the drop. · Oct 22, 2026

Miami president openly declares ACC is college football's 'second tier,' eyes SEC or Big Ten move

University of Miami president Joe Echevarria told Yahoo Sports in an unusually candid on-the-record interview that the Hurricanes consider themselves stuck in college football's second tier as long as they remain in the ACC. He argued that despite Miami winning nearly every game it could last season, the program maxed out its revenue under the current ACC sharing model and earned the same as schools in the Big Ten and SEC whose programs operate at different investment levels. Echevarria said the Big Ten aligns with Miami's profile as an AAU research institution, while the SEC makes geographic sense, and he did not rule out going independent if the next wave of conference realignment does not materialize. Miami is among the ACC programs lobbying to raise the expansion cap in the Protect College Sports Act from 20 to 22 teams, which would make it easier for top ACC schools to depart.

Why it matters

For brands: Sponsors and collectives tied to Miami athletics should monitor whether a move to a higher-revenue conference could change the program's media exposure and deal valuations.

For coaches: Coaches recruiting against SEC and Big Ten programs need to know whether Miami's conference affiliation — and the revenue gap that comes with it — may shift in the near future.

For media: A Miami move to the Big Ten or SEC would have major implications for broadcast rights and regional audience reach for those conferences.

For athletes: Miami athletes across all sports could be affected by a conference switch or independent status, which would reshape scheduling and travel demands.

Read the full story at CBS Sports

Sources

the drop. summarizes reporting from the outlets above in our own words and links to the original. Every story is reviewed by the Goalpost 247 team before it goes live.