The buzzwords around the ACC’s spring meetings a year ago? Success initiatives.

While not a full solution to the widening revenue gap in distributed revenue among ACC schools compared to those in the SEC and Big Ten, the concept of incentivizing on-field success gained steam. Just weeks after the spring meetings in Amelia Island, on May 24, the league announced “it has endorsed a success incentive initiative that will begin during the 2024-25 academic year.”

The ACC’s press release stated that specifics of the plan would be solidified in a few months. But nearly a full calendar year later, the ACC’s presidents and chancellors have not yet agreed to the framework of what the success initiatives would look like. No ACC school would receive a smaller distribution, but it’s plausible the winner of the ACC football title game would earn a bonus.

“Today’s decision provides a path to reward athletic success while also distributing additional revenue to the full membership,” Duke president Vincent E. Price stated last May.

When a vote could take place to implement a success initiative is not known. And the potential bonus amount remains a mystery, although FSU athletics director Michael Alford has long considered the concept a bridge toward a financial solution but wouldn’t nearly make up the deficit the league’s schools face when competing against SEC and Big Ten schools.

The league’s presidents and chancellors must approve the measure. As one source mentioned to the Osceola prior to the 2023 football season, it’s a challenge simply to get all of those presidents and chancellors on a call or Zoom at the same day and time to discuss and vote.

Plenty has changed since last May’s meetings. The ACC's schools voted to welcome Stanford, California and SMU (FSU objected, and said so in a statement, while Clemson and North Carolina also objected). FSU and Clemson have lawsuits pending with the ACC, while Florida attorney general Ashley Moody is suing the conference for not releasing the agreement with ESPN. Moody’s office has cited case law precedent in an argument that the ESPN agreement should be out in the open as part of the state’s Sunshine laws.

When football coaches, basketball coaches, athletics directors and faculty athletic representatives meet in Amelia Island in the coming days, there will be plenty on the agenda. Here's where it gets awkward: Alford, Clemson athletics director Graham Neff and ACC commissioner Jim Phillips will often be in the same room, key figures on opposite sides of multiple lawsuits. (No presidents, chancellors or trustees will be in attendance the next few days.)

FSU football coach Mike Norvell, men's basketball coach Leonard Hamilton and women's basketball coach Brooke Wyckoff are set to attend and take part in discussions about their sports with the league's coaches. Representatives from ESPN also attend and give reports.

In prior years, the hot topics have ranged from rules changes to the transfer portal and NIL. There have been discussions on basketball scheduling and the importance of elevating the ACC's profile after some lean years in terms of representation in the NCAA Tournament. Only five ACC schools — Clemson, Duke, North Carolina, NC State and Virginia — were selected to the 68-team event, although the Wolfpack made a surprise run to the Final Four while the Blue Devils and Tigers reached the Elite Eight. In 2023, just Duke, Miami, NC State, Pittsburgh and Virginia made the field.

This discussion is more than just history or prestige. Each NCAA Tournament game that an ACC school plays in earns a share in the revenue distribution. (The pool of money generated by the units is distributed evenly amongst the member schools over the next six years.) Only five ACC teams earning a spot in the 2024 field hurts, while a deep run by NC State, Duke and Clemson helps.

Phillips also sits in on a number of meetings, although last year he stepped out of AD meetings at times to allow them a chance to talk. The commissioner also gives a state of the league address and answers questions from the media at the end of the meetings.

Sign up for the Osceola's free daily email newsletters

Beyond the internal discussions of the ACC's revenue gap and basketball scheduling, there are many external issues. NIL is always at the forefront. The transfer portal has now been expanded, allowing athletes to change schools annually if they are in good shape academically.

There are other lawsuits, notably House vs. NCAA. The settlement-related revenue model bears similarities with the proposal that NCAA president Charlie Baker floated to schools last December, which would permit schools who choose to compensate athletes directly for the use of their name, image and likeness (NIL).

The price tag across college athletics is massive, estimated at $1 billion to athletes from 2017-20 (a period before NIL legislation was approved in California, Florida and other states), according to a detailed report by Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger two weeks ago. While a large number of states have NIL legislation with varying language, Florida enacted its law in July 2021 and amended it to allow more communication between coaches and administrators with athletes in alignment with other states.

What will a new revenue-sharing model cost schools like FSU?

Yahoo’s reporting estimates the amount could be $15 million - $20 million per school, “with a spending limit similar to a professional sports team’s salary cap.” The amount paid would be the same for FSU or any other ACC, SEC, Big Ten or Big 12 school that participates.

Follow The Osceola on Facebook

Follow The Osceola on Twitter

Subscribe to the Osceola's YouTube channel

Subscribe to the Osceola's podcasts on Apple