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North Carolina’s Possible Belichick Hiring Could Shake Up ACC’s Money Situation

Head Coach Bill Belichick of the North Carolina Tar Heels speaks to the media during a press conference on December 12, 2024

Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

Bringing NFL coaching legend Bill Belichick to the University of North Carolina could shake up the ACC's money picture.

The ACC makes less money than other conferences — to help stabilize the financial difficulties, the ACC secured a nine-year television extension with ESPN. While three new schools — Stanford, California, and SMU — have added an additional $600 million in TV revenue, concerns remain.

Florida State and Clemson complained openly about making less than schools in rival conferences.

Bringing Belichick to UNC could trigger new demands from other schools. The ACC uses copyright law as leverage to stop schools from taking their TV rights elsewhere.

SEC and Big Ten TV deals keep making the money gap bigger. This growing difference puts pressure on the ACC to keep its top schools happy or risk falling behind.

Getting a superstar coach might give UNC more pull in future talks. Other schools might follow by making big coaching hires or upgrading facilities to boost their position.