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ACC clears way to add SMU, Stanford, Cal
The Atlantic Coast Conference has cleared the way for SMU, along with Stanford and California, to join the league next year.
DALLAS - SMU donors are excited about the Mustangs move to the ACC.
The school announced Monday that it has raised $100 million in the seven days following the announcement of the move to the Atlantic Coast Conference.
SMU says early commitments from a group of 30 donors, some of which are alumni and others who are not, will help the school compete with other top athletic programs.
"This is an unprecedented financial commitment from a core group of donors who have understood from the beginning that moving to the ACC will be transformational for our University on both athletic and academic levels," said SMU President R. Gerald Turner in a statement.
SMU says men's basketball season ticket sales jumped by 30% in the last week and hundreds of football season tickets were also sold.
"The news has energized not just our fanbase, but the Dallas community. Every metric we have has jumped in the last week, and we look forward to continuing that momentum both this year and next year as we begin ACC play," said SMU Director of Athletics Rick Hart in a statement.
The money will be needed for the school when it officially moves to the ACC on July 1, 2024.
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Rich Phillips on SMU's potential move to ACC
The voice of SMU Mustangs football Rich Phillips talks about the season opener and a possible move to the ACC.
SMU will forgo all media rights in the ACC for nine years, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the school was not making its strategy public. The Dallas school gets about $9 million annually from their current conference, the American Athletic.
The school is also in the middle of a $100 million revamp of the south end zone of Ford Stadium,
The Weber End Zone Complex is expected to be open for the 2024 SMU football season.
The Mustangs will play TCU this Saturday in Fort Worth in the Battle for the Iron Skillet.
The rivalry game will be put on pause after the 2025 matchup.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.