independence.
"If we have to go independent, I like our chances because we are a national brand," he said. He added that he would prefer not to, because "scheduling [other sports] is really tough. It's great for football but what about track, volleyball and the golf team?"
2030 window and exit costs
Even without the bill, the practical path out of the ACC is constrained by the current media agreement and exit fees. Following the 2025 settlement of lawsuits filed by Florida State and Clemson, those fees decline annually and level at $75 million beginning in 2030-31, with schools retaining their media rights upon payment.
That year also coincides with the expiration or renegotiation windows for Big Ten and SEC rights.
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